'LotR: The Rings of Power' review-bombed for diverse casting choices
Amazon Prime Video's latest release The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has managed to draw attention for reasons both good and bad. The series premiered in India on September 2 and received positive feedback from audiences and critics. However, the show got heavily review-bombed by trolls who posted racist comments after its release. Here's what the fuss is all about.
Why does this story matter?
The series is based on JRR Tolkein's novel series The Lord of the Rings. However, the show is set many years before the events that take place in The Hobbit and explores the second age of Middle Earth. Developed by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, The Rings of Power is said to be the most expensive series to be ever made.
Why did the show get review-bombed?
Prime Video tried to introduce racially diverse characters but this didn't sit too well with fans of the original novels. Netizens argued that the author did not intend to populate Middle Earth with diverse creatures. To note, Tolkien described Harfoots to have "browner" skin in the books. Viewers also pointed out that the cast had more female actors compared to Peter Jackson's LotR films.
Whoopi Goldberg hit back at trolls for racist backlash
During the premiere episode of The View Season 26, actor Whoopi Goldberg slammed trolls by reminding them that dragons and hobbits aren't real. "Are you telling me Black people can't be fake people too?" she questioned, adding, "All of y'all who have problems because there are Black hobbits, get a job!" "Go find yourself because you are focused on the wrong stuff," she added.
Watch Goldberg's video here
Amazon suspended show ratings to weed out negative reviews
Shortly after the series debut, Amazon had reportedly turned off customer reviews for 72 hours after trolls started to review-bomb the show. The move reportedly helped Amazon weed out the negative, racist reviews to give its expensive show a fair fighting chance. Interestingly, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was review-bombed by trolls who had a problem with a female superhero-centric show, too.
