Star Wars vs. The Wizard of Oz

Here is the argument. Which is a better fantasy classic. The original Star Wars movie (now known as Episode IV: A New Hope but for the longest time simply called Star Wars ) or The Wizard of Oz. Yes, this is the ridiculous alcohol-fueled argument that took place among friends. As far as I was concerned this was an apples-and-oranges comparison. But my friends wanted me to settle the argument. So here is a side by side comparison of both movies.

Princess Leia vs. Dorothy Gale
Lets start with the heroines of each film. Leia and Dorothy are about the same age and are both strong willed young women. Dorothy does have a couple of moments of weakness, once when she is told the Wizard is too busy to see her, and another when she cries out for her Auntie Em when the witch locks her in a room. Leia, on the other hand, stands up to a torture robot without giving away the location of the rebel base, and does not even shed a tear when her home planet Alderaan along with her entire family and every friend she ever knew is blown up by the Death Star. Both girls end up needing to be rescued, but Leia takes command of the rescue party almost immediately. The only advantage Dorothy has over Leia is she does not have that annoying bun hairstyle, but for this round I will have to go with Princess Leia. So score 1 for Star Wars.

Luke Skywalker vs. The Scarecrow
Both Luke and The Scarecrow come from farms, the Scarecrow a farm that grows corn and Skywalker from a farm that grows moisture. Both dream of a better life beyond their humdrum farms. Luke has a slight advantage over The Scarecrow as he can use the power of The Force. But The Scarecrow beats Luke out in the intelligence department, even though he has no brain. But when it comes down to it, Luke blew up a f*#king space station. Another point for Star Wars.

Darth Vader vs. The Wicked Witch of The West
And now two of the greatest villains in screen history. Both are powerful in black magic, but Vader's trick is choking people with his thoughts, although he could easily do it with his own bare hands ( and has ) so it is not much of a trick. The Witch can appear anywhere in an explosion of fire and red smoke, can hurl fireballs, poison people by looking at them through a crystal ball, and can terrorize an entire city with her skywriting. Oh, and she can fly on a broom. Vader needs a spaceship to fly. But while the Witch seems more powerful she has a major vulnerability. Water causes her to disintegrate into a screaming puddle of goo. While this gives anyone with access to a water fountain, fire hose or bottle of Poland Spring the ability to defeat the Witch with a painful and horrifying death, no one seems to know of this vulnerability which is only stumbled upon by accident when Dorothy is attempting to douse flames that the Witch set on The Scarecrow. It is not that likely that someone confronted by the Witch will think to himself "Hey, lets try getting her wet." What gives the Witch an edge is that Darth Vader is actually ranked as a henchman. While Vader spends most of the movie following orders from his superiors the Witch is the dictator of her own domain. And believe it or not she is far more sadistic than Vader. I have to go with the Wicked Witch of the West in this round. Star Wars 2 - Wizard of Oz 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. The Wizard ( a.k.a. Professor Marvel )
Obi-Wan is the real deal here with his Jedi mind tricks. The Wizard is all smoke and mirrors. Had The Wizard been that disembodied floating giant green bald head then he would have won this round hands down. The Wizard's powers are all trickery. But The Wizard is an endearing con artist. On personality alone the Wizard outranks Obi-Wan by a mile. I give it to the Wizard by a hair. Star Wars 2 - Wizard of Oz 2

C3PO vs. The Tin Man
Okay. We have an annoying robot and a crybaby made out of tin. Which one is a better character? Well, C3PO does nothing but complain. He does not aid the heroes of the movie in any way other than translating the high pitched beeps coming from R2D2. Then again what does the Tin Man do other than sing about wanting a heart? He has an axe but never uses it. ( It is actually the Scarecrow who grabs the axe from the Tin Man during the escape from the Witch's castle to chop the rope holding the chandelier ). C3PO Tries to talk R2D2 out of helping the rebel Alliance while the Tin Man unties the balloon allowing it to take off without Dorothy. I am going to have to say that neither character wins this round.

Chewbacca vs. The Cowardly Lion
Chewbacca will rip a man's arm off for beating him in chess. The Lion bursts into tears when a girl punches him in the nose. Obviously this round goes to Chewbacca. Star Wars 3 - Wizard of Oz 2

R2D2 vs. Toto
The real heroes of both movies. Not only does R2D2 smuggle the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance but rescues everyone from the trash compactor. Toto not only leads the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion back to the castle where Dorothy is being held but pulls the curtain back to reveal the truth about the Wizard. Both R2D2 and Toto are the reasons why the good guys win. But had Toto not gone after that cat Dorothy would have not been left behind by the Wizard's balloon. Because of that Toto loses this round. Star Wars 4 - Wizard of Oz 2

Han Solo vs. Glinda
Glinda knew all along that all Dorothy had to do was click her ruby slippers together three times and wish herself home, and instead of saying anything sent a young girl off by herself on a dangerous trek to visit a wizard who does not really exist. Shame on you Glinda, you lose this round. No need to mention how cool Han Solo was. Star Wars 5 - Wizard of Oz 2

The Jawas vs. The Munchkins
The Munchkins sing and dance. The Jawas do not. The Jawas are pretty boring. They sell stolen robots and drive this huge tank thing, but nothing much more. Just about the only interesting thing about these characters is that their name comes from the movie title Jaws as a tribute Lucas was paying to his friend Spielberg who had recently had a huge hit with his shark movie. The Munchkins have a lollipop league. For being more interesting the Munchkins win this round. Star Wars 5 - Wizard of Oz 3

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru vs. Uncle Henry and Auntie Em
Mrs Gulch comes by and demands that Toto be handed over for euthanization and what does Uncle Henry and Auntie Em do? They immediately turn Dorothy's dog over. The storm troopers stop by the moisture farm demanding Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru turn over Luke's droids and what do they do? They keep their mouths shut and do not tell the Troopers where Luke went with the droids. Owen and Beru were willing to stand up to authority and paid the price. Henry and Em folded in a second to authority. They also locked Dorothy outside in the Twister. I give this round to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Star Wars 6 - Wizard of Oz 3

Tusken Raider ( Sand People ) vs. The Flying Monkeys
On the one hand you have mummy like desert creatures and on the other hand flying winged monkeys. Hands down flying monkeys win. Star Wars 6 - Wizard of Oz 4

The Emperor vs. The Wicked Witch of East
Neither one of these characters actually makes an appearance in their respective movies. In Star Wars it is mentioned that the Emperor has dismissed the senate while in The Wizard of Oz you only see the feet of the freshly squished and undeniably dead Wicked Witch of the East. The Emperor created the Death Star, a space station designed to blow up any planet that resists his rule. On the other hand the Wicked Witch of the East terrorized the Munchkins so much that they were all in hiding. What tips the scale in favor of the Witch is that you see her feet while the Emperor would not make any appearance until The Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars 6 - Wizard of Oz 5

The Storm Troopers vs. The Wicked Witch of the West's Guards
The Guards win hands down. The storm troopers did not have a cool song they sung while marching around the Death Star. Star Wars 6 - Wizard of Oz 6

Grand Moff Tarkin vs. Head Guard Who Said "She's dead. You killed her"
I am not sure what rank Grand Moff is but apparently it allows you to go around blowing up planets without consulting with the Emperor first. Not much of a fair comparison here as the head guard is barely in The Wizard of Oz, but were running out of cast members here. Obviously Tarkin wins this round. Star Wars 7 - Wizard of Oz 6

Mos Eisley vs. Emerald City
Mos Eisley is dirty and unpleasant while the Emerald City is the exact opposite. The citizens of the Emerald City laugh and sing all day and have nothing but pleasant things to say while the citizens of Mos Eisley are miserable bastards who will try to kill you. Emerald City wins this round. Star Wars 7 - Wizard of Oz 7

Death Star vs. Witch's Castle
No contest. The Death Star can blow things up. Star Wars 8 - Wizard of Oz 7

Star Wars Musical Score vs. Wizard of Oz Musical Score
Wizard of Oz. The munchkins singing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead for 20 minutes beats out whatever that song was being played in the Mos Eisley Cantina. And Somewhere Over the Rainbow is one of the greatest songs ever. Star Wars 8 - Wizard of Oz 8

Star Wars Special Effects vs. Wizard of Oz Special Effects
Actually the Wizard of Oz's special effects are amazing considering they are from the 1930's. I was always blown away by the tornado when I was a kid, even though you only saw it from a distance. The Flying Monkeys and Wizard head were also impressive. The special effects in the original version of Star Wars ( not the Special Edition where they updated the special effects ) were pretty cheap, but there were a few standout scenes such as the first shot of the movie where the Imperial battleship attacks Princess Leia's ship. Both movies are nearly even when it comes to special effects, but Star Wars edges The Wizard of Oz out. Star Wars 9 - Wizard of Oz 8

Star Wars Galaxy vs. Land of Oz
Based on what little of the Star Wars Galaxy you see in the original movie and what little of the Land of Oz was used in the M.G.M. adaption and not based on any further books or sequels in either franchise, I would have to say that Oz is far more interesting. In Star Wars you only have the desert planet of Tatooine, the Death Star and glimpses of the jungle moon of Yavin. In The Wizard of Oz you have Munchkin City, Emerald City, The Haunted Forest, The Wicked Witch of the West's Castle and The Yellow Brick Road. Even the creatures in Oz are more imaginative with flying monkeys and talking trees. Oz wins this round. Star Wars 9 - Wizard of Oz 9.

Final score a tie at 9-9. A tie. I guess that the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars are equally great fantasy films. Although I am sure you probably have your own preferences as to which movie is the best.