Star Wars vs Lord of the Rings

[BSM1]

Actually it's hard to compare the two. Star Wars is totally Sci-Fi, whereas LOTR is based on a true story...just sayin'.

 

[HonestJoe]

Ya know, that movie really changed my attitude towards cyclopes...

Just say'n

It can be difficult to see them in the right perspective.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Ahh but where would Game of Thrones be without Lord of the Rings for a layout? As much as I do like GOT, I mean come on. The first time I encountered it I was like
"Oh a More politically charged LotR. Interesting."

But if we are going to do 'nothing new under the sun' then LotR is basically a lititurized version of Wagner's Ring cycle. And that is just a 3 part epic, operatic version of mythological tale.

But on it's own two feet I vastly prefer GoT because LotR is a beautiful world with nothing in it, characters with personality archetypes that couldn't fill a thimble with depth. GoT is a character piece, and who lives in it is every bit as important as the world construction itself. For all of the work out into the language and landscape of Rivendale, it never felt like any real people lived there.

GoT also isn't a simple good vs evil story, of which I never appreciate that much because that is more egrigiously fantastic than all the dragons and spells.
Ditto why I'm not a huge Star Wars fan. I would have said Dune instead.

 

[Father Heathen]

LoTR, only because it hasn't been milked and butchered to death like Star Wars has.

As for GoT, it was a series that I've had on my list of things to catch up on but never got around to it. Now that I know that it concluded as a total dumpster fire I can pass on it.

I was into TWD, but in the later seasons I grew bored with it. Apparently it's good again but can't seem to get back into it. FTWD I never got past 2nd season.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

LoTR, only because it hasn't been milked and butchered to death like Star Wars has.

The "The Hobbit" trilogy wants a word with you. One book made into 10 hours of footage spanning three movies.

 

[sun rise]

Precious tells me it's LoTR.

 

[Quintessence]

Depends on my mood.

In general, I prefer the fantasy genre, though.

 

[Father Heathen]

The "The Hobbit" trilogy wants a word with you. One book made into 10 hours of footage spanning three movies.

True, but compare that to the terrible prequel and sequel trilogies of SW, and I've lost track of all of the side movies.

At least the Tolkien estate won't let them turn The Silmarillion into a movie.

 

[Father Heathen]

Anyone watching the Dark Crystals prequel series on Netflix?

 

[Woberts]

You're forgetting the real heavy hitter here... the Malazan series by Steven Erikson.

 

[David1967]

Okay nerds.
Have at it
Make your case

I like them both, but IMHO, Lord of the Rings is hands down the best.

 

[Jainarayan]

I like Star Wars IV, V, and VI; I, II and III are tolerable. But VII and VIII suck! I'm not a fan of them.

But I like LotR by far. I been a fan of it since high school. The Hobbit wasn't bad, but there were too many liberties taken and deviations from the book. The movies are about the best they can be for movies based on a book. What can't be put into a movie is the characters' thoughts, narratives of their feelings, detailed descriptions of the land and environment. I think that's what makes a based-on movie fall short of the source material. And then there's over dramatization. While I think the balrog was awesome, it was way overdone vis-a-vis the book. It was described deliberately vaguely. But for the movie, it had to be a major bad-*** visually. The description of Gandalf's and the balrog's battle of wills through the stone door, such that the door shattered under the strain of the spells couldn't be translated to the screen.

 

[David1967]

Anyone watching the Dark Crystals prequel series on Netflix?

Yes, and I think they did a great job.

 

[Jainarayan]

At least the Tolkien estate won't let them turn The Silmarillion into a movie.

Like a lot of other people, I'd love to see it, and like them I'm not sure how it could be done... maybe a series of vignettes? Or selected chapters and stories to weave into one narrative, leaving out a lot of extra information.

 

[columbus]

Lord of the Rings is great literature. Tolkien was a genius. He could deftly combine a compelling story with multiple layers of meaning.

Star Wars is the movie version of a comic book. Entertaining, especially when you're young and impressionable, but unimportant.
Tom

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I like Star Wars IV, V, and VI; I, II and III are tolerable. But VII and VIII suck! I'm not a fan of them.

But I like LotR by far. I been a fan of it since high school. The Hobbit wasn't bad, but there were too many liberties taken and deviations from the book. The movies are about the best they can be for movies based on a book. What can't be put into a movie is the characters' thoughts, narratives of their feelings, detailed descriptions of the land and environment. I think that's what makes a based-on movie fall short of the source material. And then there's over dramatization. While I think the balrog was awesome, it was way overdone vis-a-vis the book. It was described deliberately vaguely. But for the movie, it had to be a major bad-*** visually. The description of Gandalf's and the balrog's battle of wills through the stone door, such that the door shattered under the strain of the spells couldn't be translated to the screen.

Yeah. Unless I had a condensed version of the Lord of the Rings books.... a lot of scenes were more implied in the books.

 

[columbus]

Ahh but where would Game of Thrones be without Lord of the Rings for a layout? As much as I do like GOT, I mean come on. The first time I encountered it I was like
"Oh a More politically charged LotR. Interesting."

Also, a lot more nudity and sex.
The first episode, featuring a hot guy banging his sister on cam kinda caught my attention.
I had checked out a DVD of the first season from the library. (I knew better than to pay for it.) But that first season was all I ever watched. Because the library wouldn't get any more and I saw no reason to pay for it.
What'sHerName walked into the funeral pyre and came out with a batch of baby dragons. And really nice boobs.

Oh well.
Tom

 

[SomeRandom]

You make a strong case for silver there. I take nothing away from scale or sense of epic; but then, Tom Riddle was after the world too.

But JKR has that stunning gift of knitting elaborate and gorgeous plots seamlessly, and offhand I can't think of a single joke told by Gandalf, Frodo, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli .. why, not even Sauron or Shelob or the Balrog was up for a quip. And at least Harry got a pash under the mistletoe.

And if a clincher's still needed, well, I'm not aware of a fanfiction for Tolkien anything like the quality of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. (No, I'm not quite sure why that's relevant either, but it all goes on the scale.)

Ahh but Tolkien created a world unlike any other. And it spanned thousands of years. Harry Potter takes place basically in a whimsical England.
Of course there’s more humour in HP, it’s written in a whimsical style reminiscent of Roald Dahl. And as much as I love Rowling, her constant need to rewrite the characters on Twitter is a bit disappointing.
Both achieved their respective goals, but Tolkien seems to have a bit of a firmer grasp of his world than Rowling does. (Though I’m still a huge Potterhead.)

 

[SomeRandom]

Also, a lot more nudity and sex.
The first episode, featuring a hot guy banging his sister on cam kinda caught my attention.
I had checked out a DVD of the first season from the library. (I knew better than to pay for it.) But that first season was all I ever watched. Because the library wouldn't get any more and I saw no reason to pay for it.
What'sHerName walked into the funeral pyre and came out with a batch of baby dragons. And really nice boobs.

Oh well.
Tom

I watched it on TV (or online just using my TV, can’t remember.)
It’s pretty good. Though after hearing the people’s complaints I have avoided the last season like the plague

 

[Jainarayan]

I have avoided the last season like the plague

The ending was, in my opinion, a "You gotta be kidding me!" deus ex machina.