Rings of Power DESTROYS Canon, But Why? LA Times Reveals Why IPs Like Lord of the Rings Get Changed

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is due for release this week on Amazon Prime video. But as Rings of Power prepares for launch, what do we learn from the marketing? Why is Rings of Power so desperate to change the lore and the canon. What are the cast and crew of LOTR: Rings of Power so proud that they are changing it? Why do so many fantasy shows and adaptations all feel the same, without their unique souls? Can Rings of Power avoid this fate?
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[@disparutoo]

As Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power closes in on release this is a longer video today. A lot to cover in order to make the arguments at the end, but there is so much that Amazon Prime Video have done in their marketing disaster so far, there always seems to be more weird arguments to counter. But the LA Times arguments might be the most honest, and nonsensical view into why so many IP's all fall fowl of the same ideas and begin to all look the same. Is there any variety in a world where every IP is identical? Let me know your thoughts on the video and the Rings of Power release down below, and as always, thanks for watching :)

[@user-zq8bt6hv9k]

you're always complaining about things you don't like, you never propose anything good. why would i hear 30 minutes of complains, it was better before, are u 70 year old or what. i don't even support any woke shit , anyway next

[@faustoutloud]

Keep em coming brother I have to make a few Videos as well was going to wait for the first two episodes but its getting so bad and the show is days away lol.

[@alexwalker3651]

BRUSH YOUR TEETH

[@tomround8271]

We are watching the South Park episode, The history channels thanksgiving play out in real life. "Nowhere does it say that aliens weren't at the first thanksgiving"

[@dw620]

"fall fowl" as Thorondor-sized turkeys, in this case? ;p~

[@spunkybrewster1972]

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” -Orwell

[@bobtower66]

Wasn't meant to be a road map to our destruction or at one time I believed that. Now i wonder. If you look into orwell you'll find that he was into some freaky occult garbage.

[@noelleeve4087]

Perfectly summarized and truly frightening.

[@PeggyR70]

Someone once said that Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning but Progressives saw it as a how-to.

[@Valarien777]

Spot on!

[@Strausburg]

Now replace the word "party" with "LGBTQIAA2SBLTHDTV+ agenda"

[@derrickstorm6976]

How pathetic is it that they now feel like they have to attack previous actors? Absolutely deplorable

[@draxrdax7321]

It's not just that they're attacking them, they're trying to belittle them when they compare them to these Bezos slaves. I would feel offended if i was Elijah Woods, it's probably one of the best played roles in modern age movies and they dare to even compare them to these woke activists? I actually feel offended for him myself

[@GholaTleilaxu]

They...as a gender-safe term when referring to the writer of that article?

[@victoriawarren3373]

The fact that Tolkien's works have been translated into a plethora of languages and is one of the top ten selling books of all time, tells me that it already has universal appeal.

[@bobtower66]

But you know current year or whatever nonsensical remark these dishonest p.o.s. make

[@andresanguianozuniga6798]

Totally. Tolkien is for ANYONE, not for EVERYONE. Cuz that word includes the commies like this people.

[@stijnvdv2]

Yeah, but this isn't that. This is the most expensive 'fan flick' ever. And that's even pushing it coz it's actually not a fan flick, coz the writers/producers are no fans. They are platform paracites that try to get their politics into a platform, along with Bezos wanting his GOT pet project. That's what this is.... sn abomination.

[@lovinade8564]

It's all designed to destroy. Evil can not create

[@MrSRA13]

As a singular book I believe it's the greatest selling of all time behind the bible

[@MemphesX]

As a POC I never felt the urge or desire to see "people like me" in LOTR because I could already see myself in the characters. I related with he characters because of who they are and NOT because of what they look like.

[@dollface2907]

these people are toxic idiots, they just jump on the bandwagon to promote there own agenda, love how instead of making a new story to show there own representation they are targeting all the full white cast movies and shows

[@oblivionsa7973]

"Nope, you're wrong. You absolutely cannot see anything familiar in another person other than skin color and who they touch privates with. That's it. If you do anything else you're a bigotphobist!" - Hollywood

[@mohammadfaiyazsultan920]

Ikr thats the funny thing isnt it

[@bradpaton3927]

Point Of Contact?

[@alecday3775]

@@bradpaton3927 No, Person Of Color.

[@veronicadavanzo2064]

This show has got to be a slow-mo train wreck when this many people get excited about Disparu slamming RoP for 30 min flat. There was so much potential. How the heck did we get moob armor and unrecognizable beloved characters from a billion dollar budget? 😢

[@matthewmekonis1790]

Message >Profitability

[@charlesstrickland7344]

Because the message and perceptions are more important than the story

[@dw620]

I'd be happier if it was a fast-mo train wreck that even the shill media was forced to recognize as a travesty asap, but I suspect we all still have a battle on our hands...

[@darthlaurel]

There really wasn't so much potential.

[@awakeandwatching953]

i love they use "authentic" .. authentic literally means those who believe or will espouse intersectional critical theory aka neo Marxism

[@Calbeck]

"The trick of any successful adaptation is to stay true to the story." - LA Times "Yes, and that's why Rings of Power is going down in flames." - Everyone Else

[@thelaughingrouge]

"Elijah who?" Sums it up perfectly. Nothing that came before "US" is important, only now that "WE" are here can human history truly begin! The hubris and arrogance is staggering!

[@garym6315]

Do you remember when they would always refute the old "you wouldn't want a white man playing Black Panther" argument by telling us that race was integral to who that character is and therefore it is essential? Well that is exactly the situation here as well but for some reason they seem to have move the goal posts again. This is a mythology created for Britain and Europe using our existing myths and tales. It is essential that the characters look like white Europeans in order for that story to be told. If the race swapping is acceptable here then it is equally acceptable for the Black Panther cast to be white, Chinese, Korean, Pakistani, native American etc.

[@ninjafoxgamesgeekery]

The "race is essential to the character" only applies to black characters and always applies to every black character. They're now saying that Magneto can and should be recast as black.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

theyre just tiptoeing around the fact that their ideology boils down to "white man bad" and will say whatever BS they can come up with while slowly moving the goalposts ever further towards "white man bad". unfortunately for them, white man has money in his pocket and they arent getting any of it anymore.

[@stevenlowe3026]

So should WE now be shouting 'cultural misappropriation"?

[@zachlux2778]

"It began with the forging of the great films, Threads were given by Tolkein: wisest and fairest of all writers, Rights were granted to Jackson, great minder and craftsman of the mountain of lore, And nine, nine hours were gifted to the race of men who, above all else, desire quality, But they were all of them deceived, for another show was made. In the land of Hollywood, in the fires of Amazon Prime, the Dark Lord Bezos forged in secret a master flop, And into this show he poured his money, his greed, and his will to dominate all film, One film to ruin them all, One interpretation to find them, One ideology to bring them all, and in the wokeness bind them"

[@Miltz69]

LOL 🤣😂 I love that cause its soooo true of this BS show

[@richardrose2606]

I've seen this before, actually right here in these comments. If you didn't originate this you should give an attribution.

[@zachlux2778]

@@richardrose2606 yes please spread it. Everyone is trying to put it on as many videos as possible. No one knows the original. Post post post.

[@richardrose2606]

@@zachlux2778 thanks for the info

[@Trollificusv2]

VERY well done, there, lad. (even if it's not yours, it's good)

[@matthewmekonis1790]

Tolkien and C.S. Lewis fought bitterly over Lewis using Father Christmas in Narnia. Why anyone would believe the man that argued against the modern insertion of Father Christmas would be ok with ROP modernism is beyond sane.

[@lastmimzy2606]

I haven't heard anyone say father Christmas for a while now, got used to hearing Santa or are they different?

[@gianna526]

I do agree though, I didn't like the use of Father Christmas in the story, it felt completely out of nowhere and while it was important that the kids got their weapons, it would have been cooler if Aslan had given it.

[@stevenlowe3026]

@@lastmimzy2606 Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas - all the same guy.

[@keywitness4955]

I got chills when Tar Miriel screamed, you shall not pass! And opened up a Planned Parenthood for the Harfoots in poor areas.

[@simonordaz9364]

oh boy!!! that was so clever….

[@hardkore360]

Elijah was/is the living embodiment of Frodo. They can never AND WILL NEVER take that away from him.

[@acole5975]

My understanding of LoTR and The Hobbit was a sort of nostalgia for the old days where peace, happiness and lack of industrialisation existed. Instead they focus on progress, unhappiness and war. Yeah ...

[@authorofgriz]

(TLDR, RoPrime is terrible and makes no sense. I hate it, and what we had used to be good.) There is plenty of war in Tolkien's world, but I understand your point. Much more happiness and peace lies in those writings at any given time than what this show is setting up. Even Faerun had points of joy and peace, and it has become more modern, which isn't exactly a good thing. But the people in these worlds acted in different ways for different reasons. For instance, they only had that one guy blow up at Arondir to portray that the elves are hated? So why would one woman decide to show him any mercy apart from what the others do? Why are people suddenly just okay with the elves taking over their lands or a kingdom overseas with no say or action in reference to a location ever go there to help them? The only reason Numenorians ever went to the mainland was for Gondor, and even then, it was for trade.

[@nathanaelculver5308]

8:37 *"…doesn’t even make sense”* It’s even worse than that. The whole Dublin, Ireland origin of _beyond the pale_ is just flat-out wishful thinking. A "pale” was simple a wooden post or spike (as in "impale") often used to construct boundary fences, which were utterly commonplace in medieval Europe (see the Pale of Calais, e.g.). _Beyond the pale_ is not a reference to the Pale of Dublin, but simply to paling boundaries in general, and referred to being outside the protective wall. To see racism in the expression is just more leftist projection.

[@suepedie1]

It only makes sense to people working hard to be offended.

[@ciellight]

Hold your ground, hold your ground! Fans of Tolkien, of Peter Jackson, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same labelings that would take the credibility out of me! A day may come when then creativity of men fails. When we forsake our character characterizations and break all bonds of plot consistency, but it is not this day. An hour of political pandering and bad tokenization, when the age of good writing comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good franchise, I bid you stand, Fans of the Original source!

[@matwatson7947]

"For Tolkien"...

[@gianna526]

@@matwatson7947 "AAAAAAAAAAAAA" *aggressively runs into battle*

[@MonstaTrapz]

We are weak, divided, leaderless.

[@matwatson7947]

@@MonstaTrapz I see what you were doing but if anything R.o.P is showing that fans of the source are not divided or weak.

[@DavidM_10]

Great video. As you say, the sad irony is that by making everything diverse they're eliminating artistic and cultural diversity on the grander scale. People watch The Lord of the Rings because they want to enter the unique and lovingly crafted mythological world that Tolkien created, not the sociopolitically modern and homogenised world that Amazon Prime created.

[@KSmithwick1989]

After seeing the first episode, I can say it's really not that noticeable. It doesn't actually even affect the acting or storyline.

[@demitrivendici]

@@KSmithwick1989 Just like no one noticed that spanish chick in Doctor Strange had lesbo parents and wore a LGBTQ pin on her costume for the whole movie and the Illuminati was made out of mostly minorities. Wow look captain Marvel is a strong black woman. Nothing pleases me more than to see the imminent collapse of Woke Leftest Hollywood.

[@KSmithwick1989]

@@demitrivendici As a joke, I don't think having a minority only Illuminati is very "woke". To the point it sounds like "anti-woke" satire. By implying they're all conspiratorial overlords. And thus should not be trusted.

[@demitrivendici]

@@KSmithwick1989 That's a very interesting take on it. I like where you are going with this.

[@KSmithwick1989]

@@demitrivendici Yeah, they unintentionally undermined themselves.

[@MrMovieMaker116]

Imagine a T. Rex as Gimli. “And my teeth!”

[@alharron2145]

That LA Times article manages, somehow, to simultaneously lambast works made "by white men in times where white men where in charge," yet in demanding that those same works change, completely ignores the work of other authors who were neither. In demanding changes to properties made by white men for the sake of minorities, they are unconsciously implying that those works are the only ones worth the title of "classic." You'd think authors like Samuel Delaney, W. E. B. DuBois, Charles Saunders, Milton Davies, Octavia Butler, N. K. Jesmin, & countless more simply didn't exist - that the only way we'll see people of colour in fantasy is if we change the work of white authors, rather than consider elevating authors of colour who've been doing this for decades. It's insulting Eurocentric garbage masquerading as progressive. Was the unknown author of The Epic of Gilgamesh a white man? Or the original storytellers of A Thousand And One Nights or the Ramayana, or the Thirteen Classics of Chinese Literature? The reason they want to change LOTR & GOT is simple greed & cowardice. They don't *want* to take a chance on making a new, diverse fantasy either based on a book that already fits their needs, or just mailing up their own. Even with the success of Black Panther, they just don't think it'll sell. All they know is LOTR & GOT are successful, but they have neither the imagination nor the courage to make the next LOTR or GOT. All they can do is change it - & in the process, demean everyone, especially those they are claiming to champion.

[@Angrenost02]

Well said. And man I would LOVE a show on the story of Gilgamesh.

[@alexgillis9446]

Not every movie can have as 'diverse' a cast as black panther.......

[@alharron2145]

@@alexgillis9446 Ah, I see what you mean. I meant to use "diverse" in terms of fantasy/science fiction adaptations as a whole. All I'm saying is you don't have to resort to tokenism in adaptations when there are plenty of works out there that don't have to be tokenised to begin with.

[@ninjafoxgamesgeekery]

@@Angrenost02 Epic of Gilgamesh, a number of Indian stories, and a Hollywood level budget adaptation of Journey to the West. I'll admit, The Woman King looks pretty cool too. Definitely influenced by Black Panther's success for some executive to green light that film. I'd be all for a film that was pitched as "It's like Black Panther, but set in a fantasy world with monsters and magic" as well.

[@sigmacademy]

@@Angrenost02 Me too! :)

[@michelleanderson8370]

ORC LIVES MATTER!!! I'm offended that these characters are slaughtering a race because they are ugly...body shaming is a disgusting behaviour...the elves/dwarves/hobbits should have tried to understand and embrace this different culture...but nooooooo...they ran around and slaughtered them WITH WEAPONS FFS... I'm disgusted by this flagrant racism against orcs, trolls, and goblins. Amazon should be disgusted with themselves as well. Boycott this heartless exhibition

[@bobtower66]

Also smeagul did nothing wrong he transitioned from a hobbit and needs to be protected

[@rumorcontrol7873]

this line of "i'm absolutely Shocked that you would suggest that we the performance artists wouldn't be turning the story that you wanted into a platform for our own personal agendas, how could you say that?" is popping up across the "creative" sphere. We are getting to the point of them psychologically proclaiming victory and working backwards from there

[@jeremywags]

“Actors shouldn’t talk to their audience bc they hate their audience”. -nailed it

[@elnurgling]

I loved the scene in which Galadriel solved a puzzle without spending any Hint Coins and got twenty Picarats as a reward.

[@eyesfullofsky9776]

No, it's not about "greed" or getting a paycheck -at least, not for the actors nor the show writers. It's far more petty than that, it's about satisfying a baseless assumption that you are "owed" something. It's about getting something you falsely believe other people for free what is denied to you. It is about wanting to shove your twisted beliefs of what is and is not correct and good onto others -and it is about reveling in the fact that you are why tomorrow will be all the better for it. "I am female/black/non-hetero/non-cis/etc and there were no female/black/non-hetero/non-cis/etc protagonists in this. I want to be a protagonist in this. Make me into a protagonist- I want to be a hero." It's not about money -it's about pride. Pride they have done nothing meaningful to earn the right to, thus it is mere arrogance. Sheer fucking hubris. And George? George R. R. Martin, in my humble opinion, is just upset that people aren't loving his books as they once did. Between the terrible show, him not fucking working on his books and Fire & Blood being surprisingly mediocre, I think he's just miffed that Lord of the Rings is beyond his works. LoTR isn't classic. It is past that term, it's the gold standard, it is the foundation of what "fantasy" is. George R. R. Martin's own work has been immensely influenced by it -nevermind any moral dilemmas that might arise from this factoid and what Martin has said, the point remains that even he and his works have been shaped by Tolkien. *THAT* is how timeless Lord of the Rings is. Good stuff. Keep it up.

[@Joeyglide]

We live in sad times. When you can’t see any of the braveness of Frodo, the steadfastness of Sam, the loyalty of Aragon, the dutifulness of Boromir, the letting go of old rivalries and traditions between Legolas and Gimli, the simple wide-eyed joy of life in Merry and Pippin or the wisdom of Gandalf in yourself because they aren’t the same colour as you, what kind of a person are you? But, the simple fact is, people can. They do. That is why this work is so universally loved. How dare Amazon, the mainstream media and the activist movement tell people otherwise? It’s truly appalling and shows how narrow and racist their view on the world is when colour/gender trumps every other quality in a character.

[@giuseppepecoraro1018]

Tolkien didn't say that there wasn't Godzilla in the second age so i want Godzilla in the rings of power, maybe in the next seasons, we demand it!

[@ave4622]

As an Asian living with minimal social media interaction, these recent western companies obsession with cultural representation are wild. It reminds me of some people that get offended for others. These people don't really help with the related subjects. They just like the idea of it and make it their personality. It's kinda sad, pathetic, and entertaining at the same time.

[@stephenslater412]

The Rings of Power is what happens when you dump a billion $ into a high-school play.

[@thisfireburns9474]

It’s not just a reduction to a gray blob, it’s purposeful propaganda.

[@twilitetide]

Must terrifying for some brilliant up and coming fantasy writers out there - you spend years, maybe, working a full time job, carefully crafting your masterpiece, it's a work of care and love, groundbreaking, knowing that even if you succeed and your work is hailed as a new era, a masterpiece, that one day, one day, your main character will be gender swapped, turned into something unrecognizable; your carefully constructed text modernized, your timeline arcs altered....knowing what happened to Tolkien, you decide to become an accountant instead.

[@sigmacademy]

True, but on the other side of that coin is the never-ending stream of YA novels, Regent/Mills & Boon and erotic supernatural novels, which is flooding the book section of Amazon, ironically. Everything there is just flipped elements - Shifter School/Academy/College/etc, to quote an example - it's literally a mill that cranks out "concepts" which is just going for every variation of every idea and calling it "storytelling", even though it's practically carbon copies of each other. :/

[@cerilis569]

As an up and coming fantasy writer, this is indeed terrifying.

[@markgrygielewicz8047]

“Any attempt to make our storytelling better reflect the actual world, to use our myths to discover truly universal truths, is going to look and feel different.”, but they aren't looking at discussing or dissecting universal truths, like brotherhood or fear or love, the very human truths that every culture and every individual abides by. What they mean by "universal truths" is political, and that is subject to bias and propaganda, and using the term "actual world" is the crux of their goal, Tolkien's world represented HIS emotions, HIS experiences, HIS grief and fear, not theirs. The next line is very telling: “It has to; stories, like everything else on this planet, must change to survive.”, when the story in question is a beloved story that is 70 plus years old and has been printed in multiple languages, and has been enjoyed by people from multiple cultures, signifies that the story is a "universal truth", and can be enjoyed by anyone. This change to survive is the destruction of the story; they don't want the story to survive, they are hoping that the audience will forget the story existed in its original state, and that their version is the complete one, this is just narcissism on a epic scale.

[@giuliapombo5560]

Fantasy movies shouldn’t contain any form of political things of the modern world. It should be an escape, *fantasies are an escape* “ _The Fantasy genre, gives writers the freedom to explore ideas _*_unfettered by the restrictions of writing stories set in the real world_* ”

[@victoriaallegre2189]

Amen to this 👏

[@elroylaurent5014]

exactement

[@lulu2363]

The writers are doing such a great job 🥸

[@sigmacademy]

What they forget is that if you're too obvious with the messaging, no enjoyment can be received from anyone who is just looking for a straight-up piece of fantasy. And it's not just fantasy that be used like that, but contemporary settings as well. Anywhere USA, fictitious events, fictitious festivals or fictitious towns is used to allow the storyteller to tell or set controversial stories in such a way that it doesn't ACTIVELY insult anyone, but still allows the storyteller to frame a story in such a way that implied meaning is transmitted in a non-offensive way. Think of the trailer for the newest Jeepers Creepers (a cosplay event which reflects current day trends), the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (influencers coming to a town as part of their group business) or Terrifier 2 (violent psychotic clown stalking people). :/

[@PaulaSB12]

I saw the comic com questions and they where asked if disabled characters would be introduced in the future and the show runners said yes. Trouble is this sort of time line disabled people wouldn’t survive

[@elbrusaronovitchprezhniyth2467]

"We all redressin' balances up in here and shieeeet!" Disa straight droppin' knowledge yo'! Tolkien would be proud!

[@jinksomiabodyart3189]

Woop, woop!

[@TheSuperappelflap]

imagine being so arrogant that you think playing a minor character in a tv show is changing the world, because you happen to have a certain amount of skin pigment.

[@MrCovi2955]

At this point, with how much lore they're changing in the lore, why not just make it a sci-fi space opera. Gandalf can be a martian and the hobbits came from an alternate reality that broke into middle earth when the ring of power fell from the sky on a meteor.

[@alpswen2651]

I really enjoyed your video - how clearly thought out the arguments are is amazing! As a Tolkien fan I couldn't agree more.

[@MrLolguy93]

Everything woke turns to shit Wiser words have never been said

[@TheMisfitt13]

Damn lad, you keep getting better and better at getting to the heart of things. Keep up the spectacular work!

[@keyboarddancers7751]

Excellent observations.

[@GlanyNiebieskie]

As a writer I understand that Martin's argument of going insane if you're not changing anything. And that's why I DON'T WRITE FANFICTION. Also, Martin being so surprised that people don't like something within the franchise is like music industry giants furious that in today day and age people can access music whout being *forced* to pay for it. They created something and can't accept it is judged by the audience and the we are not... Sentenced to watch it and say nice things about it. They don't understand that people actually liked stuff because they wanted to, not because the thing exists. I wonder if it is the result of them thinking their value as creators and people is based solely on their... Existing on Earth.

[@DamienDrake2389]

It's a fan fiction and will never be considered Canon.

[@coryv5679]

Nah, it's not canon. They need to redefine what "canon" actually means. Being able to buy rights to part of something shouldn't ever be counted as canon. Just because a company takes something over shouldn't be counted as canon. Since it's not the original source or the source material it shouldn't ever be counted as it. It should be counted as something different.

[@CanalPSG]

The article: "Tolkien's whole point of LOTR was that different races could work together, so we keep that in tact." Also this article: "This old book was written from the perspective of a white man, so we change it."

[@tkps]

Whenever I hear 'real world' I keep thinking who's real world? Because it's not India's, it's not Korea's, it's not Japans, it's not Kenya's. So where is this real world? Because it seems to me when they say that, they mean American. It's not an American IP, it's an English one and they don't have the right to tell us our world is wrong by their standards, even if they do stick some English/Aussie/US actors in it. Won't change what it is and should remain.

[@Busrayne]

Great video. Articulate and well thought out. We could use a few more Disparu types in the USA.

[@erraticuk]

I can accept them butchering a beloved piece of work. But can not fathom them getting upset everytime when people hate the final product.

[@erraticuk]

Does anyone think wakanda will be diverse in the new black panther?

[@tensaantares]

Loved the scene with Galadriel that was the origin of Flamin' Hot Cheetos during the Cheetos battle.

[@OffhandDelivery]

Tolkien is the elves, Amazon is Morgoth. The Rings of Power is the orcs.

[@melissag.664]

Hahaha!! Loved the comparison to the Starship Troopers line!

[@beerosaurusrex]

Since we couldn't get a real ape to play Caesar in Planet of the Apes, we can therefore use velociraptors in place of apes entirely.

[@Tri57b]

Something I've not really seen said is the fact that Tolkien is a part of British culture. In taking it and changing it fundamentally to fit the culture of today for profit no less, it becomes the very definition of 'cultural appropriation'. In any 'other' situation this would cause a media shit-storm.

[@arnaudbouret5562]

Morgoth's having a good time these days.

[@XLA-zg1nn]

Just a question? As Amazon didn't get the rights to LOTR does that mean as their kind of using and inserting Gandalf into this show, does that break copyright laws?

[@Balandrus]

They have the rights to the LOTR trilogy, "The Hobbit," and the appendices in "Return of the King." They do not have the rights to the vast majority of material for the time period they've set the series.

[@theredranger9723]

Sometimes I’m disappointed when you put out new content every couple days vs multiple times a day. However, that’s what makes you great! Your content is smart and very thought provoking. You put a lot of thought and heart into your vid’s and that takes time. Thanks for taking the time!

[@brialapoint2608]

Lotr is based on middle earth. As in our planet. That is what makes rings of power insulting. If it is actual lost history rings of flower is an abomination that needs to be torn to shreds

[@jameswild8332]

The thought was intolerable. Not new; just intolerable. Louis Wu saw how thoroughly Munich resembled Cairo and Resht ... and San Francisco and Topeka and London and Amsterdam. The stores along the slidewalks sold the same products in all the cities of the world. These citizens who passed him tonight looked all alike, dressed all alike. Not Americans or Germans or Egyptians, but mere flatlanders. - Larry Niven - Ringworld.

[@oskay6195]

We should backup LoTR wikis before the new "canon" finds its way in there

[@HellbirdIV]

The LOTR Wikis already separate the book canon from the Jackson movie canon, so this shouldn't have much effect.

[@sigmacademy]

@@HellbirdIV Doesn't really mean a thing. Look at what happened to Wikipedia. When the "activists" got in, the subversion efforts went off the chart with "fixed" pages. :/

[@Random_Tangent]

Pretty much bang on. It's about who can get the roles, so other upcoming actors see that they can also get those roles. In most jobs, that's fine. Casting should be a little different. Sadly the PR for this show seems to be all about who was cast for each role. It's like the fantasy world doesn't matter, it's who in the real world gets the work and making that representative. An odd thing to emphasise and something that suspiciously seems to only matter when some people are cast in roles.

[@jamiem8680]

This very year actual war came to Europe,,,and what happened in Urkraine,, the men stayed to fight and defend their countries and families and the woman and children were evacuated either out of the country or away from the battle lines,,,so if the rings of power want to really “reflect the world we live in “ then it’s seems the Jackson trilogy got it right !

[@SefricFrampus]

Tolkien's work is a rescue of the past, a tribute for the heritage of England and Europe. But rings of power is a stomp on the past, another attempt of history revisionism that this people love so much. Because their ideas are so stupid and absurd that it can only stand if there are no ideas to compare. Wisdom and legacy are their worst enemies. Great video, although a couldn't make myself to finish it. I got sick halfway.

[@poppaDehorn]

“We have the rights solely to The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, the appendices, and The Hobbit,” Payne says. “And that is it. We do not have the rights to The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth, or any of those other books.” thats why.

[@grdoreza]

May their “creation” fail. As this is supposedly in the 2nd Age, all their works faded and was forgotten.

[@trbojevicnemanja3482]

Have nothing to add,and I'm glad there are still smart people in this messed up world,thank you.

[@hunn20004]

Galadriel in TV show: "Slay queen! Take all the power!" In book when offered the ultimate power: “And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!” Yeeeeah....she's totally stable

[@JohnDoe-cm8nd]

What happen if someone took an African book or story and come along and said we have to have people of fair skin to be In it. Rewrite their story to our liking.

[@ayiza8511]

Difference between rings of power and HotD is one changed ages and race not backstory personality or the core canon matter. We can still recognise plot points from the book in HotD the motivations are the same, their actions we the same.. while in power we have characters that are not supposed to exist for 1000years and marriage partners are somehow dead. And people that were never supposed to be alive at the same time. One Durin at a time.

[@Hiraghm]

Gee, you sound like me ranting about the "Starshit Troupers" movie that everyone loves but is a total caricature of the book.

[@nicholasdocter4975]

I couldn't agree more with just about every point you make. I get irritated, realizing that the show's writers want to leach off the success of Lord of the Rings, but are unwilling to respect the source material, feeling the need to inject modern ideas to make the show's world conform to their view of political correctness. If the goal is to espouse one's own views and beliefs, don't use incongruous source material, whose only attractive trait (from the writer's perspective) is being widely loved. The writers want the viewership that will flood in following any mention of the name "Lord of the Rings" without being responsible stewards of the material. It all seems very selfish.

[@MyRabbitHole]

You could rant on for hours, explaining why this is against the source material etc etc. At the end they would stare at you with empty eyes, asking "but why can't elves be black?". They just don't get it. The worst thing is, if you go to the other side of KZbin, there are tons of videos praising this as the pinnacle of fantasy.

[@sigmacademy]

Oh, it will be CGI eye-candy for sure (for a BILLION it sure has to be). You MIGHT even get a proper performance from the talent. But it will NOT be anything like the stories from the mythos, because the showrunners have told us that MULTIPLE times, and anyone who praises it as "a worthy Tolkien story" has ZERO self-awareness (or awareness in general). :/

[@MacKlaus71]

Excellent! When I want to see a movie taken fron Tolkien's works, I want to meet the soul, the culture, the climax where the opera take place. I don't care inclusivity in this case, the fantasy novels are not a political manifesto, it is just a way to escape from reality.

[@Kaos9696]

If you're gonna give me a donut and call it a pizza, it better be a damn good donut.

[@UltraFlea]

I still wonder why the elves would use magic to cut their hair since no blade or fire treatment could give anyone a gradient buzzcut in such times without a electric hair trimmer lol

[@praetorian3902]

"The author is trying to rub two brain cells together and create a spark" lol

[@heatrayzvideo3007]

Tolkien hated allegories. His work is not an allegory. If anything it's loose metaphor

[@originaldarkwater]

Rings of Power = Amazon Basics Fantasy.

[@ianmoore3785]

The point they clearly miss is that the subject matter of the LOTR is fiction, but the Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth and all Tolkien's other works are not, they are a real, living organism.

[@Iron-Bridge]

With all these manipulative changes, might as well create their own IP, no? 🤷‍♂️🙄

[@JaynaeMarieXIV]

I've been saying all this since the beginning! As a person of color (and a writer with an English and History degree), I believe Tolkien was already universal. All his themes were universal. This isn't based on Tolkien, it is based on someone's idea of what they think Tolkien should be. The man was born in South Africa. He knew people of color. But he was an English professor. He translated Beowulf. He co-authored a textbook. I read the works he used to create his world. The dwarves from Prose/Elder Edda, Arthur, etc. You can get a degree in Tolkien Literature. I don't want it changed because some person (who never read over 12 volumes of actual Middle-Earth History) thinks reinterpreting the incomplete Appendix of the LOTR is based on the entirety of Tolkien's universe should be the basis of a television series that has to use "Lord of the Rings" above the show title to convince millions of Tolkien fans (and scholars) that this is either what Tolkien should have written or what they think Tolkien actually meant when he created the forerunner of modern universe building. I mean, come on! Why spend $1 billion dollars to ruin a classic when they could have just CREATED a story of their own? I actually wrote a M-E story purposely written to FIT in Tolkien's world, and I did it without changing ONE THING. Even the characters were created based on Tolkien's method of character creation. (The problem with that was people thought it was Tolkien even though it's in first person). I did it to learn how to universe-build (as I have a world of my own to create) from the master. This show is scaring the heck out of me as an English major, trust me.

[@sturkster]

Great comment! Would love to read your M-E story.

[@MrThatsomg]

its all about the bait and switch

[@aSSGoblin1488]

the Rings of Power make me hate black people more, and I loved black people

[@bethanymyers2717]

Thank you, Jaynae. I absolutely respect and am grateful for your putting this into words. My sister is an English major and a writer, and she wouldn't even watch the new RoP. I saw the first installment and was appalled. It just felt so.... off. The dialog fell flat and seemed contrived. The lack of anything that seemed good or memorable was staggering. I have been trying to put my finger on the main issues, and trying to explain what was wrong with it, and you hit the nail on the head.

[@snakesonaframe2668]

I’d like to learn more about the actual lore and such, could you recommend where to start?

[@bigenginejoe4213]

It began with the forging of the great films. Threads were given by Tolkien, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Rights were granted to Jackson, great miner and craftsman of the mountain of lore. And nine, nine hours were gifted to the race of men, who above all else, desire quality. But they were all of them deceived, for another show was made. In the Land of Amazon, in the fires of Mount Prime, the Dark Lord Bezos forged in secret a massive flop. And into this show he poured his money, his greed and his will to dominate all film. One film to ruin them all, one film to bind them, in the Land of Amazon where the shadows lie.

[@noyoudontgettoknow8586]

should change "greed" to "wokeness" since he didn't make this crap to make money, but to spread "the message" i've been sharing this quote too :)

[@necasperaterent29386]

That is incredible and I'm totally going to steal it. 😅

[@JM-mh1pp]

@@noyoudontgettoknow8586 No dude, he just wants o make money. Woke people are usually richer so in the eyes of marketing they have superior buying power.

[@williamladd9078]

This is brilliant! well done, you!

[@noyoudontgettoknow8586]

@@JM-mh1pp if he wanted to make money he wouldn't have said the show is not about money, but over and above that, its not like the term "get woke go broke" was just coined today. just about everything in film, that has gone woke has failed. and the most glaring example of why this is not about money is, because in the last 20 years the only movies to be #1 in the box office, and to sweep almost all the awards, were the peter jacksons lord of the rings movies. so its not as if the formula for making money off this IP was some unknown secret.

[@MajaZaguan]

I'm a woman, and I loved masculinity in LotR. Men were brave but also scared, they cried and laughed, they fought and loved. Sam holding Frodo's hand, Aragorn kissing Boromir, Faramir loving his big brother despite dad's favouritism, so many emotionally beautiful moments...

[@t2av159]

Most women like masculinity, anyone telling otherwise is lieing.

[@PreambleJams]

Well now thanks to feminism, you get none of that. In fact, they have no problem telling you exactly what you want as a woman - and acting on your behalf

[@TheSuperappelflap]

well, obviously, a story in current year cant have emotionally mature male characters that have some range. that would make their girl boss look bad. thats not very woke. all the male characters have to be incompetent and one dimensional, and the one that is actually competent, mature, and not played by an effeminate looking actor, has to be the bad guy. deliberately erasing the classic masculinity from the story is another part of hollywoods attack on everything traditional, towards the global new world order they imagine where everything is exactly the same and everyone has to consume their product. the only thing they dont realize is, nobody wants their product anymore.

[@kiiiirbzzz]

Im a woman and i love masculinity. Masculinity isnt a bad thing.

[@codinghusky5196]

​@Hello Again Hello here's the snag - a big butch long cocked dirty and smelly brick layer does NOT exclude him being "a sensitive male". Neither is a weak, thin, gentle looking geek necessarily ACTUALLY a softie. I don't see this as a problem of vagininity vs penistude, as much as the problem today's writers seem to believe that only physical power === REAL power. I mean look at Tarkin. He's a skinny old *itch who can't even use the force. But has SO MUCH POWER. The thing that bothers me is, they deny power without physical strength. Galadriel had the ULTIMATE pussy power - men would lose their heads over her and do what ever she wants. Her whole ARC is not succumbing to the Ring giving her the power to make "everyone love her and despair". And it wouldn't be SO bad, if "power and strength IN SPITE of lack of physical prowess" wasn't the CENTRAL THEME OF TOLKIEN'S WORK. You know what's LESS masculine than an 8 year old girl in a unicorn suit? Frodo Baggins.

[@sasquatchandme3673]

This 'universalizing' of IP from unique and diverse cultures reminds me of the Ministry of Truth from Orwells 1984, changing historical records to extend Big Brothers reach further back in time. What if that movement started with classic literature and culture based IP and eventually cross-pollenated to historical record.

[@KalonOrdona2]

Yup, literally exactly what's happening, and by the same people

[@KarusMBII]

Precisely, well fucking said. I too believe it's exactly what is happening right now. It just makes no sense. These studios have such ridiculous amounts of time and money these days, it doesn't add up why the material is so SHITE. It really is getting to the point where it feels intentional. Fucking disgusting.

[@suzygirl1843]

@@KalonOrdona2 America is doing what t has always done. Aren't the changing slavery to involuntary relocation to appease white moms? You've always changed history to suit you, not for accuracy.

[@terrenceroll3848]

That is an actual BBC mandate by now. see the black "celts" they showed in some dumb animated abomination.

[@ImezRuez]

well the dingleberries that pass for film makers these days thought 1984 was an INSTRUCTION manual instead of the warning it was intended to be.

[@thatdarnkitteh]

Remember folks: no hate watching. Disparu is sacrificing himself for us so that we don't need

[@HansKlopek]

No hate watching is critical. Ignoring these parasites is their greatest fear.

[@dankaravelov5251]

Simplistic solution. Raise the black flag and hate watch it for free .

[@thelaughingrouge]

I didn't watch one second of the wheel of time series and I won't watch one second of this trash.

[@aaronburdon221]

*plays taps for Disparu*

[@frankiesomeone]

*no paid watching

[@safilta1]

The friendship between Legolas and Gimli is an amazing example of how Tolkien appreciated the importance of people from completely different cultures and people, being able to not only coexist, but overcome biases, and develop a strong bond and appreciation for one another. Our society is to simple to understand concepts unless they are broken down to the simplest form.

[@KSmithwick1989]

That really more from the Peter Jackson films. Which tired to simplify the books for a general audience. After seeing the series, I can tell you the lore is still pretty dense.

[@Valarien777]

For those who seem to not be able to grasp that not honoring and respecting an author's original work and that changing an IP just because it's "fiction" or "fantasy" destroys the original work and what made it great to begin with, as a musician I can suggest a musical analogy for this issue: Imagine you go to a Beethoven or Mozart or Bach concert, or any other great work by a celebrated composer, to listen their great masterpieces of music, that is so beloved and celebrated that they've continued to be performed for centuries; but when you hear the performance, the majority of the music has been changed, only having a small portion of the original composition, even to the point that the music is unrecognizable as the original composers work - and yet the current production and performers still name the musical piece the same and by the same composer, even though it bears little to no resemblance to the original, all in the name of making it "resemble modern music". Wouldn't you feel a bit cheated having expected to see an original masterpiece by Beethoven, Mozart or Bach? Every single note matters, otherwise it wouldn't be the same composition. The same goes for words and literature, or another artistic creation for that matter - change it enough from the original form and intention of the original creator/author, than it's no longer the same work, with the same inherent value, and therefore shouldn't be held out as such. Bottomline and what I have to say to all these producers and show runners that seem to want to change and destroy nearly every IP they get their hands on and inject their own ideas and ideology into - make your own damn original creation, reflect whatever modern notions in it you want, and leave beloved classic IP's alone! Unless you intend to be true to it and genuinely want to respectfully celebrate and adapt the work to another medium while continuing to be faithful to it. And hey if you want to do a different interpretation of someone else' masterpieces or work, then make it clear that's what you doing and don't gaslight everyone and try and pretend you're honoring the source material, when you're clearly aren't and have your own agenda.

[@KalonOrdona2]

Very well expressed!

[@lifeinjersey9846]

I couldn't think of a better analogy that explains why fans are so upset about this. Completely agree!!

[@thecloudtherapist]

Here's an even worse scene, based on your analogy: All that the concert organisers talk about is how diverse the musicians are and how now people of different ethnicities can enjoy that classic piece of music more cos it has some ethnic chanting in it and it's played by multi-ethnic musicians that they can relate more to cos it reflects them...what a mare!! 🤦‍♂️

[@lukeluckynblue1873]

This is 100% fact

[@lukeluckynblue1873]

@@thecloudtherapist :D i never will understand this like imagine you listen to guns and roses and then someone will tell you that they are white and he cant enjoy them because he cant relate to them..skip to some bar..and then the same song for example sweet child of mine is played by a amateur but the amateur is i dont know a asian dude on guitar and black person on drums etc..and the same person will tell you he likes the song :D this is how i feel when someone starts to speak about diversity trying to push something this hard is gonna backfire and its happening with rings of power right now and marvel is haing the same problem

[@The_Reality_Filter]

"Bezos spent his energy in envy and hate, until at last he could make nothing save in mockery of the thought of others; and all their works he destroyed if he could." - J.R.R. Tolkien.

[@kaizokujimbei143]

Bezos Bauglir wanted his Game of Thralls.

[@The_Reality_Filter]

@@kaizokujimbei143 Game of Thralls...very good, very good indeed.

[@modolief]

Top Comment

[@23Kristoffer86]

Growing up I remember most kids at school made fun of LOTR for being just for nerds, now its considered toxic masculinity🤣 Oh the world we live in😂

[@papalaz4444244]

I have been pondering why the show looks so bad. Peter Jackson and Weta designed everything to look real. The clothes look absolutely real, made of quality fabrics, and they are discoloured or scuffed appropriately. Every item looks like a genuine item you would buy. Arrmour is properly articulated and looks heavy. They did a lot of research into historical items. Rings of Power is NOT this. Everything looks like a lightweight fantasy costume. The materials look fake and it all looks like cosplay. The hair all looks unnatural. Etc.

[@wd2989]

Please Mr Frodo….don’t let them turn me into anything…..unnatural! Sorry. Too late.

[@papalaz4444244]

@@wd2989 Go home, Sam....

[@driakos]

Aside from just a few costumes, everything in RoP looks like a modified bathrobe

[@scatterthewinds3126]

I've wondered this too. Not exactly sure why it looks the way it does.

[@papalaz4444244]

@@scatterthewinds3126 So you didn't read what I posted at all?

[@greytroll1632]

Loved the scene when Galadriel played “Master of puppets” to distract the Balrogs and save the Fellowship. 10/10.

[@MegaAndyGG]

Indeed! That was amazing playing and the solo ripped my face off!

[@maxp8439]

best metal scene in cinema ever

[@charlesstrickland7344]

Shoot, I’d watch that before rings of power

[@ahabduennschitz7670]

Yeah but Gandalf singing Highway to Hell didnt do it for me

[@zerowykd]

Well, you know, one does not simply rock into Mordor...

[@ChaniElkin]

Okay - this is officially my favorite video Disparu has put out so far. He excellently explains so many issues that have turned into traps for modern storytelling. So this is my 'Disparu Appreciation' post - feel free to like if you appreciate him too.

[@Meesterlijker]

Damn good video, I totally agree with you. Cheers Disparu!

[@imranhq13]

appreciation approved 👍

[@peteg475]

"These are fictional characters so do whatever". This never applies to a white guy being the next Black Panther or the next actor to portray Aladdin. This only goes in one direction, and only with sensitivity about the specific racial makeup of the modern United States. Which is so dumb and myopic I can't even tell you.

[@alejalalita]

Oh, poor white ppl, you always get the most difficult battles for sure

[@animatedink2529]

I clapped when Sauron put on some sunglasses smiled at the camera and said “It’s Sauron time.”

[@chasehedges6775]

One of the shows ever made

[@derrickstorm6976]

One of the evers most clapped

[@NeroLeMorte]

One of the franchises most ruined

[@ninjafoxgamesgeekery]

That's a fake out. The final cut he says "It's Morbin' time" and Morbius appears in Middle Earth. :^) (I'm going to Internet hell for using this meme of a joke)

[@kirstenholmes6]

If they hate the original story so much, then create something original and new, with it's own new name. Quit stealing the original ideas of someone else and completely changing it to fit your narrative. They use the name of the original works to get the fan's attention to watch what they are creating, but then get upset when the fans are pissed that they destroyed the authors creation.

[@MrEd1024]

The Art of Tolkien is more than pretty colors, Elves with pointy ears or even War. Death and the Mortality of Man kind, is the overall Theme to his works. For those of us that see the tragic beauty and heart wrenching love stories this poetic man left us.

[@RadicalW0lf]

The scene where Sauron says: "This ring is perfect", and Guyladriel answers: "It will be, when it fits a woman" is the best piece of cinema i have ever seen :D

[@bobtower66]

Forgot the part where she is drinking a latte from starbucks when she says it.

[@elizabethtaylor8428]

💀

[@Sunnyside5574]

The rings are female

[@t2av159]

@@Sunnyside5574 the rings have no gender, they haven't identified yet, bigot

[@jesterssketchbook]

i personally loved how they made all the Orcs a hot-pink colour and wear lingerie - a welcome change to the lore that really reflects the world we live in

[@ariel_of_narnia4482]

I remember when Viggo Mortensen turned down the offer of an Aragorn cameo in The Hobbit. That could have been an easy paycheque, but he did it because he knew the character (or at least an iteration played by him) had no place in the timeline.

[@martinkunz7155]

They could have fit the character in actually. Most of the Hobbit trilogy was made up anyway. The book is only 300 pages or so. The entire third movie is basically one page of the book. Aragon has more justification to be in the Hobbit trilogy than half of the made up characters that weren't in the book either. The bigger issue is that story takes place about 60 yesrs before lotr, so Aragorn would be a younger man in his 30's or so. So viggo mortensen would have to look quite a bit younger than in the lotr movies while in reality he was of course older.

[@choahjinhuay]

@@martinkunz7155 he would have been in his 20s. Remember when Eowyn was taking with him on the way to Helms Deep. He was in his 80s

[@tileux]

From memory, the dunedain and rangers are, during the story in the hobbit, busy fighting angmar in the north - alluded to in the hobbit movies because thranduil tells legolas at the end to go north to seek them out. The bit where gandulf goes north to check out the tombs doesnt make sense in the timeline, but aragorn was definitely there. Aragorn was also in and out if rivendell - no doubts about that at all. So, in theory, there are a few legit crossover possibilities. But obviously, not canon from the books.

[@melorafoy7109]

He was about 10 years old and living at Revendell. They called him Estel.

[@michaelj9681]

The scene where Galadriel says "Hello, boys. I'm back!" and sacrifices herself to destroy an alien armada. So inspiring!

[@iansoforth]

That LA Times article is like a school kid having to write an essay on a book they can't be arsed reading in full

[@osuunaftmath]

RoP is the perfect example of someone who takes the line "nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power." and thinks the race of men means males.

[@tickat6055]

""So if you’re expressing “respect the original material” outrage over a Black actor playing a Velaryon or an Afro-Iranian playing a Dwarven princess, you might want to remember what happened to those original-material characters who refused to acknowledge that the world had changed. Because it wasn’t good."" is this LA Times author threatening fans?

[@a.wyattmann4370]

That is exactly what it is- a veiled threat. These people are psychopaths and religious woke zealots.

[@tarektechmarine8209]

I'm ready to shoot.

[@bronzotatendang2850]

This is LA Times doing what they have paid for..😂

[@rogbard]

This is a clear threat. Conform or else.

[@lightpoint4426]

It is a confusing threat...do they mean they're just going to bulldoze the old material? As if they aren't already?

[@woutervanbinsbergen3368]

If they wanted general entertainment to be more "diverse and inclusive" why not simply adapt AFRICAN or ASIAN stories and myths (instead of defacing/changing European-based stories)? That'd get you the cast you want. But no, that has no known "franchise"-potential or existing fanbase. So it won't make money. Too bad the joke's on them as this won't make any either.

[@F1rstWorldNomaD]

Hasnt Tolkien explicitly said the books are NOT an allegory for they wars? Didnt he HATE allegory in general? Am I remembering things completely backwards? Im almost completely sure Ive heard he said its a completely separate thing.

[@wumpusrat]

Tolkien's quote on allegory: “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history - true or feigned- with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”

[@joure.v]

You are correct.

[@kleinerfischimgroenmeer2491]

You’re right. He states it in a prologue to The Lord of the Rings and even explains how events would have turned out if they were inspired by rl events

[@thelaughingrouge]

Correct. He absolutely dispised allegory.

[@surlyunicorn9461]

I think perhaps smaller elements of the story may reflect parts of the war instead of some grand overarching narrative. For instance this passage: It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would rather have stayed there in peace. That sounds like it would be something Tolkien may have pondered while he was in the trenches.