AI Twists Lord of the Rings Into a 1980s sci-fi movie And It Rules
The trailer includes four versions of Sauron. Four. It opens on two of these, featuring the Dark Lord in spikey, sci-fi black armor. We also see him later in his Jacksonian “glowing eyeball” form — at least, if it was the engine of the U.S.S. Enterprise on a darker timeline. (For the record, the eyeball facade isn’t even what Sauron actually looks like under that armor.) The intimidating orange, glowing sphere is shown twice, nestled into a larger, wider Barad-dûr situated on an imposing edifice and replete with flying saucer-esque lines of windows at its base.
We also see Wizards, presented as old men with “ancient wisdom” vibes. Saruman is fairly recognizable as the White Wizard, but Gandalf has distinct Obi-Wan overtones. He also channels some Spock vibes, particularly in one shot where his AI-mashed hand is held up in a symbolic gesture, echoing the Leonard Nimoy-created Vulcan Salute.
The rest of The Fellowship of the Ring is also present and accounted for. We see Frodo wielding a lightsaber Sting. “Back to the Future” Sam has a face that looks an awful lot like Michael J. Fox. Legolas and Gimli get some screen time, too. The elf has alien vibes and elaborate face armor, while Gimli (one of two characters that John Rhys-Davies played in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), in contrast, is one of the less inspired translations, as he feels too similar to Peter Jackson’s adaptations.
Boromir is also fairly uninspired, although he does display some interesting alien garb and unknown cultural markings. Arwen and Aragorn show up, too, transmitting a distinct Princess Leia and Han Solo (or at least some bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe) nuance.