A few years ago, I tried reading The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan (finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death) but only got through books 1 and 2. 1,500+ pages of not a lot happening left me underwhelmed and not eager to plough through the other 12 books. Plus, what I read appeared to be nothing more than a pale imitation of The Lord of the Rings. But I thought, Amazon's adaptation can't be any worse than the two books I'd read, can it?
Rumour has it that Amazon saw TWoT as its version of Game of Thrones. The biggest differences that I could see between the two are that The Wheel of Time saga was finished, albeit by another author, whereas we're all waiting (in vain, I fear) for George RR Martin to finish his Song of Ice and Fire saga. The other difference is that GoT was a very well adapted version of the books (until seasons 6-8, which we will ignore), whilst TWoT is not.
Anyway, for those not in the know the Wheel of Time saga (all fourteen books) is basically one of good v evil, with lots (and lots) of nods to JRR Tolkien. One of four friends from a small isolated sleepy village is The Dragon Reborn (and I guessed who it was fairly early in the first book), who will battle The Dark One in the final apocalyptic Last Battle (eleven books later). Aided by a bewildering cast of thousands, led by Moraine Damodred (an Aes Sedai) and her Warder, Lan, the Dragon Reborn and his/her friends must complete a ton of tasks and do innumerable battles before the final showdown.
Back to the Amazon series. I'm going to leave aside the diversity/political correctness issues others have commented on. The first few episodes moved along at a goodish pace, unlike the books, but it tended to drag mid way through (the White Tower episodes). It then picked up again after the escape through The Ways, which reminded me of the flight through the Mines of Moria.
Some of the actors are good but I'm afraid I just couldn't connect with any of the characters they portrayed. The conversations and endless set speeches/monologues sounded stilted, like the actors were just saying the words to quickly get through the scene. And all the dark brooding looks got a little irksome.
Amazon has gone all out on the visuals, which are sumptuous. However, I'm pretty sure there wasn't all the sex and swearing in the books. Maybe if there was, I would have stuck with them! From the comments of others, I can see that fans of the books are not happy with all the changes.
Finally, why has Amazon chosen to portray The Dark One as someone of Middle Eastern origin? Is it trying to make a statement? Is subtle racism creeping in?
All in all, I don't believe it's worth the effort of watching. You might want to watch the extended versions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (but please ignore The Hobbit films), or The Witcher instead. Personally, I won't be returning to watch season 2, if it gets made.
One final point. Amazon is filming a Lord of the Rings prequel. I hope (and pray) that they stay true to Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth and the races that inhabit it. However, if TWoT is anything to go by then I think we're in for lots of elf sex, dwarves swearing profusely and long, torturous speeches / monologues from the major characters. And you'll be able to hear Tolkien turn in his grave.
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