Great list @Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl . Lots of lightsabers!OK, here's my list...
Honourable Mentions: General Grievous' Lightsaber Collection (Star Wars: Episode III), Kylo Ren's Lightsaber (Star Wars Sequel Trilogy), Saruman's Staff (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies), Radagast's Staff/Gandalf the Grey's Second Staff (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies), Gandalf the White's Staff (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Chirrut Imwe's Staff (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Indiana Jones' Whip (Indiana Jones Quartet, let's ignore the last one), Obi-Wan's third Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes III-IV), Shaun's Cricket Bat (Shaun of the Dead)
- Darth Maul's Double-Bladed Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episode I): You don't need me to tell you how it immediately became one of the coolest things in the Prequels - a novel expansion of the Lightsaber concept that is given an excellent demonstration of its usage at the climax of the first film of the trilogy.
- Sting (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies): About as faithful and effective a weapon as a Hobbit could want... Sting may be small, but only a fool would underestimate it when used in the right small hand. Pity Frodo is useless as a swordfighter in the original trilogy and it doesn't get as much of an outing as it should there, but the younger Bilbo ably makes use of it throughout the Hobbit trilogy.
- Excalibur (Merlin): As many of you have probably noticed I've always been a big fan of this BBC series of the late 2000s and early 2010s, and King Arthur's legendary sword is given a big part within it, as it deserves to - originally forged in Kilgharrah the Great Dragon's breath to be able to slay a Wraith knight, it gradually finds its way into Arthur's hands as he ultimately steps up to become the great king he was born to be, and accompanies him on his journey to fulfil his destiny in forging the land of Albion.
- Orcrist (The Hobbit trilogy): Orcrist was my favourite weapon in the Hobbit book (as Thorin was one of my favourite characters) and it gets a good outing in the films, regularly changing hands between Thorin and Legolas and cleaving Orcs as it does best.
- Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episode I): Of all the other Prequel Lightsabers, this one stands out as the second most significant after Darth Maul's blade, at least for me... Obi-Wan and Anakin keep losing most of theirs, and it is his master's blade, rather than his own, that Obi-Wan uses to rise above the temptations of the Dark Side and turn the tables on Qui-Gon's killer in Episode I. Plus, I have a replica of it!
- Gimli's Axe (The Lord of the Rings trilogy): Thanks @NIGHTBRINGER for reminding me of Gimli and the first Dwarf weapon we see cracking Orc heads in the Middle-Earth franchise
- Mjolnir (Thor films): Even though I've only seen two MCU films (and I principally watched those for the Norse Mythology references) even I cannot deny the iconic status of Thor's mighty hammer from both a comics and a mythological point of view. The mighty lightning-hammer that is the slayer of more than a few Giants and Trolls in the legends, and it was a nice touch from the MCU to introduce the idea that only the bravest, strongest and purest of heart can wield it.
- Anakin's second Lightsaber/Luke's first Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes III-IV): I prefer Darth Maul's and Qui-Gon's blades, but I cannot deny that Anakin's Episode III Lightsaber also deserves a place on this list due to being the one Obi-Wan takes from him after their duel on Mustafar and gives to Luke in Episode IV. If one Lightsaber is iconic through sheer longevity in the saga, it has to be this one. Though let's ignore how a wrinkled orange alien midget somehow finds it after Luke lost it in Episode V and gives it to an unlikeable girlboss.
- Narsil/Anduril (The Lord of the Rings trilogy): The legendary sword of Isildur that cut the ring from Sauron's finger and was later reborn into the sword Aragorn would wield in the Return of the King to unite the lands of men. While I'm less interested in the humans of Middle-Earth than I am in the other more fantastical races, I would still be a poor Middle-Earth fan indeed if I didn't recognise this sword's iconic status as a film weapon.
- Count Dooku's Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes II-III): It was a toss-up between this one and Kylo Ren's Lightsaber for my last place on this list, and I've gone with Dooku's because while on the surface it doesn't look particularly out-of-the-ordinary aside from a slight curve to the hilt, it's how the late, great Christopher Lee (or a duellist stunt double... whoever wielded it) used the weapon that really helps to separate Count Dooku from other characters - he really nailed an elegant, flowing fighting style with it (which would later be codified into lore as Form II of Lightsaber Combat) that showcased the character's background as a nobleman and his sophisticated personality. Plus he pretty easily takes out both Obi-Wan and Anakin and holds his own against none other than the legendary Grand Master Yoda with this blade and style (plus defeats Obi-Wan with them again in Episode III). By contrast, Kylo's Medieval broadsword-style Lightsaber, while a cooler design, was never used to its full potential and its owner consistently got owned in a film trilogy which had a plot that was set against him from the start. As it is, though, it still deserves a place in my Honourable Mention as one of the few cool things about the Sequel Trilogy.
We have!
He did pretty well, but he soon came to realize that he was outmatched.
So many good weapons on there, @Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl.OK, here's my list...
Honourable Mentions: General Grievous' Lightsaber Collection (Star Wars: Episode III), Kylo Ren's Lightsaber (Star Wars Sequel Trilogy), Saruman's Staff (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies), Radagast's Staff/Gandalf the Grey's Second Staff (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies), Gandalf the White's Staff (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Chirrut Imwe's Staff (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Indiana Jones' Whip (Indiana Jones Quartet, let's ignore the last one), Obi-Wan's third Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes III-IV), Shaun's Cricket Bat (Shaun of the Dead)
- Darth Maul's Double-Bladed Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episode I): You don't need me to tell you how it immediately became one of the coolest things in the Prequels - a novel expansion of the Lightsaber concept that is given an excellent demonstration of its usage at the climax of the first film of the trilogy.
- Sting (The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies): About as faithful and effective a weapon as a Hobbit could want... Sting may be small, but only a fool would underestimate it when used in the right small hand. Pity Frodo is useless as a swordfighter in the original trilogy and it doesn't get as much of an outing as it should there, but the younger Bilbo ably makes use of it throughout the Hobbit trilogy.
- Excalibur (Merlin): As many of you have probably noticed I've always been a big fan of this BBC series of the late 2000s and early 2010s, and King Arthur's legendary sword is given a big part within it, as it deserves to - originally forged in Kilgharrah the Great Dragon's breath to be able to slay a Wraith knight, it gradually finds its way into Arthur's hands as he ultimately steps up to become the great king he was born to be, and accompanies him on his journey to fulfil his destiny in forging the land of Albion.
- Orcrist (The Hobbit trilogy): Orcrist was my favourite weapon in the Hobbit book (as Thorin was one of my favourite characters) and it gets a good outing in the films, regularly changing hands between Thorin and Legolas and cleaving Orcs as it does best.
- Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episode I): Of all the other Prequel Lightsabers, this one stands out as the second most significant after Darth Maul's blade, at least for me... Obi-Wan and Anakin keep losing most of theirs, and it is his master's blade, rather than his own, that Obi-Wan uses to rise above the temptations of the Dark Side and turn the tables on Qui-Gon's killer in Episode I. Plus, I have a replica of it!
- Gimli's Axe (The Lord of the Rings trilogy): Thanks @NIGHTBRINGER for reminding me of Gimli and the first Dwarf weapon we see cracking Orc heads in the Middle-Earth franchise
- Mjolnir (Thor films): Even though I've only seen two MCU films (and I principally watched those for the Norse Mythology references) even I cannot deny the iconic status of Thor's mighty hammer from both a comics and a mythological point of view. The mighty lightning-hammer that is the slayer of more than a few Giants and Trolls in the legends, and it was a nice touch from the MCU to introduce the idea that only the bravest, strongest and purest of heart can wield it.
- Anakin's second Lightsaber/Luke's first Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes III-IV): I prefer Darth Maul's and Qui-Gon's blades, but I cannot deny that Anakin's Episode III Lightsaber also deserves a place on this list due to being the one Obi-Wan takes from him after their duel on Mustafar and gives to Luke in Episode IV. If one Lightsaber is iconic through sheer longevity in the saga, it has to be this one. Though let's ignore how a wrinkled orange alien midget somehow finds it after Luke lost it in Episode V and gives it to an unlikeable girlboss.
- Narsil/Anduril (The Lord of the Rings trilogy): The legendary sword of Isildur that cut the ring from Sauron's finger and was later reborn into the sword Aragorn would wield in the Return of the King to unite the lands of men. While I'm less interested in the humans of Middle-Earth than I am in the other more fantastical races, I would still be a poor Middle-Earth fan indeed if I didn't recognise this sword's iconic status as a film weapon.
- Count Dooku's Lightsaber (Star Wars: Episodes II-III): It was a toss-up between this one and Kylo Ren's Lightsaber for my last place on this list, and I've gone with Dooku's because while on the surface it doesn't look particularly out-of-the-ordinary aside from a slight curve to the hilt, it's how the late, great Christopher Lee (or a duellist stunt double... whoever wielded it) used the weapon that really helps to separate Count Dooku from other characters - he really nailed an elegant, flowing fighting style with it (which would later be codified into lore as Form II of Lightsaber Combat) that showcased the character's background as a nobleman and his sophisticated personality. Plus he pretty easily takes out both Obi-Wan and Anakin and holds his own against none other than the legendary Grand Master Yoda with this blade and style (plus defeats Obi-Wan with them again in Episode III). By contrast, Kylo's Medieval broadsword-style Lightsaber, while a cooler design, was never used to its full potential and its owner consistently got owned in a film trilogy which had a plot that was set against him from the start. As it is, though, it still deserves a place in my Honourable Mention as one of the few cool things about the Sequel Trilogy.
Funny you should mention Excalibur. It was the one sword in Thundercats that was more powerful than the Sword of Omens.
The best but worst part about Thundercats was that they gradually made the Sword of Omens a sort of "do anything needed" item.
Indeed... it was as strong or as weak as the plot required. It did some pretty crazy shit by the end. A more thought out and balanced approach would have been better.
I'm sure I've asked you this before, but what did you think of the relatively recent Thundercats remake? I thought it was okay. It didn't quite have the "charm" of the old 80's cartoon, though. But that could just be nostalgia talking.
2011. Wow! 2011... was it already that long ago... man, I'm old.Which remake are you referring to?...
(2011)
or
(2020)
And you would be correct...
Have you watched it at all recently (by which I mean as an adult)? I'd be curious to see if Snarf annoys you as well, or if it is just me.
No, I haven't really watched in a while. Maybe a video on YouTube. Snarf is annoying, but it's a nice trip down memory lane. Plus, the theme song IS still one of the best with awesome animation. Rankin & Bass knew what they were doing with those intros.
Topic #22 - Top Ten Movie/TV Directors
Time for our next topic. This time around we're looking at our favourite movie and tv show directors. When considering your directors, only rank them based on their directorial work (discounting things like acting work, executive producing, etc.). Next to each of my chosen directors, I've included my favourite movies/shows they directed. These are the works that I evaluated as part of my decision making; adding up their collective value and range in order to arrive at my final list. I did this because I personally found this category difficult in terms ordering my list. Feel free to use this method if it is helpful for you or arrive at your list in a completely different way.
Here is my list:
- James Cameron [Aliens, Titanic, Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Abyss, Avatar, True Lies]
- Christopher Nolan [Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Interstellar]
- Ridley Scott [Gladiator, Alien, The Martian, Prometheus, Alien Covenant]
- Robert Zemeckis [Back to the Future I, II & III, Contact, Romancing the Stone, Cast Away]
- Steven Spielberg [Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]
- John McTiernan [The 13th Warrior, Predator, Die Hard, Last Action Hero]
- Genndy Tartakovsky [Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars]
- Peter Jackson [LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring, LOTR The Two Towers, LOTR The Return of the King, King Kong]
- Joe & Anthony Russo [Avengers Infinity War, Avengers Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: The Winter Soldier]
- Jay Oliva [The Dark Knight Returns, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, Batman: Assault on Arkham]
I look forward to your lists! Let me know what you think of mine.
I look forward to seeing your completed list!
