Verified Document

Star Wars Vs Lord Of The Rings Comparison Essay

Related Topics:

Star Wars and The Lord of the RingsStar Wars (1977) directed by George Lucas and The Lord of the Rings (2001) directed by Peter Jackson are two films of the fantasy genre. Star Wars is one of the AFI’s top picks for greatest classic films. Lord of the Rings, on the other hand, is a modern popular fantasy film. This paper will provide a narrative analysis, cultural and historical analysis, and close film analysis of these two films by comparing and contrasting them.

Narrative Analysis

Star Wars was released in 1977, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The Lord of the Rings was released in 2001, produced by WingNut Films and the Saul Zaentz Company and distributed by New Line Cinema. George Lucas directed the former, Peter Jackson the latter. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Alec Guinness stared in Star Wars. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom starred in The Lord of the Rings. Each is the first film in a trilogy.

Both films are epics that explore themes of duty, team work, vocation, honor, the heroics of the underdog, and the evil of the totalitarian regime which the underdogs oppose. The underdogs in both films represent life, virtuous characters, while the evil antagonists represent greed, selfishness, mercilessness, oppression, and death. The plot of Star Wars focuses on Luke Skywalker (played by Hamill), who receive a message from a princess and sets off to deliver the message only to get wrapped up in an intergalactic battle that he eventually helps to win for the underdogs. The plot of The Lord of the Rings is similar in that it focuses on Frodo, who receives a magic ring that is sought by an evil sorcerer; Frodo must deliver the ring to Mt. Doom in order to crush the evil and save his friends and all existence. The main characters are divided between good, evil and uncertain. In Star Wars, Han Solo (played by Ford) is the character of uncertain moral qualities who proves himself good in the end by helping Luke to blow up the Death Star. In The Lord of the Rings, the character arcs of the main characters plays out more dramatically over the course of...

The narrative pattern is similar in that a conflict is presented, the heroes meet, embark on a plan to save the day, and accomplish their plan. The status quo is not really restored in the end because in Star Wars the underdogs are oppressed and by the end they are elevated. In Lord of the Rings, there is no conclusion in the first film but rather a pause in the action that leaves the audience in suspense about what is going to happen to the heroes as their fellowship disintegrates. The heroes appeal to the audience by virtue of their masculine and feminine qualities and the classic principles of theatre—clarity, simplicity, elegance, order, economy and symmetry—are expressed in both films through the scores written for the films, the plot points, and the balance of action with drama and humor.
Cultural and Historical Analysis

Regarding America’s past, Star Wars speaks to the two opposing voices in America’s history—the Imperialists and the Isolationists or humanists. The Imperialist agenda is represented by the Dark Side (the Empire) and the Isolationists or humanists are represented by the Jedi and the Princess’s team. In Lord of the Rings, America’s past is represented idyllically—the Shire is a symbol of the olden times and Mordor represents Industrialization and cruelty of totalitarian systems.

Both of these films suggest that America was better off when it had a sense of spirituality and confidence in itself. Today’s America seems to be represented by the evil totalitarian systems in both films where dehumanization is everywhere—from the orcs to the inhuman Gollum to Darth Vader who hides his humanity behind a mask.

Close Film Analysis

The scene in Star Wars where the heroes (Luke, Han and Leia) are trapped in the trash compactor and the robots must short the ship’s circuits to save them provides a min-look at the film overall. The heroes are outgunned and outnumbered in the mise-en-scene. They are in a murky realm where the menace is unclear but felt. They are…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Hero With 1,000 Faces the Classic Hero
Words: 1460 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Hero with 1,000 Faces The classic hero seems to teach us the value of humanity, while helping us strive for excellence by understanding the value of the experiences rendered through intuition, emotions, and often feelings that are special to the hero -- often rather than logical reasoning. The paradigm of heroism transcends genre, chronology and has become so common in the human collective consciousness that it is easily recognized and repeated

Motion Picture Industry the Relationship
Words: 4466 Length: 16 Document Type: Term Paper

Interestingly, results indicated that the three timing variables investigated, which were releases prior to long weekend, during summer, or during Christmas, did not demonstrate relation to total revenues (Simonoff & Sparrow, 2000). However, the third quartile grosses were noticeably higher for seasonal releases in comparison to non-seasonal releases (Simonoff & Sparrow, 2000). One of the most important factors involved in determining the success of a film in terms of box office

Science Fiction & Feminism Sci-Fi & Feminism
Words: 13761 Length: 50 Document Type: Chapter

SCIENCE FICTION & FEMINISM Sci-Fi & Feminism Origins & Evolution of Science Fiction As with most things including literature, science fiction has progressed and changed a lot over the years. Many works of science fiction were simply rough copies and following the altready-established patterns of prior authors. However, there has always been authors and creators that push the envelope and forge new questions and storylines that have not been realized or conceptualized before.

Why Is It Important to Study Mythology
Words: 2714 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

mythology is important for both individualistic and collective reasons. On an individual level, mythology could teach moral or human truths, whereas on a collective level mythology could be used to keep people in touch with their origins. Mythological stories could then be used to teach children values such as hard work, diligence and obedience. Role models are created through mythological figures. Also, the mythology of different cultures can serve

Silent Planet Report Was Looking
Words: 1334 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The intent or purpose of this book was originally intended to be a science fiction written to meet a bet, but it ended up being the first book in a trilogy with the theme of describing how pitiful human beings are and how far from our original purpose on the earth - that is to tend it and make it plentiful, and to care for one another. C.S. Lewis was

Future of the Internet
Words: 1386 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Future of Internet Gaming The Internet has come along way from the days of UNIX commands, and inter-office emails. Beyond suffering through endless SPAM mail, the Internet has become a staple in households across the world where one can shop from the comfort of their own home, and enlighten themselves on world events and cultures. In the new millennium though, with the evolution of technology occurring almost everyday, it is online

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now