Star Wars Ep. 4,5,6, Vs The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

[corianderstem]

if you think hobbits are irritating then just remember the ewoks.

Yes, but the ewoks were a smaller part of the overall story than the hobbits. I can take annoying in small doses.

But yes, ROTJ was the worst of the 3 original Star Wars flicks. Which doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

But yes, ROTJ was the worst of the 3 original Star Wars flicks. Which doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch.

And yet it is still better than Episode I + II...

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Gawd, this is as bad as that Harrison Ford poll...

I can't believe LOTR is beating Star Wars...

 

[God Part III]

i'd say star wars episode 4 is better than any lotr movie, but since we are comparing the trilogies, i would have to go with lotr.

episode 5 and 6 weren't half as good as episode 4.

The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the greatest achievements in cinema. It's one of the 10 best american-made films ever. And
don't even get me started on just how bad the LOTR sequels actually are. The Return of the King is a farce. Incredibly mediocre.

Star Wars, all the way, and to everyone that voted LOTR, go watch more films.

 

[Chizip]

both suck ass

 

[Dalton]

I can take annoying in small doses.

By that logic, shouldn't you like the Hobbits?

They're only three apples tall (or is that Smurfs?).

 

[music.u2]

I mean I liked LOTR a lot but really I could not watch them again or at least for a long time. When I was younger my brothers always made me watch Star Wars and well I never got bored of them no matter how many times I watched the films, so it wins hands down!

 

[U2Man]

The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the greatest achievements in cinema. It's one of the 10 best american-made films ever. And
don't even get me started on just how bad the LOTR sequels actually are. The Return of the King is a farce. Incredibly mediocre.

Star Wars, all the way, and to everyone that voted LOTR, go watch more films.

well, this poll is star wars vs. lotr. not sure why you need to have seen gone with the wind in order to compare these two.

 

[cell]

LOTR Trilogy

 

[phanan]

Star Wars was around long before A Final Hope hit the screens.

I'm a bit confused what you mean here. Lucas started to write Star Wars in the early 70's and completed it a few years later. Not exactly a long time.

 

[UberBeaver]

A Final Hope? You mean A New Hope?




What irks me about LORT is a.) Too much downtown, lots of walking and Hobbit banter. b.) Gimli - by the third movie he was just comic relief, and not real funny at that. Watch the scene when they walk through the skull cave place, it's uncomfortably unfunny, for me anyways.

 

[U2Kitten]

I am going with SW because it was originally movies and made that way, so that is the view we get of it while LOTR was books first. In some ways it's harder to deal with it knowing the books first and having my own ideas about characters and scenes preconceived in my head that may not jive with the moviemaker's view. I like the movies though, but not as much as the books.

 

[Canadiens1131]

ITS A TRAP

 

[Snowlock]

If we were voting for LOTR the books vs Star Wars the movies, LOTR blows star wars way. But movie to movie, Star Wars wins.

Han/Leia love story > Aragorn/Arwen love story
The Emperor/Tarkin/Darth Vader > Sauron/Saruman/Witch King
Jedi Knights > Dunedain (though close)
Lightsaber = Narsil
Stormtroopers = orcs
Ewoks < Hobbits
Ben Kenobi < Galdalf
Chewbacca > Gimli & Legolas combined
Ep IV battles > FOTR battles
EP V battles = TTT battles
Ep VI battles < ROTK battles
Han Solo > Aragorn
Artoo & Threepio < Merry & Pippin
AT AT > Mumakill
Death Star > Mordor


Star Wars 8
LOTR 4
Tied 3

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

LOTR were just too long and boring.

No contest, Star Wars wins.

 

[Justin24]

Star Wars is Dull, and you can see the words release me every year for the ultimate super duper special editon cause Lucas can't get enough money written all over it.

 

[phanan]

Dull? They are three of the most action-packed movies ever, whereas LOTR (which I still love) definitely has its long drawn-out moments that can be dull here and there.

I will agree with you that Lucas squeezes money out of the franchise anyway he can.

 

[Blue Room]

I like both alot. Star Wars hands down though. My favorites actually go:

SW 4,5,6
The Indiana Jones Trilogy (although it wont be a trilogy after next year)
Then LOTR.

 

[Screwtape2]

I'm a bit confused what you mean here. Lucas started to write Star Wars in the early 70's and completed it a few years later. Not exactly a long time.

I meant that the feel, look and theme of Star Wars was around in the form of everything from Flash Gordon to Lost In Space. I should have made that clearer.

 

[LMP]

I don't get what you're saying. You're saying you get a sense of wonder and disillusionment with LOTR? Are both of those things supposed to be bad senses?

I have to go with the original Star Wars trilogy. I do really like LOTR, but honest to god, I can barely tolerate those irritating hobbits. But I like all the rest.

I meant to say Star Wars is the one that kicks ass, my grammer not so good.

 

[LMP]

Yes, but the ewoks were a smaller part of the overall story than the hobbits. I can take annoying in small doses.

But yes, ROTJ was the worst of the 3 original Star Wars flicks. Which doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch.

I blame that on Gary Kurtz leaving the franchise, he and Lucas disagreed on what to do after 'Empire'.

It's really interesting to read what Kurtz had in mind for Return of the Jedi. Lucas had all of the outlines for the stories written, but they were all written later (about a year/year and half before the movie was released).

 

[namkcuR]

Six years ago, while reading the LOTR books, I thought to myself that this was the greatest story ever told.

The LOTR movies were EXTREMELY well-done, no doubt, but there are some parts that get to me. Like the 'Eye'. In the movies, the Eye is a physical entity, you see the big orange eye on the horizon. It wasn't a physical entity in the book. It was more of a force in the book. I thought that took away from the films.

In general, I think it is fair to say that the cinematic spectacularness of the LOTR films sometimes overshadows the weaknesses of them. The Return Of The King was half an hour too long. And they made Frodo and Sam almost homosexual and there was never any allusion to that in the books that I can think of.

Meanwhile, the Star Wars Trilogy is perfection. All of it.

 

[U2Kitten]

I meant that the feel, look and theme of Star Wars was around in the form of everything from Flash Gordon to Lost In Space. I should have made that clearer.

Screwtape is right. Lucas has said many times he was influenced by the old serials like Flash Gordon, and meant for the original SW to be sort of a tribute to that genre. It is more campy, and more one liner ridden than the others, which seem more serious.

I like ROTJ a lot, but the Ewoks were annoying and their storyline too long, drawn out and rather silly. However the awesome Luke vs. Vader stuff makes it all worth it.

I think the Ewoks were put in for comedy relief for little kids. I remember seeing it at the theater with my little nephews. They'd lose interest, whine and ask to go to the bathroom and play with the soap dispenser, but when the Ewoks came on the screen they laughed and behaved again.

 

[LMP]

Ewoks are just marketable, cute, cuddly Wookies.

Kids were sick of buying Vader and Yoda toys and Lucas decided to not use Wookies in Episode IV (but did in III), shrunk them in half, and reaped the benefits. I call them Jar Jar Jrs.

I still think a Return of the Jedi with 2 Death Stars and the final battle at Coruscant (the Empire capital planet) would've been badass. And the Han/Leia/Chewie/Lando storyline would've been bringing other smugglers and renegades (Dash Rendar-esque) to the fight.

I love those parts in movie where the heroes are cornered and are about to be destroyed then all of a sudden, the friend they didn't think would come storms in and saves the day. That would've been badass.

The rest of that movie is excellent though.

 

[Zoots]

I can see namkcuR's point about Return Of The King being a half hour too long. And Sauran's eye wasn't all that scary because as he said they made it a physical entity. So... didn't like the long drawn out ending of King. But other than that Fellowship and (the excellent battle scenes of) Two Towers are two my favorite films ever! Maybe if I'd grown up watching Star Wars, I'd enjoy it better.

 

[corianderstem]

However the awesome Luke vs. Vader stuff makes it all worth it.

Toooooootally.

And yeah, I grew up with those Star Wars movies, so they have a special place in my heart.

I never read LOTR, and went to see Fellowship of the Rings because I love a Big Giant Event Movie. I was really surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed it.

But I watch the DVDs now and often find myself getting bored, and fast-forwarding through all those pesky Hobbitses. I do still like them, just not as much as the original Star Wars films.

 

[Screwtape2]

LOTR is a symphony while Star Wars is a simple fanfare. Both are good but a symphony for its boring moments is an experience that must drag in parts to finish off the edges of that world. A fanfare on the otherhand is continously bombastic and sacrifices the journey for the action. Given the choice, I think most people would sacrifice a couple boring parts for the journey.

 

[corianderstem]

Maybe, if it weren't for those annoying hobbits.

 

[U2Kitten]

I grew up with those Star Wars movies, so they have a special place in my heart.

Me too.

Here's a question, did those of you who loved the old the movies have a hard time warming to the prequels? That seems to be a problem for some my age. I didn't like the first one at all, second one, eehhh, but ROTS won me over big time. I love it.

Another thing noticed is that, to me, the Star Wars saga is more akin to LOTR than Star Trek. They're both fantasies and involve families and many years and a final quest and goal, where Star Trek is sci fi only. Anyone agree?

 

[Blue Room]

Ewoks are just marketable, cute, cuddly Wookies.

Kids were sick of buying Vader and Yoda toys and Lucas decided to not use Wookies in Episode IV (but did in III), shrunk them in half, and reaped the benefits. I call them Jar Jar Jrs.

I still think a Return of the Jedi with 2 Death Stars and the final battle at Coruscant (the Empire capital planet) would've been badass. And the Han/Leia/Chewie/Lando storyline would've been bringing other smugglers and renegades (Dash Rendar-esque) to the fight.

I love those parts in movie where the heroes are cornered and are about to be destroyed then all of a sudden, the friend they didn't think would come storms in and saves the day. That would've been badass.

The rest of that movie is excellent though.

The Ewoks are the only weak part of Jedi to me. Its interesting in that they were originally written as Wookies. How cool would it have been if it had stayed that way. But Wookies were suppose to be technologically advanced and Lucas wanted a primitive species to be involved with the downfall of the Empire. So he cut the Wookie in half and we got the Ewoks. I think marketing also played a major role as others have mentioned.

Lucas is all about money and I think he likes the attention. But I can let him slide on it because he has produced some of the greatest movies ever to me.

LOTR movies are all excellent. Jackson did a great job. But the difference is Jackson didnt write them obviously. Lucas came up with the whole concept and story for SW and put it to film when people thought he was nuts to do so. Its pretty amazing when you think about it and what Lucas accomplished as a result.