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The Dude
Ossiriand
Feb 14 2022, 2:02am
Post #2 of 100
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Similar to "The Hobbit" in style, with lots of overlit scenes and bordering-on-kitsch color correction. But to be fair, it is really just a teaser, so the jury is still out...
Addendum: Fairly minor point all in all, but it is sad to see that the armor (Galadriel and the brief shot of the high elves (?) in battle near the end) looks like the usual mix of fantasy and late medieval, or rather more accurately, early modern archetypes (i.e., more Bartolomeo Colleoni than Sutton Hoo or Tagmata).
(This post was edited by The Dude on Feb 14 2022, 2:17am)
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Fereth
Ossiriand
Feb 14 2022, 2:13am
Post #4 of 100
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It got me much more interested in the series. I don't like Elrond's look much, I guess I'm too used to Hugo Weaving.
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Archestratie
Nargothrond
Feb 14 2022, 2:14am
Post #5 of 100
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It definitely felt like PJ's Middle-earth. We got to see a lot more characters, including the Harfoots. I was hoping for some more justification for the Moose-men and why they would wear such ridiculous antlers, but oh well.
Anyway, I was good with what I saw. My wife, who is a much more casual fan, really liked it. So if that's what Amazon wanted to do -- wow the casuals -- I think they probably nailed it.
My Low-Magic Fantasy Novel on eBook/hardback: The Huntsman and the She-Wolf
The Huntsman and the She-Wolf on audio Book.
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cats16
Gondolin
Feb 14 2022, 2:14am
Post #6 of 100
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I'd recommend checking it out online to anyone who may have had to watch it with severe motion smoothing/blurring on a TV that made it look like a soap opera.  I did, and it was like I watched two different trailers.
But dang, around 5 years since the show was announced and we finally have something to *watch*!
Scattered thoughts:
- Definitely real actors in Orc costumes in battle with Elves.
- I've no idea what this Meteor Man thing is, but seeing the guy in the lava (?) pool atop rocks didn't clear anything up there either.
- Where are we in the opening shot? Romenna? If the sun is rising in that shot, it'd be Romenna, as snowy Meneltarma is visible in the background. And multiple ships in the bottom right corner of the screen. Looked quite stunning!
- I believe we might have a quick shot of the Seven being made? I only caught it while slowing down the video speed.
More thoughts later!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
(This post was edited by cats16 on Feb 14 2022, 2:16am)
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squire
Gondolin
Feb 14 2022, 2:15am
Post #7 of 100
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Didn't see anything of Tolkien
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But that's understandable, I guess, because there is no Tolkien book for us to recognize in the imagery shown in the trailer. It was impressive, visually, to be sure, and might well be representative of a good series of stories.
But I remember watching the trailers of the New Line LotR films and gasping in recognition of the characters and settings that I knew so well. Frodo! Gandalf! Strider! Moria! The Shire!
None of that here. Because there is no book that any of us have read that these brief clips could refer to and so excite our memories and feelings. This is, apparently, a generic "Tolkien-style" fantasy series of high visual quality. It's not a Tolkien series, or we would have known it on first sight.
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Archive: All the TORn Reading Room Book Discussions (including the 1st BotR Discussion!) and Footerama: "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
Dr. Squire introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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jlj93byu
Ossiriand
Feb 14 2022, 2:24am
Post #8 of 100
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In the Vanity Fair photos, the first thing that struck me like a ton of bricks is how YOUNG both Elrond and Galadriel look. Definitely not like mature and wise characters thousands of years old...not to mention Elrond's hair looks like something out of a Teen Vogue magazine and not Middle-earth. Definitely not digging Elrond at all, but all I've seen are snapshots so far, and I'm definitely not going to go into the show having written ANYTHING off. I'm going in hopeful and optimistic.
Arondir's short hair is extremely jarring and I still can't see him as an Elf. Elrond's hair is almost too short for an Elf, but Arondir is essentially a buzz cut and he's nearly bald.
Still, a lot to love in the trailer. The visuals, the landscapes, so much to love. Durin IV looks perfectly Dwarvish. Lindon looks just as ethereal and majestic as Lothlorien. Just so much to love, despite my concerns as well. Nothing is perfect--what else is new?! Still hopeful and excited and optimistic!
(This post was edited by jlj93byu on Feb 14 2022, 2:28am)
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Archestratie
Nargothrond
Feb 14 2022, 2:28am
Post #9 of 100
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In the Vanity Fair photos, the first thing that struck me like a ton of bricks is how YOUNG both Elrond and Galadriel look.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. And Morfydd's voice is so young as well. One thing we have to remember, though, is that these elvish characters have to become the characters we saw in the movies. So, naturally, they should sound and act differently than what we saw in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Also, let's be fair to the actors. How can they compete with Hugo and Cate? That's such a hard ask since those two are among the best actors going. The gravitas those two have is immeasurable. We can't expect these new actors to be that way. Not yet, anyhow. They'll have to grow into those roles.
My Low-Magic Fantasy Novel on eBook/hardback: The Huntsman and the She-Wolf
The Huntsman and the She-Wolf on audio Book.
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jlj93byu
Ossiriand
Feb 14 2022, 2:31am
Post #10 of 100
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You nailed it. Absolutely right. We need to give them the chance to grow into these characters, and I'm absolutely willing to do that. Once we've seen them act in the role, speak in the role, and live in the role, things should definitely improve. Obviously I'm still concerned that it may take longer than I'd like, but even if they never quite grow into the roles perfectly for me, I'm still going to watch this show with devotion and hope it does well and helps bring many new viewers into Middle-earth.
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The Dude
Ossiriand
Feb 14 2022, 2:45am
Post #11 of 100
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...there is a weird feeling when watching it that it might as well be based on just another high-fantasy story; certainly not Tolkien, but maybe something fairly derivative? Part of the issue here also lies with the fact that so many films and series in the past twenty years have tried to ape the style of Jackson's original trilogy...so one is left with the impossibility of distinguishing between the licensed and the unlicensed copy.
Again, it is dangerous to extrapolate too much from this intentionally short trailer. What we can say for certain now, however, is that the series will in many ways try (emphasis on try) to copy the visual style of Jackson's films, or at the very least avoid consciously breaking with them.
The likeliest outcome of this series still remains the same: an aggressively bland simulacrum of Jackson's films, which will generate plenty of "heated pop-culture discourse" in the beginning (in part to publicize the whole thing) and then quickly fall into artistic oblivion. And it probably will not even be the primary fault of the show itself, but simply of a changing media environment, which breeds conformity, short attention spans, and ultimately, alienation.
As always, a modicum of hope remains, if only for a scene or two...
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Erethen
Lindon
Feb 14 2022, 2:47am
Post #12 of 100
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Visually, you can see the budget which is great to see. It just looks epic. I feel like the main thing this was going for was to just show us the visual language that the show is going for. I loved this.
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
Feb 14 2022, 2:58am
Post #13 of 100
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* In the shot of the person climbing the ice wall, when he looks up into the camera ... is that face digital? There's an unrealness to it that threw me. (Also, I'm guessing that the ice wall is part of the Helcaraxë.)
* The final shot with a small hand holding a larger hand - I take it that's the Harfoot?
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Eruonen
Gondolin
Feb 14 2022, 2:59am
Post #14 of 100
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These prologue scenes look good - I am optimistic
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Meteor man candidates....Sauron, Glorfindel, a wizard
Finrod, Durin, Galadriel, Elrond popping up
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kzer_za
Menegroth
Feb 14 2022, 3:05am
Post #16 of 100
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Both that it feels generic and that it’s too early to make a final judgment.
I will say the show runners’ comments on the show’s themes sound like LotR redux in loose second age skin. Saying it is about brotherhood and friendship and underdog victories doesn’t fill me with confidence that they understand what they’re adapting. These positive themes come up occasionally but belong mostly to late 3A; they are simply not the main themes of the second age.
But it is possible that is just marketing talk to signal “this isn’t GoT.”
(This post was edited by kzer_za on Feb 14 2022, 3:07am)
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
Feb 14 2022, 3:12am
Post #17 of 100
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Huh. Totally thought it was a bloke.
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Good spotting re the dagger. 
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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SirDennisC
Gondolin
Feb 14 2022, 4:00am
Post #18 of 100
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I caught she was a woman (or Elf) hanging from a dagger, but had no idea who she was supposed to be. The image quality should be better in the finished episode.
It does appear the designers opted for shorter hair styles than we are used to in this genre. Looking forward to it!
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SirDennisC
Gondolin
Feb 14 2022, 4:06am
Post #19 of 100
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Without many points of reference
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Apart from some character and place names, it should be easier to simply enjoy than an adapted work.
It is true, as you say, that LotR was immediately recognizable. At least that was my experience too, in spite of the several deviations from the original text. These characters, and scenes and images seem far less familiar. But perhaps that will be a good thing, after all.
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Feb 14 2022, 4:07am)
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Marmoon
Nevrast
Feb 14 2022, 6:44am
Post #20 of 100
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Looking forward to a full trailer
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The visuals - costumes, sets, environments, the photography - look great to me. The music is fine but didn't pull me out of my chair (to my disappointment). There are some very intriguing shots tossed in there - A coastal city on Númenor? A council in Lindon? Flashback to a gold-suited Finrod at the Dagor Bragollach?
The character posters and still images from the last week were a lot to process. Having had more time, and now after seeing some of them in action, I like the look of Galadriel and the gang. I still wish Will Poulter had been able to stay on, especially with hindsight that his “scheduling conflicts” reported in December 2019 may have been undermined by the global pandemic only a few months later. Despite sharing others’ concerns about hair length before, my mind has changed about Arondir. He doesn’t match my preconceived image of an elf, but he looks great (and if they don’t address short-haired elves, I’ll stick with my theory about a Silvan barber with magic shears!). On the theme of hair, there's no mistaking the long-bearded senior Longbeards in their brief appearance, and based on the new angle it seems that Disa's facial hair (sideburns shown in VF's first look) is not connected below her chin.
Unfortunately, it’s tough to glean much story-wise from the fast-paced teaser trailer. It's even more difficult because we don’t know how far or in what ways the show will deviate - either by choice or necessity - from the known events and chronology of the Second Age. We should understand more when we get a full trailer.
(This post was edited by Marmoon on Feb 14 2022, 6:46am)
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Arannir
Doriath
Feb 14 2022, 7:33am
Post #21 of 100
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Style, costumes, landscapes, architecture look incredible for a TV series.
It is no surprise that a teaser premiering at the Super Bowl would not dig deep into anything lore-connected. Plus, this will be a fanfiction-series. What else can it be? 5 seasons based on Tolkien. I am not surprised here. The recognizable events (forging of the rings, downfall of Numenor, Last Alliance) will not happen before we are much longer in this.
I get what people mean when they say that it looks "generic". But I would not use this word... it looks archetypical. And Tolkien is the apex of archetypical high fantasy. So that fits... this series will not be a revolution in storytelling. The LotR movies weren't that either... they were technical revolutions, not story-wise.
Loved the shot of our new Elf... after the garbage he had to put up with because of being a PoC playing an Elf he really deserved that moment to shine. Still so disappointed in this fandom...
A mixture of people looking fiercely at something and walking through landscapes... it was pretty much what I expected :D The music could have been a bit better.
"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien
We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.
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Felagund
Mithlond
Feb 14 2022, 8:01am
Post #22 of 100
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Yes, reckon Romenna is the best candidate. That shot also has what could be the Calmindon lighthouse in the foreground, to the left.
Think this opening Númenor shot is my favourite. Great way to kick things off.
Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk
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DanielLB
Elvenhome
Feb 14 2022, 8:28am
Post #23 of 100
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I think this echoes things other people have already pointed out in this thread but, for me, if you didn't know this was set in Middle-earth you'd think this was some generic fantasy series. That comes with its own pros and cons. Mainly: con - it didn't feel very Tolkien-y, pro - it is not bogged down in "canon" and should be easily enjoyed by everyone.
However, to get me excited, I would've like it to have felt anchored in the world we are already familiar with; a shot of Khazad-dûm, an eagle, or an orc might've helped.
Would I watch the series based solely on this trailer? Meh. It looked like an awful like The Wheel of Time which I haven't watched.
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DanielLB
Elvenhome
Feb 14 2022, 8:32am
Post #24 of 100
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I just can't dig this Galadriel, for some reason: the "explosive power pose", the "lost at sea pose", and the "competing in Middle-earth's first Winter Olympics pose" ( ) just don't match my image of Galadriel.
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Felagund
Mithlond
Feb 14 2022, 8:57am
Post #25 of 100
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And no fantasy genre port city is complete without a colossus! Maybe Elros depicted? Or Aldarion?
Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk
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