High fantasy adaptations are always a risky proposition.
These adaptations are held to a ridiculously high standard by Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. These franchises are the standard-bearer when it comes to striking the balance between expansive world building, breathtaking action set pieces, and delivering undeniably beguiling storylines. It’s a delicate balance to achieve and even harder to maintain as evidenced by these franchises themselves (e.g. The Hobbit films and the final few seasons of GOT).
Yet, over the past 20 years since Lord of the Rings graced cinemas, we see these adaptations — both on the big and small screen — fall into one of two categories. The first, is the high-gloss, uber-budget epic that invests so heavily into world building (via set design, costumes, and action set pieces) but skimps on a strong (or logical) script and the dialogue clonks as long as any sword fight. The second, is adaptations obsessed with lore and overstuffing a script so much that you feel its sheer weight would knock down the adaptation’s circa 1995 CD-ROM computer game effects and set pieces ripped from a shutdown theme park.
So, when Prime Video dropped their adaptation of Robert Jordan’s famed Wheel of Time books, you could imagine this viewer’s (and likely many others’) trepidation heading into the first three episodes. However, the three-episode drop of this adaptation works to near perfection as each episode develops one of the key elements of the series. The first episode, “Leavetaking,” does a magnificent job of world-building as it places viewers in this breathtaking, epic landscape filled with magic and some of the best monsters this side of Mordor. The second episode, “Shadows Waiting,” develops the narrative we’re about to embark on — creating the dread and drama the evil forces have for our protagonists, while also setting the table for future conflict. The third episode, “A Place of Safety,” allows for much-needed character development, taking the leads and injecting some much needed soul and purpose into what are relegated as caricatures for the previous two episodes.
By the end of the third episode, you’re left with that all-important feeling: wanting so much more. It’s not from a lack of storytelling or character development or bloody action. It’s because you’re hooked and you need more of this adventure. Frankly, it’s refreshing to feel that way about a series, especially a fantasy one, after shows like Carnival Row and The Watch (yes, that’s more sci-fi) had interesting world-building, but the character development and overarching storyline didn’t compel for continued viewing. With Wheel of Time, we’ve been dropped into this fascinating world that we’re just scratching the surface with, and that’s absolutely fascinating.
If the series, so far, does lack in any department, it’s that we’re just still getting to know our characters. Being three episodes into an eight-episode season, we should have been given a little more to chew on character-wise. This is most evident with Moraine (Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl). Rosamund Pike is the most well-known cast member in the series and her presence every time she’s on the screen is voluminous. However, she’s not given a lot to say or do (granted, she is wounded through two episodes) and that will hopefully be corrected in episodes to come because an actress of this caliber should be allowed to carry the series. The rest of the cast has been given some decent dialogue so far but again, we need more.
Wheel of Time is a series for fantasy and epic fans looking to satiate the thirst they have for lavish cinematography, rich lore, bloody battles with monsters, and all things magical and supernatural. It’s been a long time since a series has been able to hit all the right notes out of the gate in this genre (Maybe since The Witcher? Maybe better than The Witcher?) and it’s pretty exciting that we’re closing out 2021 with such a potentially rich series.
