The Wheel of Time

3

veshchesJan 16, 2022

I really really want to like this show. It looks great. The actors are fine. Music is fine. But the story it is telling is just not that compelling.

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2

a_scott_aJan 6, 2022

There is no sense of geography. There is no sense of real connection - several characters were born in the same village but have nothing else in common. The introduction is almost exactly LOTR, children flocking around an arriving cart, aThere is no sense of geography. There is no sense of real connection - several characters were born in the same village but have nothing else in common. The introduction is almost exactly LOTR, children flocking around an arriving cart, a festival, ringwraiths arrive, the hobbits escape via feery. Season one is as contrived and random as GOT season 8, hard to imagine the rest of this thing worthwhile. The original characters, and the targeted readership, were about 14 years old. Exactly.… Expand

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1

leonardsunApr 21, 2022

This work is insulting to anyone who read the books. It should not exists!

Everything has been changed. The names remain the same. But they are absolutely not the same characters, not even the spirit of the book. This TV show is an absoluteThis work is insulting to anyone who read the books. It should not exists!

Everything has been changed. The names remain the same. But they are absolutely not the same characters, not even the spirit of the book. This TV show is an absolute travesty! I hate it! It negates all the meaningful character and spirit of the book that this show doesn't deserve to use the name Wheel of Time.… Expand

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1

cmbhjvJun 3, 2022

Some beautiful scenarios and great actors. It is a shame it is not followed by a reasonable script.

Some of the changes from the book seem unnecessary and, on many occasions, detrimental to the main plot. It seems that all was done in anSome beautiful scenarios and great actors. It is a shame it is not followed by a reasonable script.

Some of the changes from the book seem unnecessary and, on many occasions, detrimental to the main plot. It seems that all was done in an attempt to make it "Game of Thrones".

Basic storytelling mistakes prevent viewers from familiarizing and bonding with the characters. Everything is done hastily, with no time for character development.

The mythical universe is presented in a sloppy manner. Covering the whole first book in an 8-episode season was a terrible decision.… Expand

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4

Inheritance92Jan 5, 2022

I can understand the idea that the first book in the Wheel of Time is boring and non-cinematographic. But the problem with the show is that additions, simplifications and changes don't make much sense and create contradictions and plot holes.I can understand the idea that the first book in the Wheel of Time is boring and non-cinematographic. But the problem with the show is that additions, simplifications and changes don't make much sense and create contradictions and plot holes. The characters who knew each other all their lives and suddenly thrown into the big, hostile world are constantly bickering, having inane romances and generally behaving like teenagers (they are of nuptial age in the source, and actors are even more mature).
Visually, the additions to the show are generic low-budget fantasy nonsense: clothes with Chinese polyester laces, not suited for doing any work in it, multiple piercing, generic backgrounds, cheap, out-of-place props.
The elephant in the room is that the rumored $80 mil budget was simply embezzled. The show looks as cheap as Raimi's Legend of the Seeker, a 2010 show. The palaces are written away, the headquarters of the most powerful wizard order is represented by a corridor and a small room with polystyrene molding. The extras are few, there are no large-scale shots except some generic drone footage. We don't see fields or villages, we don't see horses, only small soundstage and some woods (there is even no continuity in seasons, which change from autumn to winter just between shots).
The casting is bad, too. Only the guest actors and Pike and Henney can act at all. The other seem unable to even remember their lines. Obligatory diversity quota makes the cast look out of place and lead to ridiculous situations of members of the same family having different races or a character, featuring a long, prominent braid in the books, being unable to wear a braid due to curly hair.
To summarize, the show has almost no connection to the original, except misapplied names. The message, the plot, the characters and situations are fumbled, and the stuff invented by the authors is inconsistent and incoherent.… Expand

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5

AndonDec 11, 2021

Entertaining waste of time.

I have read the books and indefinitely don't like this show. That said it's not bad to watch if one have not idea what the books are about. It is not amazing but I don't get bored watching it either.

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1

ckgamerFeb 12, 2022

Terrible acting …awkward camera..no proper color grading ugly women..rotten to the core like every other sjw bs! Amazon continues ruining famous fantasy titles next stop: the lord of the rings universe .. cancel Amazon prime asap

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2

roarcheckMay 3, 2022

I am usually not overly critic of tv-adaptations after reading books - after all these are 2 completely different mediums with different requirements. Suffice it to say, this is bad... One can see, that there is good production value and aI am usually not overly critic of tv-adaptations after reading books - after all these are 2 completely different mediums with different requirements. Suffice it to say, this is bad... One can see, that there is good production value and a lot of money was spent. Every now and then there is a scene that is in and of itself visually pleasing, yet it still manages to look bad and cheap like the old Hercules and Xena shows at the same time. Story does not make any sense whatsoever. You can see they tried, but failed miserably.… Expand

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1

Duneda1n87Sep 5, 2022

Not accurate to the books at all, what rafe judkins wishes the wheel of time was, and it's terrible

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4

jpetersenmmcDec 26, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (Don’t think I’ll be returning for season 2)
This show takes an interesting approach to the source material. While it try’s to hit the core events it painstakingly changes the entirety of the characters story. I’d say the show is only about 10% accurate to the books. I won’t say it’s awful but just different. At the end I asked my self, how much do you have to change something before it’s different than the thing it originally was?

The love triangle and overall romance is all eye rolling. And the poor writing and pacing is all over the place. Characters seem to warp from point A to point B because the plot needs it. The magic system is not explained it just is there. They choose to kill off a character and then heal her via magic in 10 seconds. It makes her dying in the first place dumb. It’s the show trying to fabricate false drama. And none of our Male leads really seem to matter. They honestly should have just called the show “Aes Sedai” As a casual fan of the books I’m not upset they needed to make changes. I think overall episode 1,7,8 are all below average. Everything in between those episodes I found myself actually enjoying fair enough. If I had to give this show a comparison I’d put in on par with Lost in terms of writing and direction. This show isn’t bad but there isn’t anything special about it yet. That being said I don’t think this show is necessarily for me. I don’t think I’ll be returning for season 2.… Expand

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5

MuwusDec 10, 2021

Fan of the books here. I recommend going into the show being aware that this is about Moiraine and not the two rivers folk. I love the interactions between the young characters but they cut out the vast majority of it and instead put in moreFan of the books here. I recommend going into the show being aware that this is about Moiraine and not the two rivers folk. I love the interactions between the young characters but they cut out the vast majority of it and instead put in more stuff about Moiraine. For non-book readers, imagine if the Peter Jackson LOTR films spent the vast majority of their time with Gandalf and sometimes the hobbits were there, maybe Aragorn makes an appearance briefly.
It's a bit disappointing because I don't think there'll be another adaptation. It's a decent fantasy show, but it is inspired by the books not based on them… Expand

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0

DeralacAug 24, 2022

Mediocre book ruined by the same group of high school freshmen writing almost everything on TV these days. Boring, mundane and yuck.

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5

AdamEnDetailDec 24, 2021

I must say I often wonder why anyone would rate or review a series based on some episodes rather than an entire season. If I had rated Wheel of Time based of off only the first six episodes, I would give a far better rating. That's because II must say I often wonder why anyone would rate or review a series based on some episodes rather than an entire season. If I had rated Wheel of Time based of off only the first six episodes, I would give a far better rating. That's because I went into this show really wanting to like it - and for the first six episodes, I did. The entire season however, leaves a lot to be desired. Wheel of Time showed an intriguing world full of promise. A world unique but familiar, and one you'd imagine would continue to expand beautifully. It was not perfect in its entirety but it was fascinating, rich, and alive. Also showing a clearly high production value.

Unfortunately, more and more movies and shows seem to not understand simple concepts around storytelling, and this show is no exception. Have a strong bunch of motivated characters audiences can get behind - and tell stories with a beginning, middle, and an end; even when the stories are lengthy or multilayered over a long journey. I mean Harry Potter was seven (7) books, each one was clearly defined. On the other hand, this show has weak characters; as some characters are paper-thin, unexplored and without proper motives. While the show as a whole, is not defined, open-ended and lacks a closing.

From the start, the show build and builds, raising questions. Once it gets to episode five or six, where it's expected to answer some of those questions, it plateaus. And then it tries to build further and reach for more without providing answers or adequate reasoning behind all it does. By the end of episode seven it descends into inexplicable gibberish, while the whole of episode eight is a massively underwhelming and anticlimactic "to be continued". It all makes very little sense and simply put, it crumbles under its own weight; hardly meaning anything and failing to tell a definitive story.

Also, the show consciously puts forward a strong and interesting matriarchal world. But, it was indeed unsettling that there was no positive-male-presence within its seemingly vast expanse. And I wondered, if patriarchy is simply replaced with matriarchy isn't it simply just a role-reversal and inequality remains? So although Wheel of Time tries to be progressive, it sort of fails in its attempt to portray equality.

All in all, it started off with promise with an enticing new world full of potential. Along with some strong and intriguing performances from Rosamund Pike, Zoe Robins, and Sophie Okonedo. You can see how much work and effort has been put into the show, as well as how much money has been spent on the production. However, it struggles to deliver on its promises and the world it spends so much time building - such that in the end it simply falls apart into unintelligible mediocrity. Failing to strike the balance that would have made it truly exceptional. Also, all the Game of Thrones comparisons are meaningless and unfounded - both shows differ immensely.… Expand

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0

kenedy11Aug 27, 2022

Mas é muito ruim. Me forcei a assistir isso, larguei pela metade, essa esta na lista de gostaria de desver.

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2

johndoe43Jul 15, 2022

I have not read the books. The show is a confusing mess that lurches from one chase scene to the next with no reason. I understand from other reviews that the show takes a lot of liberties from the book. That makes sense as it appears thatI have not read the books. The show is a confusing mess that lurches from one chase scene to the next with no reason. I understand from other reviews that the show takes a lot of liberties from the book. That makes sense as it appears that this series is produced by 20-somethings who think they know better than the author.… Expand

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0

Kralazar_MallusSep 7, 2022

Года так 4 назад узнал о готовящемся дорогущем сериале по Вселенной. Узнал, что автор во многом является наследником Толкина, с его Высоким фэнтези. Это я люблю. Прочитал все 14 книг, что заняло порядком времени. Сижу, жду выход сериала. ОнГода так 4 назад узнал о готовящемся дорогущем сериале по Вселенной. Узнал, что автор во многом является наследником Толкина, с его Высоким фэнтези. Это я люблю. Прочитал все 14 книг, что заняло порядком времени. Сижу, жду выход сериала. Он вышел. Я увидел отзывы и понял, что не посмею портить впечатление от книг этой анальной водой, которую мне Безос решил залить в уши. Потому так его и не посмотрел. Спасибо, не любитель жрать не свежий понос. Потому оценка 0 из 10. За толлерастию, за переписывание оригинальной истории, за наплевательское отношение к первоисточнику, за повесточку. Кино должно быть ВНЕ политики! По крайней мере адаптации. Либо снимай, как автор велел, либо не снимай вовсе. А иначе столкнешься с неродным гневом. НЕ пользуйся услугами Амазон. НЕ покупай их товары.
НЕ бери подписку на их стриминг. ИГНОРИРУЙ Амазон. БАСТУЙ против Амазон. И если нас будет много - эта корпа зла разорится и послужит примером всем остальным любителям радужных флагов.… Expand

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5

YcoMay 19, 2022

It's difficult to understand how one could mangle the themes and plot of this show so badly when there is a wealth of source material available as well as exhaustive online copy to reference. There's also inconsistent editing, but ultimatelyIt's difficult to understand how one could mangle the themes and plot of this show so badly when there is a wealth of source material available as well as exhaustive online copy to reference. There's also inconsistent editing, but ultimately it's the writing mis-steps that bothered me the most.… Expand

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3

PeachboiiiAug 26, 2022

Ive never read the books, so cant compare. But overall, this feels like a generic fantasy show, and a **** one too. I feel like the showrunner is way out of this depth and totally missed the mark, and that Amazon totally misfired with theirIve never read the books, so cant compare. But overall, this feels like a generic fantasy show, and a **** one too. I feel like the showrunner is way out of this depth and totally missed the mark, and that Amazon totally misfired with their choice of showrunner. I would blame the writers too, but since this is based on existing work, and dont if its the writers that are subpar or if the books are actually like this. The acting, for the most part, is laughably bad too.… Expand

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2

CasperTheHumanSep 2, 2022

Above all the other problems there is one that rises above all else: it's really, really boring.

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2

syldocOct 18, 2022

the story has been completely rewritten compared to the book and we don't understand anything in the end. The books were good, but sometimes there were lengths, the series is mixed up.

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7

Voodoo123Dec 23, 2022

The excellent cast and storyline kept me engaged from start to end. Clearly aiming for some of that sweet game of thrones like sucess...Budget could've been higher for the visual effects but the world building here was fascinating. LookingThe excellent cast and storyline kept me engaged from start to end. Clearly aiming for some of that sweet game of thrones like sucess...Budget could've been higher for the visual effects but the world building here was fascinating. Looking forward to season 2!… Expand

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2

loopsoffuryMar 9, 2023

Arbitrary changes to source material which make it difficult to follow the plot lines in a series with a huge number of characters, poor production quality for the budget and odd casting decisions (ranging from terrible to great). Not worthArbitrary changes to source material which make it difficult to follow the plot lines in a series with a huge number of characters, poor production quality for the budget and odd casting decisions (ranging from terrible to great). Not worth the time to watch.… Expand

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0

Darius_22Aug 7, 2023

A complete desecration of the books and a kick in the nuts to RJ's weeping corpse.
Director actively hates the source material, went out of his way to ruin it and ignored and maliciously bullied the "lore master" hired to assist him withA complete desecration of the books and a kick in the nuts to RJ's weeping corpse.
Director actively hates the source material, went out of his way to ruin it and ignored and maliciously bullied the "lore master" hired to assist him with keeping the series on track.
Avoid this farce of a show.… Expand

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2

UncleWillardAug 22, 2022

I wanted to give this a try since it's one of the few series I haven't read and could enjoy it as purely a TV series. Not even 14 books could save this. It's boring and the actors, almost to a person, lack any charisma (seriously, the men areI wanted to give this a try since it's one of the few series I haven't read and could enjoy it as purely a TV series. Not even 14 books could save this. It's boring and the actors, almost to a person, lack any charisma (seriously, the men are better looking than the women in almost every case with the exclusion of Pike. I know that sounds shallow and shouldn't matter, but it's like a boil you can't look away from. I've never even thought about that before, but that's what happens when the story is not worth investing your time). Is WOT a YA series? It certainly seems so. This is why I turned away from fantasy. Once you've read Tokien, everything else is a pale rip-off. This is no exceptions. It doesn't even feel like the writer bothered to build their own world, but rather just jumbled a bunch of other, historical eras, some bland fantasy magic, and a mediocre DnD dungeon crawl. Seriously, Tinkers? The only upside? It makes me feel I could write a better show.… Expand

0 of 49 users found this helpful049

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2

cylunNov 17, 2022

I couldn't watch it till the end. Too soon, you notice that this show is more about politics that don't fit this universe at all. If I was interested in this, I'd watch some crappy modern reality TV show. But I don't, why might that be?I couldn't watch it till the end. Too soon, you notice that this show is more about politics that don't fit this universe at all. If I was interested in this, I'd watch some crappy modern reality TV show. But I don't, why might that be? Perhaps, fantasy is supposed to let us escape from this world's issues?… Expand

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3

skykappahOct 31, 2022

Haven't read the books so I can't compare, but it is just sooo boring. Not including Pike and Henney, all the other actors are really terrible and hammy. It tries sooo hard to be high fantasy but instead feels like a children's show. How didHaven't read the books so I can't compare, but it is just sooo boring. Not including Pike and Henney, all the other actors are really terrible and hammy. It tries sooo hard to be high fantasy but instead feels like a children's show. How did they manage that, I do not know....
Probably not going to tune in for series 2.… Expand