Harry Potter Vs The Lord of the Rings

Round 1: The Fantasy World

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Middle-Earth takes the first corner as the archetype and defending champ of the fantasy genre. A continent from a fictional period in Earth’s history; the land was plotted by the author on maps that were followed closely by the films, ensuring that the Shire, the mines of Moria and the peak of Mount Doom all made it from page-to-screen. By contrast, Harry’s stories take place mainly in the “Wizarding World,” a secret realm that co-exists with the Muggle world via magic. The standout landmarks are the isolated Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the nearby village Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the wondrous Ministry of Magic. While The Wizarding world is a unique concept, Tolkien’s clearly-defined Middle-Earth is the more breathtaking and fantastical of the two. Score: LOTR 1 / Harry Potter 0

Round 2: The Protagonist

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If there’s one thing these fantasy series share it’s a troubled protagonist who must carry a burden to defeat evil. Frodo literally carries the One Ring on his road trip, fighting its corruption of his very character. On the other hand, Harry survived murder at the hands of the Dark Lord, while his parents weren’t so lucky. When he finally discovers he’s a famous wizard, his destiny leads his to thwart Voldemort’s plan to become immortal and rule Muggles and wizards alike. Frodo is pretty much the most obvious and able choice to do grunt work, so Harry gets the point for rising up to fulfill his destiny. Score: LOTR 1 / Harry Potter 1

Round 3: The Entourage

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No fantasy film is complete without a fellowship to back up its hero. Harry may be the more interesting protagonist, but how does his entourage hold up? His help comes from the secretive headmaster Dumbledore and his pals Hermione – a walking encyclopedia – his sidekick Ron, and many other friends. Frodo on the other hand doesn’t need much handholding. Sure, he’s got a sidekick in Sam, but Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli carry the battles and the tactics independently. When facing evil, we prefer dynamic characters that can act fully without asking permission of the hero. The fellowship claims this point! Score: LOTR 2 / Harry Potter 1

Round 4: The Villains

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One of the greatest aspects of a fantasy film is the threat faced by its hero. Frodo and company must deal with two similarly named villains, the out-of-body eye Sauron and the tainted white wizard Saruman, as well as their vast army of orcs who are trying to wipe out mankind. Harry Potter’s nemesis Voldemort has come back from the almost-dead, and gains strength as time marches on. Commanding a legion of evil wizards called Death Eaters, his plan is to rule everything and everyone with an iron fist, and he’ll achieve it with help from insane witch Bellatrix Lestrange, school bully Draco Malfoy, and more. While Sauron is epic, we can’t help but bow our wands to the performance of Ralph Fiennes as the dastardly, misshapen and terrifying Dark Lord. By the slightest of margins, the point goes to: LOTR 2 / Harry Potter 2

For this tiebreaker, we focus on one thing both film franchises had to pull off exceptionally well: both had the tough job of bringing fantastical visuals from the books to life on the big screen. Harry’s world is packed with detail in every shot, from moving pictures to floating candles – it’s all very amusing. However, it doesn’t quite deliver the same level of visual excellence as The Lord of the Rings. In fact, one Potter producer vocally cringed at the poor quality of earlier instalments. On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings brings to life entire battles riddled with imaginary creatures and breathtaking landscapes, all with consistent quality. Sorry Potter fans, we have to give this one to team Gandalf. Score: LOTR 3 / Harry Potter 2