After watching the first two episodes, I'm at a complete loss at how so much money could be sunk on such a mediocre show.
The greatest problem is the writing, which aims for Game of Thrones Season 8 levels of bad. The actors struggle with it and put on a decent effort in delivering lines that you'd think were written by teenagers aiming to sound profound. Besides the dialogue, the main plot is weak as well, without any clear purpose for the characters. I have not read Tolkien's materials on the First or Second age, but even so it's obvious significant changes were made.
Some casting choices and styles (short hair for elves) seem to break immersion without absolutely any perceived benefit.
The visuals are good (especially the set design), but somehow the color grading makes it feel soulless. It feels like a more critical eye would have improved the overall look by showing an attention to details and having some experience in what makes a great cinematic feel. A bit more polish on the CGI would have helped as well in post-production, as some scenes
In the end, the music is the only department that is on par with expectations.
I honestly can't understand with such a budget why the creatives in charge were not people with a proven track record. Is this what a billion dollars gets your, or was it all just a money laundering scheme by the people in charge?
The greatest problem is the writing, which aims for Game of Thrones Season 8 levels of bad. The actors struggle with it and put on a decent effort in delivering lines that you'd think were written by teenagers aiming to sound profound. Besides the dialogue, the main plot is weak as well, without any clear purpose for the characters. I have not read Tolkien's materials on the First or Second age, but even so it's obvious significant changes were made.
Some casting choices and styles (short hair for elves) seem to break immersion without absolutely any perceived benefit.
The visuals are good (especially the set design), but somehow the color grading makes it feel soulless. It feels like a more critical eye would have improved the overall look by showing an attention to details and having some experience in what makes a great cinematic feel. A bit more polish on the CGI would have helped as well in post-production, as some scenes
In the end, the music is the only department that is on par with expectations.
I honestly can't understand with such a budget why the creatives in charge were not people with a proven track record. Is this what a billion dollars gets your, or was it all just a money laundering scheme by the people in charge?