The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, albeit an ambitious, expensive, and expansively imaginative endeavor, has been subjected to the relentless hate and criticism of many. While unfortunate, such statements stand true to the biggest testament of life – humans can never be satiated, at least not completely. Dissatisfaction has become the essence of art.
Although people are entitled to their opinions, there’s a line to seldom cross. Yet, as it seems, such lines are almost always overstepped, especially in the online sphere of matters, where every individual has something or the other to say.
The Negative Reception Of The Prime Video Series
Upon the release of the first two episodes of the much-anticipated narrative precursor to The Lord of the Rings, fans and the general audience had various negative remarks to make. Many grew wary, immediately accusing the series of playing into “woke politics.” The self-proclaimed passionate connoisseurs of author J.R.R. Tolkien‘s works have commented on how the show strays away from the source material.
In the books, the Elves were depicted as tall, pale, and white creatures. The Rings of Power has instead done what many trolls and certain critics consider blasphemy: casting a diverse group of non-white actors for the portrayal of new characters, giving into a sense of inclusive representation.
The criticism and incessant, racist commentary got to a point where Amazon was compelled to block reviews for some time, owing to an intense culture of review bombing. It was not a pretty scene to witness. Now, the cast of the Prime Video series has stepped up to such remarks. In the statement issued on Twitter, there were mentions of threats and harassment targeted toward the cast members of color.
The Cast Members Of The Rings of Power Speak Up
Such ongoing racist vitriol has necessitated a response from the official Twitter account dedicated to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. On Wednesday, the statement which was issued mentioned the severity of the situation, rising well beyond just a few comments on the Internet. While criticism and constructive feedback are essential to all pieces of media, bigotry and unjustifiable hatred lead to no good.
The message published by the official account had the following to say against the prejudiced remarks, which unfortunately escalated into threats and harassment directed at the POC actors of the show:
“We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis. We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”
Furthermore, the statement mentioned how the gloriously imaginative premise envisioned by the father of modern/high fantasy, J.R.R Tolkien, constituted a “multi-cultural” universe. Following is what was said:
“JRR Tolkien created a world which, by definition, is multi-cultural. A world in which free peoples from different races and cultures join together, in fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil. Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white. BIPOC belong in Middle-earth and they are here to stay.”
To conclude the message, the account praised and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the fans of the franchise, who continually show their support. They “especially” thanked the fans of color, who have also been subjected to the toxicity of never-ending trolling that ensued following the release of the first two episodes.
While the statement in itself has received mixed reactions, most were in general agreement with immediately halting and raising voices against the harassment faced by the actors. As for the question of “woke politics” in the recent age of mainstream media, people should note the fictional existence of such pieces.
In a medium that is primarily reliant on fantasy, fabricated elements, and fictitious, make-believe characters and worldbuilding, it should not be a crime to portray or include diverse characters. After all, it’s imaginative. And imagination is seldom restrictive.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, with the next episode scheduled for a 9th September 2022 release.
Source: Twitter
