Tolkien's characters almost universally earn their identity and self worth by aspiring to match the heroic deeds of their ancestors, or correcting the mistakes of their ansestors. It's basically the universal theme of his world. Indeed those characters like Denethor, who see their identity and position as a birthright, are the ones who fall into ruin. In addition to that, Tolkien clearly enjoyed creating powerful female heros - a theme that was indulgently explored and celebrated with the character Eowyn.
To my mind, this interpretation's diverse casting and portrayal of Galadriel as a warrior noble are entirely appropriate and in keeping with the source material. Anyone who is criticising these things is not familiar with Tolkien's work or doesn't really understand it. They're not relevant. His works had they been written today could easily have been called "woke" as quickly as any other in today's political environment.
While not blown away by the first couple of episodes, it's certainly a beautiful presentation, perhaps a little too familiar with the Peter Jackson vision, but I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. Its a slow burner that lacks the sense of threat and urgency of LOTR. However it certainly has potential, and I'll stick with it..
