"Rings of Power" trailer analysis

[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