Is Lord of the Rings the best fantasy series in your opinion?
LOTR and The Hobbit cannot be considered to be a series because JRRTolkien did not write them to be a series. The Hobbit was a stand-alone story and then Tolkien began the saga, Lord of the Rings. He began to have problems with the backstory, so he began writing The Silmarilion. What Tolkien did was to collect stories and tales from ancient settlers of UK, Anglos, Saxons, Pics, Irish and Scots and Romans. He used them to create his story. He also created the complete Elvish language. It is a complete language! Tolkien was incredibly intelligent and a perfectionist. He was also well versed in writing techniques and used them to develop the saga he dreamed of and created. He drew maps and pictures to go with his vision.The thing is, what he did had never really been done before. It is because of him and his friends at Oxford (The Inklings) C.S. Lewis being one, the genre “fantasy” was born. I think of Tolkien as the Father of all modern fantasy. Many writers have come after him and some might be more modern than he was but no one else can match him for the depth of the history, the languages, and the story. Just as Jules Verns was the father of Science Fiction.
Is the Lord of the Rings film series the greatest fantasy epic to be portrayed on film?
I will opine yes, as The Lord of the Rings is pretty much unanimously considered the greatest fantasy epic of all time. It is certainly the most widely read, unless you consider epic poems such as The Odyssey and The Iliad, which while fictional are not generally considered as ‘fantasy’ literature.That being so, it would be by definition the greatest possible movie adaptation. Having been brought to screen more than once, it’s rung that bell for the foreseeable.I would seriously consider other suggestions such as the Arthurian legends or the Ramayana if both a coherent argument was made and a compelling film adaptation was made, however, even being a Tolkien lover since grade two.
Are there any fantasy epics that you would consider better than Lord of the Rings?
This might be cheating…but I would say “The Silmarillion” and the long tale form of Túrin Turambar (“The Children of Húrin). Both are EXTREMELY different from the LOTR and do not provide the same linear narrative or character development (Although COH does decently in the department). The only contender for “better than LOTR” is, in my opinion, “The Saga of the Volsungs”.One fantasy (with bits of sci-fi mixed in) epic that I'll probably be laughed off Quora for mentioning is Richard and Wendy Pinis “Elfquest”. A SPRAWLING saga that replace grandiose dialogue for earnest brevity. It can come off as cheesy in many, many places but that fades away upon realizing the integrity of the characters. No scheming, no manipulation, no loss of idealism even in the face of absolute horror. Is it on par with LOTR? In many ways it is but I am reluctant to say that Tolkien and all his works cannot be touched by more than a caress of fingertips reaching up to caress his work.P.s-You can read all most all EQ comis for free on WARP Graphics site.EDIT: Much thanks to Joshua Millions for taking the time to point out some errors I made. I really appreciate that, Josh. Three cheers for Joshua!
What is the greatest Epic ever filmed? Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or some other?
Star Wars was a milestone in terms of visual effects and storytelling but I am slightly inclined towards The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. All Star Wars movies were good but the third one was not that great. On the other hand, the quality of LotR films gets better and better with each film. The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King is one of the greatest movies of all time. It had perfect balance of everything. The acting and direction were top notch, supported by spectacular and dazzling visuals, a good adapted screenplay, breathtaking cinematography and it had GOLLUM. Andy Serkis brought that character to life.Star wars had too much of Ewoks in the third film of the original trilogy, they were annoying (dont know why they invented Jar Jar Binks in the prequel). So I would say, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the greatest trilogy of all time.
Are The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit the best high fantasy movies ever?
Let us consider some facts about the business that LOTR has done:Among the highest grossing film series of all time.Won 17 out 30 total Academy Award nominations.The final film in the series, The Return of the King won all of its 11 Academy Award nominations, tying it with Ben-Hur and Titanic for most Academy Awards for a film.The Return of the King is the first and the only fantasy film to receive an Oscar for the Best Motion Picture. (This award is widely perceived as an award by proxy for the whole series.)The only series which keeps on getting better with each movie.The best BGM ever heard for a fantasy movie.I can keep on going but I think I have made my point. So, yes LOTR is the best high fantasy movie series ever.And HOBBIT ('which also good by the way') is coming as a trilogy just because Peter Jackson "the director for LOTR trilogy" is not able to move on!
Are the Lord of the Rings books considered classic novels?
Definitely! To me, they're one of the best books EVER written.
Is A Song of Ice and Fire the best fantasy book series there is? If not, which one(s) would you suggest other than LOTR?
Is A Song of Ice and Fire the best fantasy book series there is? If not, which one(s) would you suggest? (apart from LOTR)Yes, as much as others are listing great fantasy series, I’d have to say A Song of Ice and Fire is the best, apart from Lord of the Rings, which can never be surpassed because of its extraordinary scholarship, and because no one can write fantasy without standing on Tolkien’s shoulders.As I write this, there are 12 answers. I’ve read most of the books on this page, and they just don’t come up to the quality or thrill of A Song of Ice and Fire.The closest I think is The Kingkiller Chronicles—Name of the Wind and Wise Man’s Fear— by Patrick Rothfuss. But even that does not approach the scope, complexity, or the drama of A Song of Ice and Fire. Not only that, Rothfuss is two books into what I believe is planned as a trilogy, and like George, is taking his sweet old time. It will be a good trilogy, and I look forward to the third book, but it’s not the same. How did we get to the place where a trilogy of 600–700 page books is not enough?And on the other hand, we have stories like Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which seemed to ramble on forever. Or the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, whose first book is so derivative (sure there are other LOTR clones, but this one was almost the same story) of Lord of the Rings, I couldn’t stomach reading past the first book.I think the problem is that George RR Martin has spoiled the fantasy genre for me. His disdain for invincible heroes will always make traditional fantasy seem cliche. I know the hero is not in any real danger, because he/she is the hero, and isn’t going to die. With George, we just never know what’s going to happen.I predict there will eventually be more—many more—imitators of GRRM’s style. Supposed heroes will fall left and right. They’ll drop like flies. Some of these stories will be good, most will be pale imitations, but either way, he will have changed fantasy fiction forever.