Amazon Prime Video released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series The Rings of Power this weekend, and the response has been mixed to say the least. Whether they are optimistic or pessimistic, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels all have concerns after seeing the preview. What sets this fandom apart, however, is that many of the concerns are contradictory.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is adapted from Tolkien’s writings outside of the main narrative series that fans know well. It takes place thousands of years before Frodo’s life during the “Second Age,” and some fans are wary of seeing this part of Tolkien’s writing adapted at all since it is so obscure. With little source material to go on, this show will make some big creative decisions that may not agree with everyone.
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While these concerns were already floating around online, the teaser brought up a new one: the CGI. Many fans thought that the use of animation in the trailer was excessive, and they fear that the show itself will ultimately look bad. These concerns are especially strong after the controversial CGI of The Hobbit film trilogy.
Of course, there are also fans who complain that the show features a diverse cast including people of color and women. In many cases, these casting choices are faithful to Tolkien’s writing, but nevertheless, these criticisms persist online.
To top it all off some fans are wondering if it will even be possible to enjoy this show with the endless stream of discourse it will clearly generate. All TV creators know that you can’t please everyone, but it may be hard for The Rings of Power to find the largest swath of fans it can please all at once. The show is slated to premiere later this year. Here’s a look at the top responses to the trailer so far.
False Quote
First up is this widely-used but often misunderstood quote from Tolkien which has been shared by fans on every possible side of the casting issues. However, Tolkien never actually wrote this phrase as it has often been quoted. Instead, it seems to be a summation of things he wrote about the creation of Orcs throughout his books. Regardless, some fans are using this quote as if “evil” is a reference to racism, and others are using it as if “evil” is a reference to the act of casting a non-white person on TV.
Continuity Concerns
More tangible concerns were raised about the series’ timeline, which has reportedly been “condensed” in the process of adaptation. This makes sense in some ways since Tolkien’s Second Age stories take place across hundreds or thousands of years, but it is still a tectonic change to make from the source material, likely with consequences the writers haven’t fully planned for yet.
Nostalgia
Those old enough to have been online when Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies were coming out know that this flood of discourse does not necessarily reflect on the movie itself or the viewing experience.
Safe Spaces
Given the state of the conversation on Twitter, users were literally scrambling to find forums where they could discuss The Rings of Power reasonably without having to wade through racist diatribes. Some exchanged recommendations.
Spite
Some fans who weren’t rooting for Amazon’s adaptation before joked that they had changed their minds now just to spite the racists decrying the series.
Familiar
Sadly, sensationalized outrage like this has become so commonplace in fandom culture that some fans know the routine from other franchises they loved. In particular, many worried that The Rings of Power would share the fate of the Star Wars sequel trilogy in one way or another.
Misread
Finally, many fans pointed out that those who don’t want to see The Lord of the Rings franchise “turn woke” have misinterpreted Tolkien’s writing and Jackson’s films in some way. The timeless message of the story is not tied to a single ethnic representation or aesthetic.
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