Does Star Wars, as A Saga, Have Rivals?

Fanboys are always trying to declare their particular loves, whether it be sports, movies, books, what-have-you, Are of a Higher Caliber than another series, or object of Fanboy affection. Fanboys are often willing to fight to the Death over their Inconsequential Oppinions.

What Are the Rivals to Star Wars?

In the Old days the only real rivalry I heard of was Star Trek vs Star Wars... Both Had Loyal Camps attacking each other for years.

Then For a Brief time before it's sequels imploded, There was a Matrix/Star Wars Rivalry... This seems to have pretty Much Died Down now... and I think that was a fairly one sided rivalry with the Matrix camp taking shots at Star Wars and Star Wars Ignoring them.

Now the Big One is Lord of the Rings. Both are big F/X Action Films. Both have simple moral tales of Good vs Evil at their heart. Lord of the Rings is A Giant Blockbuster that People will continue to watch for Generations... Just as Star Wars is.

The Comparrisons are Obvious... but are they Rivals? Was Lord of the Rings Created with Star Wars in it's Crosshairs? Do the People at Lucasfilm feel they have to "top" LOTR? As Fans have we set ourselves up in Rival Camps. Are we Preparing a Siege or a Defence?
Do we have Disdain for Fans of "Lesser" worlds?

Will the Rivalries last forever... or will they fade in time? Any new Rivalries on the Horizon?

 

I think the LOTR one will last for a while. Two of my friends and I always get into arguments over which is the best: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or Star Trek. The LOTR fan and I both agree that Star Trek is the worst of the three, and the Star Trek fan likes Star Wars more than LOTR, so technically Star wars wins because the three of us as a group rank it the highest.

 

For me STAR WARS has no rivals. STAR WARS is my favorite and is the best. I'm not influenced by those that say otherwise and try to promote their favorite as equal to or better than STAR WARS. Nor am I offended. Of the others mentioned I feel the THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies are the best and enjoy them more.

point5pastlightspeed, your story is funny in a cool way.

 

The Rings films were not created in an answer to Star Wars, despite the writings of critics that constantly try to compare the two. No, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings were created primarily because the people involved loved the books (though not nearly enough, in my opinion, given some of the misguided tamperings with the narrative and characters).

Trust me, it is possible to be a Star Wars fan and a fan of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

 

"Was Lord of the Rings Created with Star Wars in it's Crosshairs? "

I really don't think so. LOTR came out in what 1945 or 1946 and was wildly succesfull. There was even a horrible feature length animated movie in the 70's I believe. It ended just after the battle at Helm's Deep because Bakshi ran out of money. He did finish it up with Return of the King animated for TV. Then the people who manage the Tolkein estate would not allow the movies to be made until they felt it could be done correctly. Those movies have been in the works long before Peter Jackson and New World got involved. Heck, Jackson spent 7 years of his life on it, I think like 3 just trying to get a studio and the production budget and so on. I might be off on some of my figures and dates but that a quick glimpse at the movie life of LOTR.

As far as Star Wars goes, I never would've read nor enjoyed LOTR if Star Wars hadn't opened my childhood imagination the way it did. It hit a lot of people like that. I've grown up with the Star Wars movies since I was 5, that's 27 years geez I'm old, and later the EU was added. Generations of fans became Sci-fi fans because of Star Wars. The current production of LOTR would've had a longer road to hoe without the commercial success of the Star Wars saga.

As far as comparing the two I really don't. They are both excellent epic worlds brought to life by movies and books. I get all chocked up when Corpsey the Ewok dies and also when Gandalf "dies". Due to the wonders of the PC world we can even immerse ourselves in the GFFA or Middle Earth.

However, if it came right down to it, Darth Vader would whup Sauren and Saruman at the same time with one had cut off.

 

The thing that is great is that the "rivals" have changed over the years but Star Wars remains.

 

<<Trust me, it is possible to be a Star Wars fan and a fan of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.>>

Yeah, I'm a fan of both despite my arguments with my friend.

 

Not really.

Star Trek is really more of a TV series with some movies on the side than it is a movie saga.

LOTR = books with movie adaptations.

As it is, Star Wars stands alone.


I considered the longrunning SW-ST comparisons inappropriate. Now we have SW-LOTR comparisons and I find those inappropriate as well. Not quite apples-and-oranges, but pretty close.


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

"Not quite apples-and-oranges, but pretty close. "

Ahh 6 of one 12 dozen of the other. What are you gonna do?


The stories can be compared in how they both achieve the same goal; Good vs Evil, Destined "everyman" heros, the fight against tyranny. However when it comes to which is better? I won't touch that one. That's up to individual viewers to decide.

There's also comparing the different film making techniques without bashing one or the other. They both utilize amazing camera work to achieve atmosphere or drama and so on. FX and CGI are above par in both.

It is possible to have this conversation without bashing on either side. Possible, but not probable

 

Not for me. It's my favorite story of all time.

PS: FOtR & TTT w/ published in the UK in 1954. ROtK in 1955. U.S. was one year after for both.

 

The thing that is great is that the "rivals" have changed over the years but Star Wars remains.

Indeed.

 

^^^^^

IMO that will continue to be the trend.

Other sagas will come and go, but nothing will ever have the longivity of Star Wars.

SW movies will always stand the test of time.

I like LotR, but I have a feeling it will be forgotten sooner or later.

With the release of Episode III a legacy of 28 years will be in place and you don't see that too often.

 

The thing that is great is that the "rivals" have changed over the years but Star Wars remains.

Absolutely.

IMO that will continue to be the trend.

Other sagas will come and go, but nothing will ever have the longivity of Star Wars.

SW movies will always stand the test of time.

 

Yeah, some tried to be rivals. Remember Battlestar Galactica? I'd rather watch the Holiday Special than that piece of crap!

I suppose LOTR comes the closest but it is still VERY different. Nobody can rival Star Wars.

Read my sig.

 

"I like LotR, but I have a feeling it will be forgotten sooner or later. "

I don't know about that one. There are still Senior English classes in high school studying LOTR. It's also quite big in the U.K. and is considered one of the great works of literature. Peter Jackson's version of LOTR may fade and fall by the wayside over time, but LOTR will probably be re-made and that's okay. It's one of those movies that can be re-made over time. Kind of like Dracula.

If anyone remakes Star Wars not only will it have none of the magic but I'll personally punch them in the eye!
Must control blind fanboyism, Must control it!!!

Seriously I agree Star Wars will be around for a long time to come. This is a franchise that spans 27 years. It's not just movies either and whether follow it or not there's the EU and it's huge.

 

Only time will tell.

LOTR probably has the best shot of lasting a long time.

Matrix probably reached it's zenith last year.

We'll have to see what Spiderman 2 does, that could be a big franchise....maybe not a saga.

Indiana Jones has had tremendous staying power.

The Godfather....although 3 was terrible from what I hear. And rumor of a prequel may be the last nail in the coffin.

Terminator looks like it will have 4 movies. Peaking w/ T2.


My vision and hope is that one day my children will learn Star Wars in school/college along side the Illiad/Odeysey and Oedipus and so forth.

 

Matix Revolutions really hurt that franchise with the disappointing ending. The first one was fresh and innovative but it never stayed consistent and therefore really isn't a rival anymore.

Star Trek is still good, "remember only the even number episodes." but it's time has long since dwindled.

LOTR was and is an excellent series but has nothing to build on. I seriously doubt there will ever be an EU or TV spinoffs like there is with SW. They could make The Hobbit, which I'd like to see but the Silmarillion would not be feasable. LOTR did "rule the roost" during its run and will probably continue for years to prosper.

The series I believe many people underestimate and overlook is Harry Potter. We know there will be 7 books and 7 movies and if Prisoner of Azkaban is as good as the previews suggest SW could be in for the stiffest competition yet.

But, no matter what SW will always be number 1 in my book and I still enjoy the other franchises.

 

I say Star Wars is one a kind and it can not be replaced since it is the greatest flims ever made since it changed it the way we look at movies forever.

 

I forgot about Harry Potter. Depending on how this 3rd one does it may put it ahead of LOTR as a rival. The first one make over $300M, the 2nd one only like $260M. If the 3rd one drops into the low $200M's it too made fade fast.

 

Actually I agree with Bobafrank. The Harry Potter movies are pretty good. And while you might think ther seem too kiddish, as the movies are progressing, the characters and the movies as a whole are maturing.

I think Harry Potter actually comes the closest to Star Wars than any other movies. Compared the OT anyway:

Harry Potter 1/Star Wars ANH Similarities
1. The main character (a young boy) is brought up by his aunt and uncle and does not know anything about his parents.
2. The boy does not know he has special powers.
3. The boy is revealed to have very close ties with the arch-villian.
4. The boy's father had strong "force" powers, and there is an on going mystery about him.
5. The term "The Dark Side" is used.
6. The boy accomplishes incredible things by using his powers.
7. The boy's mentor is a long bearded old man.
8. The boy's aunt and uncle did not like the fact that his father had special powers.
9. The boy leaves home and goes on an adventure to reveal his past.

- Actually, watch the movie while thinking about Star Wars and you'll discover that there way more similarities.

I'm contradicting my sig! lol.

 

My vision and hope is that one day my children will learn Star Wars in school/college along side the Illiad/Odeysey and Oedipus and so forth.

I've already been fortunate enough to be able to study Return of the Jedi in English class. We did an assignment about the archetypes in the movie and I got 100 percent, which is a first for me on a highschool English project.

As for the person who said Harry Potter is the most similar to Star Wars, I completely agree with you. I was just watching the first Harry Potter movie on tv the other day and I noticed a lot of the similarities you pointed out.

 

"The series I believe many people underestimate and overlook is Harry Potter. We know there will be 7 books and 7 movies and if Prisoner of Azkaban is as good as the previews suggest SW could be in for the stiffest competition yet. "

BobaFrank,
I believe you're on to something. Harry Potter has become a cultural phenomenom(sp)very similar to Star Wars. There are legions of "fanboys" out there for good ol' Harry and his muggle friends. Then there are the average fans like me, who just enjoyed the movie for the fun it is. When a movie makes huge impacts like that on the fanbase it defiantly has staying power. Although in the Potter's case it will die if the books ever get bad. My opinion anyway.

 

What Makes a Good Rival For Star Wars? Similarity in themes? the Likelyhood you could dress up as one of the charectors at a Sci-Fi Convention?

Is it the Amount of Money a Movie Makes?

E.T. had topped Star Wars in Box Office terms... and Held that Title untill the Special Edition Came About... I personally remember a Bit of Internal Celebration when Sttar Wars Rettok that Top Sptot. That Jubilation was Short Lived however because Titanic came out the very next year and almost Doubled ANH's Domestic Gross (I'm not sure what it is after adjustments for inflation... but if we did that Gone With the Wind would still be tops...)
There was Big Speculation... and Big Hope that Maybe The Phantom Menace could Top Titanic... But it rapidly became apparent that that would not be the Case.
With Attack of the Clones, The Star Wars Saga Topped in five movies 007's 20+ movie carear in Box office... I didn't think they were rivals... Maybe Bond Fans were upset.

Or What About Awards...? The Matrix Rivalry really sprung up after the Matrix beat TPM in the Oscars for Visual FX.... And the Two Towers Oscar Victory over AOTC helped add Fuel to that Debate.

 

What Makes a Good Rival For Star Wars?

I'd say it has to be a space fantasy to begin with, NOT set in the future, with a great storyline and cool special effects.

No good rivals exist.

 

"Was Lord of the Rings Created with Star Wars in it's Crosshairs? Do the People at Lucasfilm feel they have to "top" LOTR?"

No. As I recall from "The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition" special features, there was a documentary about their pre-vizualization process. It said that Lucas and McCallum let some of the folks at Weta Digital tour ILM, and that they were apparently very generous and helped fuel Weta's pursual of previsualization.

So I'd say that if they're willing to help each other, then there's no "Crosshairs" here.