Christopher Lee was a legendary actor who appeared in some of the greatest movies of all time. Among others Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. Which franchise of the two is better was quite clear to him.
Christopher Lee played many iconic roles in his life. Be it Dracula, Saruman, or Count Dooku. The latter are villains from The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and have especially burned into the minds of the audience due to Lee’s portrayal.
There are often discussions about which of the two film series is better. The fanbases of both universes are large and opinionated – even though it is of course questionable whether Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings can even be compared. Christopher Lee did it and provided an answer to the question.
One aspect distinguishes the two universes
What did Christopher Lee say? In an interview with TFN, the actor spoke about his work and compared The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars with each other.
The crucial difference is that George Lucas’ star saga is not based on a template and is completely fictional, while Peter Jackson’s films are adaptations of a novel.
Lee emphasized how much he was impressed by the genius of George Lucas. He created a franchise out of nothing that is now known worldwide and continues to grow. That was a monumental task that Lucas mastered well. Even though the filmmaker initially thought it would be a flop.
In contrast, The Lord of the Rings pales, because here there was hardly any room for experimentation due to the source material. Otherwise, it would have upset the fans of the book. There are some differences in the films, however.
Christopher Lee therefore preferred Star Wars to the Middle-earth saga. And that, even though he personally met the author of The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1950s (via independent.co). No other actor in the films can claim that.
Even when it came to his characters, Count Dooku had the edge here.
Why is Count Dooku more interesting? Lee called the role a dream for any actor. Portraying Dooku was very appealing because the character is mysterious and his motivation remains in the dark at first appearance. Developing the character was a delight.
Which franchise is better can of course not be definitively clarified, but is mostly a matter of taste. That’s why we are interested in your opinion. Are you more at home in Middle-earth, or in a galaxy far, far away? Feel free to let us know in the comments. By the way, did you know: One of the most awkward moments in Star Wars happened because George Lucas had a big problem
