So here it goes....
Reasons Lord of the Rings is better than Harry Potter.
1. World – The Harry Potter stories are so accessible largely because they take place in a world very like our own, only with one huge twist; whereas LotR takes place in Middle-earth, which has certain similarities to the world we know, but is mostly wildly different. In fact, I would argue (and I know I am far from the first to do so) that on a significant level it is Middle-earth that LotR is really about: the characters and events are mostly important in how they shape the world, and it is the richness of the world that is the biggest reason for the story’s success. But as neat as Harry Potter's world is, it pales against the richness of Middle-earth. Advantage: LotR.
3. Influence – As I mentioned above, The Lord of the Rings has influenced every fantasy novel since, and that includes the Harry Potter books. Advantage: LotR.
4. Movies – None of Harry Potter's movies have ever even been considered for, much less won, the Oscar for Best Picture. Seriously, anyone who thinks there’s much of a contest here needs to watch the LotR films a few more times, this time with their eyes open. Advantage: LotR.
I am still a little awed by the scope of the book. J.R.R. Tolkien has created one of the most incredible worlds in fiction. He clearly could picture every house, field and crag of Middle Earth in his head - from the bucolic Shire to the gorgeous Rivendell and Lothlorien to the eerily magical Old Forest to the dismal and terrifying terrain of Mordor. No wonder then that he needed over a thousand pages (in an omnibus) to describe the minutiae of all these places and more. On the other hand, J.K. Rowling set her series in contemporary England which made her task not quite as creatively challenging.
…The Best CGI Sidekick!
Say what you want about Dobby, sir, but I never cottoned to the little guy. His actions mostly meant well but they were always illogical, which was intended as cute but always struck me as terribly dangerous. He broke Harry’s arm and nearly got him expelled from Hogwarts and, thus, Dumbledore’s protection. He was a menace and his animation was rough in comparison to the brilliance of Gollum. On the other hand, Gollum, as portrayed by a combination of technical genius and Andy Serkis, was the first fully realized computer generated humanoid character moviegoers have ever seen. He was more than just a program, but a living, breathing person-like being that could have easily been as cloying as Dobby.
…Justifiably Legendary World-Building!
Obviously, Tolkien is held in high esteem for the amount of detail he put into all of his hobbit stories. From the thoroughly mapped out terrain to the histories of those regions to the completely fabricated, but completely useful Elvish language, Middle-Earth feels as real as Ancient Rome or Egypt. And then Peter Jackson and his effects and production teams brought all those elements to perfect, visible life. It’s easy to take the painstaking details in the movie for granted because there’s simply too much going on to take it all in while you’re watching the movies. Jackson improved upon that so much that there’s an explanation for everything in every single shot. On the other hand, the magical world of Hogwarts in the movies is just as nebulous as the one in the books. You could argue that setting Harry Potter in a contemporary setting abdicates that responsibility, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But that doesn’t make it impressive or interesting.
…Seriously Impressive Battles!
But their spectacle is truly unparalleled and Hollywood should just take a break from large scale scenes of war for a while because nothing will top LOTR. Jackson’s insistence on upping the ante each time has it’s merits, too, raising the stakes in every movie — from the briefly glimpsed prologue to the Battle of Helm’s Deep to the Battle of Gondor and then the storming of Mordor — until eventually our heroes are fighting for the continued existence of every non-Sauron controlled race left. Sadly, the wand-waving antics in the Potter films just can’t live up to that. They’re more or less exciting in their own right, especially when Voldemort and his laissez-faire attitude toward life are involved, but they can’t hold a torch to any of the ones in Rings. Even comparing the gigantic arachnid skirmishes, Shelob wins by a webbed mile. And, really, Helm’s Deep alone might just be the best battle sequence ever put to film.
…The Best MacGuffin!
It’s true that each and every one of the Harry Potter installments featured a MacGuffin of some sort featured prominently in the movies’ titles — the sorcerer’s/philsopher’s stone, the chamber of secrets, a prisoner from Azkaban, the goblet of fire, the Order of the Phoenix, the textbook of the half-blood prince, and the various deathly hollows. Often these weren’t even important enough to mention until the end of the story when Harry’s got to do something about them to justify those titles. However, the One Ring and its destruction are the entire point of all three of Rings movies and they don’t stop until Frodo finally hurls that thing into the fiery pits of Mount Doom.It prompted every action in the course of three films but wasn’t ever really the point of telling the story.
Because Harry Potter movies got awful after the second one. Lord of the Rings stayed strong the whole series. Harry Potter is also much more boring and are much less fun if you don't read the books. Lord of the Rings is great as a book and a movie and can be easily understood just by watching the movies. Also the characters are played by better actors.
Epic battles, quests, dark lords, Elves, Hobbits, wizards, Orcs, etc, etc, etc. It's an tale of friendship, fellowship, love, loss, and good vs evil. There are no limits to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece!
Harry Potter is a teen wizard who learns witchcraft, and his enemy is looks like deformed child. Seriously, Voldemort is nothing compared to Sauron.
For one simple reason: "THEY ARE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD!"
Harry faces creatures such as a big, goofy troll, a sleeping dog, and a face on the back of someone's head. Frodo faces slavering orcs, a gigantic, fiery demon, and a nasty cave troll that basically refused to die. Harry's most grievous wound was a couple of face scrapes from flying around with keys. Frodo nearly got killed by a horrible, dark, poison stab in the shoulder. Harry almost fell off a broomstick while playing Quidditch. Frodo almost fell off some precarious stone steps into a bottomless pit
.Think of how both movies end. Harry Potter ends an exciting year at Hogwarts by defeating the dude who killed his parents and, for no particular reason, winning the House Cup for Gryffindor, thus becoming more popular with his peers. He vanquished Voldemort because of the bond of love he had with his mother, who gave her life that he might live. How perfectly Disney.
At the end of Fellowship, Merry and Pippin are captives of Sauron and his slobbering minions, and Frodo is separated from nearly all his company and headed into the den of evil.
Come ON, people. Would you rather watch junior wizards trying to levitate feathers, or two fully-grown wizards duking it out at the top of a tall tower surrounded by orcs and sharp pointy bits of iron? Possibility of sudden death, NO possibility of sudden death.
And don't get me started on the acting. On the one hand, you've got Elijah Wood pale, sweaty, and screaming because of a near-fatal wound. Then you've got "Ow, my scar."
Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings takes a deeper look at evil and good. While the underlying struggle is the same, we see the challenges of Frodo involve a far deeper struggle than simply winning a few simple struggles.
Frodo has to struggle against his inner demons as well as his compassion as he struggles towards his ultimate goal. We see more of the weakness and fragility of ‘good’ throughout his journey and understand that the struggle is not easy and often near impossible.
Evil comes in the form of Sauron; Sauron is more sinister and evil, and although his struggle is also about power, it is also one of creating chaos and destruction, rather than gaining sway over the world. Its far more pervasive and the evil creeps into everything.
HARRY v FRODO
Harry is stubborn, he refuses to let anything stand in his way and often disregards the advice of others. Frodo is full of courage and determination; he is honorable and respects and pities his enemies; this often changes his choices. He listens to his friends in adversity, and despite the odds being stacked against him endeavors to succeed.
DUMBLEDORE v GANDALF
Gandalf is an amazing wizard and is constantly in the action, fighting orcs and goblins and generally causing mayhem with his huge fireballs. He is the leader of the ‘fellowship’ and has a great influence on events in the world of Middle Earth. Gandalf is a more hands-on kind of wizard. He is constantly in the thick of battle, killing orcs and goblins, while casting fireballs at huge trolls. This hands-on approach isn't limited to battle, as he is the leader of the fellowship and has a great influence on events in the world of Middle Earth. Dumbledore is also a great wizard but takes more of a backseat in the struggle using hints and suggestions to guide Harry rather than getting involved directly. For me, Gandalf is the be-all and end-all of wizards. He comes out all wands blazing and that is what I expect to see in my wizard!
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/09/great-geek-debates-the-lord-of-the-rings-vs-harry-potter/
http://www.haftamag.com/2007/07/10/harry-potter-vs-the-lord-of-the-rings/
http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/five-ways-harry-potter-and-lord-of-the-rings-are-better-than-each-other.php
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110714172018AAniK1r
http://www.ironycentral.com/bin/ACaspersonLoR.html
http://simeyc.hubpages.com/hub/Which-is-better-Harry-Potter-or-Lord-of-the-Rings
http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/reasons-lord-rings-is-better-than-harry-potter.asp
http://www.squidoo.com/LOTR-v-HarryPotter
PS. Sorry this turned out to be so long... I'm just... um... Passionate :) And if you didn't read the whole thing - I understand. As long as you believe with me that LOTR is better, then we will get along just fine.
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