I'm a little ashamed I'm even blogging about this because to me there really is no comparison. BUT I had this debate with a close friend the other day and I feel I need to end it once and for all, not just between me and the friend, but the entire world.
Lord of the Rings wins. It doesn't only win it really really wins. You probably already know why but I'll review a couple things anyway. In fact, lets make this a mini-series
Today, Installment number 1 "Bad Guys"
It's real stupid how all the bad guys and good guys in ALL THE LAND are so closely tied together in Harry Potter.
In Middle Earth the good guys and bad guys didn't all know each other and go to school together back in thier younger days. In HP every little SECRET plot twist goes back to Harry's parents and one of his school teachers, or one of his teachers and a bad guy, or a bad guy and one of his parents.... Did evil people exist outside this small circle of friends? Maybe in that world there was competition among the evil bad guys and they had clicks. What if Harry and his friends had to find out secret evil pasts of people who went to school somewhere OTHER than hogwarts? Like Cornell...or SLCC? I think it would have been even scarier if Voldemort had been homeschooled in Canada. WOW... that really has potential.
Anyway, Lord of the Rings is much more wholistic and inclusive of it's bad guys. Worm tongue came from Rohan, The balrog came from hell. Cave trolls I assume came from caves, I'm not really sure where Mountain trolls came from. Sauron's past isn't really revealed in the series of published books though they say it's explained elsewhere. Maybe he started out good and was turned evil by multiple female rejections. Gollum was once sort of a hobbit like person, but not from the same area or bloodlines as Frodo. Heck there were even 3 different groups of orcs who all hated each other. In fact of ALL the many bad guys, Saruman was the only one who we can assume had a similar education to a good guy (Gandalf). Maybe they were old wizard highschool band buddies. I assume they went to the same school because they are of the same "Order", maybe Saruman was a few years ahead of Gandalf. It seems clear that by the time Gandalf came through the Cher hair craze had died down and people were more into hacky sacking or long boarding. So yeah. It's dumb when stories affix universal bad guys to local good guys like in Harry Potter. It's way better when the bad guys become bad in thier own way and it doesn't necesarily have to be tied to some small town humble hero. That way the small potato has to overcome the greater evil... yadda yadda.. save the world.... Oh yeah, let's not forget the Sheeba the spider(i think thats her name). She probably had just a regular spider's background...No wierd strings attached (get it) to Frodo, OR Aragorn, or anyone else for that matter....Born in some dark place. Lots of siblings, she probably ate most of them to help her get big. Maybe she had a couple boyfriends that got her into rock climbing or spellunking, before she sucked out thier insides. I doubt she was ever in love with frodo's mother, although maybe if she had been she could have saved him a lot of trouble by promising to watch out for him... Outwardly hating the half of him that reminded her of his father who beat her out for his mother's affection, but sadly loving the memories conjured deep in her soul as she looked into those same defiant eyes that Lilly had..... We don't know what Frodo's mom's name was, but I think it could have been Lilly.
Do you get my point? Lord of the Rings bad guys are much more believable.
2 comments:
Good point, but promise me you'll get out more :)
Have you read The Silmarillian yet? It will answer a lot of your questions here :) p.s., Frodo's mom's name is Primula Brandybuck (married Drogo Baggins). And yes, LotR wkick's HPs trash any day.
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