R.I.P. Rings of Power.

[@CallMeChato]

Celebrimbor not Celeborn. Damn always mistakes I have to clean up.

[@TwistedReality13]

Hello Paul

[@headrockbeats]

That's OK, at this point they might as well _both_ be dead and no one would ever care.

[@SnakesAndFunerals]

This attention to detail and consistency is NOT going to fly at Amazon's Rings of Power, sir!

[@Mrs_Puffington]

Gave it an additional comedic touch.

[@ProfessorHeyTeeEn]

The fact they basically said Celeborn is dead doesn't improve things whatsoever...

[@bilko991]

They managed to make Galadriel and the hobbits more evil and less likeable than Sauron in this show. That takes some talent!!

[@cyberleaderandy1]

Yep Sauron is now the good guy like the Daleks are in the new Dr Who era. Woke "heros" just make baddies the one we root for 😂

[@JoFa876]

Go Team Adar!!! Sauron's here to save the day!!!

[@MrSnudger]

You can't have heroism in modern day fiction where victimhood defines virtue.

[@davfree9732]

I’d say it takes the inverse of talent. A strange cultivated form of anti talent that Bad Reboot is using to take over the industry.

[@galactica0433]

I am pretty sure that was their goal.

[@chrisoconor9314]

My son in law, who knows zero about Tolkien, was telling me about how much he liked it, and revealed all I need to know about the show: "The elves are the bad guys, right?"

[@TheBelrick]

should of raised your daughter better.

[@beerdragon4583]

@@TheBelrick oof

[@dildem6442]

😂

[@chrisoconor9314]

@@TheBelrick Easy to say, hard to do.

[@TheBelrick]

​@@chrisoconor9314 The only hard part is putting in the time and effort. What you also lack is role models, most of yours and mine generation sucked at parenting. Dual working parents, no fault divorces+welfare and public schools spelled the death of father daughter bonding. I know this, because i got a second chance at it and boy what an eye opener applying hindsight is. To young fathers, homeschool your kids and keep your wife at home! Stop chasing the shekels!!!

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Peter Jackson was a talented director who had a vision for bringing Tolkien to the big screen. Amazon is a store, who saw a potentially lucrative IP, hired people with no particular interest in LotR, and created mediocrity. I mean, how else was it going to pan out?

[@mtgemperor]

Additionally, Peter Jackson had a 10-year portfolio of practical effects experience with Weta Workshop before attempting anything for LOTR. Amazon's Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne barely had a writing accolade for a single film and that was it; literally no experience. Peter Jackson went back to the book countless times and filled his films with tons of detail, hinting at the deep lore he loved so much. Payne and McKay, however, showed their "love" by parroting PJ film quotes and used very generic material that somewhat resembled PJ's work. They claimed to go "back to the book" but the books contradicted their work too many times.

[@user-Marrk]

The fact is all of Jackson changes were in service to story or characters, unlike ROP which is all about agenda. Such garbage.

[@AndragonLea]

Not only with no particular interest in LotR, but with a proven track-record of writing pitches that nobody wanted. This is literally their first big gig. They failed their way into directing and writing effing LotR. I don't even. How many billions do you have to have before you start thinking that's a good investment?

[@user-Marrk]

@@AndragonLea Really good point, how on earth could they wake up one morning and say yup, we can take Tolkiens work and expand on it! The idea alone should terrify anyone approaching it! But I suppose that would only apply to people who actually hold Tolkiens work in high esteem. I feel some of these people actually look down on it in contempt.

[@joewelch4933]

@@AndragonLea Well I mean, look at all the other things amazon tries constantly and fails at. RoP is just another in a long line of things that Bezos thought he could throw money at and make successful.

[@marshallblack8944]

"All we wanted was to be returned to Middle Earth and in this regard it failed". A perfect summation of the whole thing.

[@1skrmsp1]

That scene where Sauron and Galadriel is in shouting match with close up shot that looks like made from some assistant director's iphone is peak televesion genius. I literally never stopped crying since then.

[@bighatastrea]

I hate it how people on the Rings of Power sub act like scenes like this were peak 10/10 cinematograpy lmao, it was just dumb

[@sunderland69]

@@bighatastrea Get a sense of humor.

[@JoFa876]

@@bighatastrea Those are Amazon bots doing that.

[@Novusod]

Sauron should have had some better come back lines. He is thousands of years old and the best he came up with is "Sauron lives because of you, rawr."

[@jacobcalvin5520]

@@Novusod "Born on a mountain, raised in a cave. Truckin' an' fuckin' is all I crave" - Sauron

[@chrismeetswest]

He nailed it. Everything about this show felt like checking boxes by a marketing team rather than a labor of love.

[@saralotti7174]

Algorithms cannot create talent.

[@debanydoombringer1385]

Tolkien never had Sauron appear as a human. They were the easiest to corrupt and manipulate. In other words they were weak. So he never lowered himself to appear as one. He was a Werewolf, vampire, and a beautiful Elf called the gift bringer, but never human, and you explained why. Tolkien understood it would diminish him. Unfortunately the showrunners, who think they are better and have said so, aren't as intelligent. I'm glad you've enjoyed learning about the lore for those of us more passionate about his work and you are appreciative of our knowledge.

[@gilian2587]

Sauron: "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..."

[@LordMortanius]

Sauron's form was more Mannish than elf. Sauron disguised himself as a divine emissary in Eregion (so he was basically a Maia, not an elf), and when he went to Numenor: "Upon that ship which was cast highest and stood dry upon a hill there was a man, but greater than any even of the race of Numenor in stature". Tolkien never actually assigns a racial preference to Sauron's forms, but says that Sauron's fair form was "a commanding figure of great strength of body and supremely royal demeanour and countenance."

[@kaltaron1284]

@@LordMortanius So basically we don't know if he had pointy or round ears but he was larger than anyone else around and IIRC he also had light in his eyes. Yep, sounds like the guy we see in RoP. Heck even his skin colour is up for discussion.

[@LordMortanius]

@@kaltaron1284 He'd also be ten feet tall. Given that he looked like a Numenorean, Sauron physically was either dark-haired or blonde, and was pale-skinned. Dude looked like King Conan, basically. It was only after the Drowning that Sauron chose a terrifying shape, with burnt black skin and terrifying eyes.

[@kaltaron1284]

@@LordMortanius Yep. Although even Conan would look like a midget next to him.

[@niceman5907]

Thing I like about Chato is, due to his experience within the industry, he can speak frankly about realistic expectations. Reminding/educating viewers on the difficulty of film production (3 minutes a day of usable footage) is a breath of fresh air when most online critics say stuff like "just make it good"

[@frug5629]

To be fair, when all you're getting lately is nothing but corporate slop made to just piss off fans of a franchise. IE: She-Hulk. There really isn't much to say.

[@treelineresearch3387]

The biggest turn off to these shows is much more the writing than the production though. Sure, RoP doesn't look great in relation to its budget, but it's more than good enough for people to look past visual flaws if the writing was competent.

[@Carandini]

However, and Chato will agree I'm sure, hard as it might be to get that usable footage, if the project is already a confused mess on paper, you're just shooting yourself in the foot before the race even starts. If it sucks on paper, if your writers aren't competent, then whatever you do from that stage forward is already neck-deep in failure.

[@sixupsprite5501]

Three minutes a day... Oh man oh geez... Oh no... Cry me a river, that's zero excuse. 160 days a season? Weak.

[@billyb4790]

It's a fair point but, all things being equal?........make it good!!!

[@GhostBlade_888]

They certainly told the story Tolkien never did.

[@brucetucker4847]

And never would have.

[@rodbarnes9624]

"Thank you for your service sir." You, Nerdrotic, & Critical Drinker's reviews saved me from watching this POS. I had a feeling this show was a *"Nah"* when I saw _"Guyladriel"_ man-spreading on that Empire magazine cover.

[@JoFa876]

You make a drinking game of it, by drinking every time they break canon or have pointlessly cringe dialogue.

[@apetpsdc]

What's IP? What's POS? I'm not from around here. Just some random dudes from Asia region watching this channel.

[@ethansnyder3401]

@@apetpsdc IP: Intellectual property. POS: piece of sh*t.

[@jonascastejon5888]

@@JoFa876 One would need a kidney transplant by the end of it.

[@gift_for_el6396]

@@apetpsdc i suppose IP is derived from Intellectual Properties, like the one Chatto talking about the issues in the LOTR Ring of Power. And for POS.... well, from Piece of S...t, i guess.

[@jimivey6462]

The original TWILIGHT ZONE episodes did not have high production costs. They did have great writing, great acting by relative unknowns (who later had great careers), great B&W cinematography, and great editing.

[@davidlacoste]

They even explained to us, in a memorable way, how To Serve Man.

[@jimivey6462]

@@davidlacoste Yes, indeed. That is a story ending that stays in one’s head.

[@davidlacoste]

@@jimivey6462 Even Futurama referenced it.

[@jimivey6462]

@@davidlacoste I love it when a classic appreciates another classic.

[@RealHebrewMonk]

The creators of this show tried to have their half-baked cake and eat it too, but we were the ones who got the stomach-ache.

[@Drixenol86]

The reason their cake turn out that way is they didn’t follow the recipe.

[@basillah7650]

Woke rings of power each ring is another one of the woke genders.

[@jbreeze6653]

You summed it up in the last couple of words of the video, Chato. "What a waste."

[@user-Marrk]

I wanted it to fail because none of them deserve or has earned the right to take the work of Tolkien and to twist it and tell their own story. None of them are capable and they should always be held to a high standard. Yes Jackson made changes but his changes were in service of the medium/story or characters, unlike this hot garbage that got so much wrong!

[@rbu2136]

When I learned they were making Jackson’s LOTR I was like NOOOOOOOOOOO they are so going to fauk it up! Not Tolkien. Not THE seminal fantasy work from which all modern fantasy flows. I was shocked that Jackson did an epic job and so glad that it was good as it was, warts and all. THIS. IS. INSULTINGLY. BAD.

[@outspokenguy3834]

Couldn't agree more. He respected the lore, and yes, he made changes, but those changes made it work on the big screen, and they respected Tolkien. This pile of shit should never be made. Honestly, I felt sad the day news hit about ROP. It was just not even a hint of doubt in me they would FUCK it up as others did with star wars, star trek, Halo and so on....

[@hermitcard4494]

I want them to fail to laugh.

[@nickpeluso7511]

Bingo

[@magallanesagustin4952]

Jackson's trilogy and even The Hobbit, with all their changes, are carbon copies of Tolkien's works compared to Amazon's Lord of the Woke.

[@ooklamoc4411]

“All we wanted was to be returned to middle Earth.” This exactly. We hope for even a little of the magic these stories gave us, instead it’s about as much fun as good ol’ uncle Tony’s “pull my finger” trick.

[@blackbuttecruizr]

Thank you for saving my brain from being permanently damaged by watching this skit masquerading as a mini series.

[@TheBelrick]

Honestly this NigerianSemetic manure show doesn't exist unless you allow it to. They want to go all racist and throw out our culture and people. Its your choice to participate

[@jonathandawson3091]

Worse than any skit I've ever seen.

[@jonathandawson3091]

May be you meant h for k?

[@MA90211]

Mini-series? It’s supposed to be five seasons long.

[@basillah7650]

Woke rings of power each ring is another one of the woke genders.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I can't stop laughing whenever GUYLADRIEL gets angry that she couldn't control the twitching of her nose.

[@violetfem1808]

Could be early botox

[@samzeyel8220]

that is definitely her thing xD

[@AerysTMD]

Suitable for horror pr0n

[@deleted4577]

It was giving me PTSD flashbacks to Emelia Clark's eyebrows in GoT

[@Hinatachan360]

Nose twitching like an angry rabbit from Watership Down.

[@myrddrral]

The final reveal when Galadriel burst out of the chocolate factory riding the rancor, with the zombies chasing her while she screamed "solvent green is made of people!" amidst the lush phosphorescent plants of Pandora, drove me to tears.

[@Antechynus]

Thanks for taking the punishment on our behalf.... because of your critique I haven't had to see a single episode....

[@goatsuckervonsasquatch644]

I only made it through 20 minutes of the 1st episode 😄

[@gideondejongh838]

@@goatsuckervonsasquatch644 I will not sacrifice my sanity for even 1 minute.

[@AngusIII]

Thanks! and grabbing another cup of Joe - keep these coming & hope you land some consulting gigs out of this type of stuff if needed or wanted

[@Mockthenerd]

They have been running reruns of the LoTR movies in my local cinema and i went to see Two Towers. It's cinematic masterpieces. So elegant and beautiful. You honestly don't notice how old it is. Still just as enjoyable 20 years later... i have seen the films about 4 times now in the 20 years and I was still scared for and invested in the battle of Helms Deep. That's when you know you have created an engaging alive world... when you stil feel like the story could change even after seeing it so many times. There are some silly parts, like the surfboard shield, but overall an amazing film.

[@GravityBoy72]

It did indeed feel small. Outside the panoramic CGI shots, when actors were actually involved it felt small and like it was a small film set. Which it was.

[@floydfanboy2948]

The "battle" for the Southlands, was all about a village with a few houses and a handful of dumb villagers. Small indeed. What a joke.

[@CorePathway]

The biggest mystery box is WHERE DID ALL OF THAT MONEY GO?!? It’s not in the show…

[@CommanderTato]

@@CorePathway diversity money laundring, like have been doing the left in decades.

[@Laneous14]

I've seen indie films shot for a million dollars with a grander sense of scale.

[@yankee1376]

Mountain doom was a real let down. It wasn't scary or foreboding. It was about as intimidating as a claymation volcano from a Wallace and Gromit short.

[@laurasands8322]

I'm just glad that Peter Jackson made his movies twenty years ago before this cancer infected the entertainment industry.

[@TwistedReality13]

It's already going down the memory hole.

[@RichardPhillips1066]

Yes It will be a memory, almost forgotten... like the Halo show soon

[@cyberleaderandy1]

What is? 🤔😉

[@TwistedReality13]

@@cyberleaderandy1 🤣🤣

[@Marth667]

Good, as it should be, evil should be forgotten.. What were we talking about again?

[@Muschelschubs3r]

Is that another term for "toilet"?

[@AltheSpiderlord]

I don't understand why people hate this so much. It's JUST like the Jackson films. Minus: The talent the love the respect The understanding of the setting and ethos the charm the magic the skill the likeable characters the good writing and script (oh man how i wished for Fran Walsh or Phillipa Boyens touch on this). WETAs amazing practical and digital effects But aside from that it's just like the Jackson Films. Especially the bits they copied outright.

[@danbance5799]

So, what you're saying is it's just like the Jackson Hobbit films. After originally watching those in the theater, I hadn't watched them again until recently, and yep, just as bad as I remembered. It's hard to believe both film series were made by the same director.

[@jonsnow1951]

Weta was involved in RoP too

[@zoch9797]

Holy s**t, you're right! There were even colors and sound. The characters spoke English, and there were people. I highly recommend RoP for any LotR -paid- fan.

[@AltheSpiderlord]

@@jonsnow1951 really. That astonishes me tbh. The armour looked amateur at best.

[@TankHunter678]

@@AltheSpiderlord Likely because unlike when Peter Jackson did LotR they did not hire professional armorers, leather workers, and smiths to actually make the stuff the actors were going to wear. The gear looks amateur and inauthentic because it is. Which is why you literally have armor the is just armor pattern printed shirts that they hope you will not look at closely because the rest of the money was going to go into the CGI.

[@WhiskyCardinalWes]

That scene where Guyladreal stood on the command deck of the Enterprise and whispered, "Unleash the squid." I'm still shivering, shivering I say, from that powerful moment!

[@icedriver2207]

My favorite line was "A Titan against a Titan" and then she laughed.

[@trodrigu13]

I've learned so much about the artist storytelling from watching these videos. I really enjoy them. Thank you.

[@seavee2000]

As always, your reviews are far more witty,enjoyable and entertaining than the shite you are talking about. Thank you.

[@stephenrice2063]

Low bar in this case, but still true.

[@scottjoseph9578]

Also, your reviews save me money and time.

[@freewheeler8924]

Galadrivel achieved that intensity of emotion necessary to her part because she wasn't allowed to have a bowel motion until the season's shooting was complete. That's dedication.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

The worst thing, for me, is that for a show billed as "the most expensive ever", production cut an awful lot of corners. For example, when Celebrimbor and Elrond go to Khazad Dum, IIRC we get the map transition and a landscape shot of the mountainside, and it cuts to another shot that where the two of them saunter out from behind a rock, wearing the same costumes they wore when we last saw them, in a city that (because I'm a nerd) I know is about 100 miles away. So they've walked for 3 or 4 days, minimum, to arrive there. They didn't show them stashing packs with travelling clothes and rations, or - more likely, since Celebrimbor is the Lord of Eregion* and Elrond a herald of the High King Gil-Galad - leaving a camp with horses, tents and attendants, maybe with Elrond saying how he had spent the days of the journey looking forward to seeing his friend Durin again. You know, stuff to tell the audience that these guys aree both kind of a big deal, and also setting up what they expect to happen, so that when it doesn't, it's a surprise. * - since they fucked the timeline, I'm assuming that he is; he followed Galadriel and Celebrimbor in ruling Eregion, because they spent a few hundred years there, with their daughter, Celebrian, before crossing the mountains to Lothlorien. But apparently he went off to war before Galadriel decided he was dead, and less worthy of vengeance than her dumbass "hurr durr no such thing as buoyancy* brother.

[@KeytarArgonian]

ways of showing a time skip? #1. *CHANGE OF COSTUME* #2. *CHANGE OF SEASON* They can’t even get the sun to rise in the right direction.

[@VeeKaChu]

OMG that killed the whole endeavor for me; it was as if they simply walked nextdoor, and they literally rang the doorbell...

[@dinismantas7265]

That scene of Elrond and Celebrimbor arriving at Khazad Dum felt like something from a Mel Brooks comedy...without the laughs.

[@doomsdaybooty1072]

All that lore we spent years learning and pondering is useless in this show. I think Celebrimbor is about the worst casting choice I could imagine. This is the great elven smith? A 1000 years or so younger than Galadriel? Ok right

[@onoper]

It seems like a minor detail..but: Tolkien was a freak of plausability, and take in consideration all these little details (cartography, timelines, names, food, weather, everything!) Why? To make belive a fantasy, you need worldbuilding, and his works was one of the finest in this regard.

[@metalmayfantasy]

Dang, I didn't expect a video to be uploaded during my lunch break. Thanks

[@Inug4mi]

Thank you for this. I do especially appreciate the industry take on this as well. From what I’ve gathered in articles and all that it seems that two people who had no idea what they were doing were given this show and none kept an eye on them and this is the result. It’s honestly really sad. They had a perfectly good wheel to utilize in Tolkien’s narrative, but thought they could do better and now we’re all paying the price for it.

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

I was moping.. Then I saw Chato made a video! I saw the title.... I was moping again. Then I watched and that familiar face put a smile on my own. This denizen can now sleep. Thanks Chato...

[@redheadsilver8041]

"What's that, what does it do? Don't know. Mystery box!" Applaud my genius!

[@supman7020]

Enjoying the humor on your channel. 🤣👍

[@NeoDragonCount]

Sauron was in hiding since the defeat and banishment of Morgoth into the void and was secretly building up his power after the end of the First Age and by the 1500th year of the Second Age he actively approached the elves in the guise of Annatar, Lord of Gifts, mentoring Celebrimbor in the creation of the three elven rings. Celebrimbor created the three while Sauron personally created the seven dwarven rings and the nine rings of men and finally the One Ring. Galadriel, Elrond and Gil-Galad were suspicious of Sauron as Annatar but they didn't know his true identity, none of them went after him in any way and their suspicions were finally confirmed only when Sauron put on the One Ring. He wasn't fucking around with his identity. RoP seems to claim the creation of the Rings and Fall of Numenor happen at the same time, hence Isildur being alive and an adult some 1600 years before he's even born, along with a bunch of others like Ar-Pharazon who aren't born until well into the third millennium of the Second Age. The war between the elves and Sauron happens around the 1600th year of the Second Age, he's defeated by the 1700th year after he almost conquered all of Middle-Earth. Sauron then immediately tries to rebuild his power, but around the 3200's Ar-Pharazon takes the initiative to defeat him for good as he claims rulership over all of Middle-Earth. Sauron instead approaches Ar-Pharazon in a fair guise and is allowed to be taken prisoner to Numenor where he corrupts the nation from within, becomes Ar-Pharazon's chief advisor, converts much of the Numenoreans into worshiping Morgoth and convinces them to sail to Valinor and take it over. This occurs around the 3300's where Eru Iluvatar (basically the supreme god of Tolkien's legendarium for those unaware) intervenes where he reshapes the world from being flat into a sphere so that only elven ships can cross into Valinor again. This leaves Ar-Pharazon and his followers trapped in what becomes the Cave of the Forgotten and destroys Sauron's body, which he's able to recreate due to still having the One Ring, but left him unable to shapeshift anymore, hence being monstrous from then on. Gandalf, Radagast and Saruman weren't even in Middle-Earth until the Third Age, sent there specifically to keep watch for Sauron's resurgence. The two blue wizards, Alatar and Pallando, are more dubious as Tolkien had written two accounts pertaining to them, that they arrive along with the other three in the Third Age (which begins when Isildur claims the One Ring and establishes Gondor), or that they arrived around the 1600th year of the Second Age, so during the time of the One Ring, and were crucial in trying to keep peoples like the Easterlings from falling completely under Sauron's sway. But they did not fall into Middle-Earth like goddamn Superman "because epic fireball"; they sailed from Valinor. Gandalf was greeted in the Grey Havens by the elf Glorfindel.

[@toodlescae]

I thought he was greeted by Cirdan the Shipwright. That's when he gave Gandalf one of the 3 elven rings.

[@Laneous14]

A single sentence in this response has more accurate Tolkien lore than 10 hours of the Rings of Power

[@NeoDragonCount]

@@toodlescae My mistake, it was Glorfindel AND Cirdan, who also gave Gandalf Narya to aid in his task.

[@joebobhenrybob2000]

"...mentoring Celebrimbor in the creation of the three elven rings..." nope. exactly wrong, actually

[@joebobhenrybob2000]

"...Sauron personally created the seven dwarven rings and the nine rings of men..." also wrong

[@apollolux]

This feels like that one meme: Kid: Mom, can I have Lord of the Rings? Mom: We have Lord of the Rings at home, dear. Lord of the Rings at home:

[@TwistedReality13]

Lol 😂

[@sahabatgamerID]

I never expected that we will have this meme for LOTR

[@TheSuperappelflap]

yup

[@tfly999]

With that kind of parenting, call child services.

[@TheRealWinsletFan]

I don't think anyone thought it would be as mind-bogglingly inept as it turned out to be. I expected it to be bad, but it's so far beyond bad...

[@YorickWell]

I enjoy your reviews and writing tips. Also, for the most part I feel affirmed in my opinions by yours. Go Chato!

[@timvyfvinkel4542]

Love the background, looks like Ontario. And hearing "Jesus Murphy!" brought a big smile to my face.

[@CallMeChato]

I didn't realize how colloquial Jesus Murphy was. Ha.

[@ianlassitter2397]

I love the moment where Sauron thanks Galadriel for her training and guidance. She was acknowledged as his biggest contributor to his ability - enhancing and strengthening his ability to do so many’s acts of evil…and truer words where never spoken in middle earth.. Galadriel has truly guided the greatest evil that world has ever seen….makes so much sense on so many levels.

[@codinghusky5196]

Well, it does. It's interesting to see in this liberal age, finally a story about a man being brought to evil by Pooseepower. And why not? Everyone loved Star Wars prequels so much for making Darth Vader into a lovesick puppy who basically turned evil because of a woman, I'm not surprised Amazon went that direction too. I'm only sorry they didn't have a scene where Sauron goes NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

[@criticalanalystcommentary]

I love how you've simplified ROP with the theme park analogy 😂

[@lordshittington135]

The key to the water park line still has me chuckling.

[@josiahlegacy]

just break the damn thing, why'd you need a key for that? makes -3000 sense. Probably the dumbest thing in the season, because of the huge build up

[@quij7ote222]

I appreciate the writing tips. They were real solutions to specific and constructive criticisms. They were also on point. You hand out your gifts in a respectful way and we watch and try to fill up your comment section with lovely, approving feedback in return. Seems like a nice, healthy trade. Also seems like worth both your and our time. I wish I could say the same about the ROP writer/viewer exchange.

[@headman82]

I really have no desire to watch this because I hear nothing good about this show. Yet my friend likes this show for some reason and thinks I should watch it with him. Bless him, he’s not stupid. He’s just easily impressed by the production value

[@edygrimmoviereactions2858]

Same case here. Most of my friends who love ROP mainly love it for it's grand visuals and lots of slow motion. They don't really care about story, lore, character growth, arcs, good story telling, a good protagonist. Saddens me

[@rossmeldrum3346]

I have to say, I get far more entertainment value for free watching these review videos, than I would ever get from watching the actual show, even if I had access.

[@Hilaire_Balrog]

Same. It's actually been the best part of that crap show being made.

[@xyonblade]

Much like how Tolkien's notes and writings that made the Silmarillion and other musings were never intended or meant to be published, RoP was never meant to be filmed.

[@markusfreund6961]

As cannot be stated often enough, the simple matter of fact is this: like every "franchise" tainted by the "woke" cancer, The Cringe Of Power wasn't made to be good, to entertain, to uplift, let alone to honour Tolkien, the source material, or the lore. It was made to further destroy our culture and, in the process, to troll those who understand, value, and try to maintain it.

[@mrfreeman2911]

Nah. Rop is a sign that our society is consumed by narcissism. The show runners clearly think they are superior to Tolkien and it shows in their disregard and reconning of source material. Same happened with GOT at the end. Less talented people being given more creative power and even ignoring the og writer.

[@Dorkyorcy]

Well said, Markus. It is social engineering in the guise of entertainment.

[@Matsyendranath792]

cultural marxism is completely malignant.

[@johnsprague4914]

Sounds like you are describing one of the critical early steps of Marxism. I can not disagree.

[@bookmouse2719]

I agree with you Markus.

[@danielhall5364]

Thanks Paul for another great review. So far this year your content has been far superior and more entertaining to what the networks and streaming services have given us. Please keep up the good work.

[@CallMeChato]

Wow, thanks!

[@queazy03]

...and of course the media & creators were calling the fans racists & bigots the entire way as they trash the works of Tolkein

[@soggybiscuit6098]

So that's where all the nazis are hiding, pretending to be tolkien fans 🤡

[@NovRen19]

That they did, but the Tolkien orthodox phans are winning, and we invite thee to join us and discover our channel's official position "Exsurge Tolkien" that declares ROP a true heresy against Professor Tolkien. Peace be to you.

[@cb-gz1vl]

Galadriel - "I want to speak to the manager!!"

[@Mark_R_]

Just wanna say, as a Scottish person - the idea of giving the dwarves our accents is complete BS. I'd be even more insulted if I was Irish......

[@michaellane5381]

Really agree about mystery boxes being extremely overwritten these days, they really need to be added in editing for flow instead of in scripts.

[@Yattayatta]

Great take as usual! I feel there is a further problem with mystery boxes when they are in a prequel, because we know where all the pieces have to go so the "mystery" can only ever be how they get to where they will be by the start of the Hobit, nothing more. This show, to me felt like watching your favorite sports team lose by 0-7 after someone already spoiled you on the result and the overall flow of the game. When I heard about lord of the rings getting a prequel for the first time and the budget I was very excited as I'm a big fan of both the books and the first Trilogy. As soon as the promotional material started coming out I was horrified though, as a lore nerd I worried. Turns out that wasn't even needed because the dialogue, story and acting are all so bad that they overshadow any problems I might've had with the lore. Then when you start looking at individual scene composition you really start to wonder where the money went, there are so many things that make you go "...huh?" Like when the prisoners escape the orcs, and the orcs between them have a single throwing axe, or when buzzcut Legolas kills an orc in the siege of that little village but they forgot to CG in a dagger, riders doubledrawing their swords, Galadriel just randomly holding a rope on the raft. There are soo many of these gaffs that I really wonder if they fired the guy that doublechecks this stuff? Maybe he was a white male Tolkien fan so he had to go?

[@thesoundofonemanlaughing]

So happy that I never saw this series. I hope it's quickly forgotten.

[@razulle]

As a vfx person who has no exposure to being on set, hearing talk about on set workflow is very fascinating to me! Also, absolutely love your video, it pains me to admit I worked on RoP :')

[@Erlisch1337]

in what capacity?

[@CallMeChato]

Thanks for sharing!

[@robo5013]

@Morgan Allen They didn't do post clean up on the armor and weapons to make them look real instead of plastic. The backgrounds look good until the actors are on scene then it looks like they are standing in front of a green screen when it was new tech 40 years ago, so no clean up there either.

[@stevengarduno1139]

Chato, long a time watcher but a first-time comment here. Outstanding analysis of the flaws of this show and so many other shows like this. As J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the great writers of the English language, another writer said that 500 years ago is so appropriate now. I quote, “It is a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” Macbeth, Act 5, scene 5, W. Shakespeare. So let us sit on the ground, drink, and sing sad songs of a bygone age of great storytellers.

[@ryanzondervan7780]

I felt the exact same way; apart from a few sweeping landscape shots of New Zealand, I was shocked at just how SMALL this all felt. Like they were on the set of a soap opera and not a major studio production. That and the stories were just not compelling in the least, and Bronwin (sp?) looked like she was going to art class at the local community center or getting ready to do some gardening. The elves looked like Vulcan extras from a Star Trek set. Uggh... so, so, so disappointing (not unlike how I felt about "The Hobbit" films to be honest)

[@charmawow]

The one thing we can admire about this show, is how it has introduced us to some really entertaining KZbinrs!😊

[@rrrmmmm5059]

Hi Paul. I don’t believe anyone watched the dailies and that perhaps there was some resentment regarding making the series. It was made because it could be made but it hardly seems like an accomplishment. Thanks for the video :)

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

There was clearly conflict between the writers and the woke commissars in the early days, resulting in several of the best writers leaving. Perhaps only the commissars were watching the dailies…

[@spacedinosaur8733]

I still can't wait for Amazon to tell the story Tolkien never wrote about the intergalactic space battle between the Vl'hurg and the Hingefreel.

[@wulfdrakken8253]

Usually when a show gets a second season everyone get a pay rise. Somehow I'm thinking everybody, even the janitors, are going to be forced to take a pay cut! The only ones making out like a bandit are the rats living in the craft services gut truck!

[@yankee1376]

You are a master of sarcasm , that bit about an orc theme park was pure gold.

[@randyhowell94]

Entertaining as always! I feel like the dragon Smaug sleeping on a mound of wealth inside the Lonely Mountain. I am purposely avoiding any modern take on classic IPs such as Star Trek or the Lord of the Rings until such time as the world break its spell of woke. And that great wealth of classic stories will remain evergreen in my mind and not tarnished.

[@braddishv3146]

I'm really digging the, "Shire Graveyard" background!

[@irishnotsane9365]

I was totally looking forward to this and it was exactly what I was hoping for. I think it was Ryan Kinel who did a follow up on the “super fans” and the one actually said they were waiting for the whole show before reviewing but not one was an actual fan. I was also surprised you could stay awake, even Amazon’s own people feel asleep apparently and my favorite comment called the show a great cure for insomnia. You summed this show up perfectly.

[@kmoustakas]

"Make him Dumbledor" made me laugh. Nice one, sir!

[@fatkart7641]

The analogy with Lebowski is quite relevant as it really felt like a succession of inconsequential quests leading to lackluster outcomes and a total disregard to the source material. Legoladrielle running across Azeroth to free Willy, the Orc king so she can kill Sauronman, the arch-enema of Grand-Alf, a 10 foot tall brown hairy alien who loves to eat cats - while also collecting enough Rings of Power to get the Chaos Emeralds to become... Megaladrielle!

[@georgechapman9688]

Sounds as complicated as kingdom of hearts 🤣

[@freewheeler8924]

We here at Amazon need you for a season two rewrite. Interested?

[@Furionic696]

Are you telling me lebowski has some kind of source material that isn't a complete nothing burger like the movie?

[@TheCincinnatiDad]

I loved the bit about cracking open the mystery box early so the characters have to deal with it! Such great advice you gave, Chato!!! Dealing with shit is interesting, indeed.

[@ericgrace9995]

The Guardian, Britain's most liberal/ woke newspaper just ran a review which said : "Ok..let's admit it now. This was crap" I paraphrase, but not by much.

[@adamcrofts58]

You put all the problems it had and will no doubt have going forward so well. Thanks

[@penmaster003]

You are spot on about ROP. I don’t always agree with you but your takes never fail to make me laugh. You have a way with words, Chato. lol.

[@windalfalatar333]

You sir, are amazing.

[@elskeletor3566]

This is why David Eddings never wanted any of his books turned into films or TV shows.

[@gilian2587]

Unfortunately, I could see it. Imagine Silk getting decimated by these butchers of literature. Just like what was done with Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Faithful adaptation? Not bloody likely with the grifters who are populating Hollywood today.

[@kamion53]

would that have happened at this level of lack of quality I probaly would burn my David Eddings books for disgust. Now I read them just to shred having at least one held together with elastic binders because of overuse. btw Galadriel rejecting Sauron had some ego's of Polgara rejecting Torak . And that make him lose power because it was made clear to him that everybody feared Torak, but nobody loved Torak. I think the David Eddings estate should watch out for their material being stolen and misused too. But his writing will not become in the public domein till 2054. by that time I will be too senile to notice.

[@wavion2]

I wouldn't want anyone to attempt it except HBO; they're the only ones who have even the slightest bit of respect for the source material. Everyone else just does whatever they feel like and it ends up being garbage. Sword of Truth (Legend of Seeker)? Garbage. Sword of Shannara (The Shannara Chronicles)? Garbage. Wheel of Time? Holy shit, it's like shit took a shit, ate it, reshit it, ate it, repeat ad infinitum. Rings of Power? As bad as Wheel of Time, but at least it's not messing with the main story. HBO with Game of Thrones (at least until they ran out of source material) and now House of the Dragon is the only one who didn't butcher the material. I wouldn't want to Belgariad or Malloreon adapted by anyone else. Damn, now I'm all worked up about how bad Wheel of Time was.

[@racoonronin1482]

Just finished watching the Extended Trilogy again, it made me happy inside

[@XLA-zg1nn]

When I first heard of this many years ago now, I was kind of pretty hyped, they had the scholars of Tolkien there was rumors Jackson was involved all of it sounded so great. I tried watching the 1st episode I turned it off after the brother told her about stones, I was very scared when I saw all the stuff from Comicon, even from Jeremey Colbert. Its a real dam shame. bahahahahah "Sauron is coming Sauron is coming" as she races around throwing pots and pans around

[@mrfreeman2911]

How dare you not realise thye genius of these writers. That scene about the stone is even greater than anything Shakespeare could have written. We are just not worthy of the genius here.

[@JCO2002]

I did better than you - made it through 36 minutes of the first before I said f**k this, albeit that was in two tries with the assistance of white rum.

[@mrfreeman2911]

@@JCO2002 I made it to episode 7. I did consider turning off at episode 4ish I think. I have a high tolerance for shit and am patient. This is easily the worst show I watched and my gf makes me watch Shahs of Sunset. Shahs has better story and character arcs than ROP.

[@jeffp5418]

I made it through 2 episodes and then started watch Disparu and Nerdrotic.. much more entertaining.

[@XLA-zg1nn]

@@jeffp5418 Same here with Midnights Edge

[@saeedhajizadeh5552]

They had their chance and they blew it. They don't get a second chance by saying "season 2 will be canonical". REJECTED

[@mjbull5156]

"...For within these rings was the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, because I was covering my Noldorin arse and could not tell Celebrimbor he was being advised by Sauron himself..." - revised Fellowship of the Ring prologue This is our protagonist, people. Also, Sauron's long con in the early Second Age to gain Celebrimbor's trust and making of the great Elvish rings is thus reduced to a few days at best and the A plot in one episode.

[@gilian2587]

Game of Thrones move right there. This ain't no Hans Christian Anderson (or Tolkien -- who uses similarly optimistic style).

[@jasonuerkvitz3756]

You'd think a show titled, "The Rings of Power," would be all about how the rings themselves were forged. Each component for the rings requires a mini-quest the smiths of Ost-in-Edhil are burdened with completing by Sauron before they can make the rings. A couple of components each could make for some adventure ridden episodes. Each ring is crafted for a specific person, Nenya the ring adamant of water is Galadriel's, Narya, of the secret fire of Arnor, perhaps culled from the sun, last fruit of Laurelin, is Cirdan's, and Vilya, ring of air, capable of suppressing decay, is Gil-Galad's. Interesting characters with a lot of potential. As the components for the rings are gathered and as they are forged, we could get to know each of these Elves. Sauron wants to control and taint each of these future ring bearers knowing they would make powerful enemies but even better lieutenants for his world-conquering as he, the dragons and Balrogs did for Morgoth. So he aids them in the rings' making, teaching the smiths the magic required for each and how to wield them. Perhaps as Sauron does so, there are flashbacks of his time with Morgoth and how, as a Maiar, he learned from the rogue Valar. Things are great and kick-ass at first because they think their real enemies are the Valar and these rings will help fend off the Valar who they rebelled against when seeking the Silmarils only to one day find out they were tricked and then they have to go through the trouble of hiding the rings and finding future heirs for bearing them. Cirdan gives his ring to Gandalf eventually. Gil-Galad's ring goes to Elrond. Whatever, it's more important to make a show about racial diversity and strong, empowered women than it is to flesh out bits of lore from the most definitive fantasy novels ever written.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

I dont even get why start with this? Buy the rights to the Silmarillion and start off by adapting some stories from that. Flesh out the backstory. Tell the story of Feanor and the creation of the Silmarils. Then do a whole season about the children of Hurin. Cover the war between the elves and Morgoth, the war of wrath and the sinking of Beleriand, the raising of Numenor for the Edain. Then when we get to the second age and the forging of the rings, we know whats going on and have a reason to care about the crafting of the rings, care about Galadriel and Gil-Galad, care about the Numenoreans, knowing what they went through and what they lost.

[@lukesmart3071]

What you described in your comment , would have been amazing. The sheer amount of potential wasted by Amazon blows my mind.

[@Halfort57]

@@lukesmart3071 Come on, did you really want to see the Silmarillion be torn to shreds by these Twitter weirdos?

[@lukesmart3071]

Halford . No. I want someone who has a concept of timelines , and a respect for the lore to be in control of the ip. Amazon have butchered it for what? Good feelings ? A slow clap from Twitter? My faith in modern TV, movies, content. Is gone. Star wars was destroyed. Marvel was destroyed. And now lord of the rings is broken aswell. What's next. What other fictional fantasy story can they insert modern politics into. I knew this show would be terrible when I read a quote " we want to represent the world we live in into tolkiens world" or something like that. Completely ruining the whole show for me. As a fan of fantasy , I seek escape from reality. I seek a new world to imagine myself in. Totally different from our reality. It's literally the point of fantasy.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

@Morgan Allen they could get those rights if they agreed to adapt it faithfully instead of inserting their social justice bs into it.

[@donphilp7511]

A sword and cheese tray. Priceless. I would swear you have a gruesome talent for concise Summary.

[@teamermia7741]

From promotion to execution TROP is the culmination of a number of separate things. One is foisting franchise rights into the hands of writers and directors that know or care little about the source material (Starwars, Startrek). Then the increasing ability of studio machinery to pump out visually sleek content so quickly that scriptwriting becomes a secondary concern (Transformers, and almost anything by Roland Emmerich). And lastly, and absolutely worst of all, the vile practice of using race and gender to fan bait in an effort to deflect from the deficiencies that the two previous issues inevitably generate if they run out of control. TROP will stand the test of time; but only as a cautionary tale.

[@jamesanthony8438]

Never watched it. Never will. Thanks for taking one for the team so that the rest of us didn't have to, dude. Much respect from Texas. =)

[@davejob630]

Thanks Man! I'm so glad I didn't watch this ! Poor old Tolkien, that amazing mind "s creations so abused and ungroked... he's probably spiining so hard in his grave that it will turn into a multi dimensional portal....

[@gideondejongh838]

Same here I find this more pleasing than watching the rings of power.

[@markiangooley]

Tolkien is probably in Heaven praying for the souls of the twisted people who created this evil, stupid rubbish.

[@koroba01]

Love this commentary, first to see it through the eyes of a professional with credibility in the biz (“nonsense” is the best word to describe ROP) and secondly, to get some insight and background on how a TV series is put together. I couldn’t agree more…

[@pcprincipal525]

Chato-sensei always right on the point. This show really didn't make me feel back in Middle-Earth as Jackson's movies did. You have some camera pans around some places when introducing it for the first time, but the whole show felt as it was made in small rooms, everything kind claustrophobic, the whole show just felt like it was made on the same villa of the Mexican's comedy show 'El Chavo del Ocho' at Chavo's villa. Numenor didn't even have a place to train their soldiers, the training of the teenagers playing soldier held all in the middle of the city's market. (so cheap). And it was kind stupid from the showrunners to make elves with short hairs with the excuse of 'hair styles change with the passage of history", the normal viewer just want to recognize a elf when it sees on the screen, people don't care about some stupid "fashion trend that may had that period" that the showrunners just made up. The same with that stupid salad on the head of the harfoots who still haven't discovered how good can be to take a bath sometimes. . They were only thinking about themselves, never thinking about their viewers, and their boss seems she never checked the material made (I still can't believe someone greenlighted all this garbage).

[@arcadeheroes_coinop]

I have a hunch that their reaction to the dailies was: "Dailies? Dailies?! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' DAILIES!!!"

[@MsSharondenadel]

The moment i saw the orcs having names and mourning their dead, i knew Sauron will be a misunderstood bad guy who only wanted peace and harmony.

[@MsSharondenadel]

@Morgan Allen If they want to have some "Smallville" tv show where Lex Luthor and Clark are best friends before they become arch ennemies, then they can chose another franchise. I know there are few hints that can interpret Sauron's mind. But, Tolkien wrote a story with religious values not as obvious as his friend CS Lewis with Narnia indeed, but Sauron is just the Devil, the orcs are one-note vilains because the elves and humans were corrupted to the point it became their core nature, they are iredeemable. I know we live in a time where the writters are obsessed with putting stories with grey lines, where vilains were vilains because life was hard on them and good people do bad stuff. But in Lord of the Rings, it's not the case, and trying to modify it is just dishonnest, it's just surfing on the huge amount of work that one man made to skip the effort to do the same and add one's touch on top of it and say "hey i created a new universe". Evil is evil, good is good, and a few individuals were trapped in the middle ( like Golum ) but systematically find excuses and nuances to characters who are inherently bad isn't adding depth, it's just a lack of imagination, and respect for the lore. But i get what you meant.

[@brucetucker4847]

@@MsSharondenadel Sauron wasn't the Devil. Morgoth was the Devil. Sauron was a Maia in the service of Aule who joined Morgoth at some point after entering Arda. As Gandalf says in LotR, Sauron wasn't evil at first. The nature of orcs was a serious problem for Tolkien and he never resolved it in his lifetime. The problem is that if orcs are corrupted Men or Elves, there must always be the possibility of redemption for them while they still live, Eru gave all his children that chance and Morgoth (or Sauron) cannot take it away. They can only be irredeemably bad if they are creations of Morgoth. But Morgoth can't make actual living creatures with minds and souls, so if he made the orcs, they should be automata without minds of their own, like trolls seem to be - and the orcs we see in LotR clearly do have minds of their own, since they frequently consider and discuss acting against Sauron's will.

[@bigredtlc1828]

Your acerbic wit is on point. Enjoyable to watch.

[@dsan05]

Yep. All very fair! Everything had a very amatuerish feel to it, from the writing to the publicity. The publicity attempts were ... mindbogglingly bad ... and a clear indication that the creators and those in power just don't understand basic human interaction (which I guess would explain both the script and the publicity). I've been going through some classic movies from the 70s and 80s recently and the contrast is remarkable. There are some modern shows that have what it takes (Bosch, for example... Dune -though it suffers from pacing issues), but they are clearly exceptions to the nonsense being peddled by these companies. To me, the issues seems to be that those in power just don't get how humans relate to one another. Anyway, the bar is really being lowered to an astounding level. The best I can say about RoP is that it didn't make me as angry as WoT. I guess that's something.

[@Leathal]

Yeah if, for the sake of comparison, you make the LotR and WoT books equal in terms of cultural importance (which they very much aren’t) - Rings of Power is slightly better than the WoT series. It’s like comparing kitchen trash to a bag of soiled diapers, yeah you prefer one but it’s all garbage

[@dsan05]

@@Leathal of course LOTR has far more cultural importance. I found Wot aggressively bad, but RoP just grossly incompetent (I guess there was an eye rolling comical side to it?). Anyway, I'm sure these are two cautionary tales we will hear again because the lesson will not be learned... 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Its not just that they dont get how humans relate to each other. They dont understand emotions or logic. The last couple generations of people that grew up in the western world have a remarkably large percentage of egotistical narcissistic sociopaths. Therefore a lot of people making our entertainment are also that. People like this are more likely to go into the entertainment business because they need attention to feed their fragile little egos. You can blame the government, corporations, tv, social media, their parents, whatever you want, but the simple fact is we have a lot of shitty people walking around, and they tend to fail upward.

[@1ChristFollowingNerd]

Will Amazon force the showrunners to get more film school training? Will Bezos demand Sulky hire Nerdrotic to supervise future productions? Has Hollywood figured out FINALLY that signing with anyone from Bad Robot & Abrams is highly problematic? Will anyone in the industry realize that mystery boxes are as popular as loot boxes?? Now I can’t wait for season 2.

[@doublep1980]

Sauron did nothing wrong. No seriously though, the guy was minding his own business, wanted to settle down in Numenor and start a blacksmith shop. He would have been happy, to be left alone and bang on his anvil. If it wasn't for Karendriel, dragging him back into this whole mess, the following wars would naver happen. And even so, the guy literally saved the Elves, by suggesting to dumbass Celebrimbor, to make an alloy from the Mithril. They shoulda have build statues in his name or something!

[@nickd6303]

It really seems like the writes wanted their d&d fan fiction to be on the big screen, but the only characters they can think of are "murder hobos" and "Mary sue".

[@noneyabidness9644]

Google has now deleted my rings of power review four times. And they won't let me upload another one. And suspiciously it went from 32% approval with 15,000 reviews to 66% approval with 22,000 reviews.

[@Shonen_Hero]

I mean, they can inflate review scores all they want, but that still doesn't mean they are going to break even given they spent 1bn on this.They can manufacture hype, but they can't manufacture success. Momentum for this show's been killed, a good chunk of people thought this shit was trite, and any demand for a second season feels performative.

[@sciencemile]

Every time The Stranger started freaking out and yelling I was reminded of Tom Green.

[@Ulgarthemad]

I really don't know what was the main goal of making this show...i don't know who the target audience was, i don't understand why they bought the rights to Tolkien's appendices when they do not even use the content properly, i don't see the 60 millions per episode in the finished product, i don't like any character and none of them have an interesting goal or motivation...this show is a badly written soap opera in a loosly based middle earth setting...was there a market for that? Instead of having a cool 2nd age middle earth show we were presented with a high budget low talent thing that has the name 'Lord of the rings' in the title for publicity reasons (i guess). You can't replace talent, experience and knowledge with $$$$$$$

[@troyfiss9332]

Mystery box writing makes me think JJ Abrams read a collection of short stories and was like....what if I just did all these stories at the same time in one movie?

[@adamheywood113]

My favourite part was where Galadriel hoisted Celebrimbor up by his ankles and rasped out the line, "Where's Sauron?" Celebrimbor, naturally terrified, squeaked out, "I dunno where he is, I swear to God!" To which Galadriel growled, _"Swear to me."_ Powerful stuff.

[@brianbeeson]

"Was their Sauron-dar that bad?" You got a laugh out of me Chato. Kuddos

[@bobdavis7290]

I agree. Nobody wants any of these new shows to fail, not the studio/production companies/owners, not the fans and certainly not the many professionals working on the thing who want their jobs to continue. I think over the past ten years or so especially, fans have become more aware, more attentive and more critical. You would think, ANYONE would think, that the Director or studio would have onboard a Tolkien specialist who would review the story and play advisor or a quality control role to keep the thing consistent even if marginally, right? But oh, no, can't have that. We fans have been insulted way too often, and we're done with it.