The Wheel of Time

1

DaelominJan 1, 2022

As a long time fan of the book series by Robert Jordan, I was cautiously optimistic when I first heard that Amazon was producing a television series adaptation.

That optimism was dashed after watching the first episode, and by the end of theAs a long time fan of the book series by Robert Jordan, I was cautiously optimistic when I first heard that Amazon was producing a television series adaptation.

That optimism was dashed after watching the first episode, and by the end of the last episode it had transformed into anger.

This drivel is not The Wheel of Time. The story, major plot points, character personalities and motivations, the background lore and world building, the nature of magic and how it is used in this fantasy setting ALL have been changed unnecessarily (and not for the better) to the point that they no longer resemble the source material.

The only thing Wheel of Time in this series is given names and other proper nouns (i.e. Aes Sedai, the Amyrlin Seat, Warders, the Blight, etc.). Everything else has been rewritten to serve a certain agenda related to the current state of politics in America championed by Hollywood.

Do yourself a favour... Don't watch this travesty that is in no way an adaptation of Robert Jordan's bestselling work. Read the books instead.… Expand

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4

Simply_BryNov 20, 2021

I only read the first book in the Wheel of Time series. I quit because of the generic 'good vs. bad' story and the annoying characters. However I am always interested in book to television adaptations. Even though I only read the first book II only read the first book in the Wheel of Time series. I quit because of the generic 'good vs. bad' story and the annoying characters. However I am always interested in book to television adaptations. Even though I only read the first book I can already say they changed the story in however way they wanted to make it politically correct. The amount of race swapping and feminism is so strong in this one it physically hurts. This combined with other random changes that don't make sense shows the writers don't have any respect for the world Robert Jordan created and I fear the worst for the series in the coming episodes/seasons.

You can feel this series is doing everything to be the next Game of Thrones but fails in every aspect of it: pacing, acting, dialogue and storytelling. The acting is comparable with the Twilight series, but that is what you get when you solely choose actors bases on their skin colour and not actual talent. The characters lack personality and bonding between them. It is just not believable. In that aspect they did a good job translating characters from the book to the screen; they are just as annoying and unconvincing.

The good parts? Probably the cinematography and some visual effects. You can see a lot of money went into this one. Unfortunate that money doesn't buy talent.… Expand

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0

KulkuriDec 13, 2021

I was pretty excited to hear that the Wheel of Time would get its own TV series but now that I've actually seen what Amazon has done and... it's just bad. I don't even know where to start when everything is just so wrong. They've taken theI was pretty excited to hear that the Wheel of Time would get its own TV series but now that I've actually seen what Amazon has done and... it's just bad. I don't even know where to start when everything is just so wrong. They've taken the basic framework of the Wheel of Time and then twisted, changed and cut it so much that it is unrecognizable. This is an unfaithful adaptation where the primary purpose seems to be pushing of modern contemporary real-world leftist politics. It looks pretty good and sounds decent but don't expect much in terms of story and acting.… Expand

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2

KsaesDec 7, 2021

I could forgive a modern agenda, I could forgive strong discrepancies with the book, I could forgive a broken lore. But... But why did you do this to the cute, kind, clumsy giants Ogirs? What have they done? For what?
The only thing thatI could forgive a modern agenda, I could forgive strong discrepancies with the book, I could forgive a broken lore. But... But why did you do this to the cute, kind, clumsy giants Ogirs? What have they done? For what?
The only thing that saves this show is the visual.… Expand

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0

blind2blueDec 12, 2021

It beggars belief that there are so many good reviews for this show. Was going to let the season end before voting, but at this point its irredeemable. Absolute garbage. Writers that think they do it better than the book author did. AndIt beggars belief that there are so many good reviews for this show. Was going to let the season end before voting, but at this point its irredeemable. Absolute garbage. Writers that think they do it better than the book author did. And failing miserably. A writer cannot write a character smarter than they are, and holy cow, that is very apparent in this.… Expand

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0

EerieDemonbleDec 6, 2021

Creators don't care about Wheel of Time book series, all they want is a platform to push their politics. Key elements and characters from the books, changed to fit modern progressive standards. Script is really bad, characters are bland andCreators don't care about Wheel of Time book series, all they want is a platform to push their politics. Key elements and characters from the books, changed to fit modern progressive standards. Script is really bad, characters are bland and action scenes are meh at best.
Another example of politics > good product.
P.S. Amazon's LotR series gonna be dumpsterfire of wokeness.… Expand

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0

ewertongeassDec 11, 2021

Cuspindo em uma das melhorias obras já escrita. Deveria ser cancelado. É uma mancha no nome. Melhores personagens já escritos, sendo mudados pra satisfazer as desilusões dos produtores.

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0

Coyote_DDec 15, 2021

Rafe Judkins has proven to have a deep contempt for the tone and narrative of this amazing and beloved book series. Through 6 episodes, it has become painfully clear that this show is not an attempt to adapt The Wheel of Time with any of theRafe Judkins has proven to have a deep contempt for the tone and narrative of this amazing and beloved book series. Through 6 episodes, it has become painfully clear that this show is not an attempt to adapt The Wheel of Time with any of the care and respect that it deserves, but instead it is an attempt to "deconstruct" Robert Jordan's masterpiece because it fundamentally contradicted Rafe Judkins's personal politics and social worldviews. Additionally, the entire production is amateurish, wasteful, and poorly written. In Rafe Judkins, I could not think of a single showrunner less suited to adapt ANY book series, let alone something as important as one of the most beloved book series of all time.… Expand

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0

mpfjrDec 5, 2021

Even if you set aside the objective truth that they have chosen to ignore the source material in favor of identity politics, the show itself is really bad. Literally every aspect of production I find is fan-film level at best. Give the highEven if you set aside the objective truth that they have chosen to ignore the source material in favor of identity politics, the show itself is really bad. Literally every aspect of production I find is fan-film level at best. Give the high school drama club 10 million dollars per episode and I believe they could do a better job. Acting, casting, costumes, music, sets, cinematography, dialog, story, pacing, etc.. you name it and it is just bad. Take a look at season one Game of Thrones for examples of how to do a show correctly where every aspect is amazing. This is what happens when you give a show to the creatively bankrupt. Stay away.… Expand

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5

Microb89Dec 6, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Needless deviations from core plot points. The set pieces are nice and it is interesting to see a beloved world brought to life but thats where the positive comments end. The show runner seems to be hellbent at stripping out any charm this show could have had and is instead focused on infusing it with “the right message”.… Expand

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1

WaerwyrdeDec 24, 2021

I am a huge fan of the Wheel of Time novels so originally was excited to see a live action adaptation unfortunately I was terribly disappointed. This series should be relabelled "inspired by" NOT "based upon". This is extremely disrespectfulI am a huge fan of the Wheel of Time novels so originally was excited to see a live action adaptation unfortunately I was terribly disappointed. This series should be relabelled "inspired by" NOT "based upon". This is extremely disrespectful to Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson who completed the novels). It changes things so extremely that it generates even more trouble for its stories going forward. I find it full of contempt for the original, it promotes misandry; displaying every male character as cowardly, weak or stupid; it contains bad language that does not exist in the novels; the writing is terrible and clearly hints at certain political views which just tarnishes such a great setting. The source material is so good and I appreciate they need to cut it down for TV but this removes and changes so much it is no longer recognisable. It is such a terrible shame and unfortunately it gives me little to no hope regarding the forthcoming Lord of the Rings series from Amazon. Sad times.… Expand

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1

SenlinHiloDec 31, 2021

Though season 1 has its good moments, this 'The Wheel of Time' is a catastrophe in terms of writing and "creative" choices. How Rafe and his team were able to come out with such a disappointing adaption is a mystery; the series is complete,Though season 1 has its good moments, this 'The Wheel of Time' is a catastrophe in terms of writing and "creative" choices. How Rafe and his team were able to come out with such a disappointing adaption is a mystery; the series is complete, all the material is there, so how did it come to this? Sure it could never be a 1:1 adaptation (And hopefully it never comes to that, as the books also have their weak and slow moments), but changing well established concepts, themes and character arcs from the book just doesn't sit well. Some examples: - The whole concept of Saidin and Saidar, which the story of The Wheel of Time pretty much revolves around... isn't present in the show. People who haven't read the books do not know that only men can be tainted. This is why women (with Saidar) are in power and why every one fears the Dragon Reborn and men who can channel. In the show they decided that women could also be the Dragon, which kind of breaks the point of the story.
- Character arcs: Now there's a lot to say here, from Perrin to Agelmar, almost every character arc has been changed, but for worse. Perrin is married at the beginning of the season... okay yeah why not could be an interesting change... but he kills his own wife in the first episode, which could also be an interesting choice to show why Perrin fears his own strength. However, his character development is so bad, that he leaves EFwithout burying his wife (wtf and why would he decide to follow Moraine?, the Departure is extremely rushed). Rand, the Dragon, isn't developed until episode 7, and it's only through flashbacks. The main character of the story is about as bland as it gets, he gets no development (not even his infamous discussion with Tam during the attack of the Trollocs... the flashback we get from episode 7 is pathetic). Loial has literally no purpose in season 1 unlike book 1... which is an odd choice... he's also shorter than Perrin and gets stabbed by The Cursed Dagger so he should be dead. Agelmar, one of the 5 Great Captains, is apparently the most incompetent commander in the show, as his strategy to fight against the Trollocs are just stand and shoot arrows and wait to be killed. - Some "creative" choices are outright bad: Egwene is capable to heal death, this is ridiculous. The final battle of the season, where Rand is supposed to show us his real power, doesn't really happen, instead we get 5 women: 2 untrained but powerful, 1 who wasn't able to finished the training and 2 nameless fodder. These 5 destroy 50K Trollocs and a couple Fades, which is just bad writing, where the books have a hard magic system, the show now has a soft magic system. How do you even get stakes from future battles with Trollocs (or other ennemies) if there are Aes Sedai around? What's the limit of an Aes Sedai? Why would they even need training? - There's too many fake-out deaths in only 8 episodes, to the point where, again, there are no stakes. And now with Egwene's ability to heal death... it's even worse. I honestly cannot see this show having more than 3 seasons, the book fans are pretty much unhappy with the adaptation, the non-book fans might be impressed with the visuals, but cannot understand what is going on, who is who and why they should care that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. I give a 1/10, because it's just that bad. Episode 4 was good, episode 7 was alright, but other than that it's really a bad adaptation. Unless Amazon gets a new team of competent writers, I'm afraid one of the most beloved fantasy series will go to waste.… Expand

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2

strongnc21Dec 31, 2021

It is so sad to see such an amazing book series get so badly butchered. Core lore and characters, just outright change. Key mechanics of this magical world, completely ignored. The producers of this show seem hell-bent on not actually tellingIt is so sad to see such an amazing book series get so badly butchered. Core lore and characters, just outright change. Key mechanics of this magical world, completely ignored. The producers of this show seem hell-bent on not actually telling the story, but instead using it as a platform for pushing their own personal social agendas. And sickeningly, they claim that the author would have written it this way if he were alive today. How dare they sully the magnum opus of Robert Jordan. They are spitting on his grave, by making this show the way they are making it. For shame, Rafe.… Expand

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0

OnealbjornnJan 22, 2022

A terrible adaption. Makers were focused more on trying to make a show like GoT then making a Wheel of Time series. Deviated from the source material so much that it isn’t even remotely close to the same kind of story.

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0

mortedeamorJan 6, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The books were infinitely better. They had amazing powerful female characters that were utterly destroyed in this poorly written fan fiction. Amazon does not write good tv. This show doesn't even remotely stay close to the books. Or even contain the spirit of the books.… Expand

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Star_ClassicFeb 8, 2022

This atrocity isn't the Wheel of Time. It's some fan fiction very, very loosely based on the book series The Wheel of Time.

The story has been changed needlessly, even trying to take into consideration that some things might need to beThis atrocity isn't the Wheel of Time. It's some fan fiction very, very loosely based on the book series The Wheel of Time.

The story has been changed needlessly, even trying to take into consideration that some things might need to be changed to adapt a book into a movie or series.

It's a huge disappointment and frankly, it's embarrassing. I watched the first season and as it went on, I literally had to force myself to watch it. I ended up actually stopping half way through the last episode of Season One once I realized I was getting nothing worthwhile from watching it, other than upset at how Rafe Judkins bastardized Robert Jordan's work.

Who ever approved this monstrosity to be filmed should be ashamed.… Expand

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5

jlevNov 21, 2021

Very Cringey

The directing and acting is so cheesy, like a made for TV drama. And if you are a fan of the novels, be warned there are significant deviations from the book in just the first episode. Not surprisingly, little if any of theVery Cringey

The directing and acting is so cheesy, like a made for TV drama. And if you are a fan of the novels, be warned there are significant deviations from the book in just the first episode. Not surprisingly, little if any of the changes add to the story. Also, there’s an incredibly diverse group of people that lives in the tiny peasant village. It’s almost like they had to meet a quota for every ethnicity. It’s all so silly.

Despite my reservations, I was excited for the show. Well, I should have known better. This is what happens when something gets adapted to go main stream for “modern audiences”.… Expand

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2

Lene93Dec 30, 2021

Unless they change show runner and writers, this show is going to be an absolute mess. I can’t believe a 100 million dollar project would have such abysmal and incompetent writers, especially when they have such a brilliant source materialUnless they change show runner and writers, this show is going to be an absolute mess. I can’t believe a 100 million dollar project would have such abysmal and incompetent writers, especially when they have such a brilliant source material that is finished to pull from. These guys have no respect for Robert Jordan or his books, they are not WoT fans, the script writing is beyond bad and I am disappointed to see WoT being adapted in this way.… Expand

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1

RadicalDreamer0Dec 31, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely awful. Far too many deviations from the books, very poor writing, all stakes have been removed, pacing is terrible, characters bastardized...

For one thing, the Dragon is male. Sorry not sorry. I believe a name was given to this phenomenon by a certain feminist commentator, she called it "Ms. Male Character" if I remember correctly. But now of course that's what needed to happen and if we don't like it we're sexist. Mkay.

Perrin didn't have a wife in the books. Apparently that was done because Rafe wanted to take his Whitecloak moment away from him and give it to Egwene. Except, she didn't kill any either, just incapacitated one of them. Imagine Morgase being asked to preside over a trial like that. "Perrin Aybara, you are hereby charged with being friends with someone who embarrassed one of our Questioners by kicking his ass!" Imagine her reaction. Just picture it. I'll wait.

Rand and Mat barely do anything, and Mat's issues with the dagger were solved way too soon. Now there is no reason for Rand to go with Mat to track down Padan Fain as Mat is no longer linked to the dagger. Speaking of which, said dagger is now no different from any mundane weapon, because apparently Loial's "death" was a fakeout. Embarrassing, Rafe. Absolutely embarrassing.

The Black Wind is now not even remotely a threat; it just amounts to a depressed person's internal monologue. The Blight is just a bog, now, full of harmless trees. "Don't touch anything!" Moiraine says, before they proceed to touch everything with no consequence.

In episode 5, why was so much time spent on Stepin? Why was that necessary? Rhetorical question, it wasn't. The point on how important the Warder bond is was made over the course of episodes 3 and 4 already, and Lan's behavior was decidedly off. He would never have behaved that way, and designated mourners simply were not a thing in the White Tower. Sorry not sorry. This was time that would have been much better spent getting to know our actual main characters. ESPECIALLY given the 8 episode limit, for f***'s sake, Rafe.

The Horn of Valere being hidden under Agelmar's throne makes NO sense whatsoever. Rand's Tarwin's Gap moment was given to 5 untrained women who know how to link up for some reason, when a full encampment of Aes Sedai and Warders struggled mightily against a ragtag army of normies. What's more, neither dying nor burning out should be possible in a link, but it happens to Nynaeve, and Egwene, who is supposed to have no talent with Healing whatsoever, manages to Heal something which can't be Healed. Awesome, Rafe.

The whole thing is utter schlock, and at this point, I would rather the show be canceled. Winter Dragon was better than this.… Expand

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1

Euangelion3o9Dec 22, 2021

The show is terrible, I am a fan of the books but went in with low expectations and did not assume it would follow the books closely. The worst part of the show isn't that they did not follow the books, its the illogical plot full of holes,The show is terrible, I am a fan of the books but went in with low expectations and did not assume it would follow the books closely. The worst part of the show isn't that they did not follow the books, its the illogical plot full of holes, the cheesy acting, and the overall boring feel it has. Pike is the only decent actor in a world that doesn't feel as magical, interesting, or attractive as Jordan's. From a perspective of a fan of the books, many mention the token diversity, but I feel diversification of the characters is fine. What is really jarring as a fan of the books is the complete rewrite of so many of the characters, Lan is nothing like the books describe for instance.… Expand

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2

PupTDec 30, 2021

A huge letdown. As an adaptation it deserves a 0 (only the character names are in common with the books, plus the rough outline of the plot), but it might be worth a 3 if I imagine it is an "original" story. The characters get almost noA huge letdown. As an adaptation it deserves a 0 (only the character names are in common with the books, plus the rough outline of the plot), but it might be worth a 3 if I imagine it is an "original" story. The characters get almost no development. So many things don't make sense without having read the books., but if you have they come across even worse. So many points are contradictory, inconsistent, or contrived (like Aes Sedei power levels between episodes 4 and 6, entire reason to go to the Blight, somehow Moiraine having a "tell" that allows another character to track here, even if she's unconscious and being carried by horseback). I probably won't stick around for Season 2.… Expand

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0

richman89Dec 31, 2021

As an adaptation it fails miserably missing completely on everything from the characters to the plots to the very heart. As a show in general, it has clunky dialogue, poor lighting, subpay CGI and runs along at the pace of a later GoT seasonAs an adaptation it fails miserably missing completely on everything from the characters to the plots to the very heart. As a show in general, it has clunky dialogue, poor lighting, subpay CGI and runs along at the pace of a later GoT season trying to cram shock moments in without any character or story development do the moments fail to deliver the punch they're intended to.… Expand

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0

VanagandrDec 12, 2021

Utterly faithless to the books, literally only having a few character and place names in common. Worse, it's bad from an acting, cinematographic and even a technical/factual basis. This should have never made it out of the writers room, butUtterly faithless to the books, literally only having a few character and place names in common. Worse, it's bad from an acting, cinematographic and even a technical/factual basis. This should have never made it out of the writers room, but instead parades about wearing the identity of a beloved ip like a skinsuit.… Expand

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3

faerunDec 21, 2021

I can't believe the same studio made The Expanse and The Boys. Let's get this straight I'm not jaded long/core fan of the books, I've actually read only first two books so I'm not a WoT veteran. BUT why would you take a work from anotherI can't believe the same studio made The Expanse and The Boys. Let's get this straight I'm not jaded long/core fan of the books, I've actually read only first two books so I'm not a WoT veteran. BUT why would you take a work from another author and then proceed to change almost everything in it? This is fan fiction gone bad and missed adaptation of the books. Nothing that makes WoT stand out from other fantasy books is in this show. All the good stuff has been cut out and replaced with worse version of events.
They are trying so bad to be the next GoT that they missed the mark and made terrible show.

* Bad acting
* Cringey dialogs
* Awful cgi effects
* Terrible pacing
* Poor editing… Expand

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TheUnrighteousDec 24, 2021

Holy lord. I can only imagine the shows writers were given bullet point notes from assistants when planning this series. With the strong source material at hand, they've managed to produce THAT.

The show developer, Rafe Judkins, hasHoly lord. I can only imagine the shows writers were given bullet point notes from assistants when planning this series. With the strong source material at hand, they've managed to produce THAT.

The show developer, Rafe Judkins, has clearly displayed his outright disdain for Robert Jordan's masterpiece. I hope this show gets canceled before he can ruin it further.

The show is called Wheel of Time, and the characters have the same names, they move in a similar plot arc at the beginning, but thats where the likeness ends. Such an utter disappointment.… Expand

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2

AkudenDec 31, 2021

The show has series pacing, set, writing, and post production (editing) problems. Wanted to like it, but the quality is just so low.

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0

misponJan 21, 2022

Fantastic garbage...read books!
Fantastic garbage...read books!
Fantastic garbage...read books!
Fantastic garbage...read books!
Just read books

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0

EnergyauJan 22, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This would have to be one of the worst book adaptions that I have ever seen on the screen. Not only is the story different it is of bad quality. C grade at best!… Expand

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2

adammoshinskyJan 22, 2022

I went in wanting to love this series as much as I I Loved the books, but each episode made it clearer and clearer that those writing and designing this show had no idea what they were doing. To be sure, I don't blame the actors, and actuallyI went in wanting to love this series as much as I I Loved the books, but each episode made it clearer and clearer that those writing and designing this show had no idea what they were doing. To be sure, I don't blame the actors, and actually liked *that* aspect of the show quite a bit. (If given better material to work with, I suspect the actors could have brought their characters to life more.) The writing was simply atrocious, the characters one dimensional, and the immersion constantly broken by shoddy details. Further, many things are left unexplained, while the show spends time focused on details and contrived plotlines that no one cares about. The showrunners have assumed that the audience was compromised entirely of people who lack the ability to criticize or interpret things, it would seem. Also, the special effects suck, and the costumes are a mixed bag. Lots of cringey dialogue, too.… Expand

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0

BlahblahbkahJan 23, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Complete butcher job. It does not reassemble its source material at all. This is up there with Avatar the Last Airbender and Dragonball Evolution. The most basic rules of the books are tossed out. Not one character is even remotely close. It is not right to **** on the core fans And call them names when we tell it how it is. Mat was turned into a thief straight out. Good patents are unforgivable. Perrin is not the blacksmiths apprentice. The blacksmith was a 120lb woman. So they threw out a bunch of characters right there. Nyneve is all powerful, yet it's burnt out in a circle. Something that is made quite clear to be impossible. Never mind not knowing how to channel yet. Egane is just not right. And it's apparently sleeping with Rand. Something that is found out in the book would of had them married and not sitting right for a week. Rand was just useless. Moraine was wasted down in the wrong places. Lan was nothing like himself. I swear, it was like all they read was the back of the book.… Expand

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GrimLogan76Jan 30, 2022

I'm quite certain that if the genuine Nynaeve watched this tripe she would tug her braid.

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3

krikaoliDec 16, 2021

I have never seen a fantasy series so expensive and so bad, 10 million each episode. The only character that convinces anything is the main one, Rosamund Pike, she literally carries the show in her back. A very ugly casting, poor script, veryI have never seen a fantasy series so expensive and so bad, 10 million each episode. The only character that convinces anything is the main one, Rosamund Pike, she literally carries the show in her back. A very ugly casting, poor script, very poor characters... Almost as bad as The Shannara Chronicles... but Wheel of Times has rich budget. Besides that this is a feminist genre novel... I bet all left wingers will love it.… Expand

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1

Firas0002Dec 21, 2021

nothing impressive everything about fe*i*s*m and **** story so poor battles so poor lot less than I expected

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0

tlc333Dec 26, 2021

If you like the books don’t even bother. This is NOT The Wheel of Time. The characters in the show have the same name and that’s where the similarities end. This is a disrespectful adaptation of Robert Jordan’s book. To any writers outIf you like the books don’t even bother. This is NOT The Wheel of Time. The characters in the show have the same name and that’s where the similarities end. This is a disrespectful adaptation of Robert Jordan’s book. To any writers out there if you want to make a show or movie based on a book, stay true to the book you are basing it on, otherwise create something original. Most writers in film nowadays are no talent hacks, who aren’t creative. They can’t make a story of their own so they take someone else’s and destroy it.… Expand

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3

matiracedoJan 7, 2022

Terrible as an adaptation, and still disappointingly bad considered as a separate thing from the books. They really need to work on fixing some of their issues before season 2.

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3

Fenrir84Jan 7, 2022

Cast and costume are pretty good. Story is absolutely unrecognizable. It's like reading a book report written by someone whose freind read the book and explained it while drunk.

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2

Raysan69Dec 31, 2021

Terrible inconsistent, the writing is not thought through at all. As a standalone terrible, compared to the books even worse.Almost all changes for the worse and took away the coherent consistent metaphysics magic worldbuilding and replacedTerrible inconsistent, the writing is not thought through at all. As a standalone terrible, compared to the books even worse.Almost all changes for the worse and took away the coherent consistent metaphysics magic worldbuilding and replaced it with shallow childish ideological garbage. But the thing that really stands out is the low productionquality of the writing and the unnatural feel of everything with underdeveloped characters that doesnt make sense even within the story created.… Expand

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0

kurosaki8662Dec 12, 2021

comment avez vous pu dénaturer une si belle oeuvre pour des questions politique?Et de plus avec une photographie a la xena la guerriere.Avec the witcher de netflix je me suis dit "ca y est c est fini il vont plus nous faire le coup de l épéecomment avez vous pu dénaturer une si belle oeuvre pour des questions politique?Et de plus avec une photographie a la xena la guerriere.Avec the witcher de netflix je me suis dit "ca y est c est fini il vont plus nous faire le coup de l épée de vérité"!je me trompais...En plus vous salissez tous.… Expand

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DHReviewsDec 27, 2021

To say it is difficult to adapt such sprawling source material as Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" to screen is an understatement. One can say an attempt was made, but just how worthy an attempt as Rafe Judkin's is a little too kind.To say it is difficult to adapt such sprawling source material as Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" to screen is an understatement. One can say an attempt was made, but just how worthy an attempt as Rafe Judkin's is a little too kind. Evisceration is more likely. While Amazon packs the budget and the actors, particularly Rosamund Pike, have something to work with, you'd think Wheel Of Time might work out. Sadly this show plods, meanders, and lightly scrapes at the surface of what could have been a standout fantasy show with the potential to be another Lord of the Rings. What we get is a tepid pool of tropes, atrocious dialogue and pacing, and more offensively a complete evisceration of Robert Jordan's source material to fit Rafe Judkins "vision". Even with the support of both Harriet McDougal, (Robert Jordan's widow), and fantasy heavy-weight Brandon Sanderson, (writer of WOT's final three volumes after Jordan's untimely passing), the show is born with brittle and cracked foundational pillars. While it ever-so-faintly hints at greatness in moments, the majority is a maelbolge. Non-book readers may find it a decent escape, but hardcore fans of Robert Jordan's work will more than likely jettison from this series after the first episode, and rightly so.… Expand

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starpey87Dec 29, 2021

What they have done to Robert Jordan's story is nothing short of a perverse abomination. This is in no way shape or form, the same story of Robert Jordan's wheel of time.

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Allenbj2Dec 31, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoiler alert but who cares —This show is a dumpster fire

I’ve watched the whole first season and don’t know a single characters name. I mean I watch Witcher, GoT (yes I disliked the last two seasons), insert other fantasy series… I know all of the characters for these shows. Why cannot I not make myself give a crap about this show?

1) the plot is trying way too hard: good vs evil yin and Yang , really boring. Done to death. 2) Characters are one-dimensional. Oh boy - the dude with the “cursed knife” is evil great contrived, oh!! the big wolf guy is a pacifist until goated by evil dude… shocking. The bow guy is the dragon and is tempted to evil but magically wakes up (I actually was rooting for him to destroy this horrible cinematic wank fest world of michael bay-esque cg porn. Forget it bezos invest in some actual writers, and cut the budget on the shiny things. What’s with the katana dude and his “bond” with moraine (holy **** It turns out I do know one character’s name). This show just pisses me off. 3) so why does the “dark one” want to take over the world? I mean we don’t see him until the season finale along with the random guy that steals a random horn with the blank face teeth things!!! You know what I don’t care who he is because this show is boring and stupid… it will take 9 seasons to figure out that he’s someone’s father or creator or both good and evil or some other bs trope… what’s for sure is the fact that he “dies” in the 1st season finale guarantees a redundant arc on the horizon. “Evil doesn’t die, it just turns into the weird cursed knife guy” or something … who cares 4) I can’t related with any of the characters and the dialogue is way too **** serious. again I like the Witcher. Why? It doesn’t take itself too serious, the characters have personality. Good and evil is relative . As matter of fact it is the relativity of morals per characters that makes for character and plot development. Moral ambiguity makes for compelling choices and layers, interpersonal arc development, and dynamics . This show forces bland dialogue and shallow characters into predictable black and white buckets and try’s to be clever by occasionally feigning them to question their values. Alright I’ve bored my self writing this dumpster fire review of a painfully boring show …. Oh wait who was the pregnant lady in the begging of that one episode … is that the dragons real mother??? Who cares I done… Expand

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BrickHitHouseFeb 4, 2022

This adaptation is Wheel of Time in name only and was so bad, watching it felt like watching a car crash. The only thing carried from the source material are the character names, while most of the plot of the first book was cut to make roomThis adaptation is Wheel of Time in name only and was so bad, watching it felt like watching a car crash. The only thing carried from the source material are the character names, while most of the plot of the first book was cut to make room for events that never transpired in the books. There are so many better shows out there right now, don't waste your time on this one, you'll never get those 8 hours back.… Expand

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Kalle_blomDec 25, 2021

Not at all the story I devoured 20 years ago … Robert Jordan,RIP, May your ancestors sue Amazon for this **** It so full of unnecessary and totally useless story twists. Rand is so lame …

9 of 64 users found this helpful955

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james-cordobanDec 25, 2021

I didn't read the books, so no expectations from that side. The younger characters act like stubborn teenagers most of the time and character building is mostly based on serving clichés. The world building is a catastrophe and theI didn't read the books, so no expectations from that side. The younger characters act like stubborn teenagers most of the time and character building is mostly based on serving clichés. The world building is a catastrophe and the dialogues...oh boy...most magic used is "plot magic" and there is a lot of it.… Expand

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real_human9000Dec 28, 2021

I read the books, and didn't realize how much I loved them until I had this show to compare them to.

The writers did not want to use the best-selling source material, they wanted to write their own. That would maybe be ok if they did a goodI read the books, and didn't realize how much I loved them until I had this show to compare them to.

The writers did not want to use the best-selling source material, they wanted to write their own. That would maybe be ok if they did a good job - they didn't. Characters are underdeveloped. Plot is rushed. Dialogue is shallow. There are plot holes, and the lore is wrecked.

Production value is similarly bad.

As someone who read the books, it really is a 0. I am less happy because this show exists. I think for a non-reader it would be meh, the type of show you watch, forget about after a week, and maybe skip the second season.… Expand

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theirrelephantsDec 28, 2021

Genuine trash with the worst casting choices I've seen since netflix butchered the Witcher.

I can't wait to see how they destroy Lord of the Rings next. This won't get more than 2-3 seasons before Amazon gives up, lmao.

8 of 58 users found this helpful850

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capt_morganDec 26, 2021

I don't know the book series, I just started to watch the TV show because of an ad. Some nice sets and landscape scenes. Music is mostly dull vocalizing and the plot very slow at most times. I would hope the books were better than this adaptation.

8 of 58 users found this helpful850

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2

idomaghicDec 17, 2021

Haven't read any of the books but have now seen 7 episodes of the first season. The production looks super cheap, acting & directing is extremely sub par (perhaps average for fantasy shows, excluding e.g. GOT), lousy script, mostly cheapHaven't read any of the books but have now seen 7 episodes of the first season. The production looks super cheap, acting & directing is extremely sub par (perhaps average for fantasy shows, excluding e.g. GOT), lousy script, mostly cheap looking VFX and loads of teenage angst and drama. This is a hard pass.… Expand

7 of 54 users found this helpful747

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3

jovincenNov 26, 2021

After the 8th episode this show has taken a very bad turn. The writers have destroyed all the male characters - making them all pathetic. They've taken an IP which was great and thinking they know better have destroyed a world which is madeAfter the 8th episode this show has taken a very bad turn. The writers have destroyed all the male characters - making them all pathetic. They've taken an IP which was great and thinking they know better have destroyed a world which is made up of so many interesting and powerful characters of every race and gender.… Expand

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ThradarDec 25, 2021

A tragic adaption, full of bad writing, flat acting, misandric messages, questionable CGI (anything that moves looks like an early 2000s video game), unnecessary changes, vague worldbuilding for people who haven't read the books. Just aA tragic adaption, full of bad writing, flat acting, misandric messages, questionable CGI (anything that moves looks like an early 2000s video game), unnecessary changes, vague worldbuilding for people who haven't read the books. Just a sophomoric and sad attempt.… Expand

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Yeti91Dec 25, 2021

Thought most of the story issue could be cleared up once the dragon were revealed. Instead they took some of the biggest moments from the dragon in the entire series and gave them to extremely minor, no names.

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summersonneDec 28, 2021

This is what happens when, instead of adequate directors and screenwriters, you recruit inclusive imbeciles of all colors and genders. Dumb fanfic, instead of adapting the book, indistinct acting and complete gracelessness. It hurtsThis is what happens when, instead of adequate directors and screenwriters, you recruit inclusive imbeciles of all colors and genders. Dumb fanfic, instead of adapting the book, indistinct acting and complete gracelessness. It hurts physically to watch.… Expand

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begna112Dec 24, 2021

There is so much wrong with this show, it's hard to put into words. First, for any fan of the source material, it is an absolute travesty. But beyond that, the production value is completely missing and it seems like the entire creative andThere is so much wrong with this show, it's hard to put into words. First, for any fan of the source material, it is an absolute travesty. But beyond that, the production value is completely missing and it seems like the entire creative and production staff must be complete amateurs who don't know what they're doing.… Expand

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rproulx710Dec 26, 2021

Watching this “adaptation” was like having a conversation with someone who doesn’t really speak your language, but they’ve seen a few commercials. They’re frantically pointing at a hole in the ground and saying, “Wheel of Time, Wheel ofWatching this “adaptation” was like having a conversation with someone who doesn’t really speak your language, but they’ve seen a few commercials. They’re frantically pointing at a hole in the ground and saying, “Wheel of Time, Wheel of Time!” but then rubbing their stomach and miming driving a car, and you’re not really sure if they’re hungry or if they need gasoline but you’re pretty sure they need help, you want to give it but then they stab you. As you’re bleeding out you realize it was a mugging, but then they join a flash mob and they’re dancing, and you’re just back to being confused.… Expand

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HpoonisJan 1, 2022

This is like giving James Bond a licence to wear dresses.

When I heard about this I was anticipating something fantastic. Less then 5 minutes in and Rand & Eggy sexing it up...oh dear! Then all 3 were together and one was black - which in,This is like giving James Bond a licence to wear dresses.

When I heard about this I was anticipating something fantastic. Less then 5 minutes in and Rand & Eggy sexing it up...oh dear! Then all 3 were together and one was black - which in, and of itself, means nothing except that the Two Rivers would have a consistent population. At first I had no idea what character it was supposed to be. Then a wife appeared? I started skipping through the episode. Things did NOT improve at all. After another 20 mins, I had already had enough. I shall not be watching any further instances of this absolute garbage patch.

Whoever created this nonsense is a moron of the first water...and all other waters! If they didn't care to stick with what was already on paper, why waste time and money making such utter bollox?… Expand

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2

jisoDec 26, 2021

Have you read the books? If not, expect to find yourself wondering what is going on at all times. If you have, expect to find yourself wondering how they turned LOTR tier material into a CW/Syfy level show.

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KagurDec 26, 2021

Reading the book, I was on the side of the main characters. I watched the show - went over to the evil side.
I hope Tarmon Gai'don will be shown as the Battle of Fal Dara. There should be the same "smart" commanders, and 20 knights and 100Reading the book, I was on the side of the main characters. I watched the show - went over to the evil side.
I hope Tarmon Gai'don will be shown as the Battle of Fal Dara. There should be the same "smart" commanders, and 20 knights and 100 infantrymen should participate in the battle against millions of trollocs. This world must be erased, well, just so that the locals no longer suffer.… Expand

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BeyondDeceptionDec 27, 2021

As a fan of the books, I am more than disappointed in the show. It shows a lack of understanding of the source material. It is also crystal clear they didn't truly appreciate or love the books the way most of us do.

For example, they paintAs a fan of the books, I am more than disappointed in the show. It shows a lack of understanding of the source material. It is also crystal clear they didn't truly appreciate or love the books the way most of us do.

For example, they paint Mat Cauthon's parents as a dysfunctional and broken family. The mother is a drunk, and the father an adulterer who is constantly flirting with other women. This didn't happen. It wasn't needed. It adds no value.

Another example, Perrin has a girlfriend whom he's sleeping with (didn't happen) that he accidentally kills in the initial trolloc attack. What the hell? Again, this didn't happen. It wasn't needed. It adds no value.

On top of these ridiculous changes, the graphics and production value is something akin to a WB show, not the next GOT as they intended. It felt cheap, it looked cheap, it was cheap. They also felt the need to overlay today's politics and wokeism over a world very different from our own. They tried to force a round peg into a square hole and in the process ruined it.

What makes it worse is this story already cherishes & celebrates women and other cultures. The entire story is about women Aes Sedai saving and guiding the world for thousands of years because the men broke it in their pursuit for power. Women succeeded where men failed.

I wish writers and directors would just focus on a good story rather than drive their own political agendas.

Overall, IMO, it was an utter failure.… Expand

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CrazyJoe63Jan 13, 2022

If you don’t know anything about the story you may like it. If you’re a fan of the books……PSA Do Not Watch! You will be very disappointed. I can’t stand to watch, It's like pulling teeth. They’ve literally raped this story, and made it a WokeIf you don’t know anything about the story you may like it. If you’re a fan of the books……PSA Do Not Watch! You will be very disappointed. I can’t stand to watch, It's like pulling teeth. They’ve literally raped this story, and made it a Woke Piece of ****… Expand

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ak92Dec 24, 2021

What a wasted opportunity. I was okay with most of the story changes until the terrible finale. Total letdown with story changes that made no sense. Hopefully the wheel will turn us out a reboot sometime that actually has respect for theWhat a wasted opportunity. I was okay with most of the story changes until the terrible finale. Total letdown with story changes that made no sense. Hopefully the wheel will turn us out a reboot sometime that actually has respect for the source material.… Expand

6 of 52 users found this helpful646

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1

Arkangelx3Dec 24, 2021

I understand its difficult to adapt a novel as large as this one, into a series. Its another thing to insert things into a show that never happen and to leave out things that are so crucial and replace it with trivial things that meanI understand its difficult to adapt a novel as large as this one, into a series. Its another thing to insert things into a show that never happen and to leave out things that are so crucial and replace it with trivial things that mean absolutely nothing. Rafe you have to do better. You are doing a disservice to the memory of Robert Jordan. Shame!… Expand

6 of 53 users found this helpful647

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skiddle_riddle7Dec 29, 2021

I'm one of those annoying book readers who has to talk badly about the show because it's not the same as the books. I can understand making changes because some of the source material doesn't translate to screen, but the changes made areI'm one of those annoying book readers who has to talk badly about the show because it's not the same as the books. I can understand making changes because some of the source material doesn't translate to screen, but the changes made are needless and ruin main character's development and in some cases completely changes who they are as characters. The writing is atrocious and I'd be surprised if this makes it past season 2. The lighting is terrible and the sets seem lifeless and fake. The actors, for the most part, do a fine job with the poorly-written scripts they are given. I feel the show runner doesn't understand what made these books so special to so many people and is inserting his own philosophies and agendas into the story. I want an adaptation of a series that I hold dear to my heart. Not a retelling where the writers can butcher whatever parts of the story they choose.… Expand

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3

lexicarDec 24, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Generally I tend to be wary of any reimagining of content I love that prefaces itself with a big "Caveat Emptor" sign but when your expectation of a donkey with a plunger on its head being sold as a Unicorn is so horribly undermined, even I end up writing a review on metacritic. What makes it worse is that there's some truly beautiful elements in the show that hint at its potential, which is utterly undermined by writing that would be an insult to cheap drunken fan fiction. So let's get into the nitty gritty.

Most book fans were warned beforehand that the book would be modernised but like with any structure, if ye start playing Jenga with the fundamentals, the structure won't hold the weight of the world you're building. The writers saw the dichotomy of the source(One Power) in the books and instead of using it to explore interesting story arcs said, let's get rid of it coz it's way too complicated. So we have 5 Ta'veren instead of 3. Aside from the obvious issues this decision creates with so many later elements in the story and the overall **** they also managed to rob two characters who weren't pushed around by "Fate" in the books, Nynaeve and Egwene, of any agency.

But hey, the trollocs come, Perrin kills his wife(I'm sure they'll fail to make that one make sense next season when they explain why everyone's separated) and everyone rides. There's a lot of riding. As someone who loves horses and the country side even I say there's too much scenic riding but my favourite is still the tactics at Fal Dara(But We may get to that later). We get some great story points now (ignoring the drama around Nynaeve getting dragged in the woods). Egwene exploring the power isn't bad (No one comments on a shepherd holding a swordsmasters blade at all, Lan's to busy eyeing Nynaeve like a horny 17 year old...it's been a while apparently). Oh right, we're in Tar Valon, we spent 5 seconds in Shadar Logoth, Nynaeve came back, everyone met Eamon Valda, Geoff Bornhald had a cameo? Perrin does Wolf things, Matt does Dagger things and you can conclude Rand is the Dragon Reborn by virtue of his camera prominence but lack of a story line.

Oh no, stop, I purged a large element of the story due to the use of "plot Magic"...I hate "plot magic". Moiraine meets up with group transporting Logain to heal. I really loved the potential here, if they hadn't chucked out Saidin and Saidar this storyline could have had a lot of potential. Instead there's some dialogue with Liandrin so you know she's Black Ajah (Really well cast I thought, real magic in that choice) and some interaction between male and female channelers that loose 80% of their impact because you're playing jenga with the magic system. I'm still sitting here waiting on colour shifting cloaks from the warders and stealth trolloc/Ghealdan army kills as a guy. Instead, Nynaeve presses "Resurrect Party member" in her plot magic journal dramatically coz "Powah".

But hey, everyone meets up again like they're supposed to. I'll just bullet point the white tower:
- Siuan is meant to be lonely, the abandonement she feels around making world changing decisions is important later for her "Human" growth and relationship...shock horror...with a "MAN!!!!!"
- I feel Moiraine acting coz of her relationship with Siuan undermines her.
- Liandrin and Moiraine would have been a much more interesting relationship dynamic, especially if they kept the dichotomy of Saidin and Saidar.

But hey, we meet Loial, he'll matter like in the books right? Nope, no Ogier masonry regarding the way gates. No leaves to move for the Ogier...Moiraine opens the ways with the power (can't need an Ogier if you stab him in the chest in season 1).

At this point I had stopped caring about the magic dynamic since it had been **** out the window. But hey, "You can't open Way gates inside coz it attracts Machin Shin", yay I thought, 5 minutes later, "Moiraine opens way gate due to Nynaeve plot magic...didn't use it all to save Lan I guess".

Now we're in Fal Dara...btw Matt's gone(reasons I'm sure). Moiraine and Rand leave everyone else(But we still don't know who's the dragon reborn right?!!!) Nynaeve decides she wants to be an Aes Sedai coz she wants to keep shagging Lan. (fair enough) The trollocs politely stop and wait before tarwins gap for another dramatic ride across 10 miles of killzone to a fortress where the men all die shooting crossbows (god forbid they'd have used the funnel for cavalry charges with spears or something.)

But hey, 5 women burning themselves out because "Aes Sedai" now train by whipping of the Amyrlin instead of learning how to use the source so Egwene can "Plot Magic" heal Nynaeve is fine.

I started writing to make a point, but right now I can only quote the critical **** off show".… Expand

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JasonTwiceDec 24, 2021

TL:DR; This series is poorly written, unfaithful to the source material, fraught with mediocre acting, and full of poorly executed CGI. It is not worth watching regardless of your experience with the books.

Rafe & Co. didn't "adapt" theTL:DR; This series is poorly written, unfaithful to the source material, fraught with mediocre acting, and full of poorly executed CGI. It is not worth watching regardless of your experience with the books.

Rafe & Co. didn't "adapt" the Wheel of Time books. Adapting them would imply they cut, rearranged, and made small alterations to the stories in order to get them to fit into a TV format. That's not at all what they did. They took the overarching broad movements of the series and re-wrote everything else... and the result cannot even stand on its own.

You will not see your favorite scenes come to life. You will not see Robert Jordan's masterwork on screen. Instead, you will see a caricature of the books which is so disjointed you need book knowledge to understand what's going on, yet so dissimilar to the source material that any fan of the books will be disgusted or at least perplexed by the result.

Almost none of the scenes, dialogue, or character development from the books has ended up in the show. Entirely new characters have been created, given ample screen time, then removed for no discernible reason. The nature of major characters has been entirely changed or re-written. This sabotages their growth and turns them from truly heroic individuals into bland, dull, soulless imitations. Furthermore, the laws of the Universe in The Wheel of Time are neither enforced accurately or consistently. There are multiple instances of the show flat out telling us something which is the inverse of what the books say. This is as irritating as it is pointless. Worse, the show seems to forget these departures and so lacks internal consistency as well as faith to the source material.

It is clear that Rafe & Co. have no respect for the source material, used Amazon's budget in an extremely wasteful manner, and are completely unrepentant.

I can't believe I watched every episode. This show is a disgrace. It deserves to get cancelled.… Expand

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wisethatDec 29, 2021

Total waste of time. The TV series is incompetent in just about every aspect, it has no consistent characters or plot, no consistent themes or symbols, and nothing compelling whatsoever. It fails as both an adaptation and on its own merits,Total waste of time. The TV series is incompetent in just about every aspect, it has no consistent characters or plot, no consistent themes or symbols, and nothing compelling whatsoever. It fails as both an adaptation and on its own merits, I'd reccomend almost any other media over this trashfire.… Expand

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3

aarontwinDec 29, 2021

Incoherent writing and inadequate exposition resulting in a show in which I couldn't care less about the characters and had trouble understanding a lot of decisions and plot points.

This is largely due to the conscious decision to make thisIncoherent writing and inadequate exposition resulting in a show in which I couldn't care less about the characters and had trouble understanding a lot of decisions and plot points.

This is largely due to the conscious decision to make this an "ensemble" show instead of focussing it around the protagonist. Unfortunately, instead of developing all of the other four side characters, they only gave extra roles to the two women - make of this what you will. A lot of changes were made from the book which likely explain the poor cohesiveness of the show. Disappointing overall… Expand

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3

GoodlibationsDec 30, 2021

A fine example of hubris. There's a masterpiece painting that tens of millions of people love vehemently. A corporation decides to recreate it and they hire a self-professed 'fanatic' of the original painting. This hireling proceeds to throwA fine example of hubris. There's a masterpiece painting that tens of millions of people love vehemently. A corporation decides to recreate it and they hire a self-professed 'fanatic' of the original painting. This hireling proceeds to throw out the original and toss up a new, blank canvas. He discards everything except the name. He tries his own hand at painting. Unfortunately, it comes out as a pale, anemic shadow of the original. To make things worse, this hireling gloats that he will take great pleasure in destroying a beloved piece of art and he specifically enjoys the anger and disbelief from people who actually love it. What was originally rendered in beautiful depth is now depicted flatly, with only one tone and one shade. There's none of the realism, the internet consistency and believable, or love expressed in the original. If you're going to hire someone to attempt to recreate a masterpiece, there's a few things. At first, make sure this new person can actually paint. Second, make sure this new person actually likes the original art and doesn't plan on chucking it out the window in order to make room for his own stick-man drawings. Third, don't create a disrespectful and awful rendition of the original and try to sell it to fans as a faithful recreation from a true fan. The only thing Rafe is a fan of is himself.… Expand

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ValhrueDec 31, 2021

Not the story and characters that I love. They have changed fundamental plots and events that break it. They break show lore provided in the same episode.

I have no idea where the budget went. They had $10M/episode and I have seen betterNot the story and characters that I love. They have changed fundamental plots and events that break it. They break show lore provided in the same episode.

I have no idea where the budget went. They had $10M/episode and I have seen better CGI on SyFy.

This was poorly written fan fiction.

The only reason they were given a second season is because of the support the book fans provided before the show was released. The second season was green lit and started filming before the show was released.… Expand

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PoopsiehowJan 5, 2022

People don’t understand why it’s hard to just walk away and say, “well, other people like it, but this show just isn’t for me.”

At least for me, there is a deep-seated reason I can’t just be ok with that. I’ve been waiting for a long timePeople don’t understand why it’s hard to just walk away and say, “well, other people like it, but this show just isn’t for me.”

At least for me, there is a deep-seated reason I can’t just be ok with that. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a television adaptation, and this adaptation is terribly done. More than that, though, it is a slap in the face to those who have loved these stories for so long.

I get that people have different tastes, but I can’t just say “that’s ok” when others say they love it and if I don’t I should just move on.

Why not?

The further the show goes, the less likely it is that a better adaptation will ever be made. This is such a large undertaking that I applaud those who were willing to take it on, yet I despise them for what they have done because this is likely the ONLY adaptation we will ever get.

They have taken something I have devoted literally hundreds of reading, listening, and discussing hours of my life to for 20+ years, who’s adaptation I have been anticipating, and they have ripped it to shreds.

I’ve been reading these books longer than I’ve known close friends, longer than my children have been alive, since before I got pets and after they died. They are a part of me, and have been for most of my life. I have been reading and rereading these books for the majority of the years that I have been alive. And the story is being raped, pillaged, and destroyed. I will still have the books when the show ends. But the hope that I would one day see an adaptation as exciting, engaging, and endearing as the books themselves has been ripped away.

That is where I struggle. That is why I feel so betrayed when people say “this is good”. The creators of this show have removed a piece of hope from my life. Arguably, a small piece, but still, a piece of me that has been around since childhood.

If I had to choose between seeing my favorite pet resurrected from the pet cemetery as a tainted and twisted demon, or remain dead, I would choose the latter every time. They have made something twisted and perverse from something that was good. I would rather the show never existed than see what has been created from RJ’s world, no matter how much someone else may say they enjoy it. After all, would those who love what it is, not love it even more if it were what it could have been?… Expand

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JohnDJDJun 4, 2022

Thoroughly disappointing. Making changes to the books that made no sense and effectively destroying characters before the show even starts.

6 of 55 users found this helpful649

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3

TellGoodStoriesDec 27, 2021

If you read the books you'll likely be disappointed. They ignored key plot points, skipped crucial character moments, an didn't show any faithfulness to how the first book wrapped up. The acting was a mixed bag. If you were thinking theIf you read the books you'll likely be disappointed. They ignored key plot points, skipped crucial character moments, an didn't show any faithfulness to how the first book wrapped up. The acting was a mixed bag. If you were thinking the quality would be game of thrones like - it fell very much short. I give Amazon credit for taking risks, but this feels like they wasted their money. They should have told the book fans that this was "inspired by the source material" and to expect substantial differences. I'm really frustrated with what they produced and frustrated in myself that I vested a lot of hope for this. I recommend Amazon cancel Season 2 and redirect the funds to some other worthy project.… Expand

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Elvesfriend109Jan 6, 2022

This is no way a good adaption of Robert Jordans books. It is a pathetic aberration, and not worth the effort of watching. I can assure you that I will NOT be watching any other seasons. Read the books, they are much better than this.

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GodlykoalaJan 6, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why on earth would you "adapt" a story and then throw out the story. From the very first change they make stereotypical writing mistakes ("let's give Perrin a wife, then fridge her in the first 20-minutes", really?!). Every change has been ill-concieved, and the last episode was hilariously bad.… Expand

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SandmandreamMar 18, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, if you read Robert Jordan you should know he's the god of depicting and if you want to do a movie of his art then you should know you can't. This is just insolence. Those monsters, storyline, charecters... When I heard the series, did not want to watch but this indignity invaded my mind lastly so i had watched it entirely till my nails have broken. My words are not able to describe this monstrosity. God forgive us.… Expand

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3

sethman1975Jan 2, 2022

Adored the books and was really hopeful the show would be a faithful adaptation but it isn't at all. Actors are mostly miscast, sets seem fake and costumes are terrible which destroys any immersion. The worst offence though is the writing,Adored the books and was really hopeful the show would be a faithful adaptation but it isn't at all. Actors are mostly miscast, sets seem fake and costumes are terrible which destroys any immersion. The worst offence though is the writing, they have somehow rewritten major story arc's into characters that have nothing to do with it in the books and it breaks Robert Jordan's story. Very obvious as well is how they have written almost all the male roles to be weaker or lesser than they are in the books. If you didn't know the story, you would think Rand, Perrin and Mat are whiny little boys not the catalysts for the world change. Who do they think they are to rewrite Jordan's well crafted themes and story? So sad this will probably be the only thing we get for one of the greatest fantasy series ever created.… Expand

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2

RariskDec 29, 2021

The show seems like the writers skimmed the books and decided the story wasn't to their liking so they picked a few things they liked then threw away the rest.
50% WoT, 25% GoT, 25% Woke.
The result is OK if you take it as a stand alone butThe show seems like the writers skimmed the books and decided the story wasn't to their liking so they picked a few things they liked then threw away the rest.
50% WoT, 25% GoT, 25% Woke.
The result is OK if you take it as a stand alone but for anyone who read the books it feels like a murder took place.
They didn't even finish the final episode. They hit some challenges and decided, meh lets just push it out.… Expand

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1

Intratec8472Dec 24, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was first introduced to The Wheel of Time when I was a teenager. This was by a dear friend of mine who suffers from ALS. The novels mean the world to me, not only because of that friend. But also because I fell in love with the story. Robert Jordan can go into unnecessary detail at times. That to me only adds to the charm and detail the man put into his work.

Twenty Three years it took to tell the tale of the Wheel of Time. I would sit and wait and hope that the next novel would be better than the last. How the characters would have grown and become more. I understand when one reads a book they have an internal, imaginary view of what things would look like. Not only based on Jordan's descriptions but a person's own headcanon. This can kill the negative reviews and start a sh*tstorm if you do not agree with today's political and cultural views. That is a given. There will always be someone.

My passive-aggressive tirade aside, there were some good things I can take away from this. I liked Lan's character. The appearance was decent enough for my expectations with a few but crucial nitpicks. He lacks his fancloth cloak and armor. His personality is more open than it was in the books. I thought his interactions with Moiraine gave off a refreshing vibe when they are alone and can be themselves.

The others, Mat in particular who I would like to think everyone loves was turned into far, far less than he truly was. I couldn't stand seeing such a character being reduced to that. It sickened me. Including his family. Nynaeve's personality isn't what I expected and hoped for. The racial aspect does not bother me overly much but it still has a bit of a bite to it in relation to how the author portrayed the Two River's folk and so on compared to Rand who looks more akin to an Aiel than Emond Fielders. Or Andoran. This is purely headcanon and imagination (And will not change for me as far as my own belief while reading this series again and again) but also straight from the pages of the novels. Perrin has some personality aspects from the book which was a plus. I however could not stand the fact he was married. Perhaps it could be a hook for Faile, I don't know but thus far things are steadily grinding down my expectations in multiple areas. Others have covered a lot of ground in their reviews on this already so I will just stick to the little bits and pieces I personally found wanting. Shadar Logoth for example, it took far longer to reach than what was portrayed. I did enjoy the city itself though the style was quite nice. But no Mordreth? Kind of killed it for me. At the very least the dagger was found.

While there are more, I've only watched up to episode three. So far my disappointment is growing, but I'm holding on to some hope for things to improve. Rafe Judkins however claimed to be a fan of the series. But is taking massive liberties. Cutting out content, possible scenes etc etc. I don't want the man to go down the path of Benioff and Weiss who essentially lack a single brain cell between them and all but turned GoT into a dumpster fire at the end leaving a bitter taste in a lot of fans mouths. Myself included. To this day I wish Drogon would've made a snack of the two of them.

I hope I won't feel the same with Judkins and a Trolloc cooking pot. But it is starting to seem like it is going down that path. And I already know there will be 'Reeeee'ing over whatever I've typed and 'If you don't like it stick with the novels' is part of the rhetoric when it comes to people who thoroughly loved a book only to see the television series falling short of expectations. Yes, you need to cut back on things or interpret them a 'little' bit differently for the audience. This is 2021 however, the year I've seen so many things crash and burn this year. And even before '21. All because people's skin is as thin as wet tissue paper these days. Jordan could go on and on yes, but you can add some of those details to stick to the overall narrative he crafted. Not a 'personal vision' which equates to pandering and hand wringing to the masses who are either not fans, or fans with wildly varied views on this either because they just got into the books, or have begun watching the show.

There were already powerful women in those books. From one to fourteen. It isn't necessary to make it overkill all while slowly raising the down with the patriarchy flag in place of the Dragon Banner. That is also another point of contention for me. Judkins 'interpretation' of the Dragon. The Dragon has always been MALE. If the author himself says it. Then it must be so.

That flag was raised a bit higher when he intentionally stated that the soul of the Dragon himself was either male or female. When the Wheel needs to spin out the savior it would either be MALE or FEMALE. There is a male dragon, and the female equivalent of it. And I stress that fact. Meaning: They are separate entities. With the female possibly being Amaresu.… Expand

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1

roaringdolphinDec 21, 2021

The show is so dissapointing knowing what it could have been if Amazon had hired someone with a smaller ego who didn't think they were a better story teller than the author of the novels. The show has made one huge narrative choice that wasThe show is so dissapointing knowing what it could have been if Amazon had hired someone with a smaller ego who didn't think they were a better story teller than the author of the novels. The show has made one huge narrative choice that was seamingly only made to add unneeded tension to the show, and that choice has led to a plethora of issues that the showrunner clearly didn't have the foresight to see as every change made as a result from these issues makes the story worse than the books. This show hasn't filled me with want to dive deeper into this world and see all of its amazing and immense world building like the book becuase it spends so much time on teen drama and the before mentioned huge narritive choice. The show runner has also imposed a post sexual revolution view point into the show, going so far as to age some characters further into adulthood just so they could have sex more frequently, which effects how characters are precieved and greatly adds to the feeling this show is just cheap drama. The show runner has stated he didn't have enough time for the story but also adds in new story lines and completely wastes the time he has, so much so episode 5 has next to no value and what value it does have could have been put in other episodes and helped filled the waste there. I feel the characters are also worse than they were in the books, whether its more whiny and confrontational, much weaker willed, far stupider, less compasionate, or more emotional, these characters are less than they could be. My rating is a 5 and not lower because while it failed to bring exellency to many points, it did bring mediocrity to them. The show has also made me actually laugh from dialouge and has had some otherwise great interactions. Many aspects of the show also look amazing.… Expand

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2

Jones76Dec 24, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Is it really to much to ask for an adaptation that is somewhat faithful to the source material, respects the story and the characters? In retrospective I can't thank Peter Jackson enough for treating the Lord of the Rings the way he did.

To give some context, I'm a reader of the books, but that was a long time ago, so I don't remember much. I'm also one of those heavily criticizing the books, because they can be very boring at times. I also agree, that a 1:1 adaptation is not possible or sensible because the media works very differently. But that doesen't excuse this sloppy mess of a show.

Problems start with forced diverse casting that turns 1,95m tall stoic nordic warders in full armor in 1,67m asian dudes in tunics crying a lot. Problems continue with missing story arcs like Caemlyn, including the introduction of main characters like Elayne. And problems end at literally destroying characters and their arcs, changing story to something I don't recognize any more and incoherent plot. I guess Mat quit because someone gave him a copy of the book and he realized for what a mess he really singed up.

So, why not 0? Well 2 points are deserved for the special effects, I really like those and I think, Rand is a decent casting, not perfect, but decent. Rosamund Pike is really good and she is close enough to the book version. I also like some changes like showing the first battle with the trollocs. But all in all, the show is not something I can recommend to watch, if you are somewhat familiar with the source material.

If I would have no knowledge what so ever of the novels, I'd probably give 5 points. It is not the worst show, I have ever seen, that award goes to the Shannara Chronicles, but it is not the best either. The show breathes a woke agenda I'm pretty sick of by now, there are a lot of plotholes, acting is still not good. Watchable, but mediocre.… Expand

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1

COLDetritusDec 27, 2021

You may think a rating of one is harsh but it is generous. Bad storytelling even if you ignore the books. This abomination is neither a good adaptation nor a good TV show.I love the books and I had high hopes so I slogged through all 8You may think a rating of one is harsh but it is generous. Bad storytelling even if you ignore the books. This abomination is neither a good adaptation nor a good TV show.I love the books and I had high hopes so I slogged through all 8 episodes hoping beyond hope that it will get better, it didn't.
The good can be summed up in just one sentence: It has good scenery.
The writing is amateurish, the characters are unlikable, the directing is terrible, a lot of the the acting is bad. The sets and costumes are laughably bad and CGI looks like it was made 20 years ago.
The books are fully ignored and they only share names.… Expand

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AlzaifDec 31, 2021

Terrible writing, direction, and costumes, Wheel of Time hijacked to tell whatever it is that Rafe is going for.

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Philj1703Jan 5, 2022

krull reeboot.
feels cheap, slow paced, poor dialogue. could have been told more efficiently in 4 hrs.
their are better programmes for you to invest your time in. characters come across as petty and juvenile. theirs no speed or urgency to thekrull reeboot.
feels cheap, slow paced, poor dialogue. could have been told more efficiently in 4 hrs.
their are better programmes for you to invest your time in.
characters come across as petty and juvenile. theirs no speed or urgency to the programme, and the why of things is poorly explained.… Expand

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3

agwiz43Jan 6, 2022

The Wheel of Time has been spoiled by muddled writing, a failure to explain the plot and some pretty amateur sets, scenery and CGI. Considering this is supposed to be a premium fantasy TV series to rival Game of Thrones, it's got off to aThe Wheel of Time has been spoiled by muddled writing, a failure to explain the plot and some pretty amateur sets, scenery and CGI. Considering this is supposed to be a premium fantasy TV series to rival Game of Thrones, it's got off to a very poor sart. If I was in charge at Amazon TV HQ, I would be changing the Director, and probably the writing team, if Amazon want this to improve for season 2 & 3.… Expand

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MalohuMar 24, 2022

Woke identity politics nonsense that has very little to do with the books. This is a waste of time and money.

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2

playahaterJan 6, 2022

I hate having to write this. Having read the entire series of books I had high expectations and I was very happy they were doing a series and not a movie. I also understand that in making a live adaptation certain things need to be modifiedI hate having to write this. Having read the entire series of books I had high expectations and I was very happy they were doing a series and not a movie. I also understand that in making a live adaptation certain things need to be modified for time and context (having thoroughly enjoyed The Expanse and newest Dune movie - and yes I read the books). So these aren't fanboy issues that I have with the show. After watching the first full season I question whether the showrunners read the source material at all or just used a Wikipedia entry. There are so many fundamental changes to the "Eye of the World" characters and events that it comes off more as a bad fan fic with sex sizzle than a true adaptation. The addition of events that never happened and deletion of important elements is just too much in the end. This is the most prevalent in the season ending (I won't add spoilers, if you read the books I think you will understand what I mean). The production value, cast, and effects were great and if they hadn't strayed so far from the source I think this would have been a home run. It feels like this may have fallen victim to a "production by committee" mentality that shoehorned ideas that don't fit into the story. I won't watch season two without some serious redress of those issues. I would definitely not recommend the first season to fans of the series or newcomers either.… Expand