Ring of Stars

When you discuss film franchises many can come into play. However the discussion would be pointless if you do not talk about the two possibly largest franchises to ever grace the screen, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.  These two films do not only share reverence but also share the the iconic Hero's Journey despite a drastically different setting.

Let's begin with the protagonist's beginning. Luke and Frodo share a very quaint and simple beginning, a farm boy and and a resident of the shire respectively. They are launched into their journey by the acquaintance of old wiseman, Obi-Wan and Gandalf. They are as well accompanied by misfits. All these things are shared parts of the Hero's Journey. But what makes these too films unique? In Star Wars Luke has to come to terms with primarily external forces, connecting with the force, his father, being placed in the role of a leader, etc. Not to disregarding his internal struggles such as coming to terms with his own much like his father. Contradicting that in Lord of the Rings is Frodo's internal struggle. His dilemma battling his own constant temptation of the ring and longing for home. Again even those these struggles are prominent, we should not forgot his external ones as well, like a crossing a continent full of Orcs.

I know this post was a bit shorter and a lot more out format than the others. But going over certain literary trends in one of my classes had me thinking about this a lot and I really wanted to do a piece on these two series before the semester was over.