Everyone’s going on about how great House of the Dragon is, but there are also a set of fans who argue that whatever they do, the Lord of the Rings did better. Today, we’re going to settle the score – at least from our standpoint. House of the Dragon vs Lord of the Rings: Which is Excellent? Read on to find out!
Where the similarities end: House of the Dragon vs Lord of the Rings
To say that House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series were highly anticipated is an understatement. After all, in their own right, each of these shows already has a strong fanbase. Fans were already deeply invested in the lore, and they were excited to see how things played out.
What’s more is that both of these are prequels, based on a story that the author has already written. This is why it’s interesting that these shows were released just twelve days apart. It’s not that we’re pitting them against each other for no reason. They basically brought the comparison upon themselves.
And we will tell you, both of them are extremely well done. But, there are things one does better than the other.
Better for beginners: House of the Dragon
The thing about the Lord of the Rings is that to fully understand what’s going on, you need to have been immersed in the fandom for a while. There are references in there that you will only get if you’ve watched the movies or read the books. It would have worked if they took the time to explain these references, but they didn’t.
Meanwhile, House of the Dragon lays out the trajectory of its story from the beginning. It gives new fans insight into what is going on, so they don’t feel lost about the important references made. This is why, in this case, House of the Dragon is a more excellent show for beginners.
More excellent in terms of costume and design: It’s a tie!
If there’s one thing both House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings excel at, it’s costume and set design. There’s no contest here. They’ve both done it well throughout their different franchise offerings, and they continue to knock it out of the park.
Better heroism and character development: Lord of the Rings
It’s no secret that House of the Dragon’s main characters can get very corrupt and morally murky. This is why the protagonists of the Lord of the Rings are classified as more noble in their pursuit.
For Lord of the Rings, it’s about a battle against evil. There are fights against oppression and a quest to eradicate wickedness. For House of the Dragon, it’s basically about a power grab. After all, Rhaenyra’s struggle revolves around wanting the throne as her birthright.
More excellent weaponry: House of the Dragon
I’m not really sure if this comes as a surprise, given that Game of Thrones was all about the swords and iron. Regardless, this excellence in weaponry translates even to House of the Dragon – even better.
The House of the Dragon is set during the Golden Age of Valyrian weaponry, so we see a lot of powerful swords. There’s Blackfyre, the Dark Sister, and of course, the Iron Throne made of hundreds of swords.
Meanwhile, in Lord of the Rings, we have yet to see enough of the legendary blades like Narsil and Gurthang.
Fun fact: In the lore of Lord of the Rings, there is a precious metal called mirthil. It’s stronger than steel, but no one has made a weapon out of it.
Better-utilized world language: House of the Dragon
As a writer, I can only imagine how difficult it is to craft an entire language. So, in any case, huge props to the people who created the unique lexicon of each show. Here’s what they’re called:
- The Lord of the Rings: Quenya
- House of the Dragon: High Valyrian
Now, some of you may be surprised that House of the Dragon wins over The Lord of the Rings in this regard. After all, Quenya has been around for much longer than High Valyrian.
Tolkien was actually a linguist who crafted Quenya on his own, as an Elvish language for his world.
But, the thing is, Quenya has barely been used in The Lord of the Rings thus far. In contrast, House of the Dragon actually used High Valyrian in conversation. The best part is that the actors speak the language fluently and effortlessly. So, this point goes to House of the Dragon.
More excellent world-building: House of the Dragon
Make no mistake: Tolkien has built an amazing world with his books. But, the fact of the matter is that he is no longer alive to ensure the successful translation of his lore to the screen. This is the advantage that House of the Dragon then over the Lord of the Rings.
The showrunners for Game of Thrones are the same ones doing House of the Dragon, so they can ensure that the show stays true to the heart of the franchise. In comparison, the Lord of the Rings is created by first-timers to the world. In fact, some fans are even contesting some of the creative decisions made about the show, because they go against existing lore.
It is because of this that we have to say House of the Dragon just did the world-building more excellently than the Lord of the Rings.
The final verdict: House of the Dragon is more excellent than Lord of the Rings
At least, thus far. After all, the shows of the Lord of the Rings have always been the type to build up slowly, so who’s to say that the best isn’t yet to come? It certainly has the foundations and source material to grow into something magnificent.
But, for now, we give this win to House of the Dragon. Whatever it’s been doing so far is working well enough to redeem the Game of Thrones name. That says a lot. In this battle, it is clearly the more excellent show as of this writing.
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