Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Great Plots: Star Wars & Lord of the Rings

I'm a big, big, VERY big fan of both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (and C.S. Lewis and Stephen Lawhead too!). So when my husband sent me this link, I had a good laugh.




Which inspired me to find this cool clip:


Thinking about these movies, makes me wonder why I love these plots so much. Here's what I came up with:
1. An unexpected hero who saves the day- but he doesn't do it on his own
2. Unusual settings
3. Fantastic world building
4. Distinctive characters
5. Unexpected twists
6. A satisfying end
7. Good verses evil
8. Heroism

How about you? Any movies you love for their plots or characters?

11 comments:

Bish Denham said...

That Ultradome was too funny! I read Lord of the Rings long before Star Wars was even thought of and when I read it I thought about what a great movies it would make. I knew it would be a long time before it could be done properly. When it finally came out I wasn't disappointed. Even the actors and their make-up were so like what I'd seen in my mind...I was blown away.

Other movies I like for plot and characters? Oh Brother, Where Art Thou.

Anna Staniszewski said...

I love both series too. You're absolutely right that their worldbuilding is incredible. Especially in LOTR, you feel like you really know the world. And I love the touches of humor in Star Wars - I think that's what makes the characters so sympathetic.

Tamika: said...

Love "Man On Fire" the broken characters! I even fall in love with the bad guy/good guy image of Denzel.

There are so many others I could name- another is "Troy."

Laurel Garver said...

I love, love, love stories in which the heroism is a group effort. It's one of the strengths of the Harry Potter books. And I can't stop singing the praises of the indie film "Lars and the Real Girl" in which a community comes together to help heal a delusional young man. Powerful stuff.

MG Higgins said...

Thanks for sharing that video. I hadn't realized how thematically similar those two stories are. I think you've hit all the elements that make Star Wars and LOTR great. I love them too, and part of it for me is that I'd like to think I'd have that level of courage faced with such tremendous odds. Interesting post!

Lisa Gail Green said...

I LOVE both of those as well (though the books more than the movies for LOTR). I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the unexpected hero that doesn't do it alone. Everyone loves the underdog! Echoing what Laurel said - that's what makes Harry Potter so great.

C.R. Evers said...

I'm a movie fanatic,I can even find good things in movies that I don't really like.

However, my favorites include humor, clever twists, well-timed tension and flawless world building.

Elana Johnson said...

Oh, I love LOTR. I definitely like the heroism there. There's nothing like a heroic character to cheer for.

MrBibleHead said...

Wow Christina, I just stumbled across your blog. Lots of cool stuff! Must be very interesting living in Korea.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I love both of those books and movies, too. We can't leave out Harry Potter and Star Trek.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

i love these movies too!