The Rings of Power: The Desperation is Real

[@jordancross9030]

"Tolkien gave very little physical description..." might be the craziest take on Tolkien every. The guy once spent like 4 pages describing a tree.

[@nickdenton3633]

Ikr lmfao... Leave it to the "Tolkien expert" to be the only person to say Tolkien wasn't long winded 😂

[@jordancross9030]

@@nickdenton3633 "Leo Tolstoy writes with such brevity and flamboyance" This guy, probably

[@kentonbaird1723]

@@jordancross9030 "Shakespeare's writing is very dry and not at all flowery" --- that guy, after pocketing another Amazon cheque.

[@SquatsAndOats2plate]

@@jordancross9030 If I read War and Peace right, Pierre was a 7ft tall basket ball player, heavily muscled, black and hated freemasons, hoping to become the next Napoleon

[@NormanReaddis]

If ghost can become a vengeful spirit for the desecration of their passion, this "scholars and superfans" will be calling exorcism each time they spout shit.

[@Tony-1971]

They keep saying masculinity is 'toxic.' But then they go and make every new female character as masculine as they possibly can.

[@jilliancrawford7577]

Well, as masculine as they can tolerate. If they were to truly make a female dwarf as masculine as possible,she would have a beard too, but nope.

[@Tony-1971]

@@jilliancrawford7577 Aye. They wouldn't give them a beard. They want them to look like women. They have to look like women, but totally unattractive to males. A beard would make them look like a man, so that's out. They want them to look like women, but with a man's body, a scowl, and a snotty attitude.

[@forests.9597]

@@jilliancrawford7577 If they were to do that, they'd be making a "person of color" seem unattractive, which would get them backlash from their target audience, the SJWs.

[@Timbued]

This! And if they actually looked into galadriel in lotr they would of seen how intimidating and powerful she was without that "Masculinity" the films did a great job portraying her power! Problem is people just want something to complain about and want to shout bigot at everyone because it makes them feel big or smart or something >_

[@freckleKaren]

yeah, and we, the Women, actually don’t like it at all

[@chunstonbas1429]

"Just a casual glance is all that was needed to know she is powerful, you dont have to put a sword in her hand to make her strong." Facts dude!! Facts!!

[@patrickdees5256]

Truly powerful person need not demonstrate their power openly. For that is the way of a fool. Their very presence should be enough to make mere men cower in fear.

[@KaitlinLuksa]

I think that's the worst part, this smooth brain version of what a strong female character is. Basically they just make women masculine.

[@PanzerShrek94]

@@patrickdees5256 what is that saying?"A king who needs to yell "I am the king" is no true king at all"

[@patrickdees5256]

@@PanzerShrek94 exactly.

[@bluecollie55_movies25]

These people are not that familiar with the power of facial expressions. All they seem to know about is making an angry pouting frown.

[@opulan]

how can someone who calls themselves a "tolkein professor" so unashamedly, be THIS level of wrong? he must have taken a sweet payout by amazon

[@animeator5580]

He probably got enough money to retire

[@asherkosmos4312]

I think he did that on purpose who didn't read the book. I mean, it's the age of the woke to fit their narrative.

[@marmotarchivist]

I’m so disappointed with him. I have been listening to the podcast of his university lectures and his discussions of the Silmarillion and the subsequent books back in 2009 and they were all high quality. Every argument was based in Tolkiens writings. I can’t believe he did such a 180 on his previous works with this crap. I’m not even furious, this just makes me sad.

[@kentonbaird1723]

@@marmotarchivist enough money will make someone change their opinions. And this is being fronted by Jeff Bezos.

[@kiara6237]

propaganda.

[@slashbash1347]

Tolkien fans are hardcore. Sure, a Harry Potter fan might call themselves a Slytherin but Tolkien's fanbase was a sleeping giant and now, that giant just got out of bed.

[@harbl99]

Seen elsewhere, after a Tolkien linguist schooled someone who wanted a tattoo in 'elf': "That was the Tokien fandom; the Elder Gods of the internet. They were here first, and they helped build this place; no, not Reddit, the internet. Every now and then they wake up."

[@ExtremeMan10]

They dont hold candle to Lovecraft fanbase, these people are malice

[@Schinak]

@@ExtremeMan10 Some times Malice is needed to fight corruption

[@bhushanharripersad5716]

The Tolkien fandom are Ents, it will take a while to get them organized and discussing what is happening but when they march Isenguard will fall.

[@ExtremeMan10]

@@Schinak I like your style, fight fire with fire, no matter how much the woods will burn

[@Matteus2109]

Ironically, making Galadriel this girl boss "one of the boys" tomboys is kind of sexist. The only way for a woman to be tough, according to Amazon, is to make women like the guys - a sword wielding adventurer. Instead of her power coming from her sheer charisma, intelligence and political nuance and subtlety, it has to come from the sword. Ironically, quite regressive.

[@jj48]

Interestingly enough, Galadriel at this point in time was a bit more ambitious and hot-headed than she would eventually be by the time of The Lord of the Rings. She still has quite a bit of growing and maturing to go through before she becomes the Galadriel we're all used to. If having her wield a sword is a diminishment of her character, that's quite in keeping with what I would expect of the beginning of her story arc, actually.

[@dovhadark7108]

@@jj48 except for the casual fact that saying galadriel has some more maturing to do is utter bullshit, she is thousand years old at this point and has seen the light of the two tree and the valar, it's like saying gandalf need to grow up in LOTR it make no sense, trying to justify it by any stretch only lead up to hyppocrisy seriously amazon is trying to spat in our face the least we can do is not trying to swallow it, when a product transform into a scam it need to be called out as such

[@jj48]

@@dovhadark7108 Blame Tolkien for writing it, not me.

[@dovhadark7108]

@@jj48 no one is blaming you, you didn't writte the dumpster fire that will be the story of this show after all, not surprising since it's more of an empty propaganda and no tolkien did not writte this, I dont think the guy is incoherent enought to state how galadriel has led one of the most enlightened life available for an elf of middle hearth long before coming to it, only to writte she need more maturing because she as the mental equivalent of a 21 year old my point still stand, be it cowboy beebop, death note, bleach, or even the infamous dragon ball evolution, and of course including this one in the mix, the shameless scams that are the live action adaptations of today doesn't deserve, or even have any right, to be defended doing so doesn't do favor for the industry and the public far from it I don't know for you, but I personnally can't stand when such scam not only spatt on my face but also on a work that I admire only for cheap money ( and even that excuse is weak )

[@jj48]

@@dovhadark7108 From The Nature of Middle-earth: Galadriel was born in Aman: “young and eager” at the beginning of the Exile; not yet full-grown: say 20. The March [back to Middle-earth] took a whole life-year of the survivors at whatever rate they were living, sc. to the young [but] “grown” it added 1 growth-year (3 löar); to the older and full-grown 1 life-year (144 löar). Therefore Galadriel was 21 when she reached Middle-earth. She became full-grown therefore (24) in 9 löar after arrival. By the end of the First Age - the overthrow of Thangorodrim and the ruin of Beleriand - she had added (600-9LY)/144 = approximately 4 LY. She was thus about 28 (or in mortal equivalent aged 21). Early in the Second Age she married Celeborn, and dwelt first in Lindon. In TA 1 she had added 23 years and was 51 (mortal equivalent 38). In TA 3021, when she sailed West, she was about 51 + 21 = 72 (mortal equivalent 54) and had just passed her “youth” and entered “maturity”. This fits well. (In the text, prior to this point, Tolkien differentiated between mortal equivalent years and elf life-years, with 3 human years equaling 4 elf years. Hence, while in this version, Galadriel was still 20 in elf years when she left Valinor, she was not 20 in human equivalent years. This is clear later in the text where we're explicitly told that at the end of the First Age, she was about 28, or 21 in mortal equivalent years. So yes, Tolkien absolutely did write that, JSG was mistaken when he said Tolkien didn't, and if you have a problem with it you can take it up with Tolkien.)

[@zebare726]

"good does not need to destroy evil; good needs only to resist evil, and when it does that, evil destroys itself."-JRR Tolkien

[@thedude3065]

the long defeat

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

and I shall skip this shit show and it will fail

[@obiwayne2247]

@did a thing Can you guys stop spamming this to all kinds of videos that have nothing to do with that topic? Its kinda cringe.

[@Grabthar191]

@@obiwayne2247 I think they're bots or paid shills pushing a blitz campaign for views.

[@deadmanfred]

Hoy shit stop spreading this fake quote around!!! The real quote is Frodo: "The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own."

[@Redbeardblondie]

I love how they have all the resources AND all the freedom to make a story about how the Southlands fell to Sauron’s influence, potentially making the whole story about non-whites who are corrupted by an evil pale lord’s sweet words of progress (colonialism & the white savior complex, anyone?) despite the valiant efforts of tragic heroes who happen to be dark of skin. What an amazing story setting they just completely overlooked in the pursuit of money.

[@ethanwilliams4559]

Because it was never about "including diversity." It has and always will be about removing whites, even and/or especially from their own culture/history and works based off it. I don't remember where or who said it but a big time ethnic cleanser supporter said that the only successful way to genocide white people is with a process they now call in the modern age "diversity and inclusion."

[@sianais]

@ethan williams True, it was never about diversity, but another way to look at it is them reinforcing non "white" cultures as being less than and the only way for these diverse characters to be valuable is to be pasted into European culture. Stuff like this is an insult to everyone.

[@maryokeeffe3528]

There's even genuine reason for grievances there, as Numenor's long slide into decadence and corruption meant that increasingly the kings did send fleets out to take resources from Middle-earth and they did treat the non-Numenorean Men still in Middle-earth with increasing disdain and aggression. They could have their brown and north african Men who have good reason to distrust the Numenoreans and to be afraid of 'Westerners' and who are ripe for the persuasion of Sauron that he will protect them and give them revenge and their own back, while really enslaving them. But no, that would be too complex and nuanced.

[@Burt1038]

But then they would actually have to create something, and evil cannot create, it can only corrupt.

[@animejanai4657]

The southlands were filled with swarthy (dark skinnned) people. So that would defeat the woke agenda because now the dark-skinned people would be those swarthy folk.

[@HolodeckArcade]

"No man or elf has ever seen a beardless dwarf unless he were shaven in mockery, and would then be more like to die of shame. For the Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike." -J.R.R. Tolkien in The War of the Jewels

[@svenstevenson2245]

Thankyou kind stranger for finding it in the black and white.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Yes. This is why I'm here. Cheers Richard

[@bensteward8552]

I knew that quote was in there somewhere, and I wondered why no one in these video reviews brought it up. I guess the allegations that it was changed later are too strong?

[@zionleach3001]

EXACTLY... They did in the Witcher.

[@NeroLeMorte]

We should spam this in all amazon youtube videos even the ones that have nothing to do with lotr just to screw with them.

[@BradStarnes]

One of the best scenes in the movies was when Frodo offers Galadriel the ring. Yes, it was ramped up visually from in the book, but even then, it showed just how powerful Galadriel was and the wisdom she possessed. She knew that she could take the ring, given freely, and wield it in full. She also knew if she did the power would corrupt her, and she chose to fade instead. They didn't have to show us super strong warrior woman Galadriel. If anyone had actually read the books or even seen the movies they should know that Galadriel was a badass without being a warrior. This so called "expert" sure doesn't seem to know much about that which he claims to be an expert on.

[@corvidaegudmund1186]

The Queen who you knew could easily destroy you without ever laying a hand on a weapon, held in check by her goodness and wisdom (who also didn’t need to shout that fact from rooftops either). It’s like people have forgotten *why* powerful magic users are feared and respected, even if they never lift a sword or wear even a scrap of armor.

[@Rafael-rn6hn]

The idea that an ancient magical being who can bend reality to their will needs a sword and armor to appear powerful is so asinine only wokies who only see value in archetypically male depictions of strength could come up with.

[@InfernosReaper]

@@corvidaegudmund1186 Those who are truly good and wise do not need to declare themselves as such. It's kinda like that quote about how a true king doesn't have to say that he's the king.

[@Dookieman1975]

I would actually like to see her wrecking people, the thing is she doesn’t need to be a sword wielder. I see her negotiating more than fighting, and if all else fails, then she pulls out the magic and maybe a sword… after giving several chances and stern looks/words

[@THE16THPHANTOM]

that's why he is an "expert" worthy of answering IGN's questions. confirmation bias is strong with the woke.

[@wellthatwasfun]

There's a beautiful scene in FOTR, when the Fellowship arrives to Lorien, and they meet Galadriel, and she starts messing with their minds (and hearts) and talking to them without opening her mouth, and Gimli bows his head 'cause he can't even look her in the eye, and even a powerful warrior like Boromir is humbled and cries in shame at her presence. That tells you how powerful she was. She didn't need any sword or armor to instill fear in her enemies.

[@kentonbaird1723]

I watched all of the extended editions again right after the trailer dropped. From the sweeping views of Hobbiton, the towering wraiths at weathertop, the Balrog at Kazad Dum, to every otherworldly minute in Lothlorien. Every scene to the many emotional endings of the return of the king, I had one incredulous thought in the back of my mind: "Amazon thinks they can ape THIS material?"

[@suicunesolsan]

In Gimli's case, I don't think he fears her as much as he's enamored with her beauty. Boromir is the one who's afraid because she can see through him.

[@LateralTwitlerLT]

@@suicunesolsan Pretty sure Gimli says right before they're caught by the Wood Elves that "a great and terrifying sorcerer lives in these woods, and everyone who looks at her falls under her spell", or something like that - I can't remember the exact words. So yes - he is indeed at first very very afraid of looking at her.

[@josemanuelcaballero1162]

@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel Right. But Galadriel is powerful intrinsicallly. I mean, by the third age she is the one inhabitant of the Middle Earth besides Sauron and the Istari who has received direct isntruction from Maiar and Valar. She was mentored by Melian in the first Age, who was probably among the most powerful Maia ever, probably on par with Sauron.

[@josemanuelcaballero1162]

@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel Agree. Magic is scarce in the Middle Earth, and especially in the Third Age.There is magic in the Middle Earth that can be more useful than combat magic, though. But even then , I dont see that as a reason for a Galadriel Amazon. She is pictured in this series in places and events she never took part of. There was never an "army of the North" in Second Age for her to take command of. The Elves after the first age were pretty much on their own , except at the war of the last alliance. They were slowly drifting to the west in the ships when they got tired of the world. But not actively facing Sauron or the hards or the easterlings. That fell on the shoulders of the Numenoreans. The Second Age is the Age of Men, as the first Age was that mostly of the Elves, which was defined by the doom of Fêanor and the destiny of the Silmarils. In the third Age , way before the war of the ring there was the kingdom of Arnor, later split in Cardolan, Rhudaur and and Arthedain who fought the Witch king of Angmar. But Galadriel was not involved in that fight , and its outside of the series scope. Thats the closest of an "army of the North" you may have had. There was the last Alliance, and Tolkien made it explicit that Gil Galad, Elendil and Isildur were the leaders there. And I dont see Tolkien sending Galadriel to the battle field and having her husband , Celeborn , staying in Lorien.

[@wolftal1178]

For those of you who only know the movies and are wondering why any of this outcry matters, Tolkien didn’t set out to write just another fantasy, his first love was language and mythology. As a linguist, he set out to make the most beautiful language ever created (Elvish.) He invented Elvish based on Northern European languages. As a historian, he wrote the Silmarillion and all the other extensive back lore that is only hinted at in the movies as alternate mythology for the British Isles. The very creation of Middle Earth by the gods through an act of song was inspired by Finnish myths. It was steeped in North Western European culture and the myths, legends, languages, stories, racial characteristics, history’s and cultures of Middle Earth are inextricably built from corresponding roots of European culture in a way that no fantasy has ever been able to replicate before or since. He is considered by many of us to be the true father of modern fantasy and no one has ever equaled the depth and verisimilitude he brought to that creation. This trailer and all Amazon interviews to date prove that they don’t care about any of this and intend to dismantle the very foundation of why Tolkien wrote these books, as a labor of love. He loved his culture, his history, and his language and his invented languages, world, races, and stories were the medium through which he communicated his love of his ancestral heritage. To change his work in the ways shown in this trailer and the subsequent interviews, is not just to reinterpret some surface aspect of his stories, it is to completely undermine his stated intent, strike at the heart of his passion, and directly attack his own cultural heritage.

[@miless544]

Very well articulated!

[@wolftal1178]

@@miless544 thank you very much!👍

[@mirmirathegreat]

As an Indian and thus not a white guy, I really am pissed with the way Hollywood and Woke media in general, feel that they are doing something good by forcefully making the characters diverse. I have watched the LOTR series about 10 times and have read LOTR and Silmarillion each twice, and have never ever felt that I could not picture myself in the shoes of the heroes. I can safely speak for the fans when I say that we love Frodo and Sam not for their colour of skin or their hair but for their bravery in insurmountable odds. We love Aragon for his noble and righteous ways and Gandalf for his wisdom. I have always pictured the elves as almost ethereal beings way above men and the stories of their sundering from the Valar, the defeat of Morgoth are truly much more epic and should be read and portrayed for the strength of character rather than trivial things like skin colour. Of course, that is what can be expected from small minds, hence I am not really surprised.

[@Avarn388]

I’m Indian as well and I hated the trailer and the woke crap in this. As a kid I never once felt out of place seeing Sam( my favorite character), Aragorn, Gandalf etc. on screen because they were so well written and likable. It’s also downright insulting to racially swap a series that the author intended to have be British mythology for no reason. It would be one thing to focus on the Easterlings and the south and make up races and lore in line with the old stuff. But no. They change it. It’s disgusting.

[@Iron-Bridge]

Well said. Your Indian culture is rich with centuries of epic class myth based storytelling as well. Imagine some bunch of outsiders appropriating all that with their identity based politics.

[@James-sk4db]

Because you are not racist is why you can do that, you dont think in terms of race in the same way as these wokeists. For example I'm white and in blood diamond I empathise with Hounsou's character more than DiCaprio's because he is a father trying to help his son rather than a mercenary trying to make a lot of money, these wokeists seem to find it impossilbe to empathise with someone of a different race because they are racist as all heck. And I hate using the term racist because it has lost all meaning.

[@BigApeBooks]

I couldn't agree with you more. It's their humanity that speaks to people all around the world, not their appearance.

[@niicopanda]

I'm trying to picture Brad Pitt or Hulk Hogan playing Baahubali. Or Christian Bale playing John Henry (Black American folk hero). Seems awfully hollow (if not outright repugnant) to force diversity. It disconnects people from their unique heritage.

[@bry8636]

The intent of aging the elves was not to give their equivalent in mind, but a rough estimate of their physical appearance. Because Galadriel looked 21 or 26, or whatever, did not mean she had temperament of a 21 year old. Which would be impossible. Amazon, and now professor wormtongue, would have us believe that Galdriel was immature in the 2nd age. She’s lived for a few millennia at the start of the 2nd age. She’s seen the light of the two trees and the Kinslaying. She is not going to act like a 21 year old.

[@lukewalken1316]

More like Forktongue

[@somedandy7694]

Just wait 'til the F-bombs drop (it's Amazon, and they gotta be "hip," you know it's gonna happen)

[@bry8636]

@@eglib499 seriously- meaning an elf of 140 years would have the mentality of a 1 year old It’s nonsensical and that’s not what Tolkien meant How can a ‘Tolkien professor’ misconstrue that intent that badly? I don’t think he is that stupid, I’m certain he is just selling out and twisting Tolkien’s intent to conform with Amazon’s intent This is the same ‘professor’ that castigated Jackson for giving Durin’s Bane wings. He was right then. But where is that rigor and dedication to lore now?

[@bry8636]

@@eglib499 The thing is, I bet he is just angling for Amazon to pick him up as a ‘Tolkien expert’. It would be a beautiful twist of fate if he sells out, loses a big part of his audience, and then never sees a dime from Amazon. Here’s hoping. I plan to cancel Amazon prime after the first episode. I thought of doing it after the trailer but thought that might be too ambiguous.

[@belliott538]

Grima FookTongue?

[@marna_li]

And Nerdrotic talked about this. There is a video in which Christopher Tolkien states that the purpose of this fathers's work is not about reflecting our world but building another one to escape in. The cultural traits are there simply for aesthetics because JRR Tolkien found an interest in those cultures and themes - folklore or religion. He never wanted to outright criticize the real world or to put forwards a socio-political agenda. That is not the point of his stories.

[@SamvedIyer]

I recall; perhaps the video you refer to is "A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien". It is a magnificent documentary.

[@bobsondugnutt9914]

Standards were driven out of art, then it was essentially reduced to this. They don't want to escape our world, they're taught to strive against it in everything they do. When culture is a battlefront, anything can be turned into a weapon.

[@marna_li]

@@bobsondugnutt9914 Hmm. It feels so childish. Like teenagers rebelilling, wanting to take over and shape the world according to their people’s belief. May it be ”diversity” or ”critical theory”. I have learned enough to accept that som have their own views and that is fine. Some with whom my opinions will intersect.

[@MrBrachiatingApe]

Ayn Rand was right about how dumbed down Leftism would make all art...but wrong about how the general public would lap it up uncritically. I have no use for her, but I do need to credit that she understood some of the cultural aspects of Far Leftoid idiot-ology pretty well. And fuck M. Night Shyamalan and every other race/gender/sex/sexuality-bending director, producer, and Hollywood humanoid. They're trash who consistently take the easy way over the good way, but now think themselves untouchable enough to shit on fans coming and going rather than even try to do better. They need to be bankrupted and go live on Skid Row where their talents would take them in a just world.

[@MrBrachiatingApe]

@@marna_li I had to read a lot of critical theory in university to get my art degree; what that doctrine for would-be dictators has to do with becoming an artist, I'll never know...but I do know it was used to justify a total lack of teaching artistic techniques, or artistic discernment. An example of what I mean: I was given a C for a painting that I created from a life model and my imagination in a photo-surrealist style, one that expressed the rather severe amount of pain I was in at the time due to an untreated shoulder injury, over-prescription of painkillers and under-prescription of physical therapy or any other constructive treatment. One of my classmates took an advertisement, copied it to a transparency, projected it onto his canvas, traced it, and colored it in the same way. It had no deeper meaning--seriously, he made some shit up on the day of the critique, as he himself told me. He was also expelled for several unrelated instances of plagiarism like a quarter or two later. He was given an A+. He was given this grade because he ran his mouth on some bullshit he lifted from critical theory writers about copies vs. originals, and how the idea of original art was totally nonsense. Check out Sir Roger Scruton's documentary "Why Beauty Matters" for an _incredibly_ articulate take-down of modern art. The only thing I can say is that this professor was...surrounded by rumors that he tried to force students out of the arts that he felt threatened by. Given that I was the most talented and skilled artist in the program in the past 3-5 years, and all the shit he did to me, I can believe it. (I'm saying this because I won awards as an undergrad that no other undergrad before or since won. I also want to be clear that I WAS NOT the most talented art student in the school...just the most among all the art majors. The two most talented artists, now NYT best-selling graphic novel writers/artists and the head of 2d art for pixar, illustrated for the student newspaper but weren't art majors. I learned more from them in the 1.5 years I worked for them than I did in my 4.5 years as an art major. They were *incredible* artists, and I was, at the time, merely very good.)

[@Mr._Anderpson]

It's like Gandalf said to Saruman, "He who breaks a thing to understand what it is has left the path of wisdom."

[@kentonbaird1723]

A quote that makes me reflect on every movie or TV show that "Deconstructs". Never to "reconstruct". That quote about evil being unable to create anything new is proven true and right every day.

[@sgtpaloogoo2811]

Dang Tolkien was wise!

[@nostalji93]

@@kentonbaird1723 Idk. Evil is quite good at creating rockets and Co. Id even argue human nature is rather parasidic and measured by our own morals as evil. Yet we create a shit ton of stuff. Also some things need to be taken apart to be understood first and than repaired. Deconstruction doesnt mean breaking.

[@jovankovacswallis8453]

Ya I've done alot of that unfortunately. However, sometimes breaking ones self can give you an intimate understanding of who you are, what you are capable of, and what you can grow to be.

[@Mr._Anderpson]

@@jovankovacswallis8453 Definitely. I don't think the Tolkien line was directed internally, but to things external. Then again, maybe that's just my own perspective. I found myself broken on the rocks of fate a few years ago & looking back it was one of the best things which could have happened. Had I been a wise man, I could have made the changes without being broken. Since I was complacent & lazy, change swept upon me while I was unaware.

[@elijahbachrach6579]

Remember, the bow that Galadriel gifts to Legolas is strung with elf hair. You need long fibers for that.

[@collinthompson858]

Brilliant case in point

[@dododimitrov9657]

@@collinthompson858 "But most it was their wont to sail in their swift ships upon the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or to walk in the waves upon the shore with their long hair gleaming like foam in the light beyond the hill." .....Quenta Silmarillion "All the Eldar had beautiful hair (and were especially attracted by hair of exceptional loveliness), but the Noldor were not specially remarkable in this respect, and there is no reference to Finwe as having had hair of exceptional length, abundance, or beauty beyond the measure of his people." The Peoples of Middle-earth. There is not a single instance where elves were described with short hair, I remember Glorfindel was grabbed by his long hair by the Balgor and they both fell into the chasm. The most beautiful quote remains from Sam's song : "the Elven-stars as jewels white amid their branching hair..."

[@thecynic3697]

imagine him with a 10cm bow xDDDD

[@sgtpaloogoo2811]

Pretty bad a** not gonna lie.

[@themilkybarkid8092]

Not curly don lemon pubes

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

“What’s his hair color? We don’t know!” Then the paragraph describing his hair color is top tier. Enough to make me discredit this entire mans life. If he’s ballsy enough to go lie on camera like this. He’s clearly a manipulator or a child.

[@nickh5081]

He's either been sufficiently scared by the woke/cancel crowd to openly lie or he simply sold out for cash. The only other option is he's gone full woketard himself and actually believes his own BS now.

[@Swarm509]

@@nickh5081 Or Amazon cut him a big cheque and he is saying whatever they need to legitimize things. None of these options are good.

[@Danaluni59]

The “expert” is actually a “hack” and a “sycophant” to the show runners not someone familiar with Tolkien at all.

[@darkwolfe6286]

@@Swarm509 I believe he's just spinning the narrative to give Amazon cover to vandalize Tolkien's work to push their agenda. Yes I'm sure that sweet sweet money eased his conscience. 😓

[@NeroLeMorte]

he's clearly a sellout

[@shawngillogly6873]

When Galadriel *does* go to war in the Third Age, her power is sufficient to repel any incursion into her land. And then when the invasion (with an army no smaller than the one sent to Minas Tirith) is beaten back, she goes forth and tears down Dol Goldur and lays it bare. That's "Action Galadriel," in Tolkien's writing. And it's much stronger than any generic sword-wielder clinging to a ledge in inoffensive, non-elf, armor.

[@sigmacademy]

The whole thing that confuses me about the whole cliff hanging scene, is why does she only have a single knife? Yes, I know that typically a person would only have a single one, but it hardly assists in climbing? Climbing using both your hands, or at least having 2 knives that you could jam into the ice would be a better visual, yes? :/

[@christopherhorton4634]

Galadriel can get IN YOUR MIND. We don't need her to be a "action girl". She can enter your head. No sword can do that.

[@TheDoomKnight]

Both Guts and the DoomSlayer beg to differ.

[@thatrandomeliteultra1158]

@@TheDoomKnight speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

[@MephiticMiasma]

@Mark Jones Tom Bombadil being the usual exception to everything, of course.

[@hernehaugen6878]

"No sword can do that!" Well not in the same way no-

[@GMOTP5738]

@@TheDoomKnight cringe

[@jmac8631]

I don’t see what is wrong with letting a British man create stories centered around his culture from the different people that make up the United Kingdom from Gaelic people, Celtic people, and Norse people it’s something he felt his nation was missing and it would be sad to think that those stories are no longer acceptable without changing some skin color…

[@wiggawithattitude]

There was nothing wrong with it being created at the time, however, now, in the age of progressivism it is. Obviously they can't just burn every Tolkien book or ban it, which I believe they would if they could, so the next best thing is to attempt to subvert the base work with this abomination and claim Tolkien for their ideology.

[@kentonbaird1723]

There's a book series I've started on called "The Rage of Dragons" by Evan Winter. It's set in a fantasy Africa where nations conduct war with magic and dragons. It's pretty awesome, reads like black African Conan the Barbarian. I can imagine that if it was made into a series, these shills WOULDN'T demand to make the show multiracial.

[@the13inquisitor59]

@@wiggawithattitude There's still nothing wrong with it, objectively. Just assholes who don't like fun projecting their unhappiness to make others as miserable as they are.

[@b.melakail]

If you want African fantasy, look at Evan Winter's books. If you want chinese fantasy look at R.F Kuang's books. If you want Japanese fantasy, look at M.L Wang's book

[@Sawrattan]

The thing is it's not about Britain anymore, it's about America. Since the 1950s British culture has been steadily soaking up US influence -- both right and left wing -- and we're now in this mess of wokeism.

[@Meerschweinchenweitwurfchamp]

Just because you can calculate the "human age" she was, she still has the excperiance of all that time. Otherwise you imply, that elves learn slower as human, equivalent to their slower aging process. So a 50 year old elve would still poop his pants.

[@mbob4337]

Yep. That's what they're trying to do.

[@ouranosodysseus286]

yes and no, it depend to your species, let s take an immortal true animals like a medusa (do not remember is name) it will be mature fast, BUT all primate species have a long developement (brain stuff etc) so we can think the elves are slow to mature.

[@MaxxMcGeePrivate]

Like Grogu in Star Wars. XD

[@professorhaystacks6606]

Elves grow to full maturity in about the same time as humans. Their maturation was a bit unclear. One version said they weren't considered 'of age' until 50 years or so. It's hard to do age equivalents because they live 'so long as Arda shall last', and even they don't really know how long that is. They age after maturity at a rate proportional to the remaining life of Arda. ...All of that is 'sometimes'. Anything not published wasn't 'set'. The statement about 9 loa pregnancies is something I don't recall at all, for instance.

[@k.v.7681]

@@ouranosodysseus286 A good way to look at it would be to take Legolas. He's about 3k years old by the time we reach the story of the LotR. And sure, he's a warrior, and not known for his wisdom particularly, and acts more or less like a mid-twenties year old. Galadriel, by the second age, is already immensely more old. And sure, she still had room to grow and attain full wisdom, but you don't need to be a warrior to be strong-headed. In many ways, she is what Luthien would have been. Strong-minded, independant, powerful beyond reckoning, but no sword-swinging madness. She was a leader of her people. Not all leaders charge into battle on their horse. Eowyn, for all the love she gets as a character (rightfully, I love Eowyn) is a "failed" person (by intent). She deserts her people because she dreads the loneliness of leadership and prefers the action. She failed the test that was put in front of her (most characters live such a test in their lives). That's what they're doing with Galadriel. Even tho her test is resisting the appeal of the one ring. Another thing to note is that she was the pupil of Aule and Yavanna, both gods. The kind of education that doesn't leave much room for foolishness.

[@scellwood]

The "Tolkien Professor" is no scholar of Tolkien. His intellectual dishonesty is staggering. But calling himself "Tolkien Professor" is already an unwarranted appropriation of Tolkien's name and an illicit insinuation of authority. Another superb video, Just Some Guy.

[@scroletyper8286]

Yes this is not unlike another video I saw of him on nerd of the rings channel where he doesn't have his facts strate. Rapidly misquotes to serve his own agenda and doesn't truly dive into what Tolkien said. I've read the book only twice and I can point out his flawed recitations making all that much more fun o watch someone who's read them 18 times rip into this guy

[@magnem1043]

Another "expert fact checker" thats a part of the deconstruction movement of western civilization, critical theory/Neo-marxist

[@shawnparshall1165]

Agreed, at first I thought his talks about Tolkien's works were impressive but after watching several 9f his videos and listening to his podcast I realized that he may have a vast amount of Tolkien knowledge, more so than the average person but he is missing the whole point of Tolkien.

[@paulmc9472]

Guessing he is an expert in social pandering only

[@jerrydeem8946]

Never hearing of the Tolkien Professor until today all l can say is.......wha ?

[@serendal]

This is not Gladriel, it's just a random "strong" women for non tolkien fans.

[@reek4062]

have you seen the series and you don't like it? Or are you angry you can't get laid?

[@oliveremmettknox7776]

Stow it, Serendal.

[@lukewalken1316]

​@@oliveremmettknox7776 Ok Cape

[@desmonides]

Don’t they realize that they’re pandering to “fans” that don’t even exist 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@MasterIceyy]

Just kinda wondering where she was during the Battle of Dagorlad, which contained notable elves such as Elrond, Gil-Galad, Cirdan, Amdir, and Legolas' dad, Thranduil and his Grandfather Oropher, why wasn't our girl boss Galadriel fighting on the field with all of those famous elves

[@amycorona6602]

Everyone seems to forget about the essay “The Laws and Customs of the Eldar” contained in Morgoth’s Ring that fully explains everything one needs to know about the Elves from the general appearances, life cycle, courtship and marriage practices to their beliefs on “body” and “spirit.” Tolkien put a lot of thought into his elves to make them less of flighty fairy creatures that were common in folk stories into these higher beings that shared features and customs with mortal men, and some (i.e Feanor) shared the faults of mortals but where not mortal men. Amazon is making Tolkien’s elves like men with all their girl power Galadriel and elf and mortal love affair crap. Peter Jackson made the same mistake in the Hobbit with Thranduil and Tauriel in making act more man-like then elf-like, especially with Thranduil who he turned into a villain for some studio forced stupid love triangle. Legolas he just turned into super elf ninja because of fan girls. When Tolkien elves start acting like out of character mortal men, with all of our failings and faults they loose all their power, majesty and mystery and just turn into overpowered Mary Sues.

[@JohnSmith-is4uu]

Oh they didn't forget, they just are actively destroying LOTR

[@Tar-Elenion]

It (Laws and Customs) does not explain everything, and you can get additional information from Tolkien's works published in Nature of Middle-earth.

[@XaldirGodofGood]

I mean if I read what goes Down in the First Age, Super Ninja Elves seems to be kinda an accurate depiction.

[@shadokat]

Whoever is writing their scripts simply doesn't have the imagination to go beyond the petty things we humans worry about in 2022. Just as they can't conceive of the possibility of enjoying a piece of fantasy fiction without seeing their own faces staring back at them, they don't understand that middle-earth beings don't have the same petty self-centered concerns as they do. There are no middle-aged, overweight white women going through menopause and trying to live paycheck to paycheck while doing a job they hate in every show, but I'm still capable of enjoying creative media without demanding to see a clone of myself in the production. I don't need "inclusive representation" in everything I see because I have the common sense to understand that there is a much larger world that is much more interesting beyond the tip of my own nose. This is being presented to us by the generation who started receiving "participation trophies" instead of having to actually compete for anything in their lives. They never grew out of the inherent self-centeredness present instinctively in every child, and we are now seeing the results of the entitled, offended-by-everything, better-than-you way they were raised.

[@SamvedIyer]

I am glad I never watched the Hobbit trilogy, and I never shall, but I somehow suspect its grotesqueries shall fail in scale before those of this series.

[@sillypuppy5940]

I'm not sure if "mature" means the same thing for elves as it does for humans. If we consider it to be "wise" (eg, not jumping off cliffs and worrying about the consequences later) then 3000+ years ought to be plenty of time to grow out of such stupidity. If this guy really thinks that elves spend 1000 years being irresponsible teenagers then its a wonder that there are any elves alive.

[@georged.5595]

Especially since they're considered adults when they reach their 100th year...and mature mentally faster than humans. There's no way to make this change accurate to Tolkien.

[@wrathandflame3987]

@@georged.5595 Finally someone mentioned this. Elves mature physically around 50 and are considered full adults at around 100. I am pretty sure that most of them "matured" soon after that tops at 500 like come on

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

@@wrathandflame3987 Full adults at 100, just like the Asari from Mass Effect.

[@eduardoboada2871]

To clarify, Numenoreans are descended predominantly from people of the House of Hador, GOLDENHEAD. They had blonde hair and blue eyes (so basically vikings). To a lesser extent and mainly in the western region, they came from people of the house of Beor. These had dark hair and green eyes. Elendil and the exiles were from this group of Numenoreans. So, unless we are willing to create new ehtnic looks, different from the ones in our world (such as an entire population with dark skin and yellow hair), we must accept that Numenoreans most likely looked very caucasian, but taller, more beautiful, etc.

[@l.p.7585]

There are lots of dark fellas with blonde hair down under

[@bry8636]

@@l.p.7585 nope-sun bleached doesnt count- the hair of the aborigines is dark brown- and their eyes are brown- don’t forget that caveat

[@srdjanvitorovic5795]

Well Numenoreans were all mixed and mostly of house of Hador...them being very tall and having gray eyes come mostly from house of Hador even in the western region where there were more of House of Beor, stockier build... I think house of Haleth gave the least amount of genetic stock to Numenoreans...but what's the most important thing they were three tribes of basicly white people...

[@Danaluni59]

When wheeze gets old, wheeze all get white hair… so there ya goes.

[@fantasywind3923]

@@srdjanvitorovic5795 even in the writings of Nature of Middle-earth it's confirmed, yes they are white, and yes they are combination of two ethnic groups, Hadorians and Beorians: "The Númenóreans were not of uniform racial descent. Their main division was between the descendants of the “House of Hador” and the “House of Bëor”. These two groups originally had distinct languages; and in general showed different physical characteristics. Each House had, moreover, numerous followers of mixed origin. The people of Bëor were on the whole dark-haired (though fair-skinned), less tall and of less stalwart build; they were also less long-lived. Their Númenórean descendants tended to have a smaller life-span: about 350 years or less. The people of Hador were strong, tall, and for the most part fair-haired. But the chieftains of both Houses had already in Beleriand intermarried. The Line of Elros was regarded as belonging to the House of Hador through Eärendil (son of Tuor, the great-great-grandson of Hador); but it was also descended on the distaff side from the House of Bëor through Elwing wife of Eärendil, daughter of Dior, son of Beren (last chieftain of the House of Bëor, and seventh in direct descent from Bëor)." Fair-skinned, it as clear indication as possible, and later on thousands upon thousands of years later, the Dunedain of the South in Gondor were also clearly described: "They took off their masks now and again to cool them, as the day-heat grew, and Frodo saw that they were goodly men, pale-skinned, dark of hair, with grey eyes and faces sad and proud." 'Pale-skinned' in the Lotr itself, the Two Towers!! Dunedain/Numenoreans are all white. The Hador folk are also described both in published Silm and other texts: "The Folk of Hador were ever the greatest in numbers of the Atani, and in renown (save only Beren son of Barahir descendant of Bëor). For the most part they were tall people, with flaxen or golden hair and blue-grey eyes, but there were not a few among them that had dark hair, though all were fair-skinned." and these formed the majority of island's population: "19 In the Westlands and in Andúnië the Elven-tongue [Sindarin] was spoken by high and low. In that tongue Erendis was nurtured; but Aldarion spoke the Númenórean speech, although as all high men of Númenor he knew also the tongue of Beleriand. [Author's note.] - Elsewhere, in a note on the languages of Númenor, it is said that the general use of Sindarin in the north-west of the Isle was due to the fact that those parts were largely settled by people of "Bëorian" descent; and the People of Bëor had in Beleriand early abandoned their own speech and adopted Sindarin. (Of this there is no men­tion inThe Silmarillion, though it is said there (p. 148) that in Dor-lómin in the days of Fingolfin the people of Hador did not forget their own speech, "and from it came the common tongue of Númenor.") In other regions of Númenor Adûnaic was the native language of the people, though Sindarin was known in some degree to nearly all; and in the royal house, and in most of the houses of the noble or learned, Sindarin was usually the native tongue, until after the days of Tar-Atanamir. (It is said later in the present narrative (p. 203) that Aldarion actually preferred the Númenórean speech; it may be that in this he was exceptional.) This note further states that although Sindarin as used for a long period by mortal Men tended to become divergent and dialectal, this process was largely checked in Númenor, at least among the nobles and the learned, by their contact with the Eldar of Eressëa and Lindon. Quenya was not a spoken tongue in Númenor. It was known only to the learned and to the families of high descent, to whom it wag taught in their early youth. It was used in official documents in­tended for preservation, such as the Laws, and the Scroll and Annals of the Kings (cf. the Akallabêth p. 267; "in the Scroll of Kings the name Herunúmen was inscribed in the High-elven speech"), and often in more recondite works of lore. It was also largely used in nomenclature: the official name of all places, re­gions, and geographical features in the land were of Quenya form (though they usually had also local names, generally of the same meaning, in either Sindarin or Adûnaic ). The personal names, and especially the official and public names, of all members of the royal house, and of the Line of Elros in general, were given in Quenya form." So once again, western portion of the isle, Beorian descent, the rest of Numenor, Hadorian that's how they were in origin, the descendants of Edain of First Age, the people of the north, and so related to the Numenoreans were all peoples like the Northmen of Rhovanion, and many men in Eriador in second age!! "There is a description in a late philological essay of the first meeting of the Númenóreans with Men of Eriador at that time: "It was six hundred years after the departure of the survivors of the Atani [Edain] over the sea to Númenor that a ship first came again out of the West to Middle-earth and passed up the Gulf of Lhûn. Its captain and mariners were welcomed by Gil-galad; and thus was begun the friendship and alliance of Númenor with the Eldar of Lindon. The news spread swiftly and Men in Eriador were filled with wonder. Although in the First Age they had dwelt in the East, rumours of the terrible war 'beyond the Western Moun­tains' [i.e. Ered Luin] had reached them; but their traditions pre­served no clear account of it, and they believed that all the Men who dwelt in the lands beyond had been destroyed or drowned in great tumults of fire and inrushing seas. But since it was still said among them that those Men had in years beyond memory been kinsmen of their own, they sent messages to Gil-galad asking leave to meet the shipmen 'who had returned from death in the deeps of the Sea.' Thus it came about that there was a meeting between them on the Tower Hills; and to that meeting with the Númenóreans came twelve Men only out of Eriador, Men of high heart and courage, for most of their people feared that the new­comers were perilous spirits of the Dead. But when they looked on the shipmen fear left them, though for a while they stood silent in awe; for mighty as they were themselves accounted among their kin, the shipmen resembled rather Elvish lords than mortal Men in bearing and apparel. Nonetheless they felt no doubt of their ancient kinship; and likewise the shipmen looked with glad sur­prise upon the Men of Middle-earth, for it had been believed in Númenor that the Men left behind were descended from the evil Men who in the last days of the war against Morgoth had been summoned by him out of the East. But now they looked upon faces free from the Shadow and Men who could have walked in Númenor and not been thought aliens save in their clothes and their arms. Then suddenly, after the silence, both the Númenóreans and the Men of Eriador spoke words of welcome and greet­ing in their own tongues, as if addressing friends and kinsmen after a long parting. At first they were disappointed, for neither side could understand the other; but when they mingled in friend­ship they found that they shared very many words still clearly recognisable, and others that could be understood with attention, and they were able to converse haltingly about simple matters." Elsewhere in this essay it is explained that these Men dwelt about Lake Evendim, in the North Downs and the Weather Hills, and in the lands between as far as the Brandywine, west of which they often wandered though they did not dwell there. They were friendly with the Elves, though they held them in awe; and they feared the Sea and would not look upon it. It appears that they were in origin Men of the same stock as the Peoples of Bëor and Hador who had not crossed the Blue Mountains into Beleriand during the First Age." Another thing is how it's highlighted the Numenoreans became very similar to ELVES! Tolkien even points it out in a letter! "[The Númenóreans] became thus in appearance, and even in powers of mind, hardly distinguishable from the Elves - but they remained mortal, even though rewarded by a triple, or more than a triple, span of years."

[@jacksonhuckell1835]

Love that when they put poc in European folklore these people cheer for representation. Now there where mixing of various skin tones in Europe. But they are all Celtic in origin in this era. If there where people from the continent of Africa, some settlers existed outside of Africa and settled in Eurasia, Put a African in European mythology and folklore these people clap and cheer If they put a Celt in Africa they would scream and cry. They want representation but they don’t make any movies about folklore outside of European. This is why when Hollywood talk of representation, I don’t take them seriously

[@arieloliver3219]

7:50 you are totally right here JSG, honestly I didnt watch much of the movies of lord of the rings so me and my brother decided to watch the trilogía (the extended versions... God that was a lot) and we been blown away, we never thought it was going to be this good so we saw a couple of videos on the lore of lord of the rings and we then saw why hobbits were pretty much the only race that could resist the one ring and that's because they are not ambitious they want to live simple lives so having stories of then here are dumb

[@anonthehousemouse]

The hobbits themselves have stories about more ... adventurous hobbits, but by and large those stories end badly for that hobbit and serve as cautionary tales of what NOT to be or do for young hobbits. Hobbits like Bilbo and Frodo, and families like the Tooks (Bilbo's mother was a Took, which is why Gandalf sought him out in The Hobbit) are considered outliers and oddities in the Shire.

[@Oozaru85]

There are also non-ambitious individuals in other races. Not all humans are corrupt or ambitious. And nobody can tell me there aren't any ambitious or greedy Hobbits. Generalizing them would be beyond ignorant, imo.

[@richardallen6066]

Hobbits are non ambitious? That explains Froddo, Samwise, Bilbo, Peregrin, Meriadoc and if you consider his place in the development of the Hobbits as a race, Sméagol (or Trahald). They definitely weren't 'go getters' I guess? lol. Also, the hobbits as a race may have been less susceptible to the rings influence, but they sure as hell weren't immune to it's power to corrupt. Fk me, it corrupts Tralhad and creates his alter ego, Gollum, it corrupts Bilbo towards the end of his journeys and it sure as fk got the best of Frodo in the end aaaaannnnnd he didn't exactly have a fantastic time carrying the damned thing. Don't generalize dude...

[@PanzerShrek94]

that is why there is that quote something like "Power best suits those who never seek it" if you want and crave power you are going to fall to it and be corrupt.

[@RealGateGuardian]

Me and a friend saw all three LOTR Extended Edition, 3.5 hours, in a row in a day. TOTALLY worth it.

[@thedude3065]

fun fact: Sir Christopher Lee was the only cast member to ever meet Tolkien himself

[@FredBloggs919]

Quite possibly the only vampire to be killed by a pair of candlesticks too :)

[@O4C209]

Fun fact: Christopher Lee directed Peter Jackson on how a scene involving stabbing someone should look like... because Christopher Lee of course knows what stabbing someone is actually like.

[@SymbioteMullet]

@@wizardofbongor89 he also recorded a metal album in his 90s, because he was just metal

[@thedude3065]

@@O4C209 the man was a sword expert he'd know

[@rubix4195]

@@O4C209 I wouldn't expect anything less from a real war time *intelligence officer* in the 2nd world war. He was like James Bond - of course he knew how to knife someone in the back and, based on his explanation to Peter Jackson, it sounds legit.

[@laisphinto6372]

13:21 people joke often how insane tolkien describes every damn twig of a tree but sure he doesnt describe characters what the hell?!

[@sillypuppy5940]

A few months ago I read a recently written fantasy book set in a Scandinavian-style setting. The main protagonist was not described at all, other than being a young woman.

[@gilly9666]

@@sillypuppy5940 being in a Scandinavian setting you would picture her as Scandinavian unless they prompt you to think otherwise

[@tiagodagostini]

His writing style is indeed seen as a bit arcaic for today's standards. He spends a lot of time in descriptions of environment and the mood ot the scene and not much on the "internal struggles" (with exception of Sam, that is written much closer to a modern style)

[@MydieLy]

Tolkien's writing is not only influenced in *content* by myths and lore, as a professor of ancient and medieval literature and linguist, he also adapted the writing style of these times. The style of heroic epics. It might seem "off" compared to modern style where the characters and not the story itself are front and center - but it is an art of its own. Internatised views and inner monologues f.e. were a feature only just emerging in the later parts of medieval literature. Characters were means to tell a story , to push it forward - it wasn't important how the characters were supposed to feel about it^^

[@thstroyur]

"You went too deep, Prof. Tweed Pants We don't need the backstory of every fuckin' tree branch"

[@JennasHoover]

"All the Eldar had beautiful hair (and were especially attracted by hair of exceptional loveliness)." From The Shibboleth of Fëanor, The Peoples of Middle-Earth, HME. An odd little throwaway, remarkable because it's one of our only hints about what elves find physically attractive. Beautiful voices are also implied to be attractive. The most ravishing elf ever, Lúthien, used enchantment to grow her hair extremely long.

[@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184]

In this version of Amazon RoP, I have no idea what fëanor sees on her hair if she is a cliche sTrOnG WaHmEn.

[@JennasHoover]

@@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184 Yeah, it's going to be a dumpster fire...

[@bignose8614]

In particular Galadriel's hair which was most admired. Her hair was silver and gold and glowed with the light of the trees. Feanor himself asked for some strands of her hair. Three times he asked and three times she refused. Feanor was a dark character, maybe Galadriel's rejection contributed to that darkness. Perhaps if Galadriel had given him the strands he would have created something magnificent from them and the Silmarils wouldn't have been created. As it was he created the Silmarils, Morgoth killed the trees and stole the Silmarils and they became the centre of the war. A later wiser Galadriel gave three strands of hair to a dwarf called Gimli. I've always wondered did she do so in atonement for her previous rejection of Feanor, thinking as a much wiser person that things might have turned out differently?

[@TheBelieveit1]

Also, we know the REAL reason why they ain't gonna have the Harad (who would have been dark skinned/black) or Rhun (who as "easterlings" would have likely been Asian/Persian) depicted in Amazon's show is because they're the bad guys. Throughout Tolkien's works they are the corrupted men on the side of evil. And you can't have minorities being the villains when your heroes are all white in current year. Only time you're allowed to have a black guy be the villain anymore you either have to ensure that either your hero is also black and (or at the very least) be somewhat justified and be a villain simply by circumstance and not because they're evil and wicked. Don't believe me? Look at Black Panther's Kill Monger. This is why they aren't gonna have the Harad or Easterlings appear and instead wanna make Numenorans, Dwarves and Elves black too because they're the good guys and we will see that not ONE OF THEM will be able to do any wrong.

[@dawnrazornephilim]

We just don't know, the blue wizards went there to start a resistance to Sauron's influence, they later said that they were unsuccessful. How unsuccessful we don't know, but they were there for a long time, one would suppose they had some success and could be a cool story to tell.

[@martinan22]

Well, they could have made stories of heroes of the Harad who tried to resist the agents of the shadow corrupting their societies. Nobody would have nitpicked that.

[@evelynrosewindsor]

The Númenóreans (who were white) were not righteous either. Towards the end, they worshipped Morgoth, stole the people of Harad, Rhûn, etc and sacrificed them on the fiery altar for Morgoth. No wonder those people hate the Men of the West. And just like not all Númenóreans were good, I believe that not all of the Haradrim and Easterlings were bad either. Focus on those good ones. Show their struggles of hating what the Númenóreans did to them and the same time resisting Sauron.

[@spartanonxy]

Funny thing is they think Kill Monger was justified. He was not. Oh if he wanted to destroy Wakanda he would have a realistic justification. But the plans he had in universe only made sense if you turn off your brain.

[@luciogibilisco3047]

Personally, I would have liked to see the story of a Haradrim/Easterling that at some points realizes that Sauron is not much of a great guy and tries to change his/her people's mind. It could have been a compelling tragic storyline, where we all know the protagonist is going to fail (Haradrim and Easterlings as a whole stay loyal to Sauron) but get engaged nonetheless. They had inclusivity served on a silver plate with stuff like this; them going for what they went for further proves that they are simply dumb.

[@dakotaturner6701]

I absolutely love you ripping into these bastards ruining Tolkien's lore. Keep up the good work

[@timtambigham9513]

The only hole in his story is that Tolkien already stated that his Elves were the only unoriginal concept and that all his races were just made up by him. Meaning there was no actual basis for "skin color" defined races. White boys just mad.

[@rethellense901]

Tolkien also defined his characters in detail. Not a single one with a "different color" other than fair, pale, long hair. I'm Asian and I'm fine with an all white cast. Anyone with reason knows that adding TOKEN characters for the sake of a diversity quota is an insult to one's race and intellect.

[@jerrydeem8946]

That's what l like. Straight to the point and in layman's terms. I'm in total agreement.

[@AkariYuudou]

The amusing thing about the ATLA example is that, when I first watched that show in my 20s, I could easily tell what each race/nation was a stand-in for from the real world, but it never even occurred to me to care that there weren't white people like me in the show. Heck, even knowing that all the characters were non-white, it didn't even connect in my head that there weren't white characters in the show until that one anomalous redhead character from TLoK showed up, and even then it was just a "...huh. *shrug*" moment for me. The characters were all interesting and well written (in ATLA, anyway; TLoK was...debatable), and that's all I cared about. Nowadays, though, with all the stink Hollywood makes about race and gender in casting, race and gender are now among the first things I notice, both in individual characters and the cast as a whole. I don't LIKE it, I certainly don't like that one of the first things I think about female or minority characters or female/minority-centric casts is that they're just there to check boxes, and I try my damnedest to still judge the cast/characters on their own merits even after making those observations, but Hollywood's obsession with these issues and the way they handle them has conditioned me to think that way whether I like it or not. They themselves have essentially turned me into a lesser version of what they claim to hate, and I kinda hate them even more for that.

[@n7creed629]

This is it exactly! As a kid I never even noticed a character8s race or skin colour. They were just themselves, skin colour was as unimportant as the length of their hair. But these days so much emphasis has been put on race and gender that I can’t help but notice it first and go ‘was that a diversity hire?’ It’s saddening.

[@StarlasAiko]

I agree and regret to say, I find that in myself now too. I used to enjoy good stories regardless of the race or gender of the cast, but these day whenever I see a movie or series with a "diverse" or female main cast, I hesitate because I fear it is just woke propaganda bullshit. There used to be many great movies with non-white mains and with strong female mains, but now, it seems to all be propaganda and I fear to even try watching new shows.

[@drewhalcro6082]

I love the way you immediately cut the guy off to point out how wrong he is. So satisfying, so funny.

[@thegardeninvilonia]

I really hope people don’t even give in to the desire to hate watch this. It would be lovely to watch it truly fail to the highest degree. Plus, they will never ever stop destroying what little we have left if we don’t show them that NO ONE will watch it.

[@nikolamihaylov94]

Why not hate watch it, you can just pirate it and don't give them the money and the satisfaction 🤣

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

@@nikolamihaylov94 I'll definitely check the first episode at least, but yeah I ain't paying for it, nor should anyone

[@Not-Ap]

@@nikolamihaylov94 Anyone who's paided for the dozens of hot trash reboots over the past 10 or so years I feel sorry for. There supporting garbage and then get outraged and shocked when Hollywood keeps pumping out more garbage. Stop giving them money and things will change.... well maybe not.. but you can always dream.

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

I almost want to pirate this shit out of pure spite.

[@Sephvion]

Who says I'll hate watch it without sailing the high seas?

[@ThatBrunetteFromCali]

Here’s what I noticed about how they handled the “backlash” against themselves. If they knew anything they would have known two things: the first being what we are truly upset about. The black male elf doesn’t even have any hair. And the female dwarf doesn’t even have a beard. But what really struck me, and I want to be an author so I’ve been studying character building & have built my own characters of different races, is how they designed the black male elf. If you’re going to create an original character of an already written lore, you need to follow that lore. He should have long flowing black hair like Elrond. But it was suspicious to me how he didn’t. It’s almost like Amazon designed him that way to remind people that “hey look we have a black man as an elf & we need an image to show you to constantly remind you that he’s black & if you don’t like it then you’re a racist.” It’s almost like he’s been Tokenized. Almost like Hollywood wants black actors & actresses to stand out instead of blend into the lore so there’s no backlash. Almost like they’re targets for Hollywood to unleash gaslighting & assault on the fans. And to me, that’s the biggest crock of racism I’ve ever seen. They’re using those two actors as a shield to justify what they’ve done to Tolkien. And if I were them, I’d be pissed off. They’re so desperate to justify themselves with this shit that they’re willing to make a fool out of themselves when it comes to standing there ground & they do it the way that they do because they think the consumers of the product aren’t smart enough to call them out. So they market there bullshit to non fans to build there own little army of “fans” to make themselves feel better.

[@BertoxolusThePuzzled]

So, you could say they are resorting to Tolkienism? Sorry, I'll let myself out...

[@ThatBrunetteFromCali]

@@BertoxolusThePuzzled lol

[@irena4545]

Of course he was tokenised. The FIRST black Elf and FIRST black Dwarf and FIRST black Hobbits - that's not colourblind casting, that's brave and stunning ticking of boxes.

[@admirekashiri6651]

Bruh his skin triggered people just accept that fact. He could have had all.that other stuff people would still be pissed and that's fine it's an Anglo Saxon mythology right we don't exist in thst universe.

[@BertoxolusThePuzzled]

@@OmegaPaladin144 There is also a misunderstanding here that people think Elves are "white", they are not. Elves are PALE due to being essentially immortal spritual beings given temporary mortal form on arda. Their skin color would not be a result of DNA or "races" and not the traditional tannish "white" skin color but instead white as in almost transparent, almost like they aren't entirely tangible because in a very real symbolic sense they are not. This is also a big part of the how and why of the three Elven rings and their primary ability being to PREVENT Elves and their territory from becoming ever more tangible and by extension mortal via contact with Morgoth-tainted Arda. This is also ultimately why the Elves had to choose between returning to the Far Shores or "materializing" into normal mortals by remaining in Middle Earth once the rings were gone.

[@Real_Iron_Smith]

I have heard that, apparently, the Tolkien Expert Amazon found was interviewed for nearly three hours, then the interview was chopped up and edited down to about 20 minutes, and it was edited in a way to make it seem like he was agreeing with the new show far more than he actually was.

[@alexr6092]

That is true. So some of the statements did get misinterpreted. He had done much longer videos. But his optimism about the show is still baffling. His opinions are not false but they are absolutely the most favorable view imaginable. With points like "Adaptations have to always change", "LOTR movies were also an adaptation so stop comparing to them", "Lore is contradictory, so you can pick and choose because there is evidence that dwarven women had beards, had no beards and also possibly didn't exist at all".

[@littlebee7147]

@@alexr6092 That's because he's in the LoTR bubble so he's optimistic. As far as I understand it, he qualifies a lot with specifics (it's not specified in x or y, or Tolkien later clarified x or y). He's that nerd who knows so much that he can pinpoint the exact thing which is why he can dispute it with technicalities. If this was a regular nerd argument and it was among other fans, that's fine and it can be debated on. However, it's obvious that he's being used by disingenous people to dunk on other fans' theories and opinions about Tolkien's work. That's what I don't appreciate about the whole thing. If this were 10 years ago, we can take outfits like IGN in good faith but we can't afford to be nice now. Not with all the franchises destroyed left and right for the sake of "acceptable modern era sensibilities"

[@martinan22]

Well, you know what "Olsens" are like.

[@timothymartensen9040]

@AlexR ya I think his Numenor, "Them not being viking looking" is the worst of his misinterpretation. I felt it was obvious he meant they'd look tan, but obviously still white.

[@Real_Iron_Smith]

@@HereTakeAFlower Huh. I hadn't considered that.

[@EmelieWaldken]

If I have been able to identify with Gandalf since I was a teenager girl, then I don't see how people could have trouble identifying to characters of another skin colour ! I'm all for hearing more stories BY and ABOUT Black people (and all other ethnicities), genuine Black stories (and no doubt I'll manage to identify with them despite not being Black !), but I'm so dang tired of changing characters' ethnicities just for meeting quotas. And there even are MANY Black or mixed race historical characters in the West to tell the true stories of (Alexander Pushkin, Queen Philippa of Hainaut (although very distant), Alexandre Dumas, countless Roman Empire peeps...).

[@gulanhem9495]

What's this obsession with identifying with characters? It's completely foreign to me 99% of the time watching a film or reading a book.

[@Hinatachan360]

I'm looking forward to the Black Panther reboot where all Wakandans are Cambodian and live on Neptune. Gonna be a real banger of a show!

[@doublep1980]

I want a remake of Shaka Zulu.... starring Donnie Yen as King Shaka. What?!

[@denmander]

The meteor scene is a metaphor for how this show is going.

[@Tangarisu]

Yeah the arrival of Morgoths corruption, Sauron

[@jovankovacswallis8453]

Ha ha ha crash and burn, and some weird imp born!

[@007Thanos007]

They're going to go after each and every "Tolkien expert" in the universe EXCEPT Tom Shippey. At this point, the creators of this show just need to give up and accept that the actual Tolkien fan base is lost, and try to sell this show to the normies.

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

I had a hard time believing that the fan's reaction has caught them off guard. It was as predictable as an event can be. They don't care about profit, the exclusively care about The Message nowadays

[@Kopp203]

All of which, given the power of the Bezos checkbook, can be bought and paid for. Never underestimate the effectiveness of zeroes on a check when it comes to whether someone will shill or not.

[@Real_Iron_Smith]

Supposedly they screwed Shippy over with heavy editing, making it sound like he was all for their show.

[@Rock-xn3sp]

Not even the normies would watch this crap!

[@JohnSmith-is4uu]

@@Real_Iron_Smith then fired him

[@taylorstillman7932]

Why couldn't they just call it "Tales of Middle Earth" - left the rings, established characters, and events out of the picture and focused on their woke 'characters'?? Could've saved the backlash, stayed within the confines of their purchased story rights, and avoided looking completely inept. All while going for woke broke.

[@kentonbaird1723]

Why couldn't they have set it in Harad or to the far East where the blue wizards wandered? Tolkien had surprisingly little to say about these places, and Peter Jackson's movies could only hint at them. Why not a series exploring new lands and civilizations still in the Tolkien universe? Something new and unique, a tale of strangers in a strange land... Wait. I know the reason. Evil cannot create anything new.

[@MaxxMcGeePrivate]

It's because they need known characters and nostalgia to build on. Like Amazon does with Picard. Same reason why Legolas and Saruman were in the Hobbit movies. It's pure marketing and works very well on people, cause you need to think twice to recognize it.

[@professorhaystacks6606]

@@kentonbaird1723 There's tons of Blue Wizard fanfics, so the ideas are out there. I rather like this notion. And Far Harad did have dark-skinned inhabitant, possibly even dark-skinned hobbits and elves (at least there's nothing said against it... though the elves would probably be Avari).

[@kentonbaird1723]

@@professorhaystacks6606 exactly, do you engineer a scenario where middle earth inhabitants need to go to the south, to chase down a stolen treasure or an agent of darkness, only to find a land beset by its own problems, dealing with their own dark lords. Hells, racism allegories would write themselves to appeal to the skin-cult that like their shows shallow and with surface level messages and themes. A better show could be written in a comment section.

[@michaelmcclure7434]

The photo you used to illustrate Galadriel's power was magnificent. The amused, perhaps questioning expression, displays this character's arrogance and self-knowledge of what she can do. Cate Blanchett seems to have stepped out of the pages of Tolkien's world and onto the screen making the Galadriel of our fondest hopes come true.

[@Nevir202]

Not even arrogance, it's only arrogance if you're WRONG about your superiority. And she's not lol.

[@peterpohan3850]

dont forget her beauty. not human, elvish.

[@fatty1040]

@@Nevir202 exactly. Its kind of weird how much people want to see her weakened just so they can relate to her instead seeing her as the all powerful as she ALWAYS was.

[@IronDragon-2143]

You know if they really wanted racial diversity in Arda then why not develop new and fleshed out characters among the Easterlings and the Haradrim? Tolkien did say they were dark skinned people and it could potentially show a side of the story we've never seen before. Why they chose to ally with Sauron. Maybe add a layer of complexity and moral ambiguity to Middle Earth by showing the Easterlings and the Haradrim as not entirely the bad guys and maybe even show the men of Gondor and Rohan as not strictly moral and just. Is it closer to LOTR fan fiction? Absolutely but you gotta admit it definitely sounds better than drastically changing the already well established characters and lore we all love and will only serve to piss everyone else off. Something to think about is all.

[@wesmcinerny4524]

They don't think to look to the other continents of Arda because they "aren't "popular", despite them wanting to give b-list or c-list stuff attention.

[@khronostheavenger8923]

Can we please get something for the Troll men of Far Harad? They're badass.

[@piotrd.4850]

You mean get .... CREATIVE? Hard working?!

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

Because they don't want to include, they want to exclude whites! "Diversity" is, was and always will be a code for "less white men". Their goal is to destroy every single thing straight, white men love, only to watch them cry! And the list of ruined franchises is very, _very_ long by now!

[@demomanchaos]

Fool of a Took, the aim is to change well established characters. The evil forces cannot create, and they only only see validity in established white characters. This is why you won't see Storm ever given the stoplight she deserves, but you will get an absolutely racist stereotype of a token given a full movie.

[@Speedstreak]

I absolutely agree that when it comes to adaptions whether it be movies or TV shows, you should make it as close to it as possible, but sometimes you have to make changes which would have to make sense and even though some characters may have a slightly different personality or a place may be in a different area, the core should still be there as you said. For example, we have three different live action Peter Parkers who went through different journeys as Spider-Man, but in the end they all share the same core, "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility".

[@sillypuppy5940]

These people keep parroting the line "we must make it reflect modern times". No, you don't. Otherwise you get the absurdity of the Black Viking in Vikings Valhalla (laughable). Please, let's just stick to the spirit of the source material. The sky won't fall in if we don't have any black people in the cast.

[@epiphany271]

Here's the rub. Comic books are made to sell paper. They reinvent the same exact character over and over to see more paper. Toilken's stories were created to tell a story. One continuous story, nothing needs to be changed. Just admit that you want the politics to match your own and move on. There's no other good reason to change anything.

[@JohnSmith-is4uu]

"slightly different" 😂

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

Yes, adaptations have to inevitably change things when one medium's conventions don't translate to another's. That's pretty much a given, but there's absolutely no excuse to change anything beyond the medium. And that's exactly why I think "Live-action" adaptations of animated shows and movies are completely pointless. Even more so when they go out of the way to change everything they can about the original, for "modern audiences" who never had any problem to begin with.

[@GIBBO4182]

They still had to change MJ though…just couldn’t leave it alone. Had to crow bar a minority in there somehow

[@nicholasmarinac6696]

The thing that frustrates me most about the harfoot hobbits is that throughout all of LOTR and The Hobbit we are reminded that the hobbits have never achieved anything great, and not only does everyone doubt them, but they doubt themselves and eachother. Until bilbo and Frodo there were no great hobbit adventures (save crossing the misty mountains), they hadn’t achieved anything great. Forcing the harfoots into this story completely invalidates gandalfs role as the only person to recognise the strength of the hobbits.

[@ItsAGundam]

JSG destorying hollywood is always a delight to watch.

[@xenomorphphantom8852]

To be honest...it is an easy work on today's holleeweird...they are but a shadow of what they used to be.

[@joesmith-tr2nj]

Whole Heartedly Agreed !!!

[@ItachiUchiha-ut6xj]

What's up Papa Gundam?!

[@di3486]

The Equator part was brilliant. The “expert” really showed his ignorance here😂😂 and double ignorance assuming no white people live on the equator regions😂

[@somedandy7694]

Gundam-Sama...Please use the word Kaaren Tokenshield at some point when describing the Dwarfversity hire.

[@DerKindershreck]

Absolutely- Galadriel as written and as portrayed in Jackson's movies is not one to be messed with.

[@childrenoftolkien]

We are the only children Tolkien has left. It is everyone's duty to stand for his work.

[@SamvedIyer]

Yes. I hear Priscilla, the last living child of Tolkien, too, sailed to the West on the twenty-eight of February. That would, in a strange blend of literal and metaphorical interpretation, leave us as the children of Tolkien.

[@fluffygengar3533]

That is a duty i can take to the heart.

[@庫倫亞利克]

We're like the Man of Middle Earth after the last influence of the Ainur, the Wizards, have forever left via the Gray Havens. No more divine interference (figuratively speaking) will come to save us, and we're on our own, fending against the darkness of Melkor that will be there till Dagor Dagorath.

[@blackwolf4653]

i will

[@cathygrandstaff1957]

“Dwarves women are so like dwarven men that they are mistaken for men” - casts a black woman to play the dwarf woman. Could this be an example of the racist trope of black women being too mannish to count as real women? This is an actual trope, it’s particularly popular in trans rights circles where they seem to think if black women can be womanly enough to count as women white men in dresses can be too. It’s weird. Speaking of the trans women, I’m slightly shocked Amazon didn’t run with the description of “women that can easily be mistaken for men” and cast a trans woman to play the dwarf woman. Then again trans women probably wouldn’t like that description to apply to them, but you’d have no trouble finding one with a beard.

[@maryokeeffe3528]

I honestly don't care that much that they made her black, though I did raise an eyebrow at it (at least they seem to have got Dain IV right, even if they mucked that one up as well about having "Dain" be a lineal name instead of "no, it's actually Dain himself re-incarnated anew") but that they chickened out of giving her a beard? It doesn't need to be six feet long, a tidy little dwarf-lady beard is fine, but if they're so anxious to be up to date about race and equality of the sexes, why be scared of "some females in this world have beards"? They want to eat their cake and have it: throw in some BIPOC actors for diversity points but not brave enough to be really different from conventional casting tropes

[@yusukeelric]

It's not known if dwarven women had beards since its described people can't distinguish them in their traveling garments. Wich means they could cover most of their faces too, leaving their ayes and at mos their noses visible. Wich means that dwarven females, atleast were ruff looking like the males. On the other hand, it doesn't make sense for a dwarven to look black because dwarven live in caves and mountains, barely every going to sunlight. How do you evolve for centuries to become black if your skin pigment never needed to adapt to sunlight? At best their may have tanned blackeneed skin like blacksmiths. but being straight up black? no way.only eons of evolution under sunlight would do that.

[@nostalji93]

they couldve casted men to play dwarf women. But no. Idk wtf she supposed to be, but she is clearly a woman. Even if unhealthy overweight. She doesnt dress nor look like a man at all.

[@kathrynblue2702]

" it’s particularly popular in trans rights circles where they seem to think if black women can be womanly enough to count as women white men in dresses can be too" - wth? So...you are both intimately familiar with and contemptuous of trans women...weird.

[@desmonides]

@@kathrynblue2702 it’s more appropriate to gain a detailed matter of something before judging it. Not all dislike/hate comes from ignorance or fear. You can not like something, yet understand it perfectly well

[@Pikashades]

The importance of having an adaptation aimed at being done to the original creator is something I have recently gotten a new understanding of. I made a video on an obscure SCP that has not gotten much attention in the SCP fandom last year and when that SCP's original author commented my video thanking me, it didn't matter what the quality of the video was. I had impressed the original author with my adaption that was enough.

[@KubiTheFox]

Now I want to watch your video. You obviously did it with love and attention to detail.

[@Pikashades]

@@KubiTheFox Do a search on SCP-4128 and click on the video under my name. The link to the original SCP-file is on the description for comparison.

[@James_Bee]

Bravo! What a way to shamelessly self promote yourself in a youtube comment section. The bar has been raised.

[@Pikashades]

@@James_Bee I did no such thing. I recognized the topic and an aspect of what was being talked about here in this video and shared my view of it as an experience. It was only after the context behind it was given some interest to that I decided to directly go further in to add what I had done. Before this I remained obscure enough not to tell what I had done to keep it away from self promotion.

[@Iron-Bridge]

@@Pikashades Pretty cool video. Also, you gave credit to the original author in your video. So, good on you 👏

[@elijahbachrach6579]

Regarding the idea that dwarf women might not have beard: “His only comfort was that he could not be mistaken for a dwarf, as he had no beard” -the Hobbit, Roast Mutton, referring to Bilbo. The inference is obvious. If you are short and you have no beard, nobody thinks you are a Dwarf. If literally all dwarf men grow beards, then how in middle earth could beardless female dwarves be indistinguishable from male ones?

[@jeffreyfrey1936]

They could also have presented this as bedtime stories told by Aragorn and Arwen to their children -- time jumps are a natural part of that presentation. Not only does that supply context for the stories and a link to the content most people are familiar with (as a historical precedent to LOTR), the 2nd age was the history of their family and would certainly have been talked about.

[@talithakoum3922]

I love this idea!

[@shanenolan8252]

Yes or same and his daughter elenor with the red book , which would allow hobbits to appear without breaking lore

[@pittland44]

Now that's a great idea. That would have been dynamite.

[@pittland44]

@@shanenolan8252 Oh that works too. I like that a lot. We could see the book and have Sam take it off the shelf to tell Elanor, or Frodo, or whoever the stories.

[@shanenolan8252]

@@pittland44 thanks yes we could

[@vinz4066]

I still dont get how transforming one of the If Not THE Most powerful "Magic User" in middlearth (ainur excluded) Into someone who relies on a Sharp piece of Metal creates a "strong female Character". She literaly destroyed dol guldur, one of Saurons Most Important Strongholds. She doesnt Need a sword.

[@MajinBradPrime2]

We already know the “new Galadriel” will be a stereotypical modern strong female character, insufferably arrogant, flawless and in likeable. Kate’s performance was perfect, she speaks and moved slowly and confidently like a predatory cat she’s elegant and beautiful but you know she’s dangerous

[@pollyparrot8759]

This Galadriel the warrior woman is crazy .... I make chainmaille and it's heavy, very, very heavy .... so leaving aside all the other lunacies in this wokefest , if she or anyone else, tried to climb up an ice wall wearing chainmaille and solid armour using a dagger for support, the weight of the armour alone would break the ice and send the woke warrior woman plunging into the abyss ..... which is where this travesty ought to be thrown.

[@samwiserando]

predatory cat is the best description i've heard to describe Blanchetts portrayal.

[@kentonbaird1723]

I'm basically expecting "Rey Skywalker".

[@pollyparrot8759]

@@kentonbaird1723 Well why not, be right on track to fit in with the other non-Tolkein types

[@k.v.7681]

@@pollyparrot8759 Not really a fan of the portrayal either but chainmail physics are of no relevance to the story. I get a hard-on for accurate armor in historical setting, believe me, but Tolkien's works have no issue with fantastical items and out-of-this-world craftsmanship. It's the weight of plot crap attached where it doesn't need to be that should pull her into the abyss.

[@grantmathieson650]

This is a long one so you know it's gonna be good.

[@Draugh39]

" _One ring to rule them all,_ _one ring to find them_ _One ring to re-write all_ _and to diversity bind them_ "

[@Ricardo-cl3vs]

"Ring"?!? Did you just assume it's shape, you bigot Nazi supremacist?!

[@spartanonxy]

Ok that got a good chuckle.

[@markustanbeck9149]

@@Ricardo-cl3vs Reading books are a tool of hhwyte surpremacists, they were used to keep track of slavery - and therefor, all book readers are hhhwyte supremacist slave owners !

[@witcherjohn3440]

@@markustanbeck9149 ugh bigots the lot of them how dare they enjoy a story and not care about black people

[@qowkerf]

On the latitude point: Has this guy ever seen spanish, italian or moroccan people? Yeah, they are tanned, but unquestionably light-skinned. I live in germany and I have many friends from migrant families of those regions. They grew up here and without the southern sun they look just as pale as everyone else.

[@jasmineart9961]

Im moroccan and I aggree. Some people from Morocco are even quite a fair white, blondes and redheads.

[@EnsignRedshirtRicky]

"The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don't think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them..." - J.R.R. Tolkien The Wings of WowHer is going to be spine-damaging cringe with the level of copium being thrown at it before release.

[@thoronbar]

"Evil cannot create, it can only corrupt." -JRR Tolkien Also, the racial diversity of the Second Age compared to the racial homogeneity of Jackson's movies means that Season 2 gets to show Morgoth's race war.

[@shadowofhawk55]

That or the Gondorian Kings should be celebrated for how effectively they kept the Wagon Trains running.

[@JohnSmith-is4uu]

Amazon does not have the rights to the second age

[@shadowofhawk55]

@@JohnSmith-is4uu And yet they decided to tell a story set in the Second Age.

[@roberthesser6402]

If you're going to quote the man out of apparent respect for him, perhaps you should pick something he actually said. It astounds me that the quote people are using the most to lambast the corruption of Tolkien's work is itself a corruption of his words.

[@waltersobchak850]

@@roberthesser6402 The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don't think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them ok here you go feel better now?

[@brianensign7638]

I’m glad you mentioned Harad and the Easterlings. We obviously get some of their history from the books, but I’ve always wanted more. If you handled it well and did it respectfully, I bet you could make a f-ing awesome show about them. Maybe a show focused on the Haradrim and the corsairs of Umbar, maybe follow the blue wizards through the lands of the Easterlings-hell, you could do so much with Rhûn; we know basically nothing about them. If you’re that desperate to have dark skinned characters in a Tolkien adaptation, just freaking use the dark-skinned characters that already exist in Tolkien’s world. By passing up that opportunity in favor of “diversifying” Numenor and the elves, they’re basically saying that the stories of the dark-skinned people are not worth telling.

[@thstroyur]

Honestly, tho--who cares that much about the Haradrim and the Easterlings? If you're that invested in those nations, even something like the _Shadow of Mordor_ lore can fill up that demand. What I _really_ wanted was the backstory on the Nazgûl, before the Rings completely consummed their wills - and I even started some fanfiction on that a few years back, that unfortunately was left unfinished 😥 Oh, but about the blue Wizards--that's a good call, too 😉

[@brianensign7638]

@@thstroyur Yeah, the story of the war between Arnor and Angmar could have been awesome, and would have made the witch-king more a character in his own right. Frankly, I’ve always thought the Southrons were fascinating, maybe because we know relatively little about them. I guess they were always meant to be a sort of mysterious people from a far off, exotic land; so maybe fleshing out their story would kind of ruin that mystique. I don’t know man, there’s a whole lot of things they could have done and a lot of stories they could have told about middle earth. I guess I’m just saying that if they really wanted racial diversity, there were lots of other, better ways to do that. Hell, if that’s really what they wanted, why try to shoehorn it into Tolkien’s work at all? Just make your own fantasy epic based on Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or whatever other kind of folklore you want. It just seems like they’re trying so hard to be woke that they’re insulting these other cultures by saying they don’t have their own stories that are worth adapting to film.

[@demiwilkerson1494]

I absolutely agree with everything you said. This adaptation wasn't made for Tolkien at all. I honestly feel like this was a pandering mess. Not every story needs to look like the world we live in today. To think it does is absolutely ludicrous & not only takes away the importance & magic fiction is able to be, but doing so just makes a bunch of repetitive & redundant work. It simply doesn't make it interesting. Tolkien centered his fictional world in an English & Nordic setting. You simply cannot drastically change the aspect of that & expect Tolkien's fans to be okay with that. They didn't create a Tolkien project. They created an entirely different story that could've been put to good use being a completely new fictional tale & adventure.

[@oojimaflip8952]

From an Englishman, a Worcestershire man and a (second generation) Tolkien reader: Thank you for saying this, it seems to slip most people's minds. Tolkien is FOR the English, if you are not English, it's NOT FOR YOU. I'm glad you all like it so much, can you all just stop trying to insert yourselves into MY MYTHOLOGY! You all have no idea what Tolkien means to someone who literally lives in the shire, I know where the real two towers are, I know where Bagend is, Tolkien's mother is buried not 5 minutes from my doorstep. The shire is my home and I'll not see it scourged in my lifetime.

[@JohnSmith-is4uu]

Tolkien never said this and he borrows heavily from Scadanavian mythology and many other things. The dwarves are based on jews etc. Meanwhile, in the Letter to Miss Elise Honeybourne, Tolkien revealed why he wrote The Lord of the Rings. It was for a simple reason - he wanted to try working on a long story. "I wrote The Lord of the Rings because I wished 'to try my hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them,'" he explained. "As a guide I had only my own feelings for what is appealing or moving; and it has been a great pleasure (and a surprise) to find that so many other people have similar feelings."

[@oojimaflip8952]

@@JohnSmith-is4uu Sir, Tolkien definitively said he wished to create a new mythology for England, of course he would borrow from Scandi-wegian mythology; he was well read in it. As I am sure you are aware, the history of England is long and storied, and most definitely contains elements from many European cultures, all neatly woven into this distinct and beautiful tapestry. You will obviously continue to cherry pick whatever quotes you can scrape from whatever sources, all the while missing the meaning, I hope you learn to enjoy Tolkien for what it is someday!

[@oojimaflip8952]

@@Xbalanque84 No. (poor, non-British sarcasm aside)

[@1SpicyMeataball]

@@oojimaflip8952 Whoosh 🙄

[@kentonbaird1723]

The story is for everyone to enjoy and find meaning in, but it is a story of the English. It's setting is adamantly established.

[@KaitlinLuksa]

Same thing happened with Amazon's Wheel of Time. Even when it was revealed that DRASTIC parts of the lore were altered, even removed, many book fans went into cope mode instead of acknowledging what a mess the show is. WoT KZbinrs I used to respect have still not properly addressed the complete absence of the words Saidin and Saidar in the ENTIRE FIRST SEASON of a show that is supposed to be WoT (if you're not familiar with WoT just trust that that's a big problem.) It's disturbing to me how many big fans will continue to act like "this is fine" and even bend over backwards to twist the lore they love all so they can justify these terrible screen adaptations.

[@b.melakail]

Most booktubers are leftists so even big fans like Daniel Greene will not properly critique it since it would go against their political side

[@theravenking5930]

A really stupid excuse that most of these “big fans” say “oh it’s another turning of the wheel” and any WOT Reader would know that’s not how the turning works

[@internetzenmaster8952]

Wtf is 'bookcloaking'?

[@misterkittyandfriends1441]

Just the very idea that a channeler who is always reincarnated as a man just *might* be a woman this time because the white tower got woke was offensive based everything else in the show and a basic knowledge of the books. It is so obviously being muted to avoid talking about male / female differences.... but that's such a huge theme in WoT. Also they really went out of their way to mess up Mat, and to some extent Perrin.

[@Ancientreapers]

I can't wait to see Galadriel taming and then riding a Balrog into battle!

[@sigmacademy]

Actually, that would be fun to see. If it's accurate, to see her getting thrown off like a champ. If not, to see what BS looks like in live-action. :P

[@jasonholt1776]

Sauron was the central character of the second age and that is what any adaption should strive to capture. It all leads up to the last alliance, with a ton of backstory for the 3rd age.

[@patrickdees5256]

I honestly have when these people assume that women have need to be warriors in order to show they're powerful. A powerful person (male, female, nor other.) need not flaunt their power. Just the fact they know they have the power to bring down a cocky dastard should let you know that they are strong.

[@sigmacademy]

if you want to see women able to fight without being part of an actual army, watch Huntress: Rune of the Dead. It's about a small group of women who are attacked while their menfolk are away fighting elsewhere. It explains logically how these women needed to be able to fight (when their lives depended on it), and what they would use as weapons in a place that had limited access to weapons. There are some spicy bits in it, but it was still an okay watch.

[@elizabethtaylor8428]

JSG, I agree with you regarding the writers could have made each season key points that happened in the Second Age, yet you and everyone else needs to remember that show runners, McKay and Payne are inexperienced writers with barely a writing credit on IMDB. Instead, these two hacks, yes they are hacks, chose the lazy route and wrote a bloated Game of Thrones fan fiction using key characters from Tolkien's lore. Why would they do this? These idiots only have the rights to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and the Appendices. Not The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Nature of Middle-earth, etc. McKay and Payne are under the delusion they can improve Tolkien and write something better. 🤦 There is only one J.R.R. Tolkien and that teaser trailer is not Tolkien. This is insulting that this will premiere on September 2nd. That is the 49th anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien's death. I would rather have a good story line adapted from Tolkien's lore brought to screen, instead of being "lectured" on Representation and "The Message". No one cares at Amazon. They just slapped their name on an 80 year old favorite IP just to make a profit. End rant.

[@josephfisher426]

Can you be a hack with no experience? They are merely aspiring to be hacks...

[@kentonbaird1723]

A fine rant.

[@Ancientreapers]

@8:31 Tolkein also dabbled into the different ages throughout the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. For example, Aragorn sang the story of Beren and Lúthien on his way guiding the Hobbits to Rivendell. The earlier ages are peppered throughout the entire book series.

[@cinegoth4144]

I’m not a LOTR super fan and I don’t have very much knowledge, but actually listening to a discussion about Tolkien and the books fascinates me. I’m amazed that someone like JRR Tolkien took so much time and effort to put in a lot of detail into his works.

[@eldestgruff]

I just started The Lord of the Rings book for the first time and I'm about a third of the way through and I'd say, with as far in as I am now, Jackson likely made the right move in what he cut out. I don't think the movies would have received nearly as much broad acclaim if they would have kept the stuff he cut. It's not 1 for 1 but as far as I'm seeing so far, it seems like everything that was cut, was cut in good faith as balance between fan and casual viewer who is largely ignorant on the layout of the world and all the lore. The same can not be said for Game of Thrones. They cut too much and added too much because they wanted to make every female character a girl boss instead of following the obvious direction the plot was going once they ran out of source material. This kind of bad faith cutting and adding seems to be exactly how Amazon intends to write The Rings of Power.

[@couchmusings9147]

Just to point out, GoT showrunners didn't run out of source material, they chose to completely ignore it. Season 4 Episode 10 highlights this problem when they completely changed Tyrion's story. Neither cast nor staff read the novels, and it showed, which was the opposite of the LotR trilogy.

[@eldestgruff]

@@couchmusings9147 Oh believe me, I thought they were on the wrong track during season 2 because I think they scuffed Tyrion's story as far back as that. I just mark the point of running out of books the public would be able to reference as when it really got bad. Up to that point it seemed like they made an attempt to stay at least parallel to the books then they just went off in whatever direction they wanted and tried to steer back to what I'm pretty sure is or was going to be the "true" ending.

[@andygrams6344]

Since you are reading it, keep in mind the characters and how they interact, speak, think, how they are motivated….. you will see that these wonderfully written characters put Peter Jackson’s adaptation to shame - choices he made that were not due to time compression, but due to converting them into Hollywood trope plot devices. Jackson’s heart was in the right place, but he still did wrong big time regarding the characters and prevailing themes woven throughout Tolkien’s tale. After you read the book, try out the 1981 BBC LOTR radio drama - by far the best adaptation overall. (And Ian Holm is Frodo!) Of course they can only do so much as far as battles, but in reality the battles don’t take up that much page space.

[@MrJerichoPumpkin]

well, keep reading, because "the Fellowship of the Ring" is the best adapetd one, from there is a bit of a slope into Hollywood non-sense

[@davidh.4944]

​@@andygrams6344 I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in recognizing the substantial flaws in _the bestest fantasy films evar_ . Sure, Jackson got an huge amount of it right (especially in the superb visuals, and the performances of Gollum, Samwise, Boromir, the Balrog), but he also got a lot wrong, and the most egregious ones almost all center on his unnecessary, drastic, character changes. I loathe the way Jackson treated Aragorn, Gimli, Elrond, Saruman, Théoden and Gríma, Treebeard, Denethor, and Faramir. They are all quite different characters from Tolkien's originals. And I certainly could've used more Legolas the wise, stoic elven prince, and less Legolas the Mûmak-surfer. Promoting Arwen to Warrior Princess sure didn't help much either.

[@helenwhs]

I love Corey Olson’s podcasts on the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings, particularly on the analysis of Tolkien’s songs and poems and how they tie in with English folklore. He is really very knowledgeable on the History of Middle-earth, which is why seeing his mental gymnastics here is so disappointing. Edit: To me this is worse than the “”superfans””

[@jankrizkovsky9446]

Watch his first "Other Minds and Hands" episode that started in reaction to this where he explains his stances more fully. Some of where he's coming from, is more sensible, if too much optimistic, than this which is an edit by IGN from three hour discussion, that does make him look really bad admittedly.

[@shanenolan8252]

Money ? Shilling for Amazon maybe ?

[@dlevi67]

It's not just the mental gymnastics - which are cringe-inducing - it's the facts that he gets wrong which are concerning. Take the age of Galadriel - she is mentioned as being born YT 1362 (in Morgoth's Ring). The Trees were killed in YT 1495; the long night followed, lasting 5 years of the Trees. This means that at the first rising of the sun (Year 1 FA) she is 138 years of the Trees old. Whether one uses the older duration of the Year of the Trees as 9.58 Years of the Sun, or the later estimate (by JRRT) of 144, she is over 1300 years old at the beginning of the First Age. Plus 500 years of FA, plus 1500 years of SA prior to the creation of the Rings, she is _at least_ 3,300 years old by the time of the events supposedly described in the Amazon series. That's a loooong way away from being the equivalent of a 21-year old human.

[@shanenolan8252]

@@dlevi67 exactly. That was my estimate of her age .

[@jankrizkovsky9446]

@@dlevi67 First there are bazillion annals and timelines. The one in MR is just the last substantial, but not definitive. Particularly the writings associated with the time and ageing in NoME show willingness to further work with these and redo the dates based on the new ageing and generational schemes. Galadriel seemed to be often fixed by her level of relative maturity at coming to Beleriand, so her birth date would have probably moved depending on the decision how fast newborn elves mature. Nowhere Tolkien seems to be beholden to the Annals of Aman date. Olsen was speaking probably about one later 1965 scheme. It is quite weird in having Growth-Years (equal to sun year), Life-Years, which are the converted dog years for elves. In previous schemes, life years would be that what was somewhat equated to human age, but in this 1965 scheme, he adds another conversion from life years to "mortal equivalent". Where indeed Tolkien himself gives the mortal equivalent for Galadriel at the fall of Thangorodrim at about 21 and about 38 by the TA 1. But it is unclear as to what we are meant to imagine under these "equivalencies".

[@kishinasura1989]

"Evil can not creat only destroy"

[@Throgmoyd]

I can't even bring myself to watch this series for car crash value. I just know I'd be hurling objects at the TV in outrage. And WHY, if all the production choices are legitimate, is Amazon panic-justifying it's choices? One suspects ratings and non-access-media reviews will provide the answer.

[@CardinalBiggles01]

Another great video mate. Being a massive Tolkien fan for 40+ years, I'm grateful we have people with your knowledge and love of the work defending it for the right reasons.

[@BradLad56]

Ya know, when I watched the trailer, I had no idea the chick in armor was supposed to be Galadriel. She looked like a discount Brienne of Tarth. Making established characters unrecognisable from what people know is not only confusing, but imo insulting to the character and creator.

[@marychocolatefairy]

Oh man, these people who try to claim that Tolkien never described his characters. I had seen a couple filmed versions of the books before I read them, so I already had an image in my mind of what the characters looked like. Then I read the books, and he was so exact in his descriptions that I now have as clear an image of some of his characters as I do of the ones that I've seen on screen.

[@Nyctophora]

You know the lore, the themes and the ideals of Tolkien far better, and I wish you had written the show. Thank you.

[@TheXdante23]

I never read Tolkien's book and only grew up with the Jackson movies and even I can see how badly Amazon is failing and how sad their attempts to cover it up are. (sorry for my english)

[@RuleOf18Clans]

"There are too many Asians in kung fu movies. Someone needs to solve the problem of all these Asians being in these movies." Said no kung fu movie fan ever.

[@RuleOf18Clans]

@Greg Elchert that's because they weren't Marvel fans.

[@darthkek1953]

There are too many Asians in kung fu movies. Someone needs to solve the problem of all these Asians being in these movies." Said ... the Walchowkis? Hollywood made the best ever kung-fu film and they made it with the lad from Bill & Ted.

[@helvaxh8348]

I’m getting sick of hearing these people say “Tolkien didn’t write X.” Or “Tolkien didn’t describe Y.” Yes, he did; you just don’t have the rights to that material. They’re making up a second age prequel out of whatever they want to surmise from tidbits in the LoTR. They’re literally writing fan fiction. Hell, *I’M* a half-assed fan who only started studying the lore because I wanted my fan fiction to be canon-compliant. I hadn’t read “The Hobbit” since grade school and I hadn’t even heard of the “Silmarillion” until I was in my late twenties and that was because my friends wanted to do a LoTR role play and I had to get educated so I could play. I’m nowhere near JSG’s league and even * I * know Amazon’s activists have it all wrong where Tolkien’s work is concerned and it irks me when they say they’re doing X & Y because Tolkien didn’t include that. The man had a borderline OCD predisposition that drove him to include EVERYTHING! I don’t recall exact details but I know there’s a particular shade of red worn by one particular people because it’s made from a certain berry that only grows in one region under very specific conditions during a limited time of the year, and they dye a unique type of wool, spun by specially trained members of the people, who --you get the idea. Tolkien’s work is full of details, to the point of being extraneous at times; so when someone says “Tolkien didn’t specify…..” I immediately know they’re full of it and they think I’m stupid.

[@michelecastellotti9172]

Even i, who am as half assed as you are, knew that galadriel came to middle earth near the end of the forst age, you know, close to when the war of wrath ended?

[@helvaxh8348]

@@michelecastellotti9172 Yeah well, you know…. These lot also claim “Respect the lore” is code for masking Isms and Phobias. Heaven forbid they actually looked into it to see if there was any merit to lore concerns. Heaven forbid they be honest and just admit they don’t care about the lore, rather than try to gaslight us into believing their BS is lore compliant. Speaks to cowardice in my opinion.

[@michelecastellotti9172]

@@helvaxh8348 also hypocrisy 8D, you know how they call us racist for bashing at the black elf and the dwarf? Well, how about them just putting pointy ears on a black guy and call it a day? That is racist on many levels 1: it implies an elf simply is characterized by having pointy ears and nothing else of peculiar, looking pretty human, aside from the ears 2: it implies all black guys have cotton puffs for hair instead of being able to have longer cuts 3: it implies that a character can be black ONLY if it has black people traits, even if in fantasy it could have a long luscious wig of silky hair, forcing a certain standard of look on black people, which also bring us to 4: Implying Black people cannot be any different from what they are, not even phisically

[@AndrossUT]

Watching white nationalists get mad about Tolkien's anti-racist themes getting adapted into a show with POC is delicious. Your impotent rage is hilarious

[@AndrossUT]

@@helvaxh8348 okay fashy

[@fafafafafafa6879]

This is like basically same energy to Kathleen Kennedy when she described "there's no source material" of EU Star Wars (which even I'm knowing it at few extent) and just made sequel with horrible direction.

[@RED-yx8pp]

I used to watch The Tolkien Professor. I am 99.9% certain that he confirmed Dwarven woman have beards when someone asked him about it in one of his Q&A videos from around a year ago. Amazon absolutely has this man in their pocket.

[@wormfood83]

Money talks.

[@einarguntvedt631]

It’s a shame really, I just discovered his podcast recently and have really enjoyed his first few episodes. The Tolkien Professor that I’ve been listening to really knows his stuff and truly understands and appreciates what Tolkien has done. What I’m seeing in this video is the complete opposite. Rationalizing the bastardization of the franchise that gave him everything for a quick buck.

[@AndrewJnsn]

It would have been much smarter for Amazon to just make up their own "diverse medieval times" show Amazon wouldn't have had to hand over a mountain of cash, and people have shown through Game of Thrones that they love medieval story telling There would be zero controversy, they would have way more money, and the potential of people actually enjoying the show to the point where it could become a GoT would be much more likely. Amazon basically bought something, tried to light it on fire, and then are confused why people don't want to be burned. It makes zero sense. Other than they have THE MESSAGE to push. And stealing other popular IPs is the only way they can get attention. Amazon really needs to find some better writers. The ones they currently have are costing them a lot of money. When all they have to do is copy and paste.... so embarrassing

[@josephfisher426]

And Amazon can be fairly sure of getting an audience if they market the heck out of a production in which nudity is not inappropriate. Do a historical drama set on the east coast of Africa. Actors of all colors other than white will fit right in there...

[@wiggawithattitude]

Negatory friend. This isn't some misguided mistake by the woke, This has been made for a reason. The backlash they might receive is irrelevant. This is part of an attempt to claim Tolkien in the name of progressivism.

[@josephfisher426]

But what do the "progressives" want with Tolkien? It's just drawing fault lines around smaller groups of people who will listen to you, or from the studio's perspective, from whom you can make money.

[@witcherjohn3440]

I’m pretty sure they only made the show so people would buy prime which by the way is way too overpriced

[@Alatoic01]

I really love how you dissect all that Tolkien "experts", with facts and notes, please keep the fight going, I understand a perfect adaptation of Tolkien is almost imposible, but at least one that respect the lore and spirit of the works is all I want.

[@somedandy7694]

I'd love to see an anime done of it; a short, sweet, season-per-book anime, accurate to the books down to the letter. Then you'd get roughly 14 hours of content to cover each book, which each take about 20+ hours to get through an audiobook. Then magic could look WAAAAAY cooler!

[@Kekoapono]

Jackson’s LOTR trilogy are some of the best adaptations out there because of his respect for the lore. I wish filmmaking could go back to the way things were done in the 90s and early 00s (or any time before the 10s and onward, really), but of course with the amazing special effects available to filmmakers today.

[@somedandy7694]

@@Kekoapono I think that soon enough studios will take notice that the current zeitgeist is rejecting Woke™ as hard as the elite may be pushing it. Scoff though we may at Conservative sites like the Daily Wire, the fact that they're making movies and selling subscriptions while funding other projects will 1. Show studios that MAYBE Ultra-Woke™ isn't the best of business strategies when Center and Moderate actually sell, and 2. start-up film ensembles can take their projects to similar websites, then websites will compete for cinema attention like studios used to. Hollywood used to gate-keep a golden palace; now they're just gate-keeping a run-down bridge that no one wants to use.

[@SelecaoOfMidas]

@@somedandy7694 Yep, meaningful change takes longer than destruction of a thing.

[@Centuries_of_Nope]

I have a buddy. Hard core leftist progressive. He's one of the most intense people when it comes to continuity in fiction. Down to race and Christian influence, he's all over making sure this adaptation is done correctly. It's intriguing and a little reassuring, that such canonical bastardizations do matter across the political spectrum.

[@k.v.7681]

Because SJW's are made out to be the majority of the left just like racist nutjobs with a hard pp for guns and the bible are made out to be the majority of the right doesn't make it so. I'm myself firmly anchored on the left for most things. And beyond my love for Tolkien's work, which pushes me to cry foul when I see what's happening, I also see what's being done on the political side: Bullshit. It's not inclusive, it's not uplifting, it's exploitative. Companies like Amazon don't have morals, ideas or stances, they have target numbers. There's A LOT of people on the left firmly opposed to the hyper-racialised focuses that have been arising lately. But a calm discussion on the whys and hows isn't interesting anymore. The victim complex on both sides and "breaking those racists" or "SJW stupid compilations" are what we get now. It's pathetic.

[@Andulsi]

I m an unapologetic socialist. I hate the Far Right. I consider racism to be not only deeply unpleasant, but utterly dumb. And I think it s odd to find medieval set fantasy villages with a racial mic one only finds in cosmopolitan post industrial metropolises

[@peterphilipson2589]

About elven age, I think it means physical maturity only and not mental maturity. I mean a 3k+ years old elf had all the time to learn, mature and become the wise being that elves known to be. Another thing I hate the idea of the battered gear idea of Galadriel, we talk about elves. The enbodiment of perfection, elves honed their skills for centuries, every single of their step, movement, word that comes out fo their is well thought out. What makes the staff at Amazon think, that such a being would allow itself to have damaged equipment?

[@leodoms4682]

I'm no scholar, I just read LOTR several times over many decades, as well as the silmarillion, and I do remember Frodo and his friends seeing a party of Elves , led by Gildor Inglorion, passing by in the night . And the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering of these elves' hair and in their eyes. So I'm pretty convinced that "Peter Jackson's invention" is a much better match than the short black hair invented by Amazon.

[@kentonbaird1723]

It is the profound difference presented: Between a creation by a man with a passion for the material and the craft, and the man that seeks to fabricate a product to sell quickly. One of these things will last forever in the memories of the equally passionate. The other will be forgotten in short order.

[@RetroPages]

Respect the lore.

[@BanjoSick]

“He wore his long dark hair in great plaits braided with gold.” Fingon, High King of the Noldor “The hair of Olwë was long and white, and his eyes were blue.” Olwë, king of the Teleri “His golden hair flowed shimmering in the wind of his speed.” Glorfindel of Rivendell J.R.R. Tolkien nuff said

[@ace9924]

I don't think tolkien was thinking when writing the elves, "I'm gonna give the elves a fresh cut."

[@samankucher5117]

lol

[@JcgLounge]

“It felt only natural to us that an adaption of the author’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like” NO! The world of LOTR is a fantasy realm! It’s not realistic at all! I don’t need that world to look like this one.

[@christophervalentine4474]

Especially since our world stinks!

[@somedandy7694]

I remember that being my chief complaint about The Two Towers when watching the family and the little crying "Where is mama?" girl: it was just too on the nose and it didn't accomplish anything that a messenger scene couldn't. One of my film critic friends complained: "We don't watch LOTR to watch a 6 o'clock news equivalent." The Two Towers was probably the worst for crappy add-in stuff, though: particularly Liv Tyler's extra "No! I'm leaving Aragorn now!" nonsense

[@michelecastellotti9172]

@@SehlraC double standard? Yeah, Wasn't it clear from the black guy with pointy ears called an elf just because of pointy years? Not even a long wig of black, silky hair, no no, just the ears and you are good to go, cuz pointy ears are all that distinguish the elves

[@josemiguelmarquescampo4902]

Actually, it is true that Amazon is indeed misguided about producing an adaptation of Tolkien’s inspired work to “reflect what the world actually looks like.” Actually, the reverse is true: the real world actually looks like the Lore of Middle-earth. Thus… though Middle-earth is a “fantasy world”, it is nonetheless a reflection of the real world. It is a “real fantasy” as it were. Through his intrinsically Catholic mythology, even incorporating pagan elements, Tolkien reveals the eternal truths of the universe.

[@skeetsvar162]

@@somedandy7694 don't really understand the complaint about the little girl or your friend's comment, but I do agree with you about Liv Tyler.

[@dandare9055]

Also: this WILL make us praise Hobbit Trilogy... for all it's flaws: it was at times fairly entertaining.

[@stuartivins7846]

"Gil-galad was an elven-king. Of him the harpers sadly sing; the last whose realm was fair and free" Before Amazon Prime made 'Fan Fiction TV !'

[@DoctorDave5]

With all the potential pitfalls of this new series I decided to read The Lord of the Rings again. I don’t think there are many other books that are so immersive and that truly transplant the reader into another world. To sully such a great work with the banalities of identity politics is criminal. I hope that our fears for the series don’t come true and that Amazon produce a memorable, quality show that honours Tolkien rather than denies him. I guess we’ll see.

[@somedandy7694]

Just finished listening to a great version of the Hobbit by Bluefax. Such a joy that people do independent works of love like that

[@DoctorDave5]

@@somedandy7694 absolutely

[@pollyparrot8759]

I used to read it every Christmas when I was working, it was the only chance I had to devote that big a chunk of time to immersing myself in the books.

[@DoctorDave5]

@@pollyparrot8759 cool 👍

[@pollyparrot8759]

@@DoctorDave5 👍🙂

[@joseparedes2391]

The Galadriel interpretation is also a testament to the Jackson's team dedication to properly depict the character. In the extras of the extended dvd they show how they put something like christmas lights in front of Cate Blanchett, as to add the lights reflection effect into her gaze

[@thomasmills339]

Are we still pretending Peter Jacksons movies were good?

[@conorhennell2623]

@@thomasmills339 edgelord right here lmao

[@endless3cho]

@@thomasmills339 do you have an actual opinion about them or are you just saying something contrarian?

[@blackwolf4653]

@@thomasmills339 Lord Edgy spoke guys 😂

[@charminsi]

@@thomasmills339 The LOTR trilogy weren’t 1:1 adaptations of the books but they kept the essence of the stories at least. The Hobbit trilogy was okay at best and it would have been better if they didn’t stretch a children’s story into three long movies. The Amazon series is a whole other level of terrible adaptation.

[@christinecastro7212]

Personally I wish these studios would focus on actual diversity and not just race swapping European stories or history. I would love some stories based on African, Middle Eastern or some other cultures and get immersed in their lore and mythology. There must be other epic stories to tell not just the ones already written. Wouldn't it be awesome to read or see something new. Wouldn't that be true diversity and if there are no white people in the country or mythology it's based on then the story shouldn't include them. I watch shows and read books because I like the story not because I can identify with the race of people.

[@b.melakail]

I posted this message in another thread above but look up Evan Winters, R.F Kuang and M.L Wang

[@christinecastro7212]

@@b.melakail I will do that thanks

[@petriew2018]

true diversity is hard, tokenism is rewarded by the other mostly white upper class closed society that is anyone who actually has influence in modern hollywood And that is honestly what all the race swapping is in a show like this : tokenism. A black dwarf who still acts like every other dwarf is not actually diverse, they just look different. What's the actual fucking point of it?

[@gon_trek2481]

THIS! The thing is its all superficial for them, its like junnk food, they only want to sell it, it doesnt matter what effect is has on consumers or its quality... nd also just plain laziness, its easier to sell a story more people are familiar with (yes, because of the european conquest of the world), like say King arthur, than say the Bhagavad Gita.. sooo just adapt a well known "European" story, and sprinkle surface appearance of all ethnicities to sell it to everyonw and insult their intelligence... god damn Im angry

[@drensky777]

exactly! there's a lot of good actual material related to myths and legends and other stories of other countries. forcefully changing an already established fictional character's traits had always been cringe to me.

[@Shitposter-yp7dj]

Hey just some guy, I saw one of your videos featured in a news article today!!! Was big prouds :)