Is the Lord of the Rings the new Star Wars?
Rings 101
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 25 languages. That's up there with the Bible.
• The trilogy made movie history by being filmed concurrently with the same core cast under the direction of Peter Jackson. Filming began in October 1999 and will take three years to finish, about the same time it takes to make one Star Wars sequel.
• The character Gollum will be completely computer animated.
• The trilogy cost $270 million to produce.
• You can thank Tolkien and his trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. for inspiring everything from Dungeons and Dragons to Star Wars. But you can blame George Lucas alone for Jar Jar and the B movie-sounding title Attack of the Clones.
J R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is finally getting its big-screen due after a limp 1978 animated version. The epic trilogy kicked off with The Fellowship of the Ring, to be followed by The Two Towers this year and The Return of the King in 2003. It has what all genre geeks love: a fellowship of hobbits, wizards, elves, dwarves and humans banding together to fight a Dark Lord's demonic army and to destroy his One Ring, which has the power to rule their world, called Middle-earth, and enslave its people. It's the 21st century's Star Wars without Jar Jar Binks--and that's fine with us. --Robert B. Desalvo
Ten Signs That Your Friend is Really a Hobbit
(1) He's under four feet tall.
(2) He has big. hairy feet and doesn't wear shoes.
(3) He has Vulcanesque ears.
(4) He disguises the former with a mop of curly hair.
(5) He eats six times a day.
(6) He brews his own ale.
(7) He wants to be or currently is a farmer.
(8) He doesn't play well with strangers.
(9) He entered adulthood and started acting responsibly around the age of 33.
(10) He smokes a lot of what he tells you is "pipe weed."
Five Reasons to Believe That George Lucas Has Read the Lord of the Rings More Than Once
Star Wars
(1) Obi-Wan Kenobi is a white-haired Jedi (with a fondness for hooded cloaks) who seemingly sacrifices his life to help Luke Skywalker on his quest.
(2) The characters battle using light sabers.
(3) Yoda sees visions of the future and asks Luke, "Judge me by my size, do you?"
(4) Darth Vader used to be a noble Jedi Knight until he was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force.
(5) Luke Skywalker's struggle to resist the Dark Side is the underlying theme of Star Wars.
The Lord of the Rings
(1) Gandalf is a white-haired wizard (with a fondness for hooded cloaks) who seemingly sacrifices his life to help hobbit Frodo Baggins on his quest.
(2) The characters battle with magical swords.
(3) Galadriel sees visions of the future and tells Frodo, "Even the smallest person can change the future."
(4) Saruman used to be a wise wizard until he was seduced by the power of the One Ring.
5. Frodo's struggle to resist the One Ring's corruptible power is the underlying theme of The Lord of the Rings.
