Star Wars comparison?

[darby]

I was watching the old Star Wars movies over the weekend (from the 70's and 80's) and noted many comparisons between SW and HP. So does this mean that Snape will kill Voldemort to save Harry, in the process injuring himself so badly that he dies (yet proving that he was a good guy)? Darth Vader killed the emperor to save Luke... I just found the similarities between the two story lines quite striking. What do you guys think?

I just want Dumbledore alive and Snape to be a good guy.

[Froggs]

All stories of good and evil have things in common. I don't necessarily think that JKR is going to follow the Star Wars plot, especially since we know that LV is not HP's father, and neither is Snape for that matter. I don't think that LV will suddenly turn good either, HP's tanacity won't turn him around, although it may do that for Snape. The HP's series has more in common with LOTR and The Dark is Rising Series where there is a clear seperation between good and evil. JKR likes to fool with the ones that fall in the middle also, and that makes it more...believable? Realsitic? confusing? or something along those lines. I don't think we know how JKR is going to end this series, I don't think we have even come close to what she has in mind, but the theorizing is fun!

[Bextra]

wow i would never have thought to watch the old star wars movies and doing comparisons, maybe ill try that with war of the worlds, im going on saturday.

[Snow_Crystal]

I have to say when JKR mentioned the Chosen One for the first time in the book I actually cringed because of the similarity with the Matrix trilogy.

[EFish91]

Also, in the last star wars flick, they called anakin.... The Chosen one.

and Dobby reminds me of JAr-Jar-Binks.

and the good guys (aurors or jedi) have to stop the sith lord (or dark lord-Voldemort)

[EFish91]

also, in both, the main villian tries getting the good guy (anakin or harry) to join the dark side.

[Froggs]

But, like I said, that is always the case in good verses evil sagas...good golly, it is true for most Fantasy period! I don't think JKR is ripping off Star Wars

[Dutchess42]

One has to honor certain traditions in order for a hero quest story to succeed. Within that framework there are not really infinite options so of course there are going to be similarities.

The things I think Rowling has going for her are her ability to give you a sense of place and her ability to make you really care about the characters - giving the protagonists flaws and the nemeses their good traits. Her attention to detail is amazing as well. That's what makes the HP series unique.

[darby]

I don't think that Rowling was ripping off Star Wars. I thought it was just kinda funny while I was watching it.

I also thought it was amusing that my mum has issues because of the "magic" in HP (anti-christianity). Yet she had no problem with "the force" in Star Wars. Hmmm...

[Snow_Crystal]

I don't think JKR can avoid comparison to other fiction/films etc. Good versus Evil goes back centuries so I guess they all really have to have the core elements within that mix.

Lord of the Rings was written 50+ years ago I think and you could say there were comparisons can be drawn on this as well.

These days it's very difficult to come up with plots that don't regenerate old ones.

This is going to be a controversial comment but you could also draw on similarities to stories in the bible where JC is the superstar...!!

I think it is a very sad day when people complain about HP because of the magical content. Fantasy is what fiction is all about. They never complained years ago about the violence in Tom and Jerry cartoons!!!! Not that I regard that there is violence in Tom and Jerry but setting a trap for a cat to kill that cat is hardly christian is it?!!!

[Froggs]

That is true, Tom and Jerry does not display Christian charity and forgiveness

These stories go back to the beginning of time practically, oral tradition passed down stories like Beowulf and Arthurian legends (the first of European Fantasy) where magic is prevelant and Christian stuff was thrown in later...it is funny that parents don't mind having their kids read Shakespeare (which is full of sexual inuendo) but pitch a fit when they read Harry Potter!

[Arun]

lol, I got the weirdest thought in my head.

In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo starts out with his friends to destroy the Ring, but knows he probably will have to do it alone.

Harry is going with his friends on a journey to find the Horcruxes and ultimately destroy Voldemort (eek), but knows it probably will be Harry alone in the end.



Does anyone else see this comparison?

[Nightcrawler]

I also thought it was amusing that my mum has issues because of the "magic" in HP (anti-christianity). Yet she had no problem with "the force" in Star Wars.

People get thrown off by the semantics. The Force is just magic with a different name. The Jedi are pretty much the equivelant of witches and wizards but nobody has an issue with them. What is the difference between Harry waving his wand to make an object float about, and a Jedi use "the Force" to make objects float about? Whats the difference between a Death Eater using the Cruccio cures and Darth Vader Force-choking someone? If anything, Star Wars should be interpreted as more blashpemous than Harry Potter.

I can think of another series of films where children go to a school to learn how to use thier magical powers. The films also deal with the subject of evolution. It's called X-men.

As for similarities between the Star Wars and Harry Potter, if you look around JKR's website, you'll notice that she says a few times that she is trying to avoid being too much like Star Wars. For example she says that she will not be doing a prequal series and that Voldermort is not Harry's father.

But there are still a few similarities, especially in the movies! Harry is an orphan, he gets tempted by "the dark lord", there are ghosts that give him advice and in the fourth book/movie Harry's wand emits a glowing beam of light!

[Aberforth]

The HP is anti-christian seems to be more of an issue in the U.S. than in the UK, so you tend not to ear about it being banned over here.

This is ultimately Harry's journey, so it is inevitable that he will have to go alone at the end and will probably feel out of place after the event (kinda like frodo in ROTK - don't like using that analogy cos I hate LOTR). This is the Harry Potter series, not the Harry, Ron and Hermione series, so although the will undoubtedly help him along the way, Harry will be alone in the end.

[Person1]

Yeah, there are some stupid things going on in the world, "The books are too evil or dark or whatever" Then dont buy em! Dont go complaining when there are 5billion+ other dark/gory books out there. As for the Star Wars comparison...no, not like magic, otherwise you could sayn any unigue ability in a movie is "magic." Neo is dodgeing all the bullets from agent Smith "Its magic!"