The Wheel of Time (TV Series) Leavetaking (2021) User Reviews

A beginning.

[wms-92741 · 8/10 · 22 November 2021]

This introductory episode starts slowly but gets thrilling about 2/3 through. The cast seems to fit, especially Moraine Sedai and Lan Mandragoran. There are some changes from the book.

Those reviews which tell you this is flawless are best dismissed, as well as those reviews which tell you this is worthless. This story spanned 14 volumes, some of them pretty thick, and passing judgement after less than an hour is premature.

An exposition of the world of the Wheel of Time was necessary and it inevitably took some patience. I was willing to invest this patience and in the end I was happy I spent an hour watching this episode... especially since I already had Amazon Prime and had therefore already paid for it. I'm looking forward to the next one, which should involve less in the way of slow exposition and, I would expect, might be a little faster moving.

Not perfect but not at all bad either.

Too quick, no substance?

[xtidusxyunax · 6/10 · 20 November 2021]

Sorry Rafe Judkins. Please hand the show off if you cannot do the following.

Big WoT fan and following the audience before its release.

Here are things that needs to change to make this great.

1. Pacing - I know you've got a lot to adapt but it's going so quick your missing amazing moments from the books.

2. Character moments - We are missing great character moments, where they just sit and talk or do things together so we feel a bond or connection to the characters.

3. Script - Basically the top 3 points are all about dialogue. Just adapt page to page rather than interpretations, something like early season of GoT, give us 7 minutes per episode of good scripts.

4. Cinematography - I do not like shaky cam action, it isn't clear, get the actors to train more with fighting and get a action DP. This along with the landscapes, you've got amazing sets and area in Europe, use them, use many establishing shots.

Overall I am disappointed that its not only going so fast, but making the characters not the characters from the books. Pending a change in review in the coming episodes and hopefully longer than 8 seasons, but if it's at this quality, it is sub-par and can be better.

Slow down.

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 21 November 2021]

The Wheel of Time's debut episode is a very promising start but I can't help but wish they'd spent the 1st installment solely focused on establishing the world, lore, characters & stakes before thrusting us mercilessly in to overbearingly epic action sequences...

I mean yes, admittedly, although Uta Briesewitz (a visionary talent) directs the spectacular climactic battle beautifully & despite the fact that DoP David Moxness' skilful eye captures the pilot impressively with his gorgeous cinematography, the rushed pacing of the script & over reliance on gratuitous grandiosity results in feeling of somewhat disappointment - because although I get the launch was clearly designed as a statement of intent & an immediate answer to the demands of CEO Jeff Bezos (who reportedly insisted Amazon Studios create a show which "put Game of Thrones to shame" for his streaming service), the creators tasked with that responsibility seemed to forget just what made HBO's series work & thus, squandered the story's potential.

Let me explain: before the massive, groundbreaking set pieces throughout George RR Martin's iconic, sprawling fantasy TV adaptation (& before David Benioff & D. B. Weiss ruined it with that utterly appalling, dreadful 8th season), in the initial series, the narrative actually took the time to lay the foundations; introducing the inhabitants of Westeros; the plethora of noble houses, their distinct histories / mythological events which traditions were each built upon, the key players, their power dynamics / capabilities / shared ambitions / differences of perspectives & the naturally occuring conflicts that would eventually erupt from those growing divisions / selfish pursuits. Hence, by the time wars were instigated & fought, we were already emotionally invested in the drama & cared about the well-being of protagonists caught up in the violence (& consequently, how it developed) - because we knew the motivations of the main players, grasped their intentions, were aware of what was at risk & possessed a basic understanding of how these pieces all loosely fitted together, forming a bond with the ensemble as they grew / we learned more.

Take "Hardhome" for instance - an episode this seems to brazenly draw particular inspiration from (very similar in scale / setting / scenario) - that succeeded because prior to the major confrontation between good & evil, the audience had 4 previous seasons, gradually teasing the encroachment of the ominous "White Walkers" (reaffirming the threat they posed to the realms of men / our favourite heroes) & 7 weeks of build up beforehand in S5 (47 hours in total), meticulously setting events in motion, creating genuine tension & a sense of foreboding / dread / expectation... So by the time the "Others" made their presence known, we needed very little else - other than to watch the inevitable massacre unfold. That's because after 5 years of the show, should clashes have occurred at any point in that story between the living & the dead, all the hard work had been done.

The same can't be said for this... We barely have time to remember the group's names before they start dropping like flies, picked off by random CGI creatures we've never seen / heard before. Of course, as I've conceded, the filmmaking is technically impressive... But that doesn't compensate for (nor negate) the underdeveloped rapidity of the storytelling. It just seems as though the creators were in a hurry to reach the visually interesting parts / best bits of the source material & skipped ahead. Therefore, we've been plunged in to the climax, rather than the beginning.

Solid start

[fryguy-88668 · 19 November 2021]

I'm a huge fan of the series. I think I've read all of them at least 3 times. Acting was good as were special effects. My only criticism is that they made it a little dark. Mostly the tone...but also the lighting.

An interesting departure.

[mycp-97815 · 9/10 · 19 November 2021]

I'm a huge fan of the books and am enjoying the miniseries so far. It's a clear departure, but the book story doesn't move like film needs to - so I'm along for the ride. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Mixed Bag Beginning

[shawneuser · 6/10 · 21 November 2021]

Look, Episode 1 of the much anticipated Wheel of Time is probably better than the lambasting it is getting from some book purists and it is probably worse than the praise from the fans who've waited 30 years to see any WoT on the screen.

I own and love the books. In my standings, WoT is the second greatest fantasy series of all time, behind LOTR, obviously. I expected there would be some changes from the source material, and that is fine.

Ultimately, Episode 1 was a mixed bag with good and bad things.

The Bad 1. The Dragon Reborn can be a female, possibly. No, the Dragon can NOT. This isn't a minor change. It ignores everything about the Source. The Dragon Reborn must wield the male half of the source. The Dragon Reborn, no matter how many times the wheel has turned, has always been a male. Egwene is a very important character in the series. You don't need to try to make her more important.

2. Egwene is taeveren. Also, not a minor change. At no point in 15 books was Egwene ever shown to have any ta'veren attributes or luck. The fact that she was NOT ta'veren and still accomplished what she did was a credit to her. Again, don't need to make her more important than what she already is.

3. Nynaeve's casting. Bad call. Even though it makes no biologic sense for Emond's Field to be more diverse than a modern town, I am going to ignore that. But the actress cast as Nynaeve doesn't capture the character and she looks too old. And why is she so openly angry with Morraine?

4. Pacing. Too rushed in parts and too profound in others. You don't have to touch on every theme in the series in the first episode. Also, the huge fight at the end was too long and unnecessary. The beginning of the fight when everyone is just running around screaming looks poorly choregraphed.

5. Rand and Egwene get it on. This recasting Egwene as a modern woman who can have sex whenever she wants is totally dismissive of the world this story is set in. Sex can lead to pregnancy, which is a MUCH bigger problem in THAT world than it is in this one.

6. Trolloc CGI - Dicey at times

The Good

1. The casting of Rand, Matt, Perrin, Egwene and Lan. Despite the cast representing a bunch of checked boxes, these five are all excellent casting choices. They embody their characters well and for them alone, I will continue to follow the story.

2. Morraine and Lan in the hot tub. Excellent scene.

3. The use of the One Power - very impressive.

4. Egwene actually appears to love Rand. Ambiguous in the books. I actually prefer this take on their relationship.

A Good Beginning to the Wheel of Time

[jseph1234-262-617488 · 9/10 · 20 November 2021]

To Preface, I have read / lisen to 9 out of the 14 books several times and I have to say that the way Two Rivers is depicted and use of the One Power by the Aes Sedai is Magnificient. This episode really brought the Book "The Eye of the World" to life.

Some of the scences are a bit age 18+ which really wasn't Robert Jordan's style, overall the feel and heart depicted from the book make sense for our modern times and I really enjoyed the episode being a Big Rober Jordan fan.

Fast paced but decent start

[chriswarmaneditor · 7/10 · 19 November 2021]

A bit fast-paced for my liking, especially considering I am a huge fan of the books. But all things considered it sets up the world and quest in a very clear way. It's well shot and well acted, and I can't really complain much more than pacing-wise.

enjoyable

[giorgiqibishauri-45275 · 8/10 · 20 November 2021]

First episode is enjoyable but still has some weaknesses. 1. I felt like it was overly dramatized in some moments 2. Music was just meh, especially at fighting scenes. I really loved nature tho, visually it's 10/10 and i feel like actors and actresses are doing decent job too.

Rocky opening but great episode

[sianlant-49692 · 7/10 · 19 November 2021]

For book readers there are a few changes, some for the better some for the worse. The opening could've been better however still a solid episode showing a lot of promise. The trollocs look unique, did seem a little rushed however at least it wasn't dragging. The casting is great, as are the locations and costume designs. Good start to WoT.

Waited 22 years for this

[campbel-11998 · 10/10 · 20 November 2021]

Older, wiser, knew adapting a book of this magnitude to the screen would give us a somewhat different story.

In the first 15 minutes I knew I was going to enjoy this series.

Literally choked up getting through this first episode. I was only 20 years old when I picked up Eye Of The World.

Mole!

[bbevis-47954 · 7/10 · 29 November 2021]

Remember the joke in Austin Powers Goldmember when Austin can't stop pointing out the mole on the guys face?

The acting is decent but it feels very rushed so far. The climatic battle was cool though with some weird CGI rocks from 2005. A decent start but some odd casting choices with at least two of the four main characters having zero charisma.

Not the Wheel of Time - Episodes 1 & 2 with book spoilers

[tu-agamemnon · 4/10 · 22 November 2021]

I've read the books. I am open to change. However once you alter the soul of a work, it's better to simply call it something else.

Tonally: This show appears to be trying hard to be both Lord of the Rings (which Eye of the World greatly resembles) and Game of Thrones, which it shares little to no similarity with. It fails at both, falling nowhere & feeling like a chimaera of sorts.

BOOK SPOILERS FOLLOW:

Story wise: They're trying to find the dragon reborn. That's established right off the (regurgitated) bat. Big deviation. HUGE. Because few in that universe are comfortable talking about the Dragon, much less being a reincarnation of him. The fear of being outed as a random male channeler alone influences the conclusion of the first book and the beginning of the second book. The implications of this story change are to be frank, staggering. It robs the story of much of its build-up.

In the books, they're hunting for Ta'veren, which makes so much more sense as a goal, includes even the female characters and doesn't reveal what the real end goal is, building all kinds of mystery about this dragon.

And I didn't want to say this lest I be accused of sexism but the Dragon is supposed to be male because that has major, series spanning implications for how ALL men are treated. In terms of world building, a man being reborn in a woman's body would still have the same soul & as a channeler would access the male half of the source. (See: Arangar) Once Moiraine gets Egwene to channel the female half, she would be off the table as a contender I would think unless they changed that too.

There are other niggles like the geography of the whole place. There's no Two Rivers town. It doesn't even look like a town. The Two Rivers is a region with several villages. Emond's Field is supposed to be the village the story starts off from but that name's omitted.

For the characters, I can accept the bitter tasting alterations, of which there are several:

Moiraine is supposed to be this woman of mystery. With false names and hidden purpose. Instead she is used for plot exposition that isn't even required so early in the story.

Perrin has a wife. She expectedly gets fridged so he can develop. Which is a pity because this series should have been above that treatment of female characters. In the books Perrin going berserk is supposed to occur while fighting Whitecloaks several chapters later, after his contact with wolves. But fine.

Egwene and Rand are now boning. They're no longer prudish villagers. I'm hoping they won't say they love each as brother and sister next season, that would be awkward.

Mat's thieving seems as problematic as his new family situation. His father's (minor) character was assassinated. Yet it's nothing as drastic as the others.

What's wierd is how these changes reflects on the social mores of Emond's Field people. They're not the same wide-eyed village bumpkins. Screws things up down the line for future characterization but the writers are now free to do whatever.

Based on how things have been set up, I don't expect to be doing further reviews. Rating them should suffice if I can even stand watching this.

Excellent adaptation

[jlmcgirk · 10/10 · 21 November 2021]

I loved this first episode. I've read all the books many times and was concerned the adaptation to television would miss the mark. Pike did an astounding job of explaining so much exposition in such a short amount of time. So many reviewers here have never read the stories so feel free to completely ignore their jaded reviews as they're comparing apples to oranges, and when they can adapt a 14 book series to television, then I'll take their opinion to heart. Until then, enjoy this excellent adaptation for what it is, an adaptation from book to television for the western viewer.

Satisfied this die hard fan

[yuukanna · 9/10 · 19 November 2021]

I've been reading this book series on repeat since I was a preteen. I was nervous but excepted for the show.

So much is different, yet it's still true to the story. Some changes feel drastic, but to a fan who understands the characters in depth, the necessity of these changes for the screen start to become apparent.

The pacing is fast, and might feel rushed... but the emotional impact worked out, and I can't wait to see how the show develops the story with its cinematic changes going forward.

A bit cringey

[oszajcakk · 7/10 · 20 November 2021]

WoT is a great, but very complicated story, so changes are expected. Sadly, they took it bizarre approach. Some scenes look like there were taken from other shows and movies (wizard is coming to town and mysterious mark made from dead bodies). There is one women are powerful scene and at some point, story changes into teen drama. Casting is moderately good, although Nynaeve looks to old. Actress in not even 30, but she looks much older. And the changes to the story are very painful. It's seems like duality of the magic is going to abandoned.

Book purists wont like it. Fantasy lovers will love it.

[stefankenter · 9/10 · 19 November 2021]

I was kind of dreading to watch the show as I had seen some reviews that worried me. Seems there was nothing to worry about. I always knew there were going to be changes, that is always the case with adaptations as you can't put the way things are explained in the books directly onto the screen. Inner monologues are a good example.

Some changes I understand better than others. Nynaeve's backstory change was made to establish her hatred for the Aes Sedai early on, instead of it coming from her blaming Moiraine for putting the others in danger.

Perrin having a wife and her dying by his hand was a big change, but it did establish his bloodrage and his hate for his axe early on aswell,

The Dragon possibly being a woman doesnt bother me at all. It just adds more mystery for people who dont know, and won't end up harming the core of the story.

There are more changes that I completely understand and can get behind. If I'm being completely honest it's kind of nice to not know everything that will happen beforehand. As a book-reader it keeps it fresh.

This still feels very much like The Wheel of Time to me. The series stays true to the essence of the world, characters and story, which is all I can ask for. Yes it doesnt strictly follow everything from the books, but they need to appeal to a much wider audience than just fans of the books, and they did that wonderfully.

Some other points:

• The CGI is a bit wonky here and there, but overall it's good.

• Characters, dialogue and acting is great, allthough a bit tropey at times.

• Cinematography overall is good, but nothing new. Loved the scenery!

• Music and soundtrack is great, fitting and unique.

Book purists who only want to see things exactly as they were in the books will not like this show. Maybe be a bit more open minded, and watch this as another turning of the wheel, or as if this is happening in a mirror world. Be glad this was brought to life. It's a great time to be alive for fantasy fans, and this is only the, or should I say, a beginning.

Trying too hard in many facets of the game

[des-88232 · 6/10 · 29 November 2021]

As anyone who has read the books can tell you, Robert Jordan was absolutely meticulous when it came to his storytelling and his world building.

Now I understand how that might not translate to tv. In particular in a pilot episode. But damned if it didn't feel like they soiled the bed in this particular episode. Poorly sequenced, Horrible pacing. Sound effects were unimaginative. Tried too hard to fit things in, but also trying too hard to get their points across. Full of tropes, and unoriginality. Like someone who thought they were doing cutting edge, imaginative work, all the while not realizing they were making all formulaic, run of the mill choices.

The good news is that it does get better.(ep 4, wow!). The bad news is that the casting is very hit and miss. Moiraine, Logain, Nynaeve, hit. The Children of the Light were pretty well done too. Rand, the Aes Sedai,judgement reserved thus far. Everyone else, so far, miss. The Trollocs had promise, but come off as just generic, formulaic, bestial fodder. Perrin, poor Perrin. Through 4 episodes, I'm wondering why Perrin even exists in this show. I'm not sure if it is that the actor hasn't brought anything to the role, or that the show hasn't.

Either way. I am optimistic despite the stumble out of the gate. Wouldn't be the 1st show to find its voice after the 1st turn of the wheel.

More than I expected

[soulgamingsg · 10/10 · 20 November 2021]

Certainly pleasantly surprised with how it all went down in the end. I'm not a fan of the opening scene... They should have kept with the book on this one. But other than that I'm happy to see my beloved series come to screen at last.

:/

[aboalhyjaa · 7/10 · 19 November 2021]

Unfortunately, this episode seemed inherently unfilmable. They could've filmed it better.

The CGI and other effects are a big no no. And most importantly the pacing was a bit off.

But to be completely fair -as a non reader of the novels- i see potential's in this show, so ima keep watching it at least for the end of the season.

A really great start!

[poorginey · 10/10 · 19 November 2021]

I went in 100% OK with this not being a true adaptation of the books, because let's be real, there's no way that would work in this medium. With that mindset, I had an absolute blast watching the whole thing unfold. There are some changes I'm sure book fans will hate and seethe about, but frankly, it doesn't matter. The books will always be there for us to love and enjoy, and this show isn't going to change that reality. Give it a try!

World of Warcraft LARP

[ohroonoko · 6/10 · 21 November 2021]

Haven't read the books. At any rate, this feels like some World of Warcraft LARP that no serious person would dare compare to GOT. The direction, dialogue- virtually everything- is underwhelming and uninspired. The sets and costumes look like off-the-rack sets and costumes. The whole world looks and feels low budget. I do not plan on watching the rest of this series unless it gets great word of mouth, then maybe I'll return and give it another shot. But for now, it's a nope from me.

Bad storytelling

[molvich · 4/10 · 22 November 2021]

I'm a big fan of the books and was cautiously hopeful based on the trailers. The actual product disappoints considerably. Numerous tweaks to the original universe create unnecessary drama and establish the first episode from having any real high points, which make its low points far less impactful. What could have been a bit slower paced and engaging is instead rushed and boring.

A lot of money went into this, and that shows, but it just wasn't interesting, entertaining, or at all promising for the future. My love of the series will have me sticking with it a bit longer, if nothing else for the spectacle and perhaps the cast will finally be allowed to build some sort of chemistry with each other that will allow their interactions some trace of humanity or interest.

Good Start

[christopherconnolly · 8/10 · 20 November 2021]

This is pretty much how I remember the beginning of The Eye of the World. It's a little rushed which is to be expected on TV, otherwise a show would need 20 episodes a season which would water down budgets and cause other more glaring issues.

Good effects and good casting in my opinion, always good to have reletively unknown actors when it comes to fantasy as you have a more authentic experience.

Sensitive generation

[amine-2010 · 10/10 · 19 November 2021]

Damn a lot of kids giving the show (The Wheel of Time) low rating because books are better lol yeah always books are better especially fantasy books .

Take note (Lord of the rings trilogy) wins 17 oscar's and still till this day books are better than films . Because its very very hard to adapt same image in book on big screen this is impossible even of you have all the money of the world. Glad I don't care about sensitive generation reviews, if u love fantasy like me go ahead and enjoy .