The Wheel Goes Around

 Just finished watching the first Episode of the Wheel of Time series.  
I avoided it, any news about it's production, when it was releasing and all of that. 
Which is funny, because I've read the series cover to cover multiple times and listened to the audio books on repeat for years while working by myself on overnights. 

And here it is almost a half hour after it's conclusion and I just don't know how I feel about it yet.  

Watching a book adaptation to television or film is always a feat in mental gymnastics because it is an adaptation.  There is no way to fully portray the inner workings of a character that you get in a written form transferred to a visual medium. 

I mean there are ways but...ah, that's a debate for a film class. 

As a fan of the books I like it.  

As fantasy film and television goes it's defiantly above average.  

My only quibbles are largely technical.  But I think that comes more from the medium than the actual production it's self.  

It's an Amazon streaming series.  Which means it's meant to be watched in a binge or in small clumps on a phone or a tablet which gives it's pacing...for me...was almost to fast.  
I guess the biggest nit pick is that I would have zoomed out more.  
Giving some longer shots to really appreciate the level of detail put into the scenery, sets, and costumes.  I would have used longer cuts.   the short clip, fast pacing of the sequences didn't allow the actors to really shine with much in the way of chemistry.  
I have to quibbles with the casting or ability of any of the actors in the show.  I actually would have done a very similar casting had I the reigns of the production.  However because of the focus on short, closeups of each of the actors and an almost light switch flipping level of angle changing done in the editing together you didn't get to see the characters really interact.  I'm not saying that they should have had Robert Altman levels of non directional character interactions but a little more in the way of letting the actors act with each other rather than the camera and slowing down the pacing for the interdictory scenes would have given the characters more time to impress on the audience.  

Again, these are more film school level nit picks over all wanting something I've cherished since child hood to be the absolute best of the best.  But over all it was enjoyable, and it was only the first episode, which, is meant to grab an audience that doesn't exist yet while trying not to ruffle the feathers of to many of the fanboys out there. 

On a personal level, it hit hard. It hit in a way that seeing Iron Man the first tine did.  Or the way that seeing End Game did after spending a decade with the characters. There's a lot to sort out there and I'll more than likely be watching more of it so feelings will be had even if I'm not wanting to. 

It's funny, that the Wheel of Time is what gets these fingers properly moving after so much silence.  
An enforced break more than anything.  Focusing on being...social...even if it is in a virtual space.
And...let's be real...in an effort to build a team. 

We'll see.  
After the holidays when I really get back into the thick of things and start the build up for the next couple of years.

Stay Safe