Rings of Power: Spoiler Free Review (Episodes 1&2)

 Rings of Power {Spoiler Free} Review

Amazon’s epic new series “Rings of Power” released on Thursday, but I was busier than a bedbug in Graceland for several days. Three actual days went by without me getting to watch. I spent any surfing time speed-scrolling to avoid any possible spoilers, but finally FINALLY got to enjoy the first two episodes last night. You will find NO spoilers here, but hopefully some fellowship!

I’ve read The Hobbit at least a dozen times, Lord of the Rings somewhere north of twenty. When the original Peter Jackson LOTR movies were being planned, I scoured TheOneRing.net and any other site I could, looking for all the intel I could get about the movies. I must sheepishly admit that I had my doubts, sometimes vocally, about Jackson’s take on “my” beloved series. When it was announced that Sir Ian McKellen had been cast as Gandalf, I gave birth to kittens. He was all-wrong, I crowed. I mean, I mean… look at his nose. His nose is all wrong. Gandalf is supposed to have a pointy nose. Now, of course, I feel like a blooming idiot for those original misgivings. Jackson’s LOTR movies are my favorite movies of all time. I’ve watched them countless times. And well… Sir Ian, I apologize. You are Gandalf. 

So when Rings of Power was announced, I heard all of the griping ahead of time. I heard the fears and the accusations of how Amazon would turn Tolkien’s legendary work into “Game of Thrones: Middle Earth.” Knowing how wrong I was back in the late 90s, I kept a positive “wait and see” attitude. I read somewhere that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ son took his father to task about the potential for the Tolkien series. I believe the quote was, “Dad, don’t ‘F’ this up.”

I’m happy to report that, as of two episodes in, Rings of Power is an absolute marvel. Bezos, so far anyway, has not “F’d” the series up. I know there are Tolkien “purists” who have complaints, but honestly… so what else is new? You will never please everyone, and you’re mad if you try. Here’s my take:

Rings of Power is absolutely brilliant. I was instantly taken by the breathtaking visuals, the magnificent casting and acting, the clever easter eggs, rich dialogue, and thought-provoking themes. All of that and more speak to something spiritual within me. I had a long conversation with my son this morning about Rings of Power, so many of these observations come from him, but I wholeheartedly agree. If you come to Rings of Power with modern demands and even an inkling of entitlement, the show will disappoint you. The modern storytelling palette craved by many is fraught with gimmicks: blood, gore, action, frantic pacing, joke-telling dialogue, sex, lust, jump-scares, and more sex. Tolkien painted his stories from an entirely different palette. Tolkien’s rich tales paint with beauty, honor, bravery, grandeur, faith, platonic love, nobility, sacrifice, and scope. Rings of Power may not be chapter-and-verse Tolkien’s Silmarillion, Appendices, and notes, but it absolutely shares that wonderful rare-these-days palette. 

You will drink in lush visuals, and the storytellers know better than to rush it. You get to enjoy the scenery, stop and smell the flowers, and start pining away for that “far away land” whispered about in our own souls. I read one review who said the first two episodes were boring, tediously slow. Compared to some of the schlock we call entertainment today, maybe so. Forgive me for sounding (and being) a little condescending, but as a middle school teacher of 32 years, I can’t help but make this observation. In my experience, the adolescent readers I work with tend to complain that a book is boring… when they don’t understand it. When it’s hard. I suspect there’s a little of that going on with some early Rings of Power complainers. So far, this series wants to take its time and deliver an epic EPIC tale. Thank you, Lord! Bring on the epic-goodness! 

I thought there was plenty of action, nice bits of intrigue and mystery, and oh so much thematic nobility. This is not a show to binge and be done with. Like the Jackson movies, these are classics meant to be enjoyed over and over again, each time finding some new detail to savor. I suspect, I will pause each episode a dozen times to take screen grabs to use as desktop images on my computer. Seriously, Amazon should simultaneously release every episode in theaters. I wasn’t able to get a ticket for any of the local showings of the first two episodes, but I can only imagine the increased grandeur of seeing them on the big screen. I may have to buy a new higher resolution projector just to watch these episodes as they should be seen. Immersion is the way to go, my friends. Tolkien knew that. We laugh that he sometimes took two pages to describe a tree! But, DUDES, that’s really a big part of why we love Tolkien’s work. He took us away to whole knew worlds and sometimes let the plot simmer while he was busy wowing us with sensory description. 

A word about ethnicity. Um… yes. Including people of color and of diverse ethnicities in the cast of Rings of Power is not woke pandering. If you think so, you might need to check your Phariseeical worldview. Tolkien’s worlds are extraordinarily rich and welcoming. I’m a white dude, but I was so enchanted by the WHOLE Rings of Power cast. I adore and applaud the people of color being a part of Middle Earth. A wise writer friend once told me, when you write a novel and release it to the world, you grant subjective ownership to each and every reader. In that sense, Middle Earth has become a refuge for many millions over the years. If you insist that Middle Earth should only ever be populated by Indo-European white peeps, you are missing the point of Middle Earth, Tolkien, and creating in general. All are welcome in Middle Earth. 

To conclude, I am reminded of a brief dialogue in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge’s nephew Fred is talking to friends, explaining that each and every year around Christmastime, Fred invites Scrooge to come and join his family and friends for Christmas dinner and a party. Scrooge says pretty much the same thing each year: “Bah, humbug!” Fred observes that he actually feels sorry for his uncle’s negativity because each year, that bitter attitude rewards the man with missing out on a warm, rich happy time, something in which his old crotchety soul could perhaps find healing. That’s how I feel about those who are dissing Rings of Power. In their critical spirit, they are truly missing a masterpiece and perhaps, a bit of a reprieve from the world degrading all around us. 

Can Rings of Power keep this up for the rest of this season’s eight episodes? Or continue to provide such amazing content for five planned seasons? I don’t know. That is truly an epic aspiration. I not only hope they can, I pray they can. Until I check out of this earthly plane, my world-weary soul needs more Middle Earth.

WAHOO!!! Christmas Just Came Early!

This just in: The Hobbit Movies (with Peter Jackson)
are officially a GO!

This from theonering.net:

December 18, 2007

ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT,” EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED FANTASY ADVENTURE EPIC

NEW LINE AND MGM TO CO-PRODUCE AND SHARE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS

PETER JACKSON AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”

Read more HERE.

Anyone else just a little stoked??

Review: The Children of Hurin

Okay, last night I finished JRR Tolkien's novel, The Children of Hurin. And while, the chapter by chapter discussion is still very much alive and active, I wanted to post my review while
it was all still fresh in my mind.

Children of Hurin by. J.R.R. Tolkien

Review by Wayne Thomas Batson

If it weren’t for the works of Tolkien, I doubt very much that I would be a published author today. Twenty-six years ago, I first read The Hobbit, and I was absolutely mesmerized by Tolkien’s ability to draw me into the story, both through sympathetic characters and picturesque settings. And more than that, there was a sense of history to Tolkien’s writings that made me feel as a reader that I had stumbled onto a world that had long existed. Tolkien’s canon of writing was not a set of stories written to entertain me, but rather an incredibly entertaining chronicle of the events of an ancient civilization long forgotten by too many of our generation. Since that Summer of 1981, I’ve become something of a disciple of Tolkien’s. I’ve read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings about fourteen times. The Professor’s work has profoundly influenced my life and led, I think, to my books being published. So it was with electric anticipation that I awaited the release of The Children of Hurin. I present my review for your consideration. Keep in mind, as with any review, there will be some minor spoilers.

The story concerns the “greatest warrior” of mankind, Hurin and his offspring. During the Battle of Unnumbered Tears where many great warriors are killed, Hurin survives and even becomes a festering sore in Morgoth’s plans for world subjugation. Morgoth, by the way, is the black sheep of the Valar--less than gods, but more like to a powerful angelic beings. To put Morgoth’s evil in perspective, Sauron was one of Morgoth’s servants, described once by Gandalf as a “footstool” of Morgoth. That alone should tell you that Morgoth is seriously bad news.

At the end of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Morgoth captures Hurin and demands to know the secret location of Gondolin, the hidden Elvish city ruled by Morgoth’s last real threat, King Turgon. Hurin, with an inner power unfathomable to most of us, resists—even to the point of mocking Morgoth. But in his malice, Morgoth chooses not to kill Hurin. Instead, he levels a potent curse upon Hurin’s offspring and all those who love them and gives Hurin an everlasting front row seat to watch the misery unfold.

Here the story turns to Turin and eventually to Nienor, the children of Hurin and Morwen. Lalaith (Urwen) the third child gets barely a page to live. The events that unfold will take readers into Elvish Strongholds, Dwarven caves, and the nomadic bands of human outlaws. Readers will witness the machinations of Morgoth and see his clever war strategies in motion. And, (a highlight for me) readers will come face to face with Glaurung, a dragon so powerful and black-hearted that he makes Smaug look like a kitten. From this point, I’ll evaluate the book.

If having a story weigh on your heart long after you close its covers is any indication of quality, then The Children of Hurin (CoH) is a marvelous story. I found myself dwelling on Turin’s decisions and examining my own pride. I thought about how easy it is for loved ones to hurt one another even with simple words. And I was overcome by hatred for sin and the horrors that mankind inflicts upon itself. CoH is well-written, though you could tell in parts where transitions between scenes were abrupt or incomplete. But most marvelous of all, you could tell that this was indeed J.R.R. Tolkien’s language. Once again, I was transported into a vast and ancient land. I was a visitor to something old and magnificent, and felt privileged for the opportunity. I fell in love with the characters—even little Urwen whose stay was sadly so brief. In this tale I found creeping pestilence and dread. I found noble heroes—oh, how I wish Beleg Strongbow had whole books written about his adventures! And, of course, there were very cool swords and weapons—some cursed and some not. All to say, CoH is definitely worth of reading. It is definitely worth having on your “keep forever” shelf. And it is definitely worthy of Tolkien’s legacy. I am glad I lived to read Children of Hurin.

And one or two things about the packaging of CoH: Alan Lee has done the cover for the book, as well as, several breathtaking illustrations throughout. For long time Tolkien fans, that alone will prove worth the price of the book. But for any reader who loves fantasy art, you will drool (and perhaps, cry) over these images. Lee somehow manages to capture the emotion of Tolkien’s story over and over again. And, unlike so many other books with illustrations, CoH manages to put every picture in just the right place. You’ll never find yourself thinking, “Now what’s this picture of?” Just as you read a marvelous scene, boom, the art hits you in the heart and the overall weight of the scene triples.

All this said, there are some negatives I want to point out. But seriously, do not read on unless you want spoilers of a major variety. I’m not kidding. DO NOT read any more of this review if you don’t want to find out what happens in the end.

I said above that I was glad that I read CoH, but I don’t think I’ll ever read it again. That must sound strange. But you have to understand, I’m a sucker for a happy ending. No, I’m not a sap who unrealistically wants everything to turn out rosy. I absolutely love how in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien presents heroic victories, but they all come at tremendous cost. Sacrifice, death and suffering—okay, but I still want the victory. CoH is a tragedy and an intimate, penetrating tragedy at that. Anyone and everyone you will come to love in this story will die and usually in the most gut-wrenching ways. You will be yelling at Morwen, Turin, and Nienor in your mind, saying, “No, don’t do that! Don’t say that! Don’t fall for that!” And of course, they’ll do just what you feared they would. Time after time, characters will ignore the sage advice of friends who love them, and peril will result.

And after reading Children of Hurin, I am convinced there are things far worse than death. Watching every tragedy known to humankind befall your offspring—being chief among them. Morgoth’s curse so utterly devastated Hurin’s kin that it makes me wonder why he didn’t just throw a curse on ALL of his enemies and then, sit back and watch the mayhem unfold. And about Morgoth: there’s nothing better than having a really bad villain get what’s coming to him. But not in CoH. Morgoth escapes virtually unscathed. I guess I knew that going in, as Earendil and the Valar take care of Morgoth much later in the history of Middle Earth. Still, I wanted to smack Morgoth with a big war hammer, but it never happens. CoH struck me much like Mystic River, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and The Departed. These are all extremely well-told stories. Well designed, well-directed, well-cast, well-acted, and well-shot—but dreadfully depressing. The Children of Hurin ended and left me with a vacant sense of dread, but no hope. I am glad to have visited with my old friend, Professor Tolkien. I am reminded of the power of the story. And I am left wanting more.

Proposition to all concerning JRR Tolkien's new book: The Children of Hurin

As most of you know, I am a fantasy author because first, I was a fantasy reader. And JRR Tolkien's books were the books that drew me into the genre. Other than the Bible, I have never been impacted by a book more than The Lord of the Rings (The Hobbit as well). Now, these wonderful stories are my old friends, and I visit them often. So often that I am beginning to grow tufts of fuzzy hair on the tops of my feet.

Well, amazingly enough, Professor Tolkien wrote another novel that was never quite finished and certainly not published until now. It's called The Children of Hurin. Prof. Tolkien's son Christopher (now in his 70's) spent 30 years filling in the gaps of the narrative from his father's notes. Christopher Tolkien claims that the language in the books is all his father's. I sure hope so.

My copy of Children of Hurin just arrived today. And I wanted to throw out a proposition to any who visit this blog. How would you like to read Children of Hurin together? I'm thinking shared experience is always more fun than alone. As we read through the book we could discuss the story, what we like, where we think it's going, Tolkien's craft, etc.

I'd like to create a dedicated page/or post on this blog so that those of you who join me can post in and chat about Tolkien's new book.

Anyone up for it?

I'll wait a week to hear (today being 4/20), and I promise not to read until I know who's in. Well…I might actually read a little, but just a little.