Rings and Sabers.

Oh okay I actually am reading the books, I am about at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring now.

 

I think it was one of the Rings forged for Elfs. But it could also mean what he said when he said to Balrog 'I am the keeper of the secret fire".

 

Yeah it could be either I guess what KongZilla would explain how Gandalf was able to create that flash of fire on the bridge.

 

Up.

 

And how about Cave Troll vs Rancor.

as what? the worse VFX? the Cave Troll needed a heckuva lot of work and the Rancor...don't even get me started.

Saruman could be like Anakin. He "turned".

actually Saruman is more like Dooku. i know Chris Lee has denied this numerous times but the man would not give a straight answer that would define the difference between Dooku and Saruman, so to me, right now, they're inherently the same although their movtivating factors for "turning" could be different. Saruman became a traitor because power got into his head; he knows he can be as strong as Sauron provided that he had the Ring of Power, which he sought to find and control. Dooku, we aren't sure what his motivating factor for leaving the Jedi Order and becoming a renegade (i'm trying to be careful with spoilers here). the best time to compare and contrast the two characters would be in the movie.

Gandalf is pretty much like Obi-Wan because they're both mentors to the heroes of the saga and they're both "magical", but there are subtle differences. in personality, Obi-Wan is more like Aragorn or even Faramir. Gandalf can get pretty snippy, which reminds me of Leia.

if you want to comapre battles, its definitely going to be The Arena Battle vs Helm's Deep, they are the the centerpiece for each of the respective sequels. also the CGI work between Yoda and Gollum is unavoidable. there's a comparisson thread between Gollum and Yoda, and the various techniques that go into making them look like the way they do at this forum, you may want to check it out. it starts out as a Gollum thread but halfway down the first page ther are SW comparissons already. feel free to start comparing the Arena Battle and Helm's Deep if you want. but do be sensible as it is a forum that does not condone flaming at all. thanks!

 

I still like my comparison between Sam and Artoo.

 

Alright - who wins this?

Nine Nazgul versus Jar Jar?

 

What kinda question is that!?!












Jar Jar, of course!

 

DarthScully? What exactly is so awful about the Cave Troll FX?

The only bad FX I can remember from FOTR were the couple of off color blue screen shots. And the CG Legolas just after they escape from the mines.

 

Wizards=Jedi Council
Orcs=Storm Troopers
JarJar=Gollum (but nicer)
Gandalf=Obi Wan
Saruman=....Dooku! (how did noone get that one? )
Sauron=Vader (but cooler)
Arwen (I think it's her I'm meaning)=Amidala
Palpatine also=Saruman (from a certain point of view)

I'm sure I could think of way more but I don't want to. There is endless similarities because SW is a SCIFI rip off of LOTR.

 

I agree, KongZilla. I didn't think the cave troll was that bad. Kinda cool, actually.

 

"Gollum (But nicer)" Ha ha!

Oh, Pryok. Thanks for replying to my question. I'm glad you'd thought it through - interesting that you came to the same conclusion I had.

 

The wizards are actually called the White Council so the Jedi Council fits perfectly as their equal.
I'd put the Witch King (Nazgul. Leader of the black riders) as an equal to Darth Vader. A former King who fell under the rule of Sauron. Of course the difference is he can't be saved. Saruman would also fit. A wizard who fell under the influence of evil. But the Christopher Lee connection is just to great to not put Saruman as Dooku's equal.
Eowyn = Leia (both strong willed women who fight for their people)
Sauron = The Dark Side of the Force (Sauron, at the time of the 4th age is more like evil itself I don't think he even exits in the physical realm.

 

How is Jar Jar like Gollum?

 

Erm, I dunno. Perhaps 'cos Gollum annoys Frodo and Jar Jar annoys the audience?

Oh, and they also have a terrible grasp of English.

Ok so I'm not taking this too seriously. BUT:

As for Sauron, yeah, I do think the notion of him being like Palpatine is valid, but bear in mind that Sauron was once 'not evil' but fell under the influence of Morgoth, making Morgoth more like Palpatine, and Sauron like Vader. BUT Morgoth was never trusted by the free peoples of Middle Earth, whereas Palpatine was, so Palpatine could be seen as being like Saruman. However, Saruman was not the instigator of evil, since he was suckered into the path he chose BY SAURON, while we have no evidence(at least to my knowledge) of who lured Palpatine into evil. Rather we are presented with him as being the 'head honcho bad guy' right from the start. Ultimately I do not think there's any absolute parallel of anyone in LOTR and SW - there are similaritities sure, but any character you pick and try to match up from one mythos to another will have some fundamental differences. I mean, even if one said that Boss Nas is like Tom Bombadil(both exceptionally powerful within their own realm, in which they are immune to the evil enemy, and both unwilling to fight that enemy) you have to bear in mind that Boss Nas eventually DID get involved. That therefore makes him more like Treebeard, who eventually was persuaded by the Hobbits to fight the Uruk-hai. Ok, so then the Uruk-hai are the BattleDroids, which sits nicely with the Stormtroopers being the Orcs of Mordor, BUT the leader of the Battledroids is the Viceroy, Nute Gunray, which makes HIM - not Vader or Dooku - Saruman. See what I'm getting at?

In essence, parallels drawn are necessaily subjective. Who reminds whom of whom varies from person to person, just as what images are stirred in your mind upon hearing a given piece of music will necessarily differ from mine. Or think of a game of word association. You wouldn't get the same answers from a broad group of people, all being started off, independently and in isolation from each other, by the same initial word.
So the similarities and differences are wholly a product of the unique ways in which we perceive them. So much so that, prior to finding this thread I can honestly say that I'd never before in my life considered the notion OF drawing any parallels between the characters, and furthermore now find myself constantly undermining any parallels drawn(either by myself or anyone else) the more I think about them. Proof I feel, that subjectivity is at the very heart of it, and that my mind clearly works in a very different way to that of whoever started this thread(was it Elven Jedi?)
Now that's all obvious of course, and you'll probably feel that it told you nothing you didn't know already BUT the point is that whatever match-ups we make, and even if we think 'em through solidly and make them watertight, will almost certainly NOT correspond with those envisaged by Lucas, who afterall is the only person in a position to base an SW character on an LOTR one.

I still like the idea of pitting them against each other though, in a sort of SF/Fantasy Deathmatch. Barliman Butterbur versus the Rancour monster. That'd be an entertaining match up. I don't think we've seen such a spectacle since the regular 'Christians versus Lions' fixture was cancelled.

 

Better still, Otho and Lobellia Baggins versus Uncle Owen nd Aunt Beru.

"I sense a Domestic Disturbance in the Force."

 

Thanx Kongzilla I thought it was the white council but grey just stuck in my head probably due to Gandalf's Two Towers transformation from grey to white.

Stupid I know, but that's the way the jobbie splatters and when the ***t hits the fan you better run b4 Mr T whoops your boney ass foo! .

Also, I meant Eowyn not Arwen and JarJar is like Gollum (but nicer) because they are both fumbling idiots, have a poor grasp of the English language and really, really p*ss off someone in the movie. (JarJar=ObiWan, Gollum=Sam )

 

Is the witch King the mouth of Sauron?

I don't recall a witch king but I think the mouth fits the bill to the same effect.

 

So I did understand you!

No, the Witch King is not the Mouth of Sauron. The Witch King of Angmar is tha leader of the Black Riders(in the fillum he's the one who is noticeably taller than the other eight), while the Mouth is kinda Sauron's chief Spin Doctor(his Alistair Campbell, for my fellow Brits) and he only comes into the tale AFTER the Witch King has been slain by Eowyn at Pellenor. He seeks to parley with Gandalf and Aragorn when they ride to the gates of Mordor for a final showdown with the Enemy. They refuse to listen to his lies, and have it out once and for all. Cracking stuff.

 

I hope everyone here has read the book. Belated Spoiler Alert!!

BTW just to make it clear. I think everyone here is in agreement that Lucas did NOT rip off Tolkien. I just wanted to write it down in case anyone got the wrong idea.

p.s. Does anyone know the shelf life of Peanut Butter? I just opened a jar here at work and there was oil swilling around near the bottom. I mixed it together and it seems to taste fine. Gulp!

 

Ha ha. Bon appettit. Ha ha.

By the way, "spoiler alert?" Those books were written decades ago, mate.

 

Kongzilla you're probably referring to my post.

Lucas did sort of rip off Tolkien but he also ripped off old samurai films, the wizard of oz (carrie fisher said so, don't ask me.), and startrek a little, added a significant bit of his own and put it under one big, happy starwars roof!

I suppose most people would say he was "influenced" by them.

 

Jar-Jar=Gollum, haha. I annoy people with my immitation of "What has it got in its pocketses?"

R2-D2=Sam
I agree. All my friends hate Sam b/c they say he's stupid, but I like him b/c he's a loyal friend.

Question: How many people have read the Silmarillion?

 

That's right arabiansanchez. It's not a rip-off it's an homage. Either way, if it's done well enough. Who cares. Actually, I forgot you wrote that "rip-off" comment. How dare you!! Just kidding. I'm not one of the blind followers of the Lucasfilm machine. I'm one of the disheartened fan boys that was disappointed with TPM. But I don't need to constantly bash the franchise. I do have hope for II and III.

Anyway... back on topic.

I have read the Silmarillion but not in order. I found it difficult to sit and read it cover to cover. I would skip through chapters going back and reading it later. It doesn't have the narrative drive of his other books. Well, that's how I feel about it anyway.

...and Greesha? Your friends need to read the books or wait for the next two films. They'll change their opinion of Samwise Gamgee, I'm sure of it.

 

I know what you mean about reading The Silmarillion, it took me a long time to get through it but I made myself read the whole thing. It's not that it isn't interesting, it's just that Tolkien's hard to read.