User Reviews

Hey people review-bombing The Wheel of Time - Origins: this is not the main show; this is the animated shorts that you can find on Amazon X-ray. How about double checking before posting your reviews!

Amazon made it quite difficult to find these Origins episodes while watching on my Smart TV. When I was finally able to watch them they were OK but I wish each episode were longer. The animation style is unique and I would gladly watch 15 or 30 minute episodes in this style if there were enough content to fill each episode.

I enjoyed the first season of the TV show itself but think these animated shorts could do a nice job of filling the time between seasons of the main show if only they were long enough and substantive enough.

Still a hot mess, but at least its not an insulting hot mess. Itbstill could have been much worse. People keep on saying nonsesen about how its difficult to bring a deep world to the screen. Its not. Its easier. It means you have more answers. You dont have to show the viewer any more then what is happening to the characters at any given time. The viewer doesnt need to know about far away lands or customs. Think about it; Reality is the deepest world there is. But when movies set in real world are made people dont cry. If you are telling people a story about people in a small town in Texas, who cares if the audience isnt aware of France?

I hope they don't make the mistake to stop another great production. It's really good! The visuals, the acting, the storyline. Hope to see more of the wheel of time, time travel, space travel, star gate concept.

These origin stories seem to really capture the feeling of the books, the story we fell in love with. They do it so much better than t he actual live action show, it makes me wonder whether this should have been an animated series to begin with.

Love the art, love the dark atmosphere, love everything about this. Even the ones which are "original" writing like the Ogier one. This is how you adapt, the Wheel of Time showrunner could learn a lot from this.

Also most reviews here, specially the bad ones, seem to be talking about the show and not Origins. These are probably just trolls, coz I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to review the show on the wrong page.

Looks like most the reviews here are for the show itself. Not the origin stories.

These origin stories really capture the feeling of the books lore.

Enjoyed these a lot more than the show and if they had this sort of story telling + narration throughout the show, (and actually stuck to the main story) then it would have been a lot better.

It's quite strange when additional materials for the main show have greater value than its parent production.

It has the right tone, the right sense of scale, distinct visuals and above all respect for source material. I guess the later one is the reason why Rammy Park is NOT listed on IMDB as a writer for these animated shorts, shame on you Amazon!

Also all persons responsible for animation should be distinguished with some sort of award! Animation is a rightful part of the story, not just illustration of text.

Animation is top notch, all episodes tell important information which was missing from the series. Great world building shorts. Really recommend before watching the series or during the series.

How is anyone expected to understand what is been said when their is a constant bass drone and loud music playing throughout the whole series

And when there is no other sound the characters whisper to each other.

Through much confusion and digging I was finally able to watch these historical shorts for the FIRST Season! They are are a set of animated short stories to give some background of the story. I liked them! As other comments have said many are confusing these shorts with the actual episodes so there is some confusion. I really like the show also. I understand they have them but I have not found them. They do, however have a little "inside" under the X-Ray "Bonus Content" with clips and a background of what is going on. Super handy and informative.

How to watch: I have a Sony Smart TV - I was unable to access the shorts in the Prime app on my tv - Sorry folks. I am not sure if this is for all smart TVs or if it has something to do with the Google Store app or Sony. But it does has something great under X-Ray and that is little bios under "Characters". This gives you great back ground info something like what you get from video game characters. There is other great "Bonus Content" - good to check out and a QR link to the Amazon Wheel of Time Store for buying of goodies.

IPhone Amazon App - Yes!! In S1 each episode has a short - Go to the X-Ray feature and then go to "Bonus Content" - then "Origin Stories". Each episode has them cumulative so episode 8 has all of them.

Amazon Kindle Fire tablets Amazon Video App: Of course the EASIEST PLACE TO WATCH!🤣🤣 Well it is an "Amazon Original" so go figure. Pretty much the same thing - X-Ray then Bonus Content and violá - it's at the top of the page for easy access!! There are lots of little goodies under "Explore". I am just now finding this after owning a Kindle for years!! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

But if you don't mind being out of context and just want to watch them all at once, I found them on YT and on "OSTBGM OnDemand" channel you will find them as

The Wheel of Time Origins Part 1 Amazon Animation

I hope this helps others. Happy watching and FYI - you can ALWAYS read/listen to the books written by Robert Jordon. They have a prequel that gives some information that is great to know and doesn't appear in the storyline so far.

The Wheel of Time Origins was Incredibly Good and In-line with The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan.

I enjoyed every minute of watching this.

Unlike the 8 Part Series which 3/4 of it was the Director / Producers / Screenplay Writers LGT, Girl-Power, Misconstrued re-imaging of Robert Jordan's Masterpiece and I found myself having to shut the final episode off after 10 minutes because of how badly they twisted the end of Book One!

I would suggest all of you who are readers and lovers of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of time to watch this and not to watch the Amazon 8 part series because that was in no way in keeping with the Books!

Or Give the Series the rightly bad ratings it deserved in order to force Amazon to Produce an ACTUAL Presentation of The Wheel of Time!

Anyone who actually read the books might consider skipping this TV series. Robert Jordan's work was immaculate, articulate, and generally perfect as it was. Unfortunately, the showrunner took serious liberties, obviously affected by the hubris of believing that they could dramatically improve on the original. They failed dismally. After slogging through six episodes it got to the point where it was obvious that all hope was lost. The acting was the high point. The casting was OK... but not stellar, the costumes were amazing, the cinematography excellent, but it was the rewriting characters as well as the relationships between the characters was unforgivable. As others have mentioned, they should have stuck with the original story and avoided going off on weird tangents. Jordan would be rolling in his grave if he saw the result. No wonder that a legal battle ensured with his widow around her comments on the pilot. I hope the settlement was substantial.

The Wheel is such a pointless show. I tried to like it but it wasn't worth the time. The writer does not solve the basic storytelling framework that an audience identifies with. Who is the hero of the story? What is the hero's problem and who is the guide that is going to show them how to solve the problem. What's the plan?

The writer spends a lot of time trying to remold stereotypical characters to progressive role models. They are trying too hard and lose the point of the adventure.

Horrible casting. Is this starting place New York or some small medieval village? You wouldn't believe the setting, that Amazon put the money into this.

In terms of the scenery, it is about the characters of the low-end copyrighted games. It seems that each character does not have obvious characteristics in terms of actors. I feel that there are no white robes in the drama that can support the drama. Playing the main role is very dramatic. Episode 8, do you think I'm a real dragon? The real dragon you thought was not what you thought it was. Forced conversion, too embarrassing!

Enjoyed watching this only to get to the end of episode 8, to find that the end of the story is a long long way away!

Totally ruins it, as we are left in a situation where it's, will there be another series or not.

Looks like another series of books to read.

14 books OMG!

Boring, The story telling is so slow and tired that you will need that pillow if your going to make it through the first episode.

Nothing grabs you, makes you want to care about the story, any of the characters, or who they are.

Chances are good, that you won't make it through the first episode or continue watching.

"The Wheel of Time" TV show seems to have taken a wrong turn right from the start. One of its most glaring missteps is the unnecessary and unappealing race swapping of characters. Deviating from the source material in such a way not only disrupts the established world-building but also comes across as a cheap attempt at tokenism.

As if that weren't enough, the acting in the show can be generously described as mid at best. The performances lack depth and fail to capture the essence of the characters. It's disheartening to see beloved figures from the book series reduced to mere shadows of themselves on screen, devoid of the charisma and complexity that made them so engaging in the first place.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is the show's failure to live up to the brilliance of the original books. The source material had depth, intricacy, and a richly woven narrative that captivated readers for years. In contrast, the TV adaptation feels like a shallow imitation, struggling to capture the depth and magic that the books effortlessly conveyed.

In the end, "The Wheel of Time" TV show disappoints on multiple fronts. The race swapping is a glaring misstep, the acting falls short, and worst of all, it pales in comparison to the literary masterpiece that inspired it. For fans of the original series, this adaptation feels like a missed opportunity and a disheartening departure from what made the books truly remarkable.

One season available now. Season 2 completed last year but unaired to date. Teaser that it may be aired sometime this year (2023). Maybe season 3 in a couple of years??? Maybe a third of a story in the first season at best. This is exactly the kinds of production that never, ever gives a full story from beginning to end. No plan in place to do so. There was potential. No question of that. But honestly, who is going to watch less than half a story that will never be completed? I have never read the books. I can state that I think those fans have been taken advantage of. Any production that doesn't have a firm beginning, middle and end has no business being in the marketplace. Give this one a wide, wide pass.

As a Sci-Fy enthusiast I was disappointed with this show, hadn't read the books etc and found it difficult to follow. In the first season there isn't a lot of character development because there are a lot of characters and I found it difficult to care a whole lot about them.

They talk a lot about the wheel and it starts to feel a lot like the Force from Star Wars, maybe this is where George Lucas got some of his inspiration. There are a couple of fish lipped looking dudes straight from Lord of the Rings knocking about also so lacking in creativity in that perspective also.

Struggled through the first season so I could say I gave it a fair shot, started the second and the snorefest continued - give this one a miss.