Saturday 17 September 2022

A mean-spirited Galadriel

 

Rings of Power

Galadriel from the Rings of Power
(a mean-spirited portrayal of a much loved
Tolkien character who in the Rings of Power always
saves the day when stupid white males fail).

Hating their own fan-base and the end of the franchise

Some media commentators and reviewers are claiming many of the famous franchises have been ruined in recent years to suit the spirit of the age, rather than the spirit of the actual film series itself. For example, Star Wars, Terminator, Star Trek etc. have all been accused of bending to the current trend rather than following the historical features and storylines of the films that set the standards. And have experienced a backlash from the original series fan base, many claiming that the film makers intended to do this for these films were not diverse enough. None have caused as much controversy as Amazon’s Rings of Power, and it's easy to see why: they have replaced the strong male lead with a (what they call) "kick ass female lead".

                Therefore, we have a Galadriel who is now a warrior bar none, she is the one who always saves the day when the weak males in the programme fail (which they always do).  We have always had strong female leads but their roles have been different, for example Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice or Natasha Rostoff in War and Peace but now they've got to be warriors who always seem to beat stupid white men up.

               Also, in the name of diversity Amazon have black Hobbits (or Harfoots), un-elf looking elves, and a plot and dialogue which is so boring that despite the glorious scenery and cinematography I turned off after 30 minutes and cannot see me wanting to watch it any further. Not that I'm worried about black actors, some of my favourite actors are black, for example Idris Elba who many are tipping to be the first black James Bond. So why is a black 007 fine and black hobbits not? Well, it comes down to the actual culture they represent (not that I like the James Bond films themselves).  A black James Bond set in the 21st century would sit fine with the culture of modern Britain however, black hobbits do not because the culture of middle Earth was a representation of medieval Europe. Tolkien's aim with the Lord of the Rings was to create a mythology for England, for he felt that the English did not have one, the Arthurian legends being Romano-British, Celtic) Therefore, putting black hobbits in the Rings of Power is like sticking it to the fan base as if they need to be taught a lesson when they do not.

                So, what is the common factor between all these major film franchises, and what's happened to them? Their main fan base are white males, not exclusively but at least two thirds to three quarters of them are. And yet this is the demographic that Disney's Star Wars, Paramount's Star Trek and Amazon's Lord of the Rings - The Rings of Power is upsetting. Why? Why are they shoving Wokeness down the throats of their fan base? Is it because it’s the professional film critics and other media in general that they are trying to please and not the fan base, who they wish to totally demoralise? Do they think they are too powerful and rich to be affected by the long-standing fan base? Perhaps modern film makers should be careful that they may be killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

By Prayer Crusader St Philomena