LOTR: Rings of Power - New Teaser

[Fyraltari]

That's an excellent view.

Thank you.

Speaking as a non-card-carrying Tolkienian, who has only read The Hobbit and seen all the movies (though I forget most of the LOTR series, I should re-watch), the shield surfing was stupid and made me eye roll but didn't ruin my enjoyment. Similarly, the sword jumping looks stupid and will likely make me eye roll but won't ruin my enjoyment. If ym enjoyment is ruined, it'll be by a lot of other stuff.

Ultimately, I think how good/enjoyable a hiven piece of work is is a holistic property. You have to consider the thing as whole, just taking apart each bit, assesing them and then calculating an average just won't correlate to your experience.

It bothers me that, with the Internet, what I like to call the Cinemasins*-style of media analysis, where you just nitpick specific elements in isolation with a surface-level understanding of the story and no reflexion given towards theme, aesthetic choices or the ways various elements come together, has become more and more common to the detriment of actual analysis.

Edit: I should precise that I'm not accusing anyone on this thread of doing this, we're discussinf a trailer, of course everything is in isolation and these are bits that are supposed to be the best, or at least representative of the work as a whole, so criticizing them more is called for.

*They certainly didn't invent it, but they're probably the most visible (and quite possibly the worst) example of it.

[Zevox]

The mirror of Galadriel is the example that I can think of that adds credence to my point about magic being technology.
[...]
The fact that the elves do not seem to have an equivalent for the word 'magic' is interesting.

That's just a matter of the Elves not viewing those things as "magical" in the same way other races do, because they're just a natural part of their abilities to them. That's how Tolkien tended to portray magic most of the time, more subtly and as part of the nature of those that do it. For a non-Elven example, the Ainur's ability to manifest different physical forms for themselves is described as being like putting on and taking off clothes to them. It is magic though, even ignoring the obvious "how else could you ever make a pool of water show visions of the future?" question, Elves possessing natural magic is referenced repeatedly throughout Tolkien, not just by non-Elves, but in narration as well.

Plus, as this very show's title should remind us, the most prominent example of magic in Tolkien, the Rings of Power, were Elven creations. Only the One Ring was forged by Sauron alone, and the Three Elven Rings were made without his influence.

As am I. In both cases we see a Tolkien elf being supported by something that wouldn't be able to support a human. That seems perfectly consistent to me.

Whereas I see one instance of an Elf displaying a light step and affinity for the natural world - things they commonly do in Tolkien - and another of an Elf displaying superhuman strength, something I'm not sure if any Elf was described as having in Tolkien, and it certainly wasn't common of so.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Fyraltari
I should precise that I'm not accusing anyone on this thread of doing this….

Sure felt like it.

Originally Posted by warty goblin
…reminds me why I so rarely talk about things I actually like here.

I very much know how this feels. See my thread on Ms. Marvel.



On wuxia in general, I have no problem with that approach in other properties. Speaking of something I love which I don’t talk about here, Into the Badlands has some moderate wuxia elements and they work perfectly there, because the show’s entire premise is “harsh post-apocalyptic wuxia world.”

But Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is about as far from natural wuxia habitat as I can imagine, and to me it simply grates. I really don’t expect elves to do that, nor any other inhabitants of the world, and I certainly don’t need it to convince me Middle-Earth is different from Westeros or any other fantasy realm. To me it reads as making this show’s version of Middle-Earth more generic and less distinguishable, exactly because they’re using the same overblown approach as everything else, and that’s not what Tolkien’s elves ever were.

[Psyren]

Whereas I see one instance of an Elf displaying a light step and affinity for the natural world - things they commonly do in Tolkien - and another of an Elf displaying superhuman strength, something I'm not sure if any Elf was described as having in Tolkien, and it certainly wasn't common of so.

1) I still don't understand why having a "light step" (your words) has to be a terrain-specific thing. Presumably if an elf's step is light, it's light everywhere, unless they're swapping out their legs/body between scenes.

2) Even if it is truly just Glorfindel(?) displaying super-strength, I don't really see anything in the books to contradict that. The martial Tolkien elves tend to take on foes that humans, dwarves and hobbits can't match, and the major named ones most of all. (And again, this requires discounting that their presumably magic gear had anything to do with what we're seeing too.)

But Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is about as far from natural wuxia habitat as I can imagine, and to me it simply grates. I really don’t expect elves to do that, nor any other inhabitants of the world, and I certainly don’t need it to convince me Middle-Earth is different from Westeros or any other fantasy realm. To me it reads as making this show’s version of Middle-Earth more generic and less distinguishable, exactly because they’re using the same overblown approach as everything else, and that’s not what Tolkien’s elves ever were.

I can only presume you've been complaining about shield/oliphaunt-surfing for decades now then for consistency's sake - which is totally fine, but I'm fairly confident in believing that ship has sailed.

[Fyraltari]

and another of an Elf displaying superhuman strength, something I'm not sure if any Elf was described as having in Tolkien, and it certainly wasn't common of so.

That's a good question actually. The narration and dialog of Lotr describes Boromir and Aragorn as the strongest in the fellowship a couple times and elves in the Third Age are decribed as being overall smaller than Men. However Elf-lords in the First Age were capable of some really impressive feats, like Fingolfin matching blows with Morgoth and only being beaten after being struck for the third time even though each of Morgoth strikes hard enough to crack the Earth producing fire, Maedhros hanging from his wrist for days (possibly even years) without suffocating. There's a general feeling that the greatest of Elves have abilities beyond what's possible for Men. So while it's very vague, I don't think it'd be aberrant for an Elf in the Second Age to be able to throw a whole person like that.

Then again, the Men heroes also do some impossible stuff, like Hurin single-handedly holding off an army and cutting the hands of the Orcs that grabbed him with his axe (how did he do that?) or Beren managing to tackle Celegorm off an horse that was galloping away from Beren (the Leap of Beren is even considered as one of his heroic deeds). So maybe being Heroic enough just sort of gives you superstrength.

Sure felt like it.

What I'm saying is that it's fair to see that stunt as a bad sign, but taking as proof that the shows will be bad or unfaithful to the source material is taking it a bit too far.

that's not what Tolkien’s elves ever were.

In The Fall of Gondolin Glorfindel duels a Balrog by leaping over a column of refugees and from and to several rocks above a huge drop on a mountain pass. I'd call that pretty wuxia.

[Peelee]

What I'm saying is that it's fair to see that stunt as a bad sign, but taking as proof that the shows will be bad or unfaithful to the source material is taking it a bit too far.

Exactly. Releasing it as one of the teasers for the show was a poor decision, but that doesn't mean it's indicative of the show. It could just be ****ty marketing. The staggering difference between the marketing of In Bruges (eg the trailer) and the actual movie In Bruges is one of my go-to examples of something that could be marketed abysmally while the actual product is vastly different (and immensely better) than what was portrayed by the ad geniuses.

Also, on a wholly unrelated note, everyone who hasn't seen In Bruges should absolutely go watch In Bruges. Watch it, absolutely.

[Psyren]

That's a good question actually. The narration and dialog of Lotr describes Boromir and Aragorn as the strongest in the fellowship a couple times and elves in the Third Age are decribed as being overall smaller than Men. However Elf-lords in the First Age were capable of some really impressive feats, like Fingolfin matching blows with Morgoth and only being beaten after being struck for the third time even though each of Morgoth strikes hard enough to crack the Earth producing fire, Maedhros hanging from his wrist for days (possibly even years) without suffocating. There's a general feeling that the greatest of Elves have abilities beyond what's possible for Men. So while it's very vague, I don't think it'd be aberrant for an Elf in the Second Age to be able to throw a whole person like that.

Then again, the Men heroes also do some impossible stuff, like Hurin single-handedly holding off an army and cutting the hands of the Orcs that grabbed him with his axe (how did he do that?) or Beren managing to tackle Celegorm off an horse that was galloping away from Beren (the Leap of Beren is even considered as one of his heroic deeds). So maybe being Heroic enough just sort of gives you superstrength.

What I'm saying is that it's fair to see that stunt as a bad sign, but taking as proof that the shows will be bad or unfaithful to the source material is taking it a bit too far.



In The Fall of Gondolin Glorfindel duels a Balrog by leaping over a column of refugees and from and to several rocks above a huge drop on a mountain pass. I'd call that pretty wuxia.

Thank you, I appreciate the citations and levelheadedness.

[Mechalich]

With regard to 'wuxia' stunts and fight sequences in this series what worries me is not faithfulness to the source material, but the studio's ability to produce fight scenes in this way that actually look good. The combination of wire-techniques, highly choreographed balletic motion, and careful camera control needed to produce good shots in this style isn't exactly common in Hollywood. This isn't being directed by Zhang Yimou and they are not, to my knowledge, using a Hong Kong-based stunt crew - note the the most Wuxia show ever produced in the US was Into the Badlands, which used a Hong Kong crew. American-based stunt crews are used to action that is comparatively closer-up, sharper, and grittier. That approach also makes things easier to hide - wuxia tends to pull back to do if not wide shots, at least full body motion shots which can be a real problem if the actors haven't been trained up properly.

I'm far more worried about what this stunt says about the stuntwork than anything else.

[JadedDM]

I think it's worth remembering, going into this, that this show was not made for hardcore Tolkien book fans. It was made for fans of the movies, the normies, who are a far larger audience. Anything that happens in the show is going to be catering to that audience's expectation. Hence why there are Hobbits in the show, despite the fact that Hobbits were largely unknown at that time, because this audience is going to expect Hobbits. And why Elves are going to be doing some wild, cool stunts, because that's what the audience is going to expect.

In other words, if you're the sort of person who raged at the original films for cutting all the Tom Bombadil scenes, you're probably going to want to skip this show.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Fyraltari
Then again, the Men heroes also do some impossible stuff, like Hurin single-handedly holding off an army….

I don’t know for certain, but this may have been based in part on the Battle of Stamford Bridge, so not entirely impossible. I’ll reserve comment on Glorfindel et al. until I’ve had a chance to read those books again.

Originally Posted by Mechalich
…note the the most Wuxia show ever produced in the US was Into the Badlands, which used a Hong Kong crew.

Also note that Badlands is actually fairly light on wuxia elements, compared with something like Jet Li’s Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They leaned into it a little more in the third season, but there’s more parkour and acrobatics than people flying through bamboo or dancing on swords above mountain lakes.

Originally Posted by JadedDM
Hence why there are Hobbits in the show, despite the fact that Hobbits were largely unknown at that time, because this audience is going to expect Hobbits.

This doesn’t bother me, since they can still play a role in events regardless of whether later historians of the Tall Folk chose to remark upon it.

Originally Posted by JadedDM
And why Elves are going to be doing some wild, cool stunts, because that's what the audience is going to expect.

This, as noted, does. I dislike the video-game silliness that Legolas devolved into in the Hobbit movies, and there’s nothing wrong with going a different direction in a different production.

Originally Posted by JadedDM
In other words, if you're the sort of person who raged at the original films for cutting all the Tom Bombadil scenes….

No rage at this, since it’s perfectly understandable. Bombadil, Goldberry, Old Man Willow and the barrow-wight wouldn’t have fit easily into an already busy narrative.

There are a few elements that always seem a little cringey on re-watching the trilogy, the sorts of things I’d be embarrassed about if I was watching it with someone who was new to the movies. And I really dislike what they did with Legolas and Gimli, separately and together; but that's a story for another time.

[Zevox]

1) I still don't understand why having a "light step" (your words) has to be a terrain-specific thing. Presumably if an elf's step is light, it's light everywhere, unless they're swapping out their legs/body between scenes.

You seriously don't see how a light step doesn't help with being launched by someone lifting up a surface that you're trying to jump off of? That seems obvious to me. What's happening there isn't helped by stepping lightly. It requires the surface under the person to be pushed upward enough while in contact with them to not just support them, but propel them. That's the whole point of the stunt, and it inherently means that the person's full weight will be on the sword.

2) Even if it is truly just Glorfindel(?) displaying super-strength, I don't really see anything in the books to contradict that. The martial Tolkien elves tend to take on foes that humans, dwarves and hobbits can't match, and the major named ones most of all. (And again, this requires discounting that their presumably magic gear had anything to do with what we're seeing too.)

Yet they're never described as trying to face those foes with just raw strength. When they manage to match those foes it's always a matter of skill and determination, or magic in some cases (like Felagund's song-duel with Sauron, or Luthien putting Morgoth to sleep). And due to the nature of the Silmarillion as a tragedy, they more often fail and die facing Morgoth's forces than they do succeed.

That's a good question actually. The narration and dialog of Lotr describes Boromir and Aragorn as the strongest in the fellowship a couple times and elves in the Third Age are decribed as being overall smaller than Men. However Elf-lords in the First Age were capable of some really impressive feats, like Fingolfin matching blows with Morgoth and only being beaten after being struck for the third time even though each of Morgoth strikes hard enough to crack the Earth producing fire, Maedhros hanging from his wrist for days (possibly even years) without suffocating. There's a general feeling that the greatest of Elves have abilities beyond what's possible for Men. So while it's very vague, I don't think it'd be aberrant for an Elf in the Second Age to be able to throw a whole person like that.

Then again, the Men heroes also do some impossible stuff, like Hurin single-handedly holding off an army and cutting the hands of the Orcs that grabbed him with his axe (how did he do that?) or Beren managing to tackle Celegorm off an horse that was galloping away from Beren (the Leap of Beren is even considered as one of his heroic deeds). So maybe being Heroic enough just sort of gives you superstrength.

I don't think that's so much being heroic enough giving strength as it it just that Beren was an exceptional individual. Though I'm not entirely sure what not suffocating has to do with strength in Maedhros' case?

What I'm saying is that it's fair to see that stunt as a bad sign, but taking as proof that the shows will be bad or unfaithful to the source material is taking it a bit too far.

Certainly, it is just one small snippet of the show after all - I've personally never been trying to make that argument, just responding to Psyren stating that he doesn't see how it wouldn't fit with the source material.

A bad sign it is though. And since it's been lost in the argument at this point, my original reaction to it wasn't even that it looking out of place was the biggest problem, but that it doesn't look good even if you ignore that, since Galadriel just kind of appears to be flailing after she's launched. They're not even selling the stunt that they appear to be going for, which is just sad.

[Sapphire Guard]

It was obvious from the beginning that it was not made to line up with book lore once you compress the timeline that's already gone out the window. But they're doing a pretty poor job of selling it so far, setting aside all foreknowledge, it feels pretty generic and corporate.

[JadedDM]

But they're doing a pretty poor job of selling it so far, setting aside all foreknowledge, it feels pretty generic and corporate.

Maybe. But I know people who loved the movies and never read the books, and they're all pretty excited about it. So far, the only people I've heard wary or even nervous about it being good are the book fans.

[Divayth Fyr]

Maybe. But I know people who loved the movies and never read the books, and they're all pretty excited about it. So far, the only people I've heard wary or even nervous about it being good are the book fans.

Could it be, I dunno, due to the fact the former have no experience with the source material?

Unrelated, a Galadriel clip.

[JadedDM]

That's exactly the point I am making. The people who enjoyed the films and don't care about the books are excited about this show, because the show was made for them, specifically. The people worried that the show won't conform to the minute details of a hundred year old book are the ones getting antsy about it not being any good.

Strict adherence to the source material does not automatically mean it would make the show good. Nor does breaking canon automatically mean it will be bad.

[Fyraltari]

I don't think that's so much being heroic enough giving strength as it it just that Beren was an exceptional individual.

Same difference.

Though I'm not entirely sure what not suffocating has to do with strength in Maedhros' case?

Because that's the mecanism of death by crucifixion (which is essentially what Maedhros was subjected to, except with only one arm), the victim's weight is only supported by the arms, which distorts their upper body. In order to breathe, the victim must lift themself, and keep doing so until their strength runs out. The strongest could survive for three agonizing days. It's unclear how long Maedhros remained suspended like this, but it was long enough for Fingolfin's host to walk all the way the gates of Angband and then to Mithrim, meet up with the Fëanorians, almost fight and move their camp and then for Morgoth to darken the sky and then for Fingon to sneak back into Angband. And Maedhros still had enough strength left to sing. That is definitely superhuman.

[Sapphire Guard]

Are they excited about the show itself, though, or are they just extending the goodwill of having previously watched very good films in a similar universe and assuming that this one will be as good? Do you hear people saying 'I'm really looking forward to learning more about (thing in trailer) or are they thinking 'oh, young Galadriel, Galadriel was good in the other movie'.

Strict adherence to the source material does not automatically mean it would make the show good. Nor does breaking canon automatically mean it will be bad.

Of course, yes.

Spoiler: Narrative of the trailers, absent foreknowledge

Show

Evil thing is returning, Galadriel knows and is trying to convince other people (making alliances?) and going on journeys. Meteor man is...relevant somehow and meets Harfoots. Queen Lady is on board with Galadriel and has a glowy ball. Blue dress lady rallies troops, boy with magic sword hides.

What else do we know at this point? Honest question.

[JadedDM]

Do you hear people saying 'I'm really looking forward to learning more about (thing in trailer) or are they thinking 'oh, young Galadriel, Galadriel was good in the other movie'.

Well, I haven't extensively interviewed any of them or anything, but my general impression so far is it's the second one, mostly. A sort of 'I loved the LotR movies. This is based on those movies, so I am looking forward to it.'

[Peelee]

It was obvious from the beginning that it was not made to line up with book lore once you compress the timeline that's already gone out the window. But they're doing a pretty poor job of selling it so far, setting aside all foreknowledge, it feels pretty generic and corporate.

Are they? I've never read the books (outside of The Hobbit), and the only thing that even gave me pause so far has been the tacky sword attack in the above-linked teaser. And even that isn't giving me a lot of doubt, as it could easily just be one bad take that's not indicative of the whole. I'm still plenty excited to check it out when it's released.

Are they excited about the show itself, though, or are they just extending the goodwill of having previously watched very good films in a similar universe and assuming that this one will be as good? Do you hear people saying 'I'm really looking forward to learning more about (thing in trailer) or are they thinking 'oh, young Galadriel, Galadriel was good in the other movie'.



Of course, yes.

Spoiler: Narrative of the trailers, absent foreknowledge

Show

Evil thing is returning, Galadriel knows and is trying to convince other people (making alliances?) and going on journeys. Meteor man is...relevant somehow and meets Harfoots. Queen Lady is on board with Galadriel and has a glowy ball. Blue dress lady rallies troops, boy with magic sword hides.

What else do we know at this point? Honest question.

Excited about the show itself. I quite honestly do not remember who Galadriel is. I think maybe she was the one who did the creepy "I would be your queen" thing and gave the Fellowship gifts? And if so, hey, I have no particular attachment to her, she was a pretty minor character and I'm more excited about the show in general than in Named Elf Who Was In A Movie.

[Sapphire Guard]

So what is this show about? We're less than a month from release, what's going to happen in it?

How much of the excitement comes from 'other movies in this IP were good, I will assume this (completely different) cast and crew will be equally good?

[NRSASD]

So what is this show about? We're less than a month from release, what's going to happen in it?

How much of the excitement comes from 'other movies in this IP were good, I will assume hope this (completely different) cast and crew will be equally good?

Fixed it for you

[Kornaki]

Why is everyone so anxious that they will actually have to watch the show if they want to complain about it? :p

[Psyren]

You seriously don't see how a light step doesn't help with being launched by someone lifting up a surface that you're trying to jump off of? That seems obvious to me. What's happening there isn't helped by stepping lightly. It requires the surface under the person to be pushed upward enough while in contact with them to not just support them, but propel them. That's the whole point of the stunt, and it inherently means that the person's full weight will be on the sword.

I think you're trying to apply strict physics to something that inherently doesn't follow them.

Yet they're never described as trying to face those foes with just raw strength. When they manage to match those foes it's always a matter of skill and determination, or magic in some cases (like Felagund's song-duel with Sauron, or Luthien putting Morgoth to sleep). And due to the nature of the Silmarillion as a tragedy, they more often fail and die facing Morgoth's forces than they do succeed.
...
I don't think that's so much being heroic enough giving strength as it it just that Beren was an exceptional individual. Though I'm not entirely sure what not suffocating has to do with strength in Maedhros' case?

Is it impossible that either of these could apply? These are not random elf #36a-d.

Certainly, it is just one small snippet of the show after all - I've personally never been trying to make that argument, just responding to Psyren stating that he doesn't see how it wouldn't fit with the source material.

And I still don't, so we might have to leave it there.

[Peelee]

So what is this show about? We're less than a month from release, what's going to happen in it?

How much of the excitement comes from 'other movies in this IP were good, I will assume this (completely different) cast and crew will be equally good?

Well, speaking only for myself, presumably it's about the Rings of Power, which seems like a pretty neat basis, since they were hyped up in the intro of the first movie and then sort of forgotten. And yes, I liked the other movies in the IP so I'm excited for this completely different cast and crew, because it's like 20 years later and I don't think Wierdly Aged Elven Agent Smith A Thousand Years in the Past would make terribly much sense, even if I have no idea if it technically would in the lore. That's kind of how movie universes work. People like Iron Man so they go to see Captain America, despite having a completely different cast. People liked Star Wars so they go to see Rogue One despite having a completely different crew.

[Zevox]

Same difference.

Uh, no, not at all. How on earth could "this person is just exceptional" and "being brave just gives you super strength" ever be the same?

Because that's the mecanism of death by crucifixion (which is essentially what Maedhros was subjected to, except with only one arm), the victim's weight is only supported by the arms, which distorts their upper body. In order to breathe, the victim must lift themself, and keep doing so until their strength runs out. The strongest could survive for three agonizing days. It's unclear how long Maedhros remained suspended like this, but it was long enough for Fingolfin's host to walk all the way the gates of Angband and then to Mithrim, meet up with the Fëanorians, almost fight and move their camp and then for Morgoth to darken the sky and then for Fingon to sneak back into Angband. And Maedhros still had enough strength left to sing. That is definitely superhuman.

Huh, I did not know that. Neat. Although now I kind of wonder whether Tolkien knew that and intended the implication or not?

I think you're trying to apply strict physics to something that inherently doesn't follow them.

...and what on earth are you claiming "inherently doesn't follow them" in this case? Because I see zero reason why basic physics wouldn't apply here.

Is it impossible that either of these could apply? These are not random elf #36a-d.

Galadriel isn't, but it's not her who's doing the crazy strange thing here (despite appearing to be at first glance), it's the Elf holding the sword, who is random Elf #36 as far as we're aware at this point. I suppose it's not impossible they're intentionally portraying him as insanely strong, we obviously don't know that yet; but this would be a truly bizarre way to show it, and it doesn't come across as something that they're trying to emphasize with the scene, just something that makes the scene make no sense about it if you stop to give it a moment's thought.

And I still don't, so we might have to leave it there.

*shrug* So be it.

[Psyren]

...and what on earth are you claiming "inherently doesn't follow them" in this case? Because I see zero reason why basic physics wouldn't apply here.

The "basic physics" that allows them to run on top of waist-deep snow that non-elves have to wade through, right?

Galadriel isn't, but it's not her who's doing the crazy strange thing here (despite appearing to be at first glance), it's the Elf holding the sword, who is random Elf #36 as far as we're aware at this point.

So you'll retract everything if he turns out to be a prominent elf from the books?

[Fyraltari]

I quite honestly do not remember who Galadriel is. I think maybe she was the one who did the creepy "I would be your queen" thing and gave the Fellowship gifts? And if so, hey, I have no particular attachment to her, she was a pretty minor character

Correct. Galadriel is a pretty cool character who suffers from having most of her coll stuff happening off-page or being wise enough to pointedly not partake in the dumb decision people around her are making. And also being invented once the story of The Silmarillion was already pretty structured leaving her with not much to do during th ewar against freaking Satan.

Uh, no, not at all. How on earth could "this person is just exceptional" and "being brave just gives you super strength" ever be the same?

I meant "heroic" in the mythical "important person with maybe a connection to the divine who does important stuff" not as a synonym for bravery, sorry for being unclear.

Huh, I did not know that. Neat. Although now I kind of wonder whether Tolkien knew that and intended the implication or not?

Beats me. But there's definitely an undercurrent of First-Age Elves being "more" (not "better", at least, not in the moral sense) than Men.

[Eldan]

1) I still don't understand why having a "light step" (your words) has to be a terrain-specific thing. Presumably if an elf's step is light, it's light everywhere, unless they're swapping out their legs/body between scenes.

Elves have a connection to nature, and snow is a natural substance, that would welcome the steps of an elf and help him. Swords, especially swords not created by elves, are artificial and would not have any opinions on elven weight.

One has to remember that this is an animist universe in some regards.

[Eldan]

Well, speaking only for myself, presumably it's about the Rings of Power, which seems like a pretty neat basis, since they were hyped up in the intro of the first movie and then sort of forgotten.

I wouldn't say the other rings were forgotten... the Nazgul were a presence all through the movie, Gandalf was with the fellowship most of the time and used his ring extensively, and Galadriel and Elrond and their respective domains of Rivendell and Lothlorien appear too, as well as some displays of their power. Now yes, the dwarven rings don't show up, but then, the dwarven story was a sideshow told secondhand in the books, too, and entirely cut in the movies.

I think mostly what the movies are unclear on is how much of the power these characters show is due to the rings, but then, the power of the rings being subtle is a major part of their story.

[Divayth Fyr]

I wouldn't say the other rings were forgotten... the Nazgul were a presence all through the movie, Gandalf was with the fellowship most of the time and used his ring extensively, and Galadriel and Elrond and their respective domains of Rivendell and Lothlorien appear too, as well as some displays of their power. Now yes, the dwarven rings don't show up, but then, the dwarven story was a sideshow told secondhand in the books, too, and entirely cut in the movies.

Also, at that time 4 of the Seven were melted by dragons, with the rest in Sauron's hands.