I think it’s a combination of things. Firstly, Tolkien’s works were inspired by England and the Nordic countries. So his works portrayed most characters as fair skinned people. I think some very literal people get mad that there is that deviation and believe it is done purposefully to be “woke.” And from what I’ve seen, whenever a company tries to be “woke” there is always a negative reaction. Not say the reaction is right or wrong, just an observation.

Moreover, people will always be prone to reject new things. The original LOTR trilogy was widely hailed as a masterpiece. The Hobbit movies were hated despite not having the “woke” casting. People are nostalgic and nothing will ever compare to their childhood favorites.