Skip to main content

House of the Dragon or Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power—Who Ya Got?

Image: Ollie Upton/HBO and Matt Grace/Prime Video

In a perfect world, no one would need to decide whether they should watch HBO’s smash hit Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon or Prime Video’s lavish Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power. However, it is not a perfect world, and there’s no doubt in my mind that only one of these series is going to dominate the virtual water cooler talk of mass audiences. But which one will it be?

On the one hand, you have House of the Dragon, which has already gotten excellent critical reviews and a massive audience despite the widespread disappointment with Game of Thrones’ final season. On the other, you have The Rings of Power, based on the Lord of the Rings novels, which have been beloved for nearly 70 years, and the three incredibly popular and Oscar-winning film adaptations of the ‘00s. And early reviews of the series make House of the Dragon visually look like garbage in comparison, thanks to the almost-criminally expensive budget.

It seems like a pretty fair fight, but I’m going to put my gold pieces on House of the Dragon. The fact that it came to TV first gives it a genuine advantage, because it’s already dominating the conversation. It’s essentially already sitting on the throne, which puts Rings of Power on the offensive. I also think Dragon has a better chance of capturing mass audiences because it’s a medieval fantasy instead of high fantasy—it’s easier for people who don’t traditionally care for fantasy entertainment to wrap their head around the political and characters drama of House of the Dragon than Elves and Dwarves and magic rings and dark gods and what I suspect will be an incredibly sprawling epic. And, in all honestly, I also think that mass audiences will prefer the show where people fuck.

But I could be wrong! Tell me why I am in the comments! Or tell me why I’m right! Or tell me I’m wrong about my reasons but right about my pick!

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

14 of Rick and Morty's Most Excellent Season 4 Moments

In episode nine, “Childrick of Mort,” Rick fought a god when they both fell for the same woman. Er, planet. That moment doesn’t make our list, but it’s still a damn good one. Screenshot: Adult Swim It’s still hard to believe—after so many lengthy delays between previous seasons —that season five of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty is almost upon us. While we count down the moments until the Emmy-winning series returns on June 20, we thought we’d also look back on season four, highlighting 14 of our favorite and most memorable moments (in no particular order... though we do have one very top favorite, as you’ll see) involving mostly Rick and Morty—but also Summer, Beth, Jerry, and Rick and Morty ’s creatively deployed guest stars too. “Why can you talk?” Screenshot: Adult Swim The A-plot of episode four, “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty,” follows the adventures of Rick, Morty, and Summer as they attempt to rescue Morty’s “slut dragon,” Balthromaw, from an evil wizard. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Websim.AI for AI Building Websites, Games and More From Prompts

Websim.ai is an AI-powered platform that allows users to generate and explore a simulated version of the internet. It uses advanced AI models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o to create interactive websites, visualizations, and functional code in response to user prompts. Users can sign in with their Google or Discord accounts and input prompts ... Read more
Post a Comment
Read more

Studio Ghibli Park Unveils Its Wondrous Valley of Witches

Screenshot: Kyodo News/YouTube With the Valley of Witches set to open March 16, Ghibli Park will finally be complete. Since 2022, the attraction—nestled in the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Nagoya, Japan—has unlocked realms inspired by Studio Ghibli’s legacy of films . But it’s not to be mistaken for a modern theme park; Hayao Miyazaki himself mandated that the experiences offered at Ghibli Park should evoke being in a Ghibli movie without disturbing the natural surroundings. So it’s more of a throwback to nostalgic attractions and walkthroughs with a carnival ride flair. Inspired by films including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, the first phase of opening kicked off two years ago, with other areas opening as they were completed. With the Valley of Witches, which features attractions inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service, among others, the theme park will finally be open in full beginning March 16. Media outlets such as Kyodo News were able...
Post a Comment
Read more