AI Created A Lord Of The Rings Redneck Movie To Rule Them Y'all

The explosion of artificial intelligence tools has brought a whirlwind of unique takes, parodies, and mash-ups of classic Middle-earth cinema. You can see AI combine J.R.R. Tolkien's world with a cyberpunk future, present "The Lord of the Rings" as a 1920s movie, spin Frodo's quest into a classic 1980s sci-fi setting, and much more. Now, thanks to the endlessly entertaining powers of AI, you can enjoy a Middle-earth-level adventure that cuts right through the backwoods. The nearly two-minute experience comes to us from TikTok user demonflyingfox, who used tools like Midjourney and Sora to create a "Lord of the Rings" redneck AI mashup that is about as hilariously uncomfortable as the depths of the uncanny valley can be.

The video racked up over 350,000 likes and 200,000 shares in less than a week — and when you watch, the reason for its immediate success is obvious. The clip is titled, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rednecks" and right off the bat, it sets the tone with a drone shot of a trailer park. The first character we meet is a scruffy, aloof-looking Frodo drinking something homemade out of a glass Ball jar. He's wearing a wifebeater and camo baseball cap and sitting on a wooden porch that has seen better days. Yes, this one is that stereotypically on the nose.

A key feature throughout the video is the music, especially the narrative lyrics. For instance, the shot of Mr. Baggins comes with the line, "Frodo's in the mud, drinking homemade shine." The music is full-on country too, with that extra banjo-driven lead that pushes it into that redneck sub-genre that is immediately reminiscent of the rural, blue-collar lifestyle.

Of particular note, the chorus starts, "With the swamp behind and the mountains ahead" which plays off of one of Bilbo's favorite walking songs from the books, one that includes the words, "Home is behind, the world ahead."

As with most AI mashup videos, many of the best Easter eggs and laughable takes come from a montage of canon characters adapted into a new setting. For instance, after scruffy Frodo, we get Bilbo as an old, bearded man (there are a lot of beards in this thing), sitting on a chair telling stories. Gandalf also rides up on a mule named Joe. Aragorn is a tracker "hunting coons at night" and is shown as a Viggo-Mortensen-esque figure in camo, squatting in a swamp with a shotgun in hand. Legolas is similarly armed, but topless, ripped, and sporting some gnarly tattoos and long, greasy blond hair. Gimli is a heavy-set man with — you guessed it — a long, flowing Duck Dynasty-esque beard. 

Arwen is shown in camo, sitting in a camo camp chair (so much freaking camo), with beer in hand as we hear the line "Arwen's painting toenails, yelling at the dogs." We also get a quick, unexplained shot of a man that can only be Elrond. How do we know? His most prominent features are a Hugo-Weaving-like jaw and forehead.

The backwood villains also represent. Saruman is described as a neighbor always causing grief from up in his radio tower. There is also a shot of an orc-like bruiser with deep-set lines on his face and lots of tattoos. We know he's from Saruman's gang because his biggest tat is a white hand right on his shoulder.

Others include Galadriel talking, Sam cooking over an open fire, and a close-up moody shot of Boromir. Gollum is also shown as an emaciated individual with the line, "Gollum's that weird cousin we don't bring to town. But he's family, so we keep him around." With this one, the combination of lyrics and visuals is particularly impressive, and the audible and visual synergy is doubtless what made it go viral so fast. Besides, who doesn't want to see a redneck iteration of high fantasy? It's good humor on a scale that Hobbits would call an "engrossing entertainment." Demonflyingfox, keep 'em coming.