Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings
 

This should be interesting since I think most of the people on this board either remember when Star Wars came out or were at least born right around that time. So some people may pick Star Wars for purely sentimental reasons. And Star Wars probably has a greater number of fanatics.

Personally I think Lord of the rings is a better triology (even though the third part hasn't been released yet). Honestly (and I know some people will rip me apart for saying this), even though I saw Star Wars when I was young when it first came out and thought it kicked ass at the time, now that I'm older I've come to see it as more of a marketing tool than a movie. The characters are wafer thin, the recycled plot was made even more generic by Lucas so it would have broader appeal, and the directing in all three is servicable at best. Lucas made, in essence, a generic revenge/adventure tale and dressed it up with a neato lightshow.

This makes it sound like I hate the movie, which I don't. But I do get the feeling more and more (especially now that the new ones have come out) that Lucas sold me a product way back when and convinced me that it was great entertainment, even art. Everything about the movie says "hey look how epic this is, look how emotional this is, look how cool this is" without ever providing the depth that makes movies epic, emotional, and, well, cool.

I guess I'm kinda pissed. I feel like I got ripped off way back when and I want my money back :D (what was it like three bucks back then?).

That's why LOTR gets my vote. It may not be high art, but it's certainly great entertainment.

As for the poll there's a choice for those who don't want to pass judgment until the LOTR Trilogy is complete and I had to put a couple of choices in for the die hard fans.

I have a hard time picking favorites...

:(

I stated in another thread that I thought I was leaning towards LOTR, espeically if ROTK is great. Peter Jackson just makes the stakes seem so much higher, and the depth of history and character is astounding. Maybe I would still say Star Wars if the prequels didn't pull the series down so much.0

There's no comparison between the original Star Wars trilogy and the current Lord of the Rings movies. Star Wars wins hands down. However...

If you compare the actual book trilogy of the LOTR to the Star Wars trilogy, LOTR wins with out a doubt.

star wars OWNZ man OWNZ!

i'm really into the futuristic battles and the space shits and all that sci-fi stuff.

After eating Taco Bell for lunch, I think I'm coming down with a case of the space "shits" right now....:lol:

If I had to choose, I would have to go with the Lord of the Rings series. Simply because Peter Jackson did such a fantastic job bringing it all together.

That being said, I think a lot of the appeal with the Lord of the Rings is the special effects. I think that if you were to remake Star Wars using the same technology, (subtle CGI instead of in your face Jar Jar or walking Jabba) then it'd be much better series.

LOTR - i don´t know why.
i guess i choose this one since i grew up with the books... and i think that they´ve done a great job with the movie adaption.

Too...... close....... can't choose......... brain....... overloading...........
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOTR has better character development, better acting, better SFX, better design but in the end I must still say Star Wars is the ruler of the trilogies. It has a far more relatable story and very interesting backgrounds (I know, I know Tolkien got every Age sorted out to the day...). Plus Star Wars has the appeal to all audiences, it's fun, exciting and very cool.

I don't want to sounds like an idiot who only likes fun movies, I'll tell you now that my favourite film of all time is Seven Samurai.

Anyway, I haven't a clue what else to say 'cause I'm tired and my brain feels numb and heavy...

Star Wars ALL the way :)

I'll take the Silence of the Lambs trilogy over both SW and LOTR any day.

I can't decide! If the newer Star Wars movies weren't such trash, I might lean more towards Star Wars. They are both fantastic movies and classics without any doubt.

LOTR has my vote until Lucas lets us get the special editions of 4,5,6 on DVD!!! I mean come on...

I know 3 will be the one to bring it all together but this waiting 3 years between movies and stuff like that it just seems not worth it as I cant get into them as I did the original trilogy.

I don't really like either of them. I love Tolkien's book, but Peter Jackson while very skillful in some areas of direction, is a complete moron in others. Visually, LOTR is superb, but everything else about it sucks really. Oh except the music, that ranged from mediocre to excellent. As for star wars, I find it boring as hell, too much boring dialogue, I don't care about any of the characters in the slightest and that jar jar is satan himself.

This one's easy for me, I've never seen the Lord of the Rings.:D

I hated the books, why would the movies be any different. :p

Since i wasn't around for the star wars generation, i'm gonna have to go with LOTR. I can see why people prefer SW, because it was so good for their time, but now to me, its nothing special.

I think the first three Star Wars were awesome [not counting the later ones into the argument], but the Lord of the Rings trilogy is just a bit better. The story is better [although you can see the influence LOTR had on the Start Wars story] and that puts it over the edge.

So sad. Just 3 years ago, starwars would have beat out anything around. now, not with the greatness that is the LOTR trilogy (and their great extended versions), that popularity is destroyed. His scripting is crap. His casting is crap. His direction is awful. so very sad.

What later Star Wars movies? :confused:

Seriously I'm just waiting for Return of the King. Maybe I'm jaded (probably because of Star Crap Ep 1 and 2) but I want to make sure they get it right before I say which I like better.

I really find it hard getting into LOTR. I'm not entirely sure why! The guy who wrote it must have been on some crazy drugs with all the ideas/characters he comes up with.

Star Wars takes it by a country mile in my books.

I love both of these movies but my vote goes to LOTR. Don't get me wrong, I love the Star Wars movies....well, the original ones anyway. This is what i figure, what Star Wars was to my parents, LOTR is to me.

If it was just the original Star Wars I would go that way, but since then Lucas has run Star Wars into the ground with these shitty prequels so I'd say LOTR.

New to the board, let me say that its great to see LotR so far in the lead... I could just...:icare:

"Damn you and your cursed poll! It's just to close. I can't decide."

Perfectely expressed my thoughts walking into the poll.

lotr, star wars is good but tolkien has the edge.

I absolutely love LOTR, it is so visually stunning and just absolutely phenomenal.

BUT....

Star Wars was so incredibly groundbreaking. It broke all kinds of barriers, and it was so far ahead of its time its unbelievable.

So I just cannot pick one, I can't.

Way to close to call. However, unless Lucas pulls some magic out his arse for the next SW, LotR will probably take it for me in the longrun.

I used to be a huge Star Wars fan, but my torch dimmed for it just a bit after the last two. Not that Phantom Menace and Clones weren't really good movies, I thought they were. It's just that they weren't good enough to be held in THAT high of regard, and in my eyes they dragged the whole series down a slight notch.

Now, if Lucas can find the magic again that will tie everything together perfectly in the final film, then it will remain too close to call for me. :)

For me, sadatx hit the nail right on the head, except that I don't have the sense of betrayl, as I only saw Star Wars a few years ago.

Easy - LOTR is enhanced by special effects.
Star Wars is nothing without them.

both are WAYYY overblown.

Come on, the new starwars movies havent been that good. I enjoy them, but i dont care to see them again. LOTR brings the kid out in me, and makes me feel awesome. LOTR did much better job with making you feel the world was real. Lord of the rings is it.

LOTR was something original. People have copied it ever since.

Star Wars was stolen, apart from putting it in space, and the reason Akira Kurosawa broke off all ties with the West until his death.

Tolkien gets my vote.

Damn you and your cursed poll! It's just to close. I can't decide.

umm...your poll's might be a bit biased considering majority of the people on this board
tend to be in their 20's. I was 11 when the first one came out, and now I'm 35.
So these are the people (the older ones) who saw the phenomenon that was Star Wars when it came out.

The LOTR phenomenon is nothing compared to what happened when the original came out.
This trilogy learned all it's marketing tricks from that one.
The FX of the original SW were an incredible leap,
LOTR just takes advantage of what's out there today...but doesn't push it.

LOTR is a long-known & well-read book saga that has been incredibly scaled down to screenplay size.
SW is specifically written for the screen, don't let any book fool you,
but the level of detail done in SW just wasn't done in those days...I'm surprised he was able to get it through the system.
And of course LOTR's story is more filled out. (Have you ever read the books...geez, they are a challenge)
Completely different.

The people of recent memories are jaded by current levels of FX,
and the unfortunate less than adequate storytelling of the new SW movies.
Also the LOTR movies are a newer concept than the older Sci-Fi SW.
Fresh meat, you could say.

Don't get me wrong, the LOTR trilogy will change the way movies are made in Hollywood (make 3 at once)
And a REALLY good effort at the Fantasy genre has been needed a long time.
I really like what they have done, and I've enjoyed it.

But let's compare apples to apples.
Honestly, it would be better to compare The Matrix to Star Wars.
The original Star Wars paved the way for what we have today in Sci-Fi/Fantasy action movies.
LOTR is just another floor on the foundation that movie built.

I remember it, I was there...what happened was incredible.
It changed everything.

Star Wars for the earlier movies but legend is spoiled slightly with the latest 2.

lord of the rings is god.

I would have voted for star wars if TPM & AOTC had never been made, they have really ruined star wars for me now.

LOTR gets my vote, even if return of the king is a stinker (but i honestly can't see that happening in a million years!)

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to XenuHubbard for bringing up Kurosawa.

Anyone who thinks that Star Wars is so original needs to see THE HIDDEN FORTRESS immediately! Also check out John Ford's THE SEARCHES.

Lucas borrows so liberally from both of these movies it's criminal.

Star Wars was original because of Industrial Light and Magic AND the way it was MARKETED. End of story.

I agree that Star Wars is a blatant 'rip-off' (or westernisation for a euphemism) but from Empire Strikes Back onwards including the prequels that's all Lucas' vision, Kurosawa did not create characters that can be directly paralleled to all of those in Star Wars.

I'm not bashing Kurosawa, as you can see through my past posts I praise the dirt he walked on, Seven Samurai still stands to me as the best film ever made, end of story.

I agree with ya rogue.

I like the Sci-Fi and all (future Sci-Fi I mean), but LotR... and then I play D&D?... I gotta side with LotR on this one.

For anyone who knows Tolien and sees my user name, do you really have to ask? ;) (onodrim comes from Tolkien's Elvish language) Lord of the Rings beats Star Wars on many levels. Although I have to admit I was a pretty huge Star Wars fan back in the day. :p But LOTR's type fantasy has always been my favorite.

Ha! You may be able speak in elvish but can you spell in english*?


*check your spelling of Tolkien's name :D

LOTR is far more deeper but SW is fun and adventurous and far more enjoyable, that said LOTR is still more of a moving epic both in words and on screen.

I cant stand the new Star Wars films, they are completely terrible.

both were good origianlly... (LOTR- books, Star Wars- the original 3 movies made). both are now seriously screwed up... :-/

anyway... who cares... kinda depends which aspects you are talking about.... blah blah blah.

yes.... darned evil question...

Tough choice really. Star wars and Empire Strikes back are fabulous/ Return of Jedi = dumb Ewoks. TPM and AOTC are terribly acted and CGI up the ass.

LOTR is good too and I have enjoyed the first two so far and I'm sure the last won't disaapontment. However, nothing pumps me up like hearing John Williams' Imperial March and the badass that is Darth Vader.

Crap I still can't dedide.

Well, I have a hard time deciding on this one. I love them both, but I have to go with LOTR. I've actually lost some respect for star wars after the new shit started coming out.

I will have to go with LOTR on this one. I love star wars, but... No Contest

(although after the prequels, I love SW less)

LOTR, star wars should've stoped at 3.

I'll have to say Lord of the Rings. The first three star wars films are good, but they can't beat LOTR.

I think you guys are missing the point.

LOTR was written by TOLKIEN so HE created the depth, the darkness etc. But he did NOT direct the movies. Jackson had nothing to do with "creating darkness" nor "depth of the characters"

Lucas as director is shit, I'll grant you that (not THE shit, but like shit from a butt). Star Wars was INVENTED by him, though. He's the guy that started the idea of a trilogy. He's the guy that came up with the idea of making the second movie seem like there is NO hope, but make us still feel thankful they're still alive. Yeah, that was invented by Lucas.

Lucas was the first director to make an epic adventure movie on this scale. Granted, the prequels are not for the sake of the storyline (in my opinion they are, too a marketing tool. I still love them, though). However, with all the technology and whatnot that he has at his disposal, wouldn't you? Personally, I would have stuck with models of Slave I rather than this CGI crap lucas is so fond of.

In addition those that voted for "tolkien created... blah blah" you're missing the point that Lucas ALSO created an entirely different universe. The depth of Star Wars spans just as much as that of Lord of the Rings, only there is no explanation of how everything came to be.

Excluding the First three movies of Star Wars, I'd say that Lord of the Rings is only on par with STAR WARS, since it came first.

LotR all the way.

Good point, I probably should have written that choice differently. However, I still give Jackson and his filmmaking team alot of credit for translating the books to the screen, not an easy thing to do.

Again, I have to reccomend Kurosawa's HIDDEN FORTRESS. Lucas borrowed heavily from this movie (Along with John Ford's THE SEARCHERS). In my opinion, Lucas didn't invent Star Wars as much as assembled it from other movies that he liked when he was younger.

And as far as the beings he populates his universe with, they're neat, but most have little or no depth.


I'll agree with you on this point. Lucas was a revolutionary thinker when it came to marketing. But does that meant the Star Wars trilogy is better, just beacuse it was marketed well?

And as far as starting the trilogy idea, maybe he was the first in the movie business, but it has been done many times over in other art forms, like literature (uh hmmm......Lord of the Rings).

Both of those movies are so good i cant decide which one is the best they both have me wanting to watch them again and again.:D

honestly i like them both and dont think i should have to decide which one is better

What a nasty poll - but I had to go with LOTR, oh wait I just remembered how bloody sexy Carrie Fisher was I need to change my vote arragh!

LOTR dominates this one for me personally. In terms of both movies and overall universe I don't think LOTR can be beaten.

LOTR is dominating the poll it seems as well. Yay. :)

ok- seems like most agree that lucas is a shithead, not a director, and an idea thief- but despite this he was the one that did it first- peter jackson says he barely got LOTR made as it was- without lucas somehow managing to make the SW trilogy what it was I doubt Jackson would have had a chance- so, yes the prequals suck donkey cock, yes lucas had few original ideas, but somehow he made it come together, and I have to give him credit for winning that uphill fight- face it , before star wars there was nothing like it out there- star trek and other camp fests aside- lucas made it a moneymaking, viable project, and without that , where would we be- now if only ep 1 and 2 didnt suck so bad....

In my opinion, LOTR beats Star Wars

I have always been a fan of StarWars, but I've never liked Lucas as a director or writer. You can't beat a guy who developed his own language for the sake of his characters (lotr).

Star Wars - Ultimate Sci-Fi trilogy

LOTR - Ultimate epic movies, Fantasy epic > glorious Sci-Fi

Well since there was a too cloes to call option, I took the easy way out and choose that.