With the Streaming wars in full swing. Virtually every channel has their own streaming app. Money’s being spent by the big guns to become a household staple. With Netflix, Hbo, Disney, and Amazon being the companies with a lot of money to spend. We’re seeing the production value of some of these shows reach record breaking numbers. Just look at Lord of the Ring’s $465 million season 1 cost to Amazon. Admittedly, the cost to the rights alone cost a staggering $250 million.
You quickly begin to see that only big money will remain relevant in these streaming wars. Amazon has had it’s share of quality tv for a few years now. The Man in the High castle comes to mind. None have drawn me in as much as The Wheel of time has.
The Wheel of Time already has a ton of fans thanks to the novel of the same name. Set in a fantasy world where magic exists, but is only wielded by women. The show centers on a group of 5 individuals who could turn out to be “The Dragon Reborn”(This is not Skyrim). They set out on a quest to destroy “The dark one”, who can only be defeated by the Dragon Reborn.
Beautiful Scenery
I’m a huge fan of the genre because it lends itself to showcase vast and beautiful landscapes. The Wheel of Time has this down. The world feels vast and varied. Whether it be riding through open fields, or the elegance of the white tower. The care that was taken with each scene is noticeable. The character and costume designs are also very good. Every group has their own color palate which translates beautifully to the screen. Think of how imposing Gandalf the Grey looked when he became Gandalf the White. The Trollocs which are the main force of the dark one also look great. They remind me a minotaur.
Can Wheel of time stand with the big boys?
With Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings. Is Wheel of time good enough to stand next to these epic stories? Season 1 did an excellent job at introducing us to the world. The setup still left a lot of unanswered questions, which is a good thing. We know this is only the beginning.
The quest portion of the first season was well paced, and did a great job at introducing us to the 5 main characters. The acting is solid. The writing felt a bit too repetitive. I actually started to get annoyed at how distrustful the characters are of the only person keeping them alive. Too much time was wasted in these scenes.
The epic season finale battle felt unimpressive. They kept throwing out numbers like 5 or 10 thousand troops. But they seemed more like one or two hundred at most on screen. I never got the sense of scale from the battle. Likewise the battle with the dark one was “meh”. It was all underwhelming to be honest. Luckily the final few scenes, promised a grander season 2.
If your thinking Wheel of Time season 1 is gonna replace your “Red Wedding”, “Battle of the bastards”, or “The Battle of the Blackwater”. Your going to be disappointed. However it did have a strong first season showing. Hopefully we don’t get too may of these “I prefer the books” detractors. And I really hope they don’t follow in Netflix’s steps and cancel shows a week after they premier. WTF is that?!
Don’t miss Amazon Prime’s other quality shows
If anything, Wheel of time has made me take a second look at Amazon Prime’s streaming service. And for that I am thankful . It has a lot more content than I gave it credit for. It no longer feels like an after thought for Amazon.
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the origin story. It’s easily missable if you don’t look for it. It’s an animated short roughly 5 minutes in length.
Hope fully you decide to give it a look because, though not perfect. It has enough lore to grow in to an epic show, given the chance. Thanks for joining me, and as always. Stay retro…
