[HPFGU-Movie] Re: Has Anyone Seen "Rings"? How Does It Compares to HP?

[Malia Kawaguchi]

I'm going to have to chime in here with my first post (hello all - you're 
wonderful from a lurker's perspective, especially one who's wanted 
intelligent Potter conversation for quite a long time now) and agree 
strongly with Shelagh.  The two movies are entirely different creatures.  
I saw LOTR opening ,orning (11 am show) and fell completely in love - it 
was my childhood all over again, as LOTR was to me the way Harry was to my 
sister.  Don't get me wrong, I _ADORE_ HP, but I seem to be too old to 
truly stew in it until it's a part of me, although I'm giving it the old 
post-graduate try (6 movie viewings, 4 complete readthroughs of all 4 
current books, plus 3 times through the audiotapes for SS), but I doubt it 
will ever overwhelm LOTR for me - in middle school my 3 best friends and I 
completely self identified with the hobbits, down to calling each other by 
the names (one still called me Merry when we saw each other a couple years 
ago at a reunion) and getting engraved rings for each other (one gold band 
and the three elven rings, with appropriately colored stones)... 

ANYWAY... :)

What I mean to say is that they (both film and story) are SO different 
that they cannot be compared.  My husband, who has seen SS twice, asked me 
which was better, and I just looked at him in puzzlement.  Then yesterday, 
when in a bad mood, I went to see SS again (my 6th).  When he heard, he 
said "So I guess Harry Potter was better?"  (LOTR was at the same theatre 
and I could have seen it instead)  And again, I was puzzled.  I didn't see 
HP because it was a better film, I saw HP because I needed to have my 
spirits lifted, to laugh, and to feel that Hallmark(tm) glow of happiness 
and fulfillment at the end.  These things LOTR does not offer - even to me, 
an enormously dedicated fan.

One is a children's story.  A fantastic and incredible children's story, 
yes, but children's story it is.  The other . . . is not.  For those who 
have seen them both, compare the two troll scenes in your head to truly 
get what I'm saying.

-Malia (who can't wait to be a more regular part of these discussions)

On Fri, 21 Dec 2001, shelaghcol wrote:

> At the risk of stalling heated discussions, I'd actually suggest 
> *not* comparing them at all.
> 
> They're two entirely different kinds of movies. Harry Potter is far 
> more whimsical in its nature (even with the Voldemort factor) than 
> LOR.
> 
> About the only things these two movies have in common is:
> 
> They have wizards
> They have small heroes
> They have a lot of special effects
> They're about battles of good and evil
> 
> Even the style of the books is vastly different (without going into a 
> book discussion).
> 
> LOR is absolutely not a children's movie and your kids would probably 
> be pretty scared if you took them to see it. 
> 
> For me, honestly, there's just no comparing the two movies. 
> 
> IMHO, of course.
> 
> Shelagh