I dislike JJ Abrams so much. I don't know how he could sneak into hollywood and get this much power. He is regarded as a inspiring talented director ...He tricked people into thinking that. He is complexly evil
@@Bhavyo First Star Trek, which would have been a decent if not terribly bright Star Wars clone if it had been an original movie but as a Star Trek movie it was terrible.
These Show Ruiners are the antithesis of people that should’ve been handed and trusted with a billion dollar IP. They are literally the ultimate example of failing upwards.
It was deliberate. Amazon hates Tolkien’s work. Think about it, a superior race of elves? A promised land for people who “deserve” it? A race of evil, dark servants of a lord? Superior men? Originally, Galadriel is a “feminine” hero who fights evil by means of peaceful, yet powerful and cunning methods. They practically nerfed the Eldar into spoiled rotten teens. Made Galadriel into a JOCK and a pretentious teenager (though she has been alive since before the Sun and Moon were a thing.. ??) They stupified Gandalf. Reducing the authenticity of Gandalf’s love for the Hobbits into this weird parent/child relationship (since they basically raised him.. ??). The fu-?! Then humanized the Orcs (which is a lesser crime and actually the only thing that worked in this series). They then made Numenor into a nation of simplistic morons who want their jobs back.. ?? But somehow these Numenoreans built a great city out of nothing.. ?? But no one trades with them, or comes into contact with them for centuries… Numenoreans are stupid and mediocre in battle/diplomacy… I could go on and on… It’s deliberate.
@@joetheperformer I remember the scene when Galadriel started training the Numenorean soldiers and bested them all. This was the army that had made Sauron surrender and it was made up of twinks and little girls.
Lindsay Weber, JJ Abrams and their 2018 Overlord WW2 nazi (yawn) bioweapon movie. a fusion of The Keep and many other films and video games. I suppose they pitched the Elves as 'nazees' to get Amazon funding for RoP. gotta use that hook.
They needed an overarching control mechanism when it came to what they were creating. First off Tom Shippey needed to be kept as the arbiter and gatekeeper. If he said "No", then the policy should of been to return to the drawing board. The other issue is the vastness of the second age. Alot of it would be nought but the various elven factions establishing the new kingdoms entirely unhindered. You'd have a series comprised of near on blissful establishments of Lindon, Hollin/Eregion and Lothlorien....which involves no drama. The action in the early second age would predominately take place in Rhun where Sauron fled after the war of wrath. Bizarrely the show runners could've started with a cast comprised of middle eastern actors and yet stayed true to the lore.
I remember Peter Jackson saying something akin to the fact that his entire career had been about being able to make the LOTR movies. It seems that those two guys it was all about the LOTR kick starting their careers. For Jackson it was a labour of love, for them a labour of getting a career/rich. I'm probably wrong, but not as wrong as them.
You have a point. They've been heard to say they've been writing for 10 years (with one episode's writing credit between them) and have come up with bloody brilliant scripts for various properties they thought were so perfect they were bound to be made but never were. This is the best they could produce with 10 years worth of 'practise'. Either they've been lied to about their ability, or won't believe it when told the truth.
Peter Jackson's first 3 NZ films are good, low budget but creative. Then he moved to Heavenly Creatures move budget and very strong international reaction, then he got the Hollywood gig The Frighteners. Next was Lord of the Rings. His career is a series of steps.
@@tkps Peter Jackson spent 7 years writing the LOTR trilogy. The producers of RoP wrote/filmed/directed/post-edited the first season of RoP (being about twice as long as the PJ trilogy) in 2 years.
Isn't that what made Amazon rich? advertising objects and items you don't need but buy because you fell for the spendid picture? probably learned that craft at Tommy Television or TellSell or Amazing Discoveries. Just pulling some day-TV proprams of the last 4 decades out of my hat.
It's not just in Hollywood. There are BS hirings all the time in this country. My employer consistently hires square pegs to fit in round holes, then expects other pegs to make it all work...for no extra pay and without the ability to apply for the round-hole job.
We were discussing this at work. All three of us who manage our department came up through the service and my college was pointing out that there's a reason why our department works really well and others are a complete car crash where they constant bring in the new young smart talent to run things only for them to leave with the department in a worse state than when they arrived.
Happens everywhere in the world, lol. If you need someone for a job you can't do yourself, you're not going to be able to do a good job evaluating their actual technical ability, and you just end up hiring people who are good at bullshitting.
@@claudewinters2091 This story was detailed by the youtube channel "Midnight's Edge." The title of the video is "'LOTR: The Rings of Power': How Amazon Screwed themselves and helped their competition!"
Yes, Ryan Condal was writing for the Conan TV series but was let go when Amazon management wanted to go more woke / feminist. He then renewed his friendship with GRR Martin and got hired for HotD.
I love Tolkiens work so much more than George RR Martins work, but House of the Dragon was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Better even than GoT season 1. Compared to Rings of Power it's night and day.
Yeah I watched the first 5 episodes and gave up because it was giving me blood pressure issues. So I turned off the telly, went to my bookshelf and dusted off my paperback edition of LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring (which I first read in 1979 and sits adjacent to the 1st edition hardcovers aka “The Precious”lol) and started reading it again for at least the 30th time. I’m in my mid-50’s now and more so than ever it amazes me the depth of world building and that every single word of these novels has been carefully and meticulously contemplated before even being typed on the page that makes me appreciate the genius of Tolkien even more. How dare these idiots do something like this! I am appalled by it. I can only hope that it turns more people back to reading the original novels….
Reminds me of GoT season 8, where the writers clearly wanted to use the Dothraki in pivotal scenes but forgot they killed them all off during episode 3, so they slowly regenerated them in the background until they were at full strength again during the final 2 episodes. Do they really believe the audience is dumb enough so they can get away with that? The Dothraki weren’t even the biggest offenders. So much ridiculous and nonsensical shit happened during that final season. Rings of Power immediately reminded me of the same kind of hack writing. Everything feels dumbed down and the characters explain things directly to the audience as if the showrunners are holding our hands throughout the entire ordeal. They really have no faith in us and believe their own show is some Picasso-like High Art, when in truth it’s very predictable and by the numbers. It’s so annoying.
Like many professions, the entertainment industries are more about connections than actual talent and ability. I've seen it 100 times, people who are highly creative and skilled but are not overly social and don't network extremely well often do not get hired while unskilled social butterflies who mostly lack creativity and do their jobs by stealing ideas from others get hired frequently. Its just a sad truth that often produces poor results, the rings of power being a prime example.
Look at Empire Magazine's Top 100 Movie Characters Lots of the entries actually come from stuff like comic strips (Addams Family), graphic novels (V for Vendetta), books (The Godfather), TV (Star Trek), even toy lines (Transformers) So many movie-makers steal characters from other media while also dismissing them as "lesser" I wish they did a top 100 but only with original movie characters, like John Wick, did they really forget to include him?
I also attended some D&D conventions in the 90's and played D&D 1st edition up to AD&D (fantastic!) and stopped after some 3 and 3.5 D&D. The card D&D (4th ed., I think) was terrible. People who hold culture power these days are often uneducated and (truly) bigoted narcissists with no appreciation for the past and its lessons.
I might have run into you at some point in time. That was back in the day when I was despised for being a nerd, and I feel like the guy telling other people that punk was cool before other people got into it.
I learned how to play during 3rd edition or advanced. And I can see the same sort of influence in dnd when they tried claiming it was rascist and that orcs were supposedly stand ins for colored people. These people ruin more than they will ever create.
@John Abbot didn't Christopher Tolkiens estate (family) blackball Peter Jackson after Amazon had sone initial contact with him? >went from great to terrible after that
1st edition was all about simplicity and homerules, ruleset was literally 1 A4 page, and you need some homerules to play. 4th ed is bad, but you should consider looking into 5 ed it is a bit simplified and balanced version of 3.5. Less rolling more playing. And 1st level characters are more balanced. In 3ed starting as a mage was a chore, while in 5ed you get basic spells that you can play with.
This video was suggested, and I'm glad I clicked on it. You nailed it, and one of your main points made me think of something I was thinking about the other day. You were talking about what have these guys ever done, and what experience do they have? And that made me think about Team America: World Police. It's like the polar opposites of worlds. With Team America, you had the WILDLY successful creators of South Park, who had also created feature films like Orgazmo(their first film), South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut, and Baseketball, so they had a ton of success in both creating an animation series, while also creating several movies including live action ones. When they made "Team America", which is an entirely PUPPET movie, they had NO experience. What they knew was stories, and how to create them and entertain, but they didn't know jack or shit about puppets, so they hired the best that they could for it. They didn't give into their egos and try to do what they don't know how to do themselves, their wheelhouse is humor and stories, so they let the experts take over in the other fields. These assholes thought that all that mattered was putting a pretty set in place, use an established IP, and the rest will work, but the damned fools didn't think that people would care about the already established IP? Going back to Matt and Trey, it would be like a couple of people who've watched an episode or two of South Park making a mini series about it, while not understanding the characters, or why their dynamic works, or the history that has been established over 25 seasons, and completely changing everything, and then getting mad because the fans hate it.
" What they knew was stories, and how to create them and entertain, but they didn't know jack or shit about puppets, so they hired the best that they could for it. " Exactly. They did the same thing when they put together The Book Of Mormon. Its ironic that these two guys who are best known for having the most irreverent jokes are very smart when it comes to making content. And yeah, some day, I expect that someone will want to "remake" South Park, and they'll say "...but what if we used Adults? And instead of having them in a small town, let's put them in the city. And what if the Cartman fella was actually the hero?"
Great points. LOTR literally had the smallest race carry the most powerful (and evil) ring (as far as my knowledge extends... id say item but i'm sure with the extent of the lore there was something more evil, you have to respect the depth Tolken put in that thing). The entire reason Frodo was able to carry it was the lack of power, so the entire saga is basically shouting that the entire reason the great evil lost is not through strength and war, it is through sam and frodos determination to see the ring destroyed. This mirrors the failure of isildur, winning through strength but ultimately allowing the evil to survive, its beautiful writing and should be the standard other fantasy works are measured against.
Yup, agreed for the most part. Just don't let the trilogy change your perspective of Isildur too much though. He was prideful, but also a much humbler man than the movies gave him credit for, as the Disaster of the Gladden Fields shows. He actually realized that he couldn't abandon the ring on his own, so he was on his way to speak to others more wise than himself (Elrond in particular) when he was ambushed and killed. His pride really shows when you think about the relatively tiny host he left with though. I'm just trying to say that Isildur was better than the movies gave him credit for. I would argue that his realization that he couldn't control the ring himself and his willingness to seek help adds significantly to the tragedy and beauty of the story. Isildur on the One Ring: "I cannot use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three."
@@kennethcraig9228 Thankyou of reminding me about why he was traveling. He may have failed by keeping the ring at first but was wise enough later to know he was not in control of it. Being mindful of a weapon of your enemy and seeing at any point that you are not in control shows strength, especially in this case considering how powerful the ring was.
@@Archtechnician Of course dude. I watched the trilogy as a child, so it was a revelation to me when I later learned about the Isildur that Tolkien created. I think it makes so much more sense when you take Aragorn's character into account, and as you said, you have to respect the depth Tolkien put in all this. It really is incredible.
Just as point of note. They had a *_"Lore Expert"_* ... And they fired him. This would have been the guy that should have and would have been poking them in the back of the shoulder every time these twits were doing something not in line with the lore or franchise. But they fired him pretty early on. If this wasnt a move that sent alarm bells ringing for you then I really dont know what else to say.
Tom Shippeys his name and he's a national/global treasure. If you arent aware, watch the LoTR making of videos, theres hours, hes so prominent in those movies and rightfully so.
RoP reminds me of a super model who dropped out of high school -- gorgeous scenery, but not enough upstairs to hold an intelligent and interesting conversation.
I whole heartedly believe Rings of Power was written by an AI to try to capture the most attention possible. Most people forget negative press is the same as good press to an AI.
"negative press is the same as good press to an AI" That doesn't make sense on any level imaginable. You tell AI the parameters of its task, it doesn't decide them on its own. It's not CAPABLE of deciding them on it's own (yet). If you tell it any press is good, so be it, but that's on you.
I was introduced by my older brother in 2005 to the Lord Of The Rings franchise, i was 7 he was 11 years old , so you're telling at my age at that time i was fascinated by fascism? what the hell NO! The Epic Grandiose World Peter Jackson captured on the big screen is what drawed many kids of my generation to the franschise , the badassery of all characters from Frodo to Sam , from Aragorn to Legolas and Gimli , Peter Jackson does one thing that these guys from ROP can't even process in their brain, ¨show don't tell¨.
Nerdrotic already mentioned multiple times in his streams even before the show started that it was Jarjar Abrams who recommended these two hacks. New subscribers btw. Keep it up!
I was first introduced to LOTR through the movies. I tried to read the books but I have a massive issue with ADHD and I just couldnt get through them without constantly being distracted. Yet, I wanted to know more about the world as on its own in the movies it felt like it was filled to the brim with ideas and mystery. It even inspired me back when I was a kid to start worldbuilding myself and... I am still at that. A whole world thats now over 15 years old and ever expanding. A whole ranking of power, actual ideas shaping the world and their people within. A full on language of its own and so on and so forth. Knowing how hard it was to build all this over these years only made me admire Tolkien even more for the work he has done on his own universe. Even with a universe of my own, I couldnt dream of even reaching his level of pure creativity.
They're front men, patsies, fall guys. It's Abrams and a few others really writing the show. They wanted Amazon's money but they didn't want the grief so they hired two tall white men and gave them a shopping list of diversity must-haves to be included in the show. Similar to how Rian Johnson was given a wish list from KK and her storygroup of talantless sycophants and ordered to make it work.
That's good, bro. Stories are not about places, stories are about people. No matter how great the location or cinematography, the stories we enjoy are ones with depth of character; people we can either relate to or despise. And without a good plot, that is a purpose or goal for the characters, there really is no story.
I do have completed scripts for a TV series- I know that if it were picked up by, let's say Netflix, they would demand seasoned showrunners, and I would expect this. it's a lot of work and I would by no means want to wing it, or learn on the way. surround yourself with those who have experience and dedication that share your vision
The showrunners wrote Halbrand/Sauron to be the most interesting character whilst simultaneously writing Guyladriel to be insufferable and then they have the nerve to blame their audience?!? Seriously, they need to go back to writing school.
Absolutely right. You have one good person doing what is right. And other great people knowing it is right and protecting and helping him to do what is right... the whole movie is about resistance to accept the outcome of right x
I'm thinking of that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. JJ Abrams: I "recommend" these two guys. WHAT, you actually hired them? That was a "non recommend" recommend.
The Tolkien estate actually granted Amazon the rights to very little within the canon. They had rights solely to The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, the appendices, and The Hobbit, and only one of those things hasn’t been adapted to screen yet. They do not have the rights to The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-Earth, or any of the other books. So the best that can be said about Amazon buying these rights is that they can’t mess much with Tolkien’s published works, and what they are making is pretty much based on their own interpretation of what came after Return of the King and before The Silmarillion.
Definitely create more vids like this! This was very eye opening and makes a lot of sense especially the part about jj abrams. The greatest con artists ever made that show then lol
7:05 That's the only right approach, in my opinion. When you see a pile of poo in the street, you don't stay around it gushing about how much it stinks, you leave so you don't have to stand the stench. That's what we all should do with Rings of Poo.
The fact they got recommended by JJ Abrams should have already set off some serious red flags at Amazon. But I guess that kind of recommendation is not the Hollywood kiss of death that I'd hoped it would be. For now.
I'm just reading the silmarillion again, it's the only fantasy at my age that manages to take me out of reality with its incredible writing and scope and epic storys.It truly removes me from reality for moment's longer than anything else is capable of doing, that's what fantasy at heart is supposed to do and to be honest it's the only reason I read fantasy.Maybe now and again I come away with a lesson in being a better person and a few other bits and pieces,but to truly escape is something very few writer's can do.These Two Plebs that call themselves showrunners don't have the talent or the depth to help you escape,so in order to hide this they use the expression "made for modern audiences" .."reflect the world we live in"....."2022 is different to a few years ago".. What the Fuck has Tolkien's work got to do with any of those comments??His work is meant for His readers to escape those things, to be able to come back to earth and face reality again,not mirror reality... otherwise it's not Fantasy.
Especially when 'real world' means at the least Hollywood and the most America. It doesn't come close to meaning the world by any stretch of the imagination. The very word fantasy is meant to be an antithesis of real world.
That’s the most fundamental quality of fantasy/scifi. Escapism. Audiences indulge in these genres specifically because it allows an ESCAPE from the boorish toil of the real world. (There’s more to it, like themes of the hero, superhuman abilities, magic, “impossible” technology, all allowing us to vicariously envision a grander version of ourselves, and connect to these characters and worlds through their embodiment of the human experience that we all have, courage, fear, love, hate, etc, ultimately enriching our own lives through this process) I was watching modern Star Trek showrunners talk about how they were proud of creating stories that mirrored themes found in our everyday lives, making the exact same mistake. It’s remarkable how the people with the most influence on these franchises are more and more often the least equipped to properly execute them. I imagine their lives are so disconnected from reality to begin with that their notions of “escapism” are more an escape from their fantasies back into reality. (Possibly the same reason why Liberals and Leftists seem to disproportionately enjoy these abominations)
3:00 "That's why the thing is gorgeous as hell" I completely disagree. It all looks computer generated. Nothing looks real. It all has a digital air, like it's all an illusion that could vanish at any moment. It doesn't look like a real world.
Thank you! I made that promise before I somehow managed to get 20k views. I was shortsighted, and unlike the showrunners of Rings Of Power, I would like to learn from my mistakes. :)
The Lord of the Rings is an allegory about power, it is a cautionary tale about power, it warns us pretty clearly about people that think that their opinion should be imposed on other because they think they are wiser or more virtuous than all others. Saruman suggests that to Gandalf as a way to reveal Saruman as a fiend, the one ring to rule all opinions and points of view is what the fellowship wants to destroy, Morgoth was stopped by the Vallar because he wanted to be the only one voice in the song of creation, whereas Iru wanted all creatures to participate in different ways to make the song even more beautiful. This people who call professor Tolkien's work facist have not read it and could be described as villains in Tolkien Lore, the Galadriel presented in Amazon's show could also be seen more as an evil character, more akin to Nietzsche's Übermensch, than as of a Tolkien hero driven by divine providence and humble collaboration.
Great point, but I have to wildly object about one thing, namely in that Galadriel could not be _any_ further from Nietzsche's 'Übermensch'. Most people seem to completely misunderstand what Nietzsche's Übermensch actually is - a person who is completely aware of it's own actions, as well as of the consequences of it's actions and also absolutely owns them and takes responsibility and accountability for it. A person who is not trying to foist off any responsibility and accountability on any higher power, gods or authorities. And the Übermensch is very well aware of the impact his actions have onto other people and takes that into consideration. Maybe that comes from Nietzsche also describing the 'Übermensch' as unsentimental and not held back by such notions, but even _that_ is not evil. Maybe you are familiar with the SCP universe and the fictional SCP foundation, because I am totally stealing their creed here, that when you need things done, _'Be cold, not cruel.'._ Galadriel _is_ cold, but she is also cruel, Galadriel takes zero responsibility or accountability for her actions, she gives a crap about the damage she does to other people while she is toying with them like a wanton, spoiled, unhinged child that is destroying its action figures, because it is angry. And she can, in my opinion, not be seen 'more as an evil character', she _is_ an evil character. There is nothing good in her, she does not care about other people, she does not care about the massive damage her completely egotistical, impulse driven actions have, she is constantly using the people around her as personal lightning rod and even pushes them into becoming evil. Her little rant about how much she will enjoy making this guy suffer by killing his _children_ in front of him, that is _evil_ in its purest form. She could just as well become Sauron herself, there is no difference. Damn, in fact Sauron is painted as the _good_ guy or at least as a person wanting to make amends for his previous actions and to find peace... and then gets actively pushed back into the darkness by Galadriel, which is also not stopping him when she could. Yep, totally evil.
@@Furzkampfbomber oh your talking about Rings of Powers "Guyladriel" ok, I was so confused when you said Galadriel. Rings of P is not Tolkien but by a few names.
My only regret from watching this video, is that I only have one 'like' to give. I took a quick look at JJ Abrams IMDB page, and honestly think that modern entertainment would be better if he had never existed. How a recommendation from him is seen as a positive is a mind-meltingly sad indictment on modern entertainment.
2:29 Stories are in a way about places, because _places are_ about people. Charles Dickens was arguably great at writing about people, but one of his novels is "A Tale of Two Cities" - so famous Trey Smith quotes that title and applies it to the Bible (Jerusalem and Babylon). I think I recall Clay Basket fairly well and the Mexican wife of the guy who was in the present - but Mitchener made it about "Centennial, Colorado" Indeed, in his book people come and go, reminds me of a Swedish or rather Scanian film character who had lived by a country-road all of his life and seen people come and go. Sure, the film about him (starring Edward Persson) actually is a story about people, but he qualifies, in the end, as mentor figure because of this exact fact. And Tolkien himself wrote histories of Beleriand and Gondor and Arnor and Númenor before getting to 4 hobbits, 2 men, one each of elf, dwarf and wizard. Now, Beleriand, Gondor, Arnor, Númenor are all of them places. Sometimes settings come before characters. And learning Elvish (was it Quenya or Sindarin?) is _also_ a thing JRRT did himself before writing the novel like The Hobbit and LotR.
You just know that McKay is the wacky goofball of the two, always cracking jokes and cutting corners, and Payne is older grizzled detective with dark backstory and he never smiles. But in the end they'll learn to work together and get a valuable lesson in friendship and acceptance
Thanks, Hans. I need to be clear: I'm a drone pilot with a part 107 Commercial License from the FAA. And while we do have to take an extended test, and while its a big deal, I don't want anyone to confuse me with a manned aircraft pilot. :)
Thanks, Dan, I really appreciate that! I've been a shy person for half of my life, and then became a performer. But I'm still self-conscious about my voice. Thanks!
As far as I recall, _Lord of the Rings_ was actually famous for attracting *hippies* as admirers. I first read it on a hippie commune near Cowaramup in Western Australia, when I was ten.
There was something for everyone actually, thats why its so timeless. Hipsters and mods liked it back in the 60's. I mean, The Hobbit was super popular before WW2 but with paper rationing it slowed things.
7:03 _"They are thinking in terms of ..."_ things like Galadriel at Helcaraxe being _very different from_ Galadriel in Lothlorien, perhaps? perhaps providing some _character development_ for her inbetween? One way to do it would be: pushing Galadriel crossing Helcaraxe too far putting her up against a bad result that makes her see she's gone too far making her change from then and specifically in the direction we see in Lothlorien.
If that guess is correct, the show _so far_ has been about pushing her character at Helcaraxe too far. And given that Mormons don't tend to be ultrafeminists, and the showrunners are Mormons, I think the Galadriel we have seen is likely to walk into a wall, even if it's nothing worse than seeing Celeborn alive again.
After watching this take on the series, watching it would be the same experience as seeing Mona Lisa painting. Only that is isn't the real painting, it's an imitation, but it's not a good imitation, it's quite bad. Oh, and you're 50 metres away from it (facing the other way?)
Pitch meetings..? I dont think there is any. Amazon just bought the LOTR series rights and then checklisting what needs to be in there and what isnt, and they give it to the first men that want to do exactly what in the checklist. Excellent summary,by the way. And your voice is so soothing you should made your own podcast reading LOTR
The way you describe Abrams doing paint-by-numbers but not getting it right kind of reminds me of Richard Feynman's speech/essay about cargo cult science. It's worth googling it and reading it. I think you'll easily see the parallels.
Interesting point, considering that they _are_ producing crude copies that _kind of_ look like the template, but contain nothing of its intricate aand sophisticated inner life. Because the people making those copies have zero clue about what they really have her and how it works. I never looked at it in this way, but this is a great point. In a way, this is actually close to what happened during WW2 on some islands in the pacific and which called attention to this phenomenon for the first time. U.S. troops installed air bases, radio and radar stations etc., the relations to the indigen people were actually quite good and as long as those troops were there, all kinds of goodies came to the indigen people. When the troops were gone, so were the nice things, but they remembered, hey they had that box, and out of those box came things on a string they put onto their ears and they spoke into another thing on a string coming out of this box and then metal birds came and brought nice things. And this is actually, now that you mention it, how ROP or, let's say 'She-Hulk' feel. Like a crude, wooden copy of a radio the authors have made, in order to speak into a microphone prop made of a seashell in the hopes that the metal bird drops great ratings, lots of viewers and huge amounts of money.
@@Furzkampfbomber It is perhaps apropos that in the star trek, "Into darkness" that Kirk and the crew set off a chain of reactions that had the inhabitants of Nibiru beginning to do exactly this. Edit: Heck, you know people often include themselves into their works, subconsciously or otherwise. JJ Abrams are those primitive people, seeing the enterprise rise out of the water. He knows it is something great and wonderous. Hasn't got a clue, but draws line images in the sand, he and his cronies bow down to it, and wonder why the rest of us look on aghast.
Well done. I can only quibble over details. I think locations can be characters in a story. In human terms it's the difference between a model and an actor. The location can't be a character is it is just set piece. If it has complex qualities of its own and is capable of changing and reacting to events and other characters, then it may rise to the level of being a character itself.
I agree that locations *can* be a character, but I still feel that stories are about people... not the locations that they are in. And I completely respect your opinion. I hope in the end, we can all agree that my opinion is just that. No one is paying me millions of dollars to fuck up a sequel.
@@johnabbottphotography I would barely call it a disagreement. Perhaps a difference of emphasis. I think the areas agreement far outshine that. All the best to you.
Because those running Amazon don't know shite about LotR and these twats came in speaking Elvish. 'These geeks must know what they're on about'. It's how well you can bullshit and if you have a 'name' recommending you. I hope ignoring fans & deliberately misconstruing their criticism to insult them could be one of the final nails in woke.
Mackay and Payne getting the roles is a man on trial for murder facing the death penalty hiring a lawyer who just graduated from law school with mediocre grades.
JJ Abrahams can't even make a call without ruining a franchise.
I dislike JJ Abrams so much. I don't know how he could sneak into hollywood and get this much power. He is regarded as a inspiring talented director ...He tricked people into thinking that. He is complexly evil
@@rgerber Well, "shows like "Lost", "Alias" or "Fringe" werent that bad. But that was looong ago.
@@Bhavyo Those and the financial success of the first Star Trek (not saying he didn't ruin the franchise, but normies really liked it).
Its the writers and agenders of today. Fringe was great. A Masterpiece. He has been struggling since.
Lost wasn't good though. It was just the first time a TV show had so much contempt for its audience or story
JJ Abrams; destroyer of worlds, a director untroubled by original thoughts. I should have guessed he was behind this.
I really liked Abrahams earlier works. I think it was the 2nd Star Trek where it all went downwards.
@@Bhavyo First Star Trek, which would have been a decent if not terribly bright Star Wars clone if it had been an original movie but as a Star Trek movie it was terrible.
Abrams best work has been in TV, which is pretty odd when you think about it.
IMO Abrams isn't entirely w/o merit, but I think he should stick to creating his own material and not put in charge of already existing IP's.
We desperately need a South Park episode where Mickey Mouse and JJ rape both Starwars and LOTR, as they did with Indiana Jones
These Show Ruiners are the antithesis of people that should’ve been handed and trusted with a billion dollar IP. They are literally the ultimate example of failing upwards.
pretty sure they were recommended by JJ Abrahms and Shrooms!! 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄
It was deliberate. Amazon hates Tolkien’s work. Think about it, a superior race of elves? A promised land for people who “deserve” it? A race of evil, dark servants of a lord? Superior men?
Originally, Galadriel is a “feminine” hero who fights evil by means of peaceful, yet powerful and cunning methods.
They practically nerfed the Eldar into spoiled rotten teens. Made Galadriel into a JOCK and a pretentious teenager (though she has been alive since before the Sun and Moon were a thing.. ??)
They stupified Gandalf. Reducing the authenticity of Gandalf’s love for the Hobbits into this weird parent/child relationship (since they basically raised him.. ??). The fu-?!
Then humanized the Orcs (which is a lesser crime and actually the only thing that worked in this series).
They then made Numenor into a nation of simplistic morons who want their jobs back.. ??
But somehow these Numenoreans built a great city out of nothing.. ?? But no one trades with them, or comes into contact with them for centuries…
Numenoreans are stupid and mediocre in battle/diplomacy…
I could go on and on…
It’s deliberate.
@@joetheperformer You hit the nail on the head.
@@joetheperformer I remember the scene when Galadriel started training the Numenorean soldiers and bested them all. This was the army that had made Sauron surrender and it was made up of twinks and little girls.
@@andrabook8758 dont bash shrooms, if they did shrooms they wouldn't be so limited in their thinking
This is maybe the best single synopsis of why ROP was doomed from even before the outset. Thank you.
Thanks, Mark. If you get a chance, watch the other videos that I made on it.
Lindsay Weber, JJ Abrams and their 2018 Overlord WW2 nazi (yawn) bioweapon movie. a fusion of The Keep and many other films and video games.
I suppose they pitched the Elves as 'nazees' to get Amazon funding for RoP. gotta use that hook.
Yes, YES!!
They spend $750,000,000, but hire 2 randos to WRITE it???
Tolkien is a WRITER, you know???
They needed an overarching control mechanism when it came to what they were creating. First off Tom Shippey needed to be kept as the arbiter and gatekeeper. If he said "No", then the policy should of been to return to the drawing board.
The other issue is the vastness of the second age. Alot of it would be nought but the various elven factions establishing the new kingdoms entirely unhindered. You'd have a series comprised of near on blissful establishments of Lindon, Hollin/Eregion and Lothlorien....which involves no drama.
The action in the early second age would predominately take place in Rhun where Sauron fled after the war of wrath. Bizarrely the show runners could've started with a cast comprised of middle eastern actors and yet stayed true to the lore.
I remember Peter Jackson saying something akin to the fact that his entire career had been about being able to make the LOTR movies. It seems that those two guys it was all about the LOTR kick starting their careers. For Jackson it was a labour of love, for them a labour of getting a career/rich. I'm probably wrong, but not as wrong as them.
You have a point. They've been heard to say they've been writing for 10 years (with one episode's writing credit between them) and have come up with bloody brilliant scripts for various properties they thought were so perfect they were bound to be made but never were. This is the best they could produce with 10 years worth of 'practise'. Either they've been lied to about their ability, or won't believe it when told the truth.
Peter Jackson's first 3 NZ films are good, low budget but creative. Then he moved to Heavenly Creatures move budget and very strong international reaction, then he got the Hollywood gig The Frighteners. Next was Lord of the Rings. His career is a series of steps.
Base from a podcast interview. They think they can do better.
That is a lot of conjecture there.
@@tkps Peter Jackson spent 7 years writing the LOTR trilogy. The producers of RoP wrote/filmed/directed/post-edited the first season of RoP (being about twice as long as the PJ trilogy) in 2 years.
The fun thing is that Amazon still keeps talking about what the greatest success this show was.
Isn't that what made Amazon rich? advertising objects and items you don't need but buy because you fell for the spendid picture?
probably learned that craft at Tommy Television or TellSell or Amazing Discoveries. Just pulling some day-TV proprams of the last 4 decades out of my hat.
Amazon makes out like bandits by using RoP as a tax lose, they don't lose out. Publicity and all that.
@@joefish6091 maybe I’m missing something, but outside of fraud, I can’t see how that could do anything but mitigate losses.
Actually they stopped talking about it after pheriperal dethroned RoP in 1 week
say a lie loud enough and long enough and people will believe.
JJ Abrahms remind me of Doctor Frankenstein. He takes pieces putting them together in one sort of cohesive entity but it has NO SOUL.
They went into this with the intent of making it diverse.
The super fan video amazon put out was all you needed to see.
It's not just in Hollywood. There are BS hirings all the time in this country. My employer consistently hires square pegs to fit in round holes, then expects other pegs to make it all work...for no extra pay and without the ability to apply for the round-hole job.
We were discussing this at work. All three of us who manage our department came up through the service and my college was pointing out that there's a reason why our department works really well and others are a complete car crash where they constant bring in the new young smart talent to run things only for them to leave with the department in a worse state than when they arrived.
Happens everywhere in the world, lol. If you need someone for a job you can't do yourself, you're not going to be able to do a good job evaluating their actual technical ability, and you just end up hiring people who are good at bullshitting.
BS jobs, watch the video, but I have to say a much better take on the concept of BS jobs is on Luke Smith's channel.
Sq Peg, Round Hole? What the fuck are you talking about?
Meet me in my office before work tomorrow.
What's funny is that Amazon had the House of Dragon show runners. But they fired them for coming up with a show that was too toxic for Amazon.
Wow. Talk about a sun sized screw up... Anyways HBO must be so happy Amazon did that
@@claudewinters2091 This story was detailed by the youtube channel "Midnight's Edge." The title of the video is "'LOTR: The Rings of Power': How Amazon Screwed themselves and helped their competition!"
Yes, Ryan Condal was writing for the Conan TV series but was let go when Amazon management wanted to go more woke / feminist. He then renewed his friendship with GRR Martin and got hired for HotD.
@@actioncom2748 haha I just searched for the info you shared... And that was sweet sweet irony...
I love Tolkiens work so much more than George RR Martins work, but House of the Dragon was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Better even than GoT season 1. Compared to Rings of Power it's night and day.
Yeah I watched the first 5 episodes and gave up because it was giving me blood pressure issues. So I turned off the telly, went to my bookshelf and dusted off my paperback edition of LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring (which I first read in 1979 and sits adjacent to the 1st edition hardcovers aka “The Precious”lol) and started reading it again for at least the 30th time. I’m in my mid-50’s now and more so than ever it amazes me the depth of world building and that every single word of these novels has been carefully and meticulously contemplated before even being typed on the page that makes me appreciate the genius of Tolkien even more. How dare these idiots do something like this! I am appalled by it. I can only hope that it turns more people back to reading the original novels….
This video has more plot and character development than the entire show.
Those two got the money and fame for the same reasons JJ did. The evidence is in the shape of their noses and ears.
J walkers
Another problem with JJ is he wants his scene but he doesnt think of the logic glue that holds the scenes together
This is such an advanced point. I hope that you're either a writer or director.
Instructions unclear, spent a billion on glue and had to hire bargain actors.
Reminds me of GoT season 8, where the writers clearly wanted to use the Dothraki in pivotal scenes but forgot they killed them all off during episode 3, so they slowly regenerated them in the background until they were at full strength again during the final 2 episodes. Do they really believe the audience is dumb enough so they can get away with that? The Dothraki weren’t even the biggest offenders. So much ridiculous and nonsensical shit happened during that final season.
Rings of Power immediately reminded me of the same kind of hack writing. Everything feels dumbed down and the characters explain things directly to the audience as if the showrunners are holding our hands throughout the entire ordeal. They really have no faith in us and believe their own show is some Picasso-like High Art, when in truth it’s very predictable and by the numbers. It’s so annoying.
"How did these hacks get a job?"
*Checks early life section"
"Ok."
There's no Wikipedia page for either, but according to IMDB, both are mormons, not small hats
@@BroadwayRonMexico Interesting.
@@BroadwayRonMexico morons actually
Like many professions, the entertainment industries are more about connections than actual talent and ability. I've seen it 100 times, people who are highly creative and skilled but are not overly social and don't network extremely well often do not get hired while unskilled social butterflies who mostly lack creativity and do their jobs by stealing ideas from others get hired frequently. Its just a sad truth that often produces poor results, the rings of power being a prime example.
An Amazon prime example! I'll show myself the door, now.
Look at Empire Magazine's Top 100 Movie Characters
Lots of the entries actually come from stuff like comic strips (Addams Family), graphic novels (V for Vendetta), books (The Godfather), TV (Star Trek), even toy lines (Transformers)
So many movie-makers steal characters from other media while also dismissing them as "lesser"
I wish they did a top 100 but only with original movie characters, like John Wick, did they really forget to include him?
Hey buddy, cool it with your anti-Semitism. How dare you suggest that the smol hat tribe isn't allowed to be nepotistic toward their own kind.
@@gilian2587 thanks for the laugh; I was considering making the same comment 😂
@@ash.mystic lol, np
D and D player here since 79...you are so right
I also attended some D&D conventions in the 90's and played D&D 1st edition up to AD&D (fantastic!) and stopped after some 3 and 3.5 D&D. The card D&D (4th ed., I think) was terrible.
People who hold culture power these days are often uneducated and (truly) bigoted narcissists with no appreciation for the past and its lessons.
I might have run into you at some point in time.
That was back in the day when I was despised for being a nerd, and I feel like the guy telling other people that punk was cool before other people got into it.
@@johnabbottphotography How did the showrunners get the job? On their knees, of course!
I learned how to play during 3rd edition or advanced. And I can see the same sort of influence in dnd when they tried claiming it was rascist and that orcs were supposedly stand ins for colored people. These people ruin more than they will ever create.
@John Abbot
didn't Christopher Tolkiens estate (family) blackball Peter Jackson after Amazon had sone initial contact with him?
>went from great to terrible after that
1st edition was all about simplicity and homerules, ruleset was literally 1 A4 page, and you need some homerules to play.
4th ed is bad, but you should consider looking into 5 ed it is a bit simplified and balanced version of 3.5. Less rolling more playing. And 1st level characters are more balanced. In 3ed starting as a mage was a chore, while in 5ed you get basic spells that you can play with.
it's sad that the rings of power is essentially a very expensive wallpaper for your desktop.
This video was suggested, and I'm glad I clicked on it. You nailed it, and one of your main points made me think of something I was thinking about the other day. You were talking about what have these guys ever done, and what experience do they have? And that made me think about Team America: World Police. It's like the polar opposites of worlds. With Team America, you had the WILDLY successful creators of South Park, who had also created feature films like Orgazmo(their first film), South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut, and Baseketball, so they had a ton of success in both creating an animation series, while also creating several movies including live action ones. When they made "Team America", which is an entirely PUPPET movie, they had NO experience. What they knew was stories, and how to create them and entertain, but they didn't know jack or shit about puppets, so they hired the best that they could for it. They didn't give into their egos and try to do what they don't know how to do themselves, their wheelhouse is humor and stories, so they let the experts take over in the other fields. These assholes thought that all that mattered was putting a pretty set in place, use an established IP, and the rest will work, but the damned fools didn't think that people would care about the already established IP? Going back to Matt and Trey, it would be like a couple of people who've watched an episode or two of South Park making a mini series about it, while not understanding the characters, or why their dynamic works, or the history that has been established over 25 seasons, and completely changing everything, and then getting mad because the fans hate it.
" What they knew was stories, and how to create them and entertain, but they didn't know jack or shit about puppets, so they hired the best that they could for it. "
Exactly. They did the same thing when they put together The Book Of Mormon. Its ironic that these two guys who are best known for having the most irreverent jokes are very smart when it comes to making content.
And yeah, some day, I expect that someone will want to "remake" South Park, and they'll say "...but what if we used Adults? And instead of having them in a small town, let's put them in the city. And what if the Cartman fella was actually the hero?"
I am pretty sure the show runners of ROP would call Matt and Trey Fascist Adjecent anyway...
So kinda like arguing with a tree.
I can't believe someone made a South Park comparison to Tolkien's work. Crazy nerds
Ok John, You got me. I am in. (SUBSCRIBED)
"He needs Elvis healing. That means they have to go see Arwen's dad who is Steven Tyler" A quote from the writer's room.
Good point. Not many ppl know Aragon's father in law was a rock legend back in the 2nd age.
I heard the King died on the toilet. Too much Kingsfoil.
@@NefariousKoel that's an urban legend. The King died from eating too much lembas.
Wise men say so.
@@GullibleTarget that sounds more like a side effect of discworld dwarf bread...
Great points. LOTR literally had the smallest race carry the most powerful (and evil) ring (as far as my knowledge extends... id say item but i'm sure with the extent of the lore there was something more evil, you have to respect the depth Tolken put in that thing). The entire reason Frodo was able to carry it was the lack of power, so the entire saga is basically shouting that the entire reason the great evil lost is not through strength and war, it is through sam and frodos determination to see the ring destroyed. This mirrors the failure of isildur, winning through strength but ultimately allowing the evil to survive, its beautiful writing and should be the standard other fantasy works are measured against.
Humility vs pride is a major theme. It's a beautiful ribbon that runs throughout the characters, regardless of their race, status, or character.
Yup, agreed for the most part. Just don't let the trilogy change your perspective of Isildur too much though. He was prideful, but also a much humbler man than the movies gave him credit for, as the Disaster of the Gladden Fields shows. He actually realized that he couldn't abandon the ring on his own, so he was on his way to speak to others more wise than himself (Elrond in particular) when he was ambushed and killed.
His pride really shows when you think about the relatively tiny host he left with though. I'm just trying to say that Isildur was better than the movies gave him credit for.
I would argue that his realization that he couldn't control the ring himself and his willingness to seek help adds significantly to the tragedy and beauty of the story.
Isildur on the One Ring: "I cannot use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three."
@@kennethcraig9228 Thankyou of reminding me about why he was traveling. He may have failed by keeping the ring at first but was wise enough later to know he was not in control of it. Being mindful of a weapon of your enemy and seeing at any point that you are not in control shows strength, especially in this case considering how powerful the ring was.
@@Archtechnician Of course dude. I watched the trilogy as a child, so it was a revelation to me when I later learned about the Isildur that Tolkien created. I think it makes so much more sense when you take Aragorn's character into account, and as you said, you have to respect the depth Tolkien put in all this. It really is incredible.
Just as point of note. They had a *_"Lore Expert"_* ... And they fired him.
This would have been the guy that should have and would have been poking them in the back of the shoulder every time these twits were doing something not in line with the lore or franchise. But they fired him pretty early on. If this wasnt a move that sent alarm bells ringing for you then I really dont know what else to say.
Tom Shippeys his name and he's a national/global treasure. If you arent aware, watch the LoTR making of videos, theres hours, hes so prominent in those movies and rightfully so.
Sounds like someone didn't read thearticle. Showrunners claim to be fans.
Ultimately, the Lord of the Rings is a story about courage.
Truth....it's nice to hear every once in a while. Nice video, much appreciated!
RoP reminds me of a super model who dropped out of high school -- gorgeous scenery, but not enough upstairs to hold an intelligent and interesting conversation.
I whole heartedly believe Rings of Power was written by an AI to try to capture the most attention possible. Most people forget negative press is the same as good press to an AI.
I believe it. A lot of new television is written by data scientists running averages of all existing scripts
Not just to an AI.
That is an insult to AIs
They even interjected the most popular quotes-that have turned into memes over time-in the script. RoP is based on algorithms
"negative press is the same as good press to an AI" That doesn't make sense on any level imaginable. You tell AI the parameters of its task, it doesn't decide them on its own. It's not CAPABLE of deciding them on it's own (yet). If you tell it any press is good, so be it, but that's on you.
spot on analysis and commentary - well done
I was introduced by my older brother in 2005 to the Lord Of The Rings franchise, i was 7 he was 11 years old , so you're telling at my age at that time i was fascinated by fascism? what the hell NO! The Epic Grandiose World Peter Jackson captured on the big screen is what drawed many kids of my generation to the franschise , the badassery of all characters from Frodo to Sam , from Aragorn to Legolas and Gimli , Peter Jackson does one thing that these guys from ROP can't even process in their brain, ¨show don't tell¨.
Man love the video, concise but also answered a question I had in the back of my head when reading about these "showrunners".
Don’t know why but I got a feeling your channel is going places sir. Keep it up 👍
here before 100k subcribers, presenter extremely presents the topic at hand very well!!
Nerdrotic already mentioned multiple times in his streams even before the show started that it was Jarjar Abrams who recommended these two hacks. New subscribers btw. Keep it up!
Please don't insert Jar Jar. He may be an idiot, but at least he means well.
@@icedriver2207 His ruination of this many entertainment franchises cannot be the result of sheer incompetence. There's another agenda at play...
I was first introduced to LOTR through the movies. I tried to read the books but I have a massive issue with ADHD and I just couldnt get through them without constantly being distracted. Yet, I wanted to know more about the world as on its own in the movies it felt like it was filled to the brim with ideas and mystery. It even inspired me back when I was a kid to start worldbuilding myself and... I am still at that. A whole world thats now over 15 years old and ever expanding. A whole ranking of power, actual ideas shaping the world and their people within. A full on language of its own and so on and so forth. Knowing how hard it was to build all this over these years only made me admire Tolkien even more for the work he has done on his own universe.
Even with a universe of my own, I couldnt dream of even reaching his level of pure creativity.
Painting by numbers! Nailed it! In all honesty... I think the showrunners NEVER READ Tolkien.
When Sauron said "It's Saurin' time" I clapped.
I like the buddy cop joke. Clever and funny. The rest of the video was insightful, too.
Excellent review! Thank you! 👏🏼👏🏼
They're front men, patsies, fall guys. It's Abrams and a few others really writing the show. They wanted Amazon's money but they didn't want the grief so they hired two tall white men and gave them a shopping list of diversity must-haves to be included in the show.
Similar to how Rian Johnson was given a wish list from KK and her storygroup of talantless sycophants and ordered to make it work.
That's good, bro. Stories are not about places, stories are about people. No matter how great the location or cinematography, the stories we enjoy are ones with depth of character; people we can either relate to or despise. And without a good plot, that is a purpose or goal for the characters, there really is no story.
Thanks to the algorithm for suggesting this one to me, good video from a reasoned voice.
I do have completed scripts for a TV series- I know that if it were picked up by, let's say Netflix, they would demand seasoned showrunners, and I would expect this. it's a lot of work and I would by no means want to wing it, or learn on the way. surround yourself with those who have experience and dedication that share your vision
Yep. Well said, John! Not one more episode....
Great video. The algorithm finally delivers, hope you get alot of subs out of this.
The showrunners wrote Halbrand/Sauron to be the most interesting character whilst simultaneously writing Guyladriel to be insufferable and then they have the nerve to blame their audience?!? Seriously, they need to go back to writing school.
Absolutely right. You have one good person doing what is right. And other great people knowing it is right and protecting and helping him to do what is right... the whole movie is about resistance to accept the outcome of right x
And remember it was creative people that created the places, the looks, the style etc.
I'm thinking of that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
JJ Abrams: I "recommend" these two guys. WHAT, you actually hired them? That was a "non recommend" recommend.
The Tolkien estate actually granted Amazon the rights to very little within the canon. They had rights solely to The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, the appendices, and The Hobbit, and only one of those things hasn’t been adapted to screen yet. They do not have the rights to The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-Earth, or any of the other books. So the best that can be said about Amazon buying these rights is that they can’t mess much with Tolkien’s published works, and what they are making is pretty much based on their own interpretation of what came after Return of the King and before The Silmarillion.
Nice video, and good analysis. Totally agree 💯
Definitely create more vids like this! This was very eye opening and makes a lot of sense especially the part about jj abrams. The greatest con artists ever made that show then lol
They were asked who made the rings. They answered "Zelda!" (actually thinking of Link). And they got the job.
7:05 That's the only right approach, in my opinion. When you see a pile of poo in the street, you don't stay around it gushing about how much it stinks, you leave so you don't have to stand the stench. That's what we all should do with Rings of Poo.
There's an alternative: clean up the mess and put something better in its place
@@seregrian5675 In this case the pile of feces is untouchable, sadly. So we can definitely substitute it with something better, but the pile remains.
Just found your channel on my live feed! Great video and I am now subbed! Keep up the great work!
when you lied in resume but still got the job
and to be honest JJ Abrams is the last person you want to listen recommandations
The fact they got recommended by JJ Abrams should have already set off some serious red flags at Amazon. But I guess that kind of recommendation is not the Hollywood kiss of death that I'd hoped it would be.
For now.
It seems as if you have finally found your vocation John. Bravo sir!
It turns out that all I had to do is tell other people what they did wrong when they fouled up a great intellectual property!
;)
That sir is indeed an excellent question we are all wondering for a very long time.
I'm just reading the silmarillion again, it's the only fantasy at my age that manages to take me out of reality with its incredible writing and scope and epic storys.It truly removes me from reality for moment's longer than anything else is capable of doing, that's what fantasy at heart is supposed to do and to be honest it's the only reason I read fantasy.Maybe now and again I come away with a lesson in being a better person and a few other bits and pieces,but to truly escape is something very few writer's can do.These Two Plebs that call themselves showrunners don't have the talent or the depth to help you escape,so in order to hide this they use the expression "made for modern audiences" .."reflect the world we live in"....."2022 is different to a few years ago".. What the Fuck has Tolkien's work got to do with any of those comments??His work is meant for His readers to escape those things, to be able to come back to earth and face reality again,not mirror reality... otherwise it's not Fantasy.
The best recent fantasy I've read is the queen's poisoner by Jeff wheeler. I haven't read any Tolkien recently. I wonder how it compares now.
Especially when 'real world' means at the least Hollywood and the most America. It doesn't come close to meaning the world by any stretch of the imagination. The very word fantasy is meant to be an antithesis of real world.
Best adult fantasy series ever written was Malazan book of the fallen. LOTR was great but it is not much more young adult than the hobbit imho.
That’s the most fundamental quality of fantasy/scifi. Escapism. Audiences indulge in these genres specifically because it allows an ESCAPE from the boorish toil of the real world. (There’s more to it, like themes of the hero, superhuman abilities, magic, “impossible” technology, all allowing us to vicariously envision a grander version of ourselves, and connect to these characters and worlds through their embodiment of the human experience that we all have, courage, fear, love, hate, etc, ultimately enriching our own lives through this process)
I was watching modern Star Trek showrunners talk about how they were proud of creating stories that mirrored themes found in our everyday lives, making the exact same mistake. It’s remarkable how the people with the most influence on these franchises are more and more often the least equipped to properly execute them. I imagine their lives are so disconnected from reality to begin with that their notions of “escapism” are more an escape from their fantasies back into reality. (Possibly the same reason why Liberals and Leftists seem to disproportionately enjoy these abominations)
Amazing writing? Simarillion felt more like a history book with alot of facts listed next to each other. Your taste is terrible.
Just found your channel. Great video! Very funny. Do more of these!
The channel deserves more views and subs
3:00 "That's why the thing is gorgeous as hell" I completely disagree. It all looks computer generated. Nothing looks real. It all has a digital air, like it's all an illusion that could vanish at any moment. It doesn't look like a real world.
Digital air. Yeah that's how I'd describe it. It feels artificial.
yep agree with you.
Yes, the entire production felt like a modern upgrade of Hercules or Xena from the 90s.
yeah I never understand this sentiment - its like they've never seen the game engine open world footage of recent AAA titles like Assassins Creed etc
@@emptyhand777 A downgrade*
this is great John
TH-cam algorithm really likes this particular video of yours
Great video John ! Keep it up.
i have watched all your ROP videos and i need more! pretty sure i'm not alone, so please indulge us!
Thank you! I made that promise before I somehow managed to get 20k views.
I was shortsighted, and unlike the showrunners of Rings Of Power, I would like to learn from my mistakes. :)
The Lord of the Rings is an allegory about power, it is a cautionary tale about power, it warns us pretty clearly about people that think that their opinion should be imposed on other because they think they are wiser or more virtuous than all others. Saruman suggests that to Gandalf as a way to reveal Saruman as a fiend, the one ring to rule all opinions and points of view is what the fellowship wants to destroy, Morgoth was stopped by the Vallar because he wanted to be the only one voice in the song of creation, whereas Iru wanted all creatures to participate in different ways to make the song even more beautiful.
This people who call professor Tolkien's work facist have not read it and could be described as villains in Tolkien Lore, the Galadriel presented in Amazon's show could also be seen more as an evil character, more akin to Nietzsche's Übermensch, than as of a Tolkien hero driven by divine providence and humble collaboration.
Great point, but I have to wildly object about one thing, namely in that Galadriel could not be _any_ further from Nietzsche's 'Übermensch'.
Most people seem to completely misunderstand what Nietzsche's Übermensch actually is - a person who is completely aware of it's own actions, as well as of the consequences of it's actions and also absolutely owns them and takes responsibility and accountability for it. A person who is not trying to foist off any responsibility and accountability on any higher power, gods or authorities. And the Übermensch is very well aware of the impact his actions have onto other people and takes that into consideration.
Maybe that comes from Nietzsche also describing the 'Übermensch' as unsentimental and not held back by such notions, but even _that_ is not evil. Maybe you are familiar with the SCP universe and the fictional SCP foundation, because I am totally stealing their creed here, that when you need things done, _'Be cold, not cruel.'._ Galadriel _is_ cold, but she is also cruel, Galadriel takes zero responsibility or accountability for her actions, she gives a crap about the damage she does to other people while she is toying with them like a wanton, spoiled, unhinged child that is destroying its action figures, because it is angry.
And she can, in my opinion, not be seen 'more as an evil character', she _is_ an evil character. There is nothing good in her, she does not care about other people, she does not care about the massive damage her completely egotistical, impulse driven actions have, she is constantly using the people around her as personal lightning rod and even pushes them into becoming evil. Her little rant about how much she will enjoy making this guy suffer by killing his _children_ in front of him, that is _evil_ in its purest form. She could just as well become Sauron herself, there is no difference. Damn, in fact Sauron is painted as the _good_ guy or at least as a person wanting to make amends for his previous actions and to find peace... and then gets actively pushed back into the darkness by Galadriel, which is also not stopping him when she could. Yep, totally evil.
No wonder they hate it and want it ruined its pointing out their fascism
Wow. Describes modern politicians and woke creators in a nutshell.
@@Furzkampfbomber oh your talking about Rings of Powers "Guyladriel" ok, I was so confused when you said Galadriel. Rings of P is not Tolkien but by a few names.
Brilliant take. Subbed!
Top content! Thorough analysis.
Thank you for this video, incredibly intelligent Ron Jeremy 🙏
My only regret from watching this video, is that I only have one 'like' to give.
I took a quick look at JJ Abrams IMDB page, and honestly think that modern entertainment would be better if he had never existed. How a recommendation from him is seen as a positive is a mind-meltingly sad indictment on modern entertainment.
You put it to the point
Thanks and cheers from Vienna
Superb analysis, opinion and comment.
you should do more stuff like this. You're quite funny.
Very interesting, good reseach that answered questions for me.
2:29 Stories are in a way about places, because _places are_ about people.
Charles Dickens was arguably great at writing about people, but one of his novels is "A Tale of Two Cities" - so famous Trey Smith quotes that title and applies it to the Bible (Jerusalem and Babylon).
I think I recall Clay Basket fairly well and the Mexican wife of the guy who was in the present - but Mitchener made it about "Centennial, Colorado"
Indeed, in his book people come and go, reminds me of a Swedish or rather Scanian film character who had lived by a country-road all of his life and seen people come and go. Sure, the film about him (starring Edward Persson) actually is a story about people, but he qualifies, in the end, as mentor figure because of this exact fact.
And Tolkien himself wrote histories of Beleriand and Gondor and Arnor and Númenor before getting to 4 hobbits, 2 men, one each of elf, dwarf and wizard. Now, Beleriand, Gondor, Arnor, Númenor are all of them places.
Sometimes settings come before characters.
And learning Elvish (was it Quenya or Sindarin?) is _also_ a thing JRRT did himself before writing the novel like The Hobbit and LotR.
"Gorgeous as Hell with no discernable character."
Yep. That's pretty much all of Hollywood right there.
I like your honesty, wish they hired you.
Hope to see more videos of yours, your voice is also great!
You just know that McKay is the wacky goofball of the two, always cracking jokes and cutting corners, and Payne is older grizzled detective with dark backstory and he never smiles. But in the end they'll learn to work together and get a valuable lesson in friendship and acceptance
You're right about the buddy cop names. I can already see the tagline, "No Payne, no Kayne"
I'm sorry I missed this when you posted it but that's pretty OnPoint
Just found your channel,
Excellent analysis- it’s so simple that it makes me wonder WTF did Amazon see!
A perfect case of *it's not what you know, it's who you know*
*finally*
Looked up your other videos, quickly - seems you are a pilot, like Christopher.
I was, in the military, Anti-Air-Craft Defense troups.
Thanks, Hans. I need to be clear: I'm a drone pilot with a part 107 Commercial License from the FAA.
And while we do have to take an extended test, and while its a big deal, I don't want anyone to confuse me with a manned aircraft pilot. :)
@@johnabbottphotography OK, if I ever take down one of your drones, I'm not taking down you, then ...
If you'll excuse ignoring the content of your words: have you done voice acting before, and if not - why not? That voice is wonderful.
Thanks, Dan, I really appreciate that! I've been a shy person for half of my life, and then became a performer. But I'm still self-conscious about my voice. Thanks!
As far as I recall, _Lord of the Rings_ was actually famous for attracting *hippies* as admirers. I first read it on a hippie commune near Cowaramup in Western Australia, when I was ten.
There was something for everyone actually, thats why its so timeless. Hipsters and mods liked it back in the 60's. I mean, The Hobbit was super popular before WW2 but with paper rationing it slowed things.
7:03 _"They are thinking in terms of ..."_
things like Galadriel at Helcaraxe being _very different from_ Galadriel in Lothlorien, perhaps?
perhaps providing some _character development_ for her inbetween?
One way to do it would be:
pushing Galadriel crossing Helcaraxe too far
putting her up against a bad result that makes her see she's gone too far
making her change from then and specifically in the direction we see in Lothlorien.
If that guess is correct, the show _so far_ has been about pushing her character at Helcaraxe too far.
And given that Mormons don't tend to be ultrafeminists, and the showrunners are Mormons, I think the Galadriel we have seen is likely to walk into a wall, even if it's nothing worse than seeing Celeborn alive again.
They were asked "will you do whatever we want?"
They said yes
After watching this take on the series, watching it would be the same experience as seeing Mona Lisa painting. Only that is isn't the real painting, it's an imitation, but it's not a good imitation, it's quite bad. Oh, and you're 50 metres away from it (facing the other way?)
Pitch meetings..? I dont think there is any. Amazon just bought the LOTR series rights and then checklisting what needs to be in there and what isnt, and they give it to the first men that want to do exactly what in the checklist. Excellent summary,by the way. And your voice is so soothing you should made your own podcast reading LOTR
Great Video! You got one more follower and I am looking foreward to your videos! Greetings from Germany! Chris
Great to meet you, Chris! I hope I'll produce more videos that you like.
The way you describe Abrams doing paint-by-numbers but not getting it right kind of reminds me of Richard Feynman's speech/essay about cargo cult science. It's worth googling it and reading it. I think you'll easily see the parallels.
Interesting point, considering that they _are_ producing crude copies that _kind of_ look like the template, but contain nothing of its intricate aand sophisticated inner life. Because the people making those copies have zero clue about what they really have her and how it works. I never looked at it in this way, but this is a great point.
In a way, this is actually close to what happened during WW2 on some islands in the pacific and which called attention to this phenomenon for the first time. U.S. troops installed air bases, radio and radar stations etc., the relations to the indigen people were actually quite good and as long as those troops were there, all kinds of goodies came to the indigen people.
When the troops were gone, so were the nice things, but they remembered, hey they had that box, and out of those box came things on a string they put onto their ears and they spoke into another thing on a string coming out of this box and then metal birds came and brought nice things. And this is actually, now that you mention it, how ROP or, let's say 'She-Hulk' feel. Like a crude, wooden copy of a radio the authors have made, in order to speak into a microphone prop made of a seashell in the hopes that the metal bird drops great ratings, lots of viewers and huge amounts of money.
@@Furzkampfbomber It is perhaps apropos that in the star trek, "Into darkness" that Kirk and the crew set off a chain of reactions that had the inhabitants of Nibiru beginning to do exactly this.
Edit: Heck, you know people often include themselves into their works, subconsciously or otherwise. JJ Abrams are those primitive people, seeing the enterprise rise out of the water. He knows it is something great and wonderous. Hasn't got a clue, but draws line images in the sand, he and his cronies bow down to it, and wonder why the rest of us look on aghast.
As a Limey I find this attack on our beloved Tolkien as unforgivable.
"How the showrunners Of Rings Of Power got their job"
Been asking myself this question since 10minutes into episode 1.
Well done. I can only quibble over details. I think locations can be characters in a story. In human terms it's the difference between a model and an actor. The location can't be a character is it is just set piece. If it has complex qualities of its own and is capable of changing and reacting to events and other characters, then it may rise to the level of being a character itself.
I agree that locations *can* be a character, but I still feel that stories are about people... not the locations that they are in. And I completely respect your opinion. I hope in the end, we can all agree that my opinion is just that.
No one is paying me millions of dollars to fuck up a sequel.
@@johnabbottphotography I would barely call it a disagreement. Perhaps a difference of emphasis. I think the areas agreement far outshine that. All the best to you.
After what he did to Star Wars how on earth would a recommendation from JJ Abrams hold any weight anymore???
Because those running Amazon don't know shite about LotR and these twats came in speaking Elvish. 'These geeks must know what they're on about'. It's how well you can bullshit and if you have a 'name' recommending you. I hope ignoring fans & deliberately misconstruing their criticism to insult them could be one of the final nails in woke.
Nicely done...
Mackay and Payne getting the roles is a man on trial for murder facing the death penalty hiring a lawyer who just graduated from law school with mediocre grades.
Just found your channel. Subscribed. Hopefully you will update more often, about pop culture perhaps. I think it would be good. Take care!
I'm working on a couple of ideas. Stay tuned.
And thanks!