How much creative license should somebody be allowed when interpreting The Lord of the Rings?

If we are being honest, Peter Jackson’s iconic original trilogy may not have had the same impact without the tweaks and edits made to fully realize Tolkien’s works on the screen. Some purists still disagree with some of the modifications made to the story, though (the people still yearn for the inclusion of Tom Bombadil). There is no pleasing everybody, even when it comes to a masterpiece. All great works of art have many different interpretations.

Things get even sketchier when we start to think about creations such as The Rings of Power. Taking liberties while at the same time not daring to live up to the impossibly high standards of the original trilogy is a very risky business indeed. Still, it has to be admired that the risk was taken at all, even if not everybody agrees that it paid off.

Of course, we have to argue that of all the spinoffs that come from the land of Middle-earth, the memes that it inspires are some of the best ones. By their very definition, they don’t take themselves too seriously, and sometimes the joke itself is how they deviate from the story. Other times, they faithfully replay iconic plot points and dynamics with a twist. No matter what they are riffing on, they give LOTR fans plenty of material to proudly say that they are one of the funniest fans on the internet. They have made their mark on internet history.