>This question might be asked very frequently but I would like to know. It’s also completely fine if you think they shouldn’t be compared since they’re both incredible. I would like to hear peoples thoughts. In my opinion? They are both one of the best trilogies in cinema history and they are my one of my trilogies ever. Both are visual spectacles for their time with incredible characters.

They should and shouldn't be compared.

They're both, principally, fantasy trilogies: The Lord of the Rings is high fantasy, Star Wars is space fantasy. They're both cyclical; i.e. they by and large tell a single story across three entries, as compared to something more anthological like Indiana Jones or even Marvel.

Having said that, there are also huge differences: Star Wars was made one film at a time, three years apart, with different creatives coming in and out, and notably with a big budget spike after the first film, which largely functions as a standalone vignette. Many of the story choices made across the trilogy were late-in-the game retcons, including (but not limited to) the pivotal reveal in The Empire Strikes Back. By comparison, The Lord of the Rings is ostensibly one film exhibited in three parts.

As a result, I'd say The Lord of the Rings has the advantage of uniformity: all three films feel cut from the same cloth and genuine continuations of each other, while The Empire Strikes Back feels - in scope, style, tone and plot - a total break from the world of the original film. Its also more uniform in quality: The Empire Strikes Back tends to be people's pick for the best of three Star Wars films, and Return of the Jedi is pretty consistently voted the worst. The Lord of the Rings is much harder to draw such distinctions, precisely because its pretty much one film in three parts.

I'm sure people in this thread will point out that Star Wars was more avant-garde for special effects and more influential. That's all true, but I think films should be evaluated first and foremost by what they make us feel as individuals when we watch them over how influential they are on cinema history. Ultimately, you have to sit down and watch it!

I pick The Lord of the Rings.