![]() ![]() In “The Rings of Power,” we will presumably get to see some of these storied blades - the sword of Isildur (Maxim Baldry), for example, which is known as Narsil and is weighted with destiny. And sometimes a legendary sword can do more to fuel fear and awe than the individual wielding it. ’Tis said the sword makes the man - or the woman, or the elf. Rhaenyra wants only her birthright and perhaps there’s something heroic in fighting the patriarchy to get it, but so far she’s no Galadriel, even if the blonde wigs make the Targaryens resemble elves. As causes go, that’s not as noble as Galadriel’s quest to extinguish the ultimate evil, or even Dany’s early fight against oppression. Instead, “Dragon” implicitly asks viewers to identify Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and therefore support her claim for the throne. But that would have required wedging those characters into the story in places where they didn’t really fit. “Dragon” might have taken a similar route if the showrunners had been willing to revisit such long-living “Thrones” characters as Melisandre (Carice van Houten) or the Children of the Forest. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954. A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era. ![]() Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series.He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history. Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books.Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers. Morfydd Clark, as an adventurous young Galadriel in “Rings” (played by Cate Blanchett in the movies) manages this quite nicely.Įxplore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ The literary universe built by J.R.R. The trick, of course, is that new actors have to measure up to those playing previous incarnations, some of whom were widely beloved. But it’s still early, fan reaction to the end of “Thrones” was truly bitter, and the franchise still has a lot of ground to make up.Īs prequels go, “Rings of Power” has another advantage because some of its characters are immortal. ![]() If the monster ratings seen thus far for “Dragon” are any indication, “Thrones” fans seem prepared to forgive (if not forget) for now. Tolkien fans are already finding things to gripe about with the new series, but they’ve have had much more time to get over the “Hobbit” movies. Each series got off to a great start, but each tested viewers’ patience. It could be said that the early seasons of “Game of Thrones” were in some ways comparable to the first three (and much-loved) Jackson films, while the derided later seasons of “Thrones” resembled more the polarizing “Hobbit” movies. Tolkien has sold more books than Martin (they’ve both sold tens of millions), but Tolkien’s have been around much longer.Ī better comparison might be the previous adaptations of their work: HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” to which “Dragon” is a prequel, versus Peter Jackson’s film versions of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” Martin takes inspiration from much of what Tolkien did, especially in the areas of magic and world-building but he has also expanded on Tolkien’s achievements. Martin, who is often referred to as “the American Tolkien.” The two authors are not in competition. (Some spoilers lie ahead.) Pop culture cred But we’ve seen enough to get the discussion started. Which one has the coolest swords? The best dragons? The most formidable heroine? Granted, initial observations are based on only the first few episodes (three so far for “Dragon” two for “Rings,” which premiered on Thursday). Instead of comparing industry stats, though - ratings, budgets, and so on - let’s look at where the two shows overlap. “We don’t have to be bracketed together.” ![]() “It’s not a death match or anything,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Martin - whose work was heavily influenced by the original “Rings” author, J.R.R. And indeed the internet has already been more than happy to oblige.īut should we compare them? Possibly not. Comparisons between HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” - both new epic fantasies, both prequel series, both with huge budgets and ready-made fan bases - were probably inevitable. ![]()
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