Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

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MSR1701
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Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby MSR1701 » November 24th, 2021, 8:51 am

Oh my, my Dad and I tried to watch the first episode, and couldn't get ten minutes in. SO MANY changes were made to the character's (Perrin is already married, Mat's father is a womanizer and has family troubles, one isolated village in Nowhere has more racial diversity than the city of Atlanta, etc.). Ignoring small detail errors (Perrin's beard, Mat already being a gambler, etc.), some changes alter the story significantly (Perrin being married already is a HUGE change to anyone who read the books).

My dad joked that if someone liked the series and then read the books, they would ask what the series was based on...

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BlasteroidAli
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby BlasteroidAli » November 28th, 2021, 2:21 pm

Luckily for me I have not read the books. I agree with the diversity angle but it is 21st century TV. They have watched Nu Who and are following suit. That said it is a fun romp. Very low brow and I think it is aimed at the teen market. I am up to Ep 4.

I do like that you and your dad were watching it. My Step dad and I were discussing it. He said it was awful and he had not even read the books. I thought it was atrocious when i watched the first 3. Though I like Hawk the slayer and it is just rubbish but in a great way. I liked Ator the fighting eagle which is was awful as well. I know I am going back a bit. Think both were made before Robert Jordan's books were a thing but I love fantasy.

Watching ep 4 made me realise I can just watch it as brain dead fantasy. I might get around to reading a couple of the books next year to see what I have been missing.

I watched the movie ready player one and thought it was okay. I read the book, which is a masterpiece for gamers. Then I rewatched the movie. It was truly dreadful. So I feel I might feel the same way with the Wheel of Time.

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MSR1701
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby MSR1701 » December 6th, 2021, 12:36 pm

There are times when a movie/TV Series can exist alongside its written sources and not have major issues. Such examples include The Hunt For Red October (which made significant changes but kept the flow/gist of the book) and Day of the Jackle (NOT the Bruce Willis Jackle movie).

Sadly, I can't say Wheel of Time is one of those series...

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BlasteroidAli
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby BlasteroidAli » December 6th, 2021, 3:29 pm

MSR1701 wrote:There are times when a movie/TV Series can exist alongside its written sources and not have major issues. Such examples include The Hunt For Red October (which made significant changes but kept the flow/gist of the book) and Day of the Jackal (NOT the Bruce Willis Jackal movie).

Sadly, I can't say Wheel of Time is one of those series...

Well I watched Fridays episode and have changed my mind again. It is simply trash.

I am watching BattleStar Galactica from 1978 and it is great. Not twee rubbish.

newmodelarmy
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby newmodelarmy » December 6th, 2021, 7:29 pm

I got interested in this series as I read a headline claiming it was the next "Game of Thrones". So I gave it a shot and turned it off in about 10 mins. My first problem was the acting...terrible to say the least. My other issue was the male bashing that took place in the first ten minutes, I was like "they clearly did not make this for me". That said, my guess is the latter is part of the story and I probably could have gave it more of a chance if not for the horrible, wooden acting. In any case, it does not appear that I am missing anything. Maybe I should give the book a go?

newmodelarmy
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby newmodelarmy » December 6th, 2021, 7:30 pm

[quote= Though I like Hawk the slayer and it is just rubbish but in a great way.[/quote]

One of my all time favorite B movies, watched it for the first time in forever about a year ago. Just pure 80's bliss!

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MSR1701
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby MSR1701 » December 6th, 2021, 7:39 pm

newmodelarmy wrote:I got interested in this series as I read a headline claiming it was the next "Game of Thrones". So I gave it a shot and turned it off in about 10 mins. My first problem was the acting...terrible to say the least. My other issue was the male bashing that took place in the first ten minutes, I was like "they clearly did not make this for me". That said, my guess is the latter is part of the story and I probably could have gave it more of a chance if not for the horrible, wooden acting. In any case, it does not appear that I am missing anything. Maybe I should give the book a go?

Funny you mention the male bashing. One constant in the books is how the other sex is difficult to understand. A running joke is that Rand, Mat and Perrin all think the others are able to understand women, as each are always confounded by the women they interact with. Likewise, the women don' understand the "wool-headed fools" and why men think they need to protect the girls (a subject that comes back to bite both sides, as the element of youthful arrogance and pride are portrayed quite well).
One element in the series that rubbed wrong was the emphasis that the One Power was only for women, that men should not touch it. What they didn't go into at that time was the fact that the One Power has a male and female access, with the male side having its unique traits just as the female side does, and combining both achieves abilities beyond what each could do on their own. The problem is the Taint of the Dark One that corrupted the male source, so that only the Forsaken men can access it without going crazy.

Did I mention the series leaves a LOT out? Granted, most of what I wrote above is spread out over the course of the first book alone, but the way it is presented in the series leaves a very bad taste in one's mouth...

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Amazon Prime Presents - The Wheel of Time Mini-Series

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » December 7th, 2021, 5:52 am

After Earthsea decided to make everyone white (odd how nobody complaining about minorities complained about that one) and Game of Thrones decided it needed to let a malfunctioning AI program write the last season, I've given up on adaptations of books.

I might try my luck again, after a series ends. And only if it has rave reviews from both newcomers and fans of the original.

But right now, there are plenty of good original stories that don't suffer from any adaptation problems at all.


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