If there’s one thing that’s not divisive about Rings of Power, it’s to say that the new Lord of the Rings series is divisive. Some fans loved the chance to be back in Tolkien’s lavish world, centuries before the best fantasy movies in the franchise took place, while others thought it was a pale imitation of Peter Jackson’s best movies.
In the time since Amazon Prime‘s best fantasy series aired, various members of the Rings of Power cast have responded to the divisive reputation of the show and the tone of the criticism. Much of it is valid, but a vocal minority has engaged in very unpleasant online abuse.
Morfydd Clark led the ensemble as a younger incarnation of the elf Galadriel, one of the best Lord of the Rings characters. She recently told Den of Geek that she has really enjoyed reading fan criticism of the series.
“I think you create art for it to be critiqued. It doesn’t really exist as a piece of art if it’s not there to be looked at and discussed,” she said. It’s a healthy response to being a part of something so huge and heavily scrutinized, for sure.
Clark explained that she believes fantasy storytelling “taps into different parts of different people” and said her sister regularly sends her the most intriguing opinions about Rings of Power that she finds online. Of course, the actor has strong words for those who turn to abuse instead of valid criticism.
Clark added: “I do think there is a big difference between critique and abusing people. I’m really proud that the show is cast the way it is and that there’s diversity in our cast. And it’s been wonderful now to have people critiquing it as a piece of art.”
We are, of course, completely on board with Clark here. It’s fine to have problems with Rings of Power – we certainly had a few issues of our own – but there’s never any excuse to direct unpleasantness and abuse at the people behind the show, on either side of the camera.
We hope to have plenty more discussion around the show when the Rings of Power season 2 release date finally arrives. In the meantime, find out why one Lord of the Rings star refuses to watch Rings of Power and learn about the possibility of Galadriel turning evil, as well as checking out everything new on Amazon Prime.
Alternatively, turn to the new movies in the franchise’s future as we look ahead to the War of the Rohirrim release date and explain why the new Lord of the Rings movies should use these three Tolkien stories. If nostalgia is you’re bag, go back and watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order.