I have a huge problem whether to read the books... I love the lore but hate most of the main characters. Ive read some reviews and descriptions of books but nothing gave me hope. Ive read books just for the lore before but not that huge series. I feel like my fav characters arent the main focus in the books (Nynaeve, Lan and Moraine). I really cannot stand Rand and Mat and Rand being the Dragon..........
I do really love how the magic is shown in the series. Seems really fresh and unique but the young characters both in the series and as I can say, from the descriptions of the books, seem to YA for me. Ive had enough of YA characters and their 'problems'.
Overall I liked the show in spite of all the changes from the original novel. I guess the die-hard fans of "The Wheel of Time" book series would hate these alterations but I do not mind them at all. I particularly liked the fact that the dark visions of Rand were totally removed, which made the show somehow more bright and cheerful in comparison to the first novel "The Eye of the World", which was really dark and depressing sometimes. The show is focused more on Moiraine and Lan rather than the Two Rivers folk, and Rand, who is the POV of the majority of the book, seems almost like a supporting character here, other ta’veren do not get much character development either, as the show concentrates on Nynaeve and Egwene more than the men. Sadly, Perrin is not well-acted and seems to wear the same expression all the time, and his character seems to be wasted in the show. Character development is not the strongest side of the show, and some of the protagonists fall rather flat, though I enjoyed the world-building and the visual side of the show, the landscapes, buildings, costumes and the way the magic of one power is presented. Some of the episodes were a bit boring, but in general it was pretty enjoyable to watch. I would definitely like to see the second season - unless I finish some more 'Wheel of Time' books between the seasons and grow to hate this one ;)
Although far from the book I still enjoyed it.
As happens with all screen adaptations of cult classic fantasy, the faithful come out to complain loudly about any creative license taken for the screen version. I get it, I do, but rather than get in my feelings about it, I approach it with curiosity about how the story will resolve itself with the changes. If you take the entire first season and separate it from what you know from the books, it’s not as horrible as many of the comments make it sound. It’s a solid fantasy screenplay with good actors and special effects on par with today’s technology. My advice is to enjoy the work for what it is and not let every diversion from the original books spoil the fun for you.
Rough start in relation the the book, a few things added that seem out of place, but if you can ignore that it’s a really good show. First episode frustrated me with the above issues but by the third it started to pull together. At first I was ready to give it up and now I can’t wait for the next episode. Wish Matt have his upbeat attitude like in the books but he seams more depressed and angry than a jokester.
Update: absolute shit. It’s not an adaption of the books, it’s a different story. Completely different.
Disclaimer up front, I haven't read any of the books, however, after watching this season it's definitely the next book series I'll start reading.
I enjoyed watching the season, though I felt confused at times, like I was missing something. It might be due to the fact that I felt it was a bit slow to go anywhere.
It is quite well made and there are some nice scenes.
All in all not bad. The first episode was the weakest, since the younger actors had to find their footing. But after that, it gets better and better. Rosamund Pike and her sidekick carry the show for me. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
I like the universe, it seems well constructed, and I like fantasy. This is from a guy that didn’t read the books. But… something just feels off. Maybe is the slow pacing, or maybe the main plot that didn’t really existed, until the last episode, that wasn’t that good to begin with. I really hope that S2 gets better.
I can't say I'm pleased with the adaptation thus far, but it's far from terrible.
At least, in my opinion, the season has a weak start that slowly builds before crashing back down. There's a bit of a lack of 'personality' to the show at times, leaving it feeling more like something you'd expect from CW, and the cheap-looking channelling effects certainly don't help in that regard. A few scenes come across really well, but they're contrasted by some awkward plot holes created by some changes that are yet to be addressed satisfactorily. Ultimately, it fails to deliver, with the final episode being an especially ill-paced mess that will leave any watcher with whiplash, no matter their familiarity with the source material, and will, unfortunately, leave a sour taste lingering on the tongue for many a viewer.
I know I sound way more negative than my score implies, but I adore this world, these characters and their stories, so it's difficult not to be overly critical when it's far from being 'great'. It's important to keep in mind that covid hit mid-production leading to some sub-par elements essentially being the sum product of the studio doing the best they can with the hand they were dealt. Furthermore, it's hard to judge many of the changes while we're still so relatively early in the plot, as it's a series that is in desperate need of a lot of condensing even in the original books (they are infamous for being a slog after all), so I won't weight them too heavily in this season, even if I'm somewhat disappointed we didn't get to see Caemlyn etc. just yet.
The second season should give us more than enough indication as to whether or not the changes employed thus far will be successful at progressing things forward appropriately. And hopefully, with covid well behind us, we can expect production standards to be a bit more respectable.
Review by AmaranthaVIP 8BlockedParent2021-12-27T21:10:07Z
On a pure technical level, by which I mean everything that has to do with telling a story on screen, this season as a whole fails spectacularly. Bad writing, amateur directing, bland cinematography, messy editing, cheap effects, uninspired soundtrack. All the money in the world won't do a thing if you lack vision and/or basic knowledge on storytelling and filmmaking. This is my main gripe with this season and everything else stems from it.
Soulless is how I'd describe it. I simply don't feel the passion behind this project. It doesn't make me feel invested in this world or care about the people in it. It doesn't convey any kind of emotion through the screen. For contrast, in one episode of The Witcher's second season, I shed a couple of tears when Roach received a fatal wound and Geralt had to put her out of her misery. For a horse I barely knew ffs! WoT on the other hand doesn't make me feel anything at all; be it sadness, joy, anger, or anticipation. It comes off as hollow and sterile.
Acting is another issue. EF5 already suffers from bad writing and they don't have good acting chops either which makes their scenes cringy to watch. Seasoned actors/actresses do generally better but even Rosamund Pike doesn't seem fully invested in her character and every now and then gives a "wtf am I doing here" vibe.
On a semi related note, I really don't like the direction TV/streaming has been going for the past five years or so. I grew up on shows with 20-ish episodes per season which gradually got lesser over the years and here we are now stuck with bite sized shows specifically tailored and produced for binge watching/fast consumption. Don't get me wrong, it does work well for certain genres/stories, and I know WoT was released weekly but still, 8 episodes per season is nowhere near enough to properly adapt an epic fantasy story.
With all that said, I'm kinda curious to see whether or not the team will manage to fix the issues of the first season and where things will go from here story wise so I'll likely watch the second season as well.
Random tidbits:
- My favourite characters so far are Moiraine and Nynaeve followed by Lan and Thom.
- I'm a sucker for elemental magic so seeing fireballs and lightnings on screen is awesome.
- Aes Sedai, their politics and other similar conflicts in the wider world intrigue me more than EF5 youngsters.
- I already knew before watching who the dragon reborn was.
- This season made me lower my expectations for the upcoming Middle Earth show but who knows, it may just turn out amazing. Fingers crossed!