'Lord of the Rings' Fans Divided Over Amazon's 'Rings of Power' Trailer
False Quote
Well this Tolkien quote sure aged well in recent LOTR events. pic.twitter.com/Qmua10NOCu
— Misheru Katorin (@MKatorin) February 11, 2022
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.
prevnextContinuity Concerns
I mentioned this in my First Look reaction vid, but I really hope there’s not father/son Durins in #LOTRonPrime . It would take away a great defining part of dwarven lore (Durin’s reincarnation), and seems a completely unnecessary change. https://t.co/wF1ldlxqIj
— The Nerd of the Rings (@nerdoftherings1) February 15, 2022
Im way more hyped about the lotr on prime show than i was before. Tolkien nerds please remember that this is just an adaptation of lotr. Its not the one and only canon. They are shrinking and messing with the timeline to make a clearer narrative. Thats okay.
— Abi 🎨 TheNerdyAlchemist (@tnerdyalchemist) February 10, 2022
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.
prevnextNostalgia
someone found a bunch of posts online from when the LotR movies were first coming out and and ho ly shit pic.twitter.com/r4HYcSkw3k
— C.M.A. Hudson (@CMA_Hudson) February 15, 2022
Homophobia, racism and misogyny have no place in LOTR fandom.
20 years ago they claimed Ian Mckellen's "Gay Gandalf" would ruin Tolkien's Catholic legacy. Sounded stupid then, and still does. Same types of people making ignorant comments now get a swift block & ban.
— TheOneRing.net (@theoneringnet) February 10, 2022
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.
prevnextSafe Spaces
thank fuck that there is at least one sane LOTR subreddit lol (lotr_on_prime) pic.twitter.com/O9U7OYu13K
— Stormcrow (goblin truther) (@Stormcrow2031) February 15, 2022
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.
prevnextSpite
I wasn't gonna watch it at all, but now I gotta. Add to those numbers.
— Feral Housemom (@HeidiLKintzi) February 15, 2022
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.
prevnextFamiliar
Is see that LOTR is going to be joining Star Wars when it comes to disingenuous arguments on Twitter. https://t.co/eQwvQCvNTT
— Sauron – Dark Lord of Mordor 🔞 (@LordOfBaraddur0) February 13, 2022
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.
prevnextMisread
'Sorry, this LOTR reboot is too woke for me, think I'll stick to the Peter Jackson films featuring a cast of androgynous twinks with inescapably gay undertones. Thank you very much."
— HeyIt'sVadim (@HeyItsVadim) February 10, 2022
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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