Will Amazon give in to complaints from fans?

Victariongreyjoy

Victariongreyjoy

Rohan
The most I've seen is Disa having no beard and Elf with short hairs. Could they CGI those things before the show airs? I mean sometimes studios do take complaints seriously and change for the better. For example Sonic The Hedgehog movie.
 
...but there's no guarantee it would look convincing (see also: the CGI removal of Henry Cavill's mustache in Justice League). And I really don't think Disa's deficient neckbeard or Elrond's short hair even register next to the soul-scarring horror that was pre-redesign Sonic.
 
This is their show and they should have creative freedom. I can have freedom to complain or not watch.

I think it's bad precedent for fan outcry to affect creative decisions. Am I glad that Peter Jackson adjusted their plans for Arwen at Helm's Deep? Sure. But I think it's anti-creativity to care too much about appeasing audiences. Once you start it's hard to stop and you're usually only going to end up making more problems than you solve.
 
It might only be something minor (and we may never know), but of course they’ll have been watching fan (and non-fan) reactions to the trailer in order to remedy whatever it may be. I don’t think it’ll be as drastic as changing appearances, but CGI touch-ups and re-rendering will already be underway (the opening shot being prime example here).

It worked for Sonic!
 
I observe with interest in the change from how TORN occupants had such a heavy influence on how "Peter Jackson adjusted their plans for Arwen at Helm's Deep." I believe the word might be a "uproar" over such plans to make changes to Tolkien's narrative?

And now? Barely a thing by today's low standards. Galadriel in armor! You go girl! Beardless dwarves! Woot!
 
I find it very interesting that something that is perfectly consistent with what Tolkien wrote (if mostly in works that the showrunners claim not to have rights to) is something that people are complaining about as being somehow contrary to what Tolkien wrote.

I think it says a lot more about the people making those complaints then it does about either what Tolkien wrote, or the adaptation of his work.
 
Supposing they are receptive to feedback, I hope that any criticisms that they may decide to remedy are not among the few that a vocal subset of the fandom is choosing to fixate on. Although given the tenor of much of the feedback they appear to be getting on social media, I think that the genuinely actionable criticisms will get rather lost among the absurd calls for changes to Galadriel's character or the color of certain characters' skin.

I could see the production being receptive to positive or negative feedback regarding the pacing of episodes and the amount of time they devote to specific arcs. Perhaps also changes to costume if there is enough of an outcry. Sapkowski fans recently achieved the alteration of an entire faction's costume design to bring it in line with the vision of the faction represented in the video games that popularized the Witcher novels. So there is precedent in another streaming giant's flagship fantasy production.
 
It is, in fact, supported in Tolkien's writings. She is described as "Amazon...capable of athletic feats" in one of Tolkien's last letters and in some writings she fought against Feanor at the kinslaying. There are other ways her First/Second Age character could be interpreted (as Tolkien constantly changed her backstory), but Amazon's take is a legitimate one.

The idea that Galadriel has to always be the enigmatic, wise, and serene queen of the woods is a projection backwards of the late Third Age Galadriel. It's not rooted in the texts Tolkien wrote about her younger self, even granting they're jumbled and contradictory. (It's also an incomplete reading of even her Third Age character)

That said, is it possible the showrunners will push the "brash and headstrong" angle they describe in an interview too far in a way that makes her unlikable? Sure. But most of the complaints I see aren't about that.
 
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The theme of this era, and the mindset of "creatives" who would co-opt a beloved canon for their own agenda, is to "double-down" in response to criticism. I don't expect them to be "receptive" to any feedback about staying faithful to the source material.

Arwen would be welcome at Helm's Deep here these days.
 
and they will insist up and down on behalf of the original authors that it is exactly what they would have wanted for an adaptation of their work, and justify it by putting "experts"in front of the masses who will just say what they tell them to. Unfortunately, Amazon has an advantage as Tolkien is not here to defend his work. Tom Shippey's early involvement was the only thing that gave me any shred of hope for this thing...then once it was revealed he was out, I knew what to expect.

The truth in Christopher Tolkien's statement regarding the Jackson films looks to be ever more relevant today:
"Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed into the absurdity of our time."

There will be no reaction from Amazon other than to continue to play the victim and blame the fans.
 
I find Christopher's take a very narrow-minded and snobbish point of view. It's not too surprising, really. His father was horrified at the idea of his books being printed in paperback.
 
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