[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

So.... this lands in late August and they've released the first short trailer.

The Winter King Official Trailer

..... I really hope that's just a generic trailer and not an indication of the series. It's thoroughly underwhelming.

Be interested to hear what anyone else thinks - they're my favourite of Cornwell's books and I was blown away with the adaption of The Last Kingdom, so I'm not sure if my expectations are just too high for that short a trailer.

Having said that, Merlin telling Arthur to return feels much more traditional Arthur stories than it does the Warlord Chronicles version. I hope it's shorthand for brevity and not indicative that they're going to Camelot-ify the whole lot.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 12 July 2023 - 06:57 AM

[Cyphon]

My wife is a big fan and got me to read the book this year. It looks quite hollywoodised. Let's see as it's hard to do justice in a minute and it's trying to hook in those people who haven't read the book.

Maybe a fuller trailer will bring the complexity/authenticity.

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 12 July 2023 - 06:55 AM, said:

So.... this lands in late August and they've released the first short trailer.

The Winter King Official Trailer

..... I really hope that's just a generic trailer and not an indication of the series. It's thoroughly underwhelming.

Be interested to hear what anyone else thinks - they're my favourite of Cornwell's books and I was blown away with the adaption of The Last Kingdom, so I'm not sure if my expectations are just too high for that short a trailer.

Having said that, Merlin telling Arthur to return feels much more traditional Arthur stories than it does the Warlord Chronicles version. I hope it's shorthand for brevity and not indicative that they're going to Camelot-ify the whole lot.

Agreed. I could not imagine a more generic looking trailer for such a story.

Iain De Caestecker is a solid actor, I'm not getting much from him in that trailer...but he's REALLY good when he wants to be, so he'll make a solid Arthur I'm sure.

All that said, I have some faith since it's being made by Bad Wolf's Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, both people whose hand in production I trust. It's likely just a shitty trailer.

I'll be tuning in regardless.

[champ]

Merlin is black?! Wtf /s


Already seeing these comments, sigh...


IIRC though isn't there a character in these books that is black and it is made a point out of that its super rare?


Trailer is so bland and standard...

[Macros]

I feel like I tried to read these and stopped or am I thinking of a different series?

[Tiste Simeon]

I'd be surprised if you stopped them Macros, they're very much your thing I feel. Cornwell, history, probably got some dudes with big hands in there...

Edit: just watched the trailer. It was fine. Didn't thrill me but then I rarely pay attention to trailers nowadays. I'll definitely be watching it regardless.

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 13 July 2023 - 01:18 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

champ, on 12 July 2023 - 03:41 PM, said:

IIRC though isn't there a character in these books that is black and it is made a point out of that its super rare?

Yep - Sagramor. It's made a point of that the Saxons think he's a demon because they've never seen a black person before. Whilst he's great he is a minor character though, nothing crucial is lost if they gloss over that aspect. He can be a feared battle commander for a host of other reasons.

The thing that caught my eye with Merlin was that he doesn't look much older than Arthur and Derfel... maybe to make the relationship with Nimue more palatable? Probably shouldn't judge until we've seen him in the role though. Maybe he's just awesome.

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 14 July 2023 - 08:13 AM, said:

The thing that caught my eye with Merlin was that he doesn't look much older than Arthur and Derfel... maybe to make the relationship with Nimue more palatable? Probably shouldn't judge until we've seen him in the role though. Maybe he's just awesome.

Bolded would indeed be my guess.

[champ]

Anyone watch the first ep? Not had the chance yet.

[QuickTidal]

The reviews have basically said that it's bad AND a shit adaptation of the material....so as a fan of the books I expect to not care for it.

From the Forbes review (the reviewer has read the books):

Quote

Beyond that, the TV series is all but unrecognizable as an adaptation of the books.

Also the fact that it's on a new Streamer (MGM+) which we don't even have in Canada...makes me laugh uproariously...like you really expect me to sign up for a new service on top of the 4 that I already toggle between and rotate and curate depending on content? Fat fucking Chance MGM. You can't have my money. Maybe if it gets enough seasons to finish the story and it's well reviewed...but so far it's not looking like it.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Only available in the UK "at some point before the end of the year" so I'll watch it whenever they deign to let us have it.

A friend who is very fond of the books pirated the first episode and described himself as "cautiously optimistic" - and I feel he would definitely have said if it was unrecognisable. Fingers crossed.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 24 August 2023 - 03:10 PM

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 24 August 2023 - 03:10 PM, said:

Only available in the UK "at some point before the end of the year" so I'll watch it whenever they deign to let us have it.

It's baffling to me that region blocking is a thing. If you make a TV show, don't you want it to be seen by as many eyes as you can manage? You'd figure they'd work for a simulcast on whatever network or service they could get it on in as many countries as they could.

And this is Bad Wolf too isn't it ? (the 2005 Doctor Who reboot people, Gardner and Tranter)...it's baffling to me that a British production of a British story from a British (admittedly ex-pat) author...is only going to come to Britain maybe by the end of the year...But of course since Sony Acquired Bad Wolf, it's been a bit of a shitshow. So it's all likely Sony's fault...still....annoying.

[champ]

I didn't even realise it was blocked and not out in the UK. I'd seen an article saying first ep was out but couldn't find it. I wasn't too optimistic going in and definitely not now given the review.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

I will never understand region blocking. Also the fact it's only available in the US at the moment really makes me worry they've Hollywood-ised it to death.

I did come across a couple of reviews which enjoyed the first five episodes overall and praised the Arthur actor in particular, but the general consensus seems to be like the Forbes article. We'll see I guess. If it is bad, it's so disappointing when they had The Last Kingdom as a fantastic template for how to adapt a Cornwell story.

[Tiste Simeon]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 25 August 2023 - 05:56 AM, said:

I will never understand region blocking. Also the fact it's only available in the US at the moment really makes me worry they've Hollywood-ised it to death.

I did come across a couple of reviews which enjoyed the first five episodes overall and praised the Arthur actor in particular, but the general consensus seems to be like the Forbes article. We'll see I guess. If it is bad, it's so disappointing when they had The Last Kingdom as a fantastic template for how to adapt a Cornwell story.

Indeed I had such high hopes after TLK and this is not filling me with confidence.

That being said once I can watch it, I'll definitely do so...

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

So, um, I gave it a try. I didn't have high hopes after having half an eye on reviews, and was hoping for a well made if "in name only" adaption. The Last Kingdom after all is pretty strongly deviated from the books after the first couple of series but remained very strong throughout.

I'm not sure where to begin on this absolute nonsense. Most of the dialogue is laughably bad and often even more poorly acted. Derfel's wig is one of the most distractingly bad things I've ever seen, second only to his accent. Everyone (wig quality aside) has for the most part period long hair. Oh, but Arthur has a modern fade! That's how you can tell he's all progressive now he's back from Gaul!

The dialogue genuinely cannot decide what era it wants to be in. Uther declaims like he's performing Shakespeare in a theatre, Merlin sounds like he's from now and has no weight at all in the performance, Arthur delivers every line with the sort of pause at the end that makes you think he's expecting someone to applaud.

I know one of the criticisms of The Wheel of Time series was that everyone looks a bit too clean for the setting - I can't tell if it's the costuming, set design or a mixture of the two but this is the strongest example I've seen of everything feeling like people in costumes walking round a set. There's no suspension of disbelief and everything feels weightless.

I guess maybe its a reflection on the general high quality of TV these days, but I'm not usually a person who would notice things like shot construction or shot choices much, and yet so many in this feel bizarre. Closeups when they're not necessary and feel out of place, and then the camera being on the other side of the room in crowded shots for important dialogue. Weird blurring in some shots that seems to serve no purpose. The only word I can think of to describe the feel of it is "amateurish", and that's not remotely what I expected from a production company with the TV chops in its staff that Bad Wolf has.

I will probably try the second episode at some point, giving it the benefit of the doubt that most of the first was setup. I just can't imagine the dialogue and acting are going to improve enough to make a difference.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 22 December 2023 - 08:43 AM

[Tsundoku]

To be fair, a "short back and sides" or "fade" type haircut wasn't uncommon among the Romans and their allies and those who succeeded them due to being much more helmet-friendly.

That all I have though.

Isn't Bad Wolf the production company for Dr Who?

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 22 December 2023 - 12:15 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

That's fair!

Yes, Bad Wolf are a bunch of alumni of the Doctor Who revival. They produced the His Dark Materials series with the BBC as well.

I gave it a couple more episodes. It does improve from the car crash of the first episode, but it's still patchy and hard to believe the amateurish feel of it. Arthur gets better as it goes on, and the broad strokes of the story are there in some shape or form, but the setup and often characters are different. Some of the changes are interesting and work well, others feel bizarre or unnecessary.

It's definitely "in name only" as an adaption, and it's no Last Kingdom.