This is supposed to be this ripe cinematic product that took a while to get done, got reworked and then reworked some more. We're given a promising start with beautiful visuals and imagery and words that appeared like the series might be deep and allegorical. And then, these hopes fade all too quickly and the series turns into this Troy-type modern peplum series with cued Hollywood-style transitions and stereotypical dialogs. In just a couple of episodes, already it doesn't feel like the Tolkien universe. The worst thing is most of the subplots aren't interesting. One of them might convey a sense of intrigue, but most of the time the characters go on about their quests, and they're not engaging simply because they're introduced too quickly before any affinity has had the time to bloom between the audience and those fictional characters. It's like they go on these tirades, but no one really cares. The characters' plights are too sudden, or too standard and rehashed, and it's difficult to really care. As the audience we're supposed to be treated to cinematic excellence, to just have to sit back and be genuinely entertained, but instead it takes a lot of work to even come close to wanting it.
