The Wheel of Time

Beginning with a quick storybook narration – fitting for the cliché of prophetic reincarnation – The Wheel of Time tries too hard and not enough at the same time. There’s some genuine potential in the plot and the world, but everything comes off too fabricated and fake – from its female empowerment message to the bland acting, all the way down to the graphics and visuals. The best thing this series has to offer is some high-tension and urgent chase scenes. But even those are mediocre at best; despite effective use of quick camera cuts and movements, the poorly designed action sequences are very noticeable.

Nothing about the feminist approach comes off as natural: there are constant assertions, awkwardly posed metaphors and glorification of women at the expense of the men. Every line about females and the power they hold seems forced and out of place, which detracts from the overall purpose. Too much of the script is comprised of these lines, the result beginning to feel like a checklist of ideals and beliefs that lacks any depth to truly educate the viewer. None of these conversations add to the quality of the story at all – rather, they take away from it.

Rosamund Pike carries the cast, the same way her character Moiraine Damodred carries the rest of her companions through the majority of their journey together. Aside from Madeleine Madden’s performance as Egwene al’Vere, none of the other main characters are likeable or memorable enough. One can almost guess that this is by design, to further the narrative of women over men, but it’s also a lot to do with uncharismatic acting from the rest of the cast.

The Wheel of Time employs lacklustre and overused colour filters that do nothing to build the world or set atmosphere. The same can be said about the soundtrack and score. However, the costumes do add personality to each character, acting as identifiers while also adhering to the story’s aesthetic. But the visual positives end there. There’s no realism to the makeup – when they’re supposedly dirty, they look immaculate; when pale from sickness and fatigue, they’re no paler than at any other time. The visuals and aesthetics, which could have been the series’s saving grace, further highlight how lacking the overall product is.

Mae Trumata

The Wheel of Time is released on Amazon Prime Video on 19^th November 2021.

Watch the trailer for The Wheel of Time here: