Tolkien Meets George R.R. Martin In Prime Video's 4-Part High Fantasy Series

The fantasy genre just wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. While every author who constructs fictional realities of magic and mysticism has had a hand in shaping this literary landscape, their names rarely become familiar in the mainstream. It takes absolutely revolutionizing the genre for an author's notariety to expand far beyond the literary world and into the realms of wider popular culture. Once this happens, new fantasy books, movies, and TV shows that were obviously influenced by these iconic works begin popping up left and right.

Tolkien is often called the grandfather of fantasy. While he didn't invent the genre itself, the author of The Lord of the Rings is largely responsible for establishing the high fantasy formula. Traditional races, such as Elves, Dwarves, halflings, orcs, and others, found their archetypal positions in Tolkien's mind, inspiring similarly structured projects like Dungeons & Dragons. Even Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series—and therefore Game of Thrones—shares some clear parallels with The Lord of the Rings. Of course, the vibe is pretty different.

Martin breaks many of Tolkien's high fantasy rules with his Westeros, though the influence is still there. A Song of Ice and Fire's author went to the same unique lengths to construct complex maps, histories, and even languages, all while establishing stories and characters that contradict the typical idea of heroism and challenge destiny and creation. Of course, Martin's books and Game of Thrones are a whole lot grittier and more mature than The Lord of the Rings. Martin added an edge to high fantasy, inspiring a whole new wave of similar creations.

Part of what is so spectacular about the fantasy genre is that a show that combines and carries forward the legacies of Tolkien and Martin doesn't have to be anything like The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones in format or tone. That's exactly the case with Prime Video's The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated series based on the real-play Dungeons & Dragons campaign from Critical Role. Like anything related to Dungeons & Dragons, The Legend of Vox Machina is intimately related to Lord of the Rings. However, it possesses that Game of Thrones edge.

The Legend Of Vox Machina Introduces The New Age Of High Fantasy

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings introduced a concept. Martin's Game of Thrones simultaneously embraced and challenged that concept. Now, The Legend of Vox Machina has pulled the same move by further embracing the traditional tropes of high fantasy, many of which Martin disregarded, while committing itself fully to the sort of vulgar, tragic, and hyper-violent approach popularized by A Song of Ice and Fire. It's profoundly effective, and while animated series struggle to gain the same sort of traction as live action, The Legend of Vox Machina holds an impressive 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Given this sort of success, it's no surprise that other adult animation high fantasy shows are in the works. There's even an animated series on the way in the Game of Thrones franchise. In truth, this medium simply makes sense for the genre. Fantasy TV shows are expensive, which means even some of the best end up canceled if they don't pull off spectacular numbers. Animated is far less expensive, yet it has far fewer limitations than live-action and CGI. It's just important that audiences don't feel that they are compromising their adult experience for an animated TV show.

That's where Martin's edgier approach to the genre comes in handy. There's no doubt that, when watching The Legend of Vox Machina, you're watching a mature, complex, carefully constructed story that prioritizes fun, emotion, and pure fantastical intensity. This is sure to be another fantasy project that has a profound impact on the wider genre and countless new series to come.