"Rings of Power" trailer analysis

[Blind Guardian]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

This article is certainly stilted toward a certain position; however, beyond the slanted hyperbole, the sobering commentary of the actors themselves should give some pause regarding the blatant revisionism and modernity being forced into Tolkien's work:

https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/...-of-modernity/

And why does Sauron look like Eminem? Will the real Slim Sauron please stand up, please stand up, please stand up.

Well that's just terrifying. I hate it when there's a nice fantasy show and then they throw their modern BS opinions in the middle of it. I have quit shows because of it. Do these script writers not realize that people watch their show for escapism? I do not want to be reminded MORE about politics (especially ONE COUNTRIES politics *cough* America *cough*).

Nomvete then made it abundantly clear this show has nothing to do with Tolkien’s work other than the name of the series and characters.

Kill me now.

Like...I knew it wouldn't be faithful, but...ugh...

I don't believe that Tolkien ever mentioned skin color unless it was actually relevant ie: Orcs are black and their blood is black and they are corrupted. Elves are described as "fair". Dwarves are described as "rock-like" or "hewn of stone" or whatever. Rocks come in a large variety of colors so where's my green Dwarf, huh?

Their whole concept of "modern" appears to be based on skin color.

Now Ismael (Arondir) says that they are trying to modernize Jackson's work, which is more like it. Nomvete needs to read a book by Tolkien and separate Jackson and Tolkien's visions.

Also, don't Elves have long hair? Shouldn't Sauron have long hair? Shadow of Mordor Sauron looks more like what I imagine a "nice" Sauron to look like.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

This article is certainly stilted toward a certain position; however, beyond the slanted hyperbole, the sobering commentary of the actors themselves should give some pause regarding the blatant revisionism and modernity being forced into Tolkien's work:

https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/...-of-modernity/

That article is genuinely vile. I read it all last night and felt unclean after. I was dreading having to look at it again to respond to it, but luckily Blind Guardian has provided all the quotes I need.

The quotes from the actors/showrunners used by the article make it clear that:

Originally Posted by Blind Guardian

Their whole concept of "modern" appears to be based on skin color.

(Though the projection of "modern" onto all of those quotes is, I think, the article's doing, not directly from every quote.)

But of course:

Originally Posted by Blind Guardian

I don't believe that Tolkien ever mentioned skin color unless it was actually relevant...

So when the article says:

Originally Posted by Vile article

Nomvete then made it abundantly clear this show has nothing to do with Tolkien’s work other than the name of the series and characters.

What it means by 'nothing to do with Tolkien's work' is that it shows non-white characters. Which, as Blind Guardian correctly points out, is something Tolkien said very little on (dude wrote a whole letter to an actual artist and still couldn't be bothered to describe his characters!).

Isn't there a word for declaring that something is being ruined by the very presence of non-white people in it?

HINT: It's racism. It's just racism.

Tolkien created a world - quite possibly the most beautiful secondary world in existence - and he wrote about only tiny slices in space and time. Middle-earth is vast enough - it is grand enough - to include adaptations that don't look like Jackson or Nasmith or Baynes' interpretations of the characters.

There is room in Middle-earth for non-white people to see characters who look like them.

And there is definitely room for people who are white to see characters who don't look like them.

~

Originally Posted by Blind Guardian

Also, don't Elves have long hair? Shouldn't Sauron have long hair? Shadow of Mordor Sauron looks more like what I imagine a "nice" Sauron to look like.

I'm not sure why people are so convinced this character is Sauron? He looks like an evil priest to me. Given that Sauron's name is spoken like it's a rumour and a mystery, and the eye-rune seems to be appearing in multiple hidden places, I just figure Eminem is more of the same: a figurehead for Sauronic influence, not Sauron himself.

He's definitely not "nice Sauron"/Annatar, given that he spends his time scowling evilly and blowing sparks and shadow from his hand. You think anyone imagines Celebrimbor would be fooled by that? "Oh, hey Annatar my best buddy, I see you've been building dark citadels filled with the screams of the damned in my garden again. Having trouble sleeping?"

hS

[Galadriel55]

That article is genuinely vile.

I've stopped following the news for this show, but this description made me curious. So I skimmed it now during my work break. There are so many things wrong with both the actor quotes and the article itself, and so many levels of misguided criticism in all directions, that there's not even a point in going through them all. But one question I do want to ask: was Tolkien not "for everyone" before this show? Were people not able to "relate" to Tolkien before? They make it sound like they're playing benefactor, cleaning up a gargabe heap to look presentable.

Dependong on what they mean though, this can be a good thing: "everyone sort of has their frame of reference in terms of their culture, their heritage, what it means to them, their language".
It's a comon trend in recent years, to define the quality of a story by certain characteristics of diversity. Certain characteristics only, because some aren't popular topics of contention. Diversity complaints about language haven't made it to the front pages yet, or else Tolkien would be hailed as the great promoter of inclusivity. And the idea that a story NEEDS to meet a diversity checklist to be a good story - sorry, it does not. Diversity in a story is neither bad nor good, but needs to realistically reflect and enrich the setting, the place and the time. Sometimes more is more, but sometimes less is more, deoending on your setting. I don't hear anyone complaining that all the characters in Moana are Polynesian, or Asian in Mulan - because it makes sense, what else would they be. But have a story set in Medieval Europe, and how dare they only depict ethnic Europeans. But that's beside the point, that's just me ranting on the general state of affairs. If RoP actually makes their diversity about more than just skin colour - language, culture, heritage, belief systems - I think it could be a big redeeming factor. Do something with it, make it more than just a checkbox to tick off. I think Lommy picked up on this before at some point. But how much faith do I have in them doing something good with it? Meh, hope dies last, they say. I'm making an effort of seeing the positives.

[Huinesoron]

Images from the latest trailer:

Opening shot: Galadriel and the pile of helmets. Looks like a Battle of Beleriand to me.



My favourite shot: Galadriel, Miriel, and a Palantir. The Seeing-Stone is covered here, but it's absolutely gorgeous when they take the cloth off.



And two shots in one: Cultist Eminem, in closeup and with his buddies.



He's definitely designed to look like a priest/cultist - check out that staff! It looks like a human woman on the right of the image, holding what I'm parsing as a drum (she has a hand on top of it, so I don't think shield). On the left could be an armoured human; could be a Numenorean soldier without the helmet plume; could also be an animal-skull orc. I can't really tell.

hS

[Blind Guardian]

The costume designs are gorgeous. The locations and details to buildings and objects is amazing. I'll give them that. It's definitely visually appealing.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Forced "diversity" of melanin levels is just part of the faddish silliness of the age, and gets a lot of people very exercised about trivialities. I am more concerned about the writing- and what I have seen of it suggests that this thing will make the MCU look like Shakespeare.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

I am more concerned about the writing- and what I have seen of it suggests that this thing will make the MCU look like Shakespeare.

Me too. I think the visuals are stunning. I'm happy with the casting and the characters - sure, short-haired elves look a bit funny, but I can see their Elrond as the young heir of Earendil who will eventually mature into the Master of Rivendell, just as I can believe Arondir as a Wood-elf of some stripe. I'm not super happy about the names in Tirharad and with the Harfeet, but I can cope with them.

Even on the writing side... the dialogue we've heard is decent enough, allowing for the fact that it's been clipped for trailer lines. The overarching plot is fundamentally time-compressed Tolkien - I can accept that for narrative reasons. But the show is going to stand or fall on the in-between stages of the writing - the plot beats, the character decisions, the coincidences and dei ex machina which need to be invoked to get it all to hang together.

And we've seen... basically nothing of that. Galadriel thinks there's baddies around; Elrond apparently doesn't. Galadriel goes on a boat, maybe to Valinor, maybe gets shipwrecked. The dwarves don't like Elrond. Orcs are bad. Miriel has an army, a Palantir, and apparently a baby.

We have no idea how all that hangs together. I feel like we've seen the most out of Galadriel, but I could still write a dozen plots that would fit with her known scenes. It could be terrible! It could be awesome! We could have the entire sequence of events backwards, and the trailers and interviews could have been carefully cut to make us believe the opposite of what's actually in the show!

It's not going to be Tolkien. It can't be - he's dead, and he didn't leave us a novel of the Fall of Numenor, just an array of very brief summaries and some very old drafts. What I, personally, am hoping for is something that feels like an adaptation of the novel Tolkien didn't write - something as close to the hypothetical Numenor book as, say, the Jackson films were to LotR. Yes, there will be Osgiliations and random Haldirs, and "By Elbereth and Luthien the fair" will be replaced by "If you want him, come and claim him" - but I hope it will feel like I can see the book behind it, and imagine that I could reach in and pull a copy out to read.

(The Fall of Numenor doesn't count, though I fully intend to give it a place on my shelf alongside the Great Tales.)

hS