Display MoreThe Wing Commander movie club's consensus was that The Lord of the Rings (1978) was a pretty interesting affair. It is by no means a perfect movie… but it is very artistic, has a super distinctive look and is an extremely good adaptation of Lord of the Rings (at least in so much as is included in what was intended to be part one of a two film series!). It's also hard not to compare it to the 2001 Peter Jackson adaptation and it seems pretty clear that it actually inspired a lot of that take.
Our biggest Wing Commander connection was Gandalf's famous sword Glamdring, aka "Foehammer" (the name of a Murphy-class destroyed in Secret Ops). Glamdring is actually shattered during the fight with the Balrog in this adaptation but it seems to return alongside Gandalf when he emerges as Gandalf the White at the end of the film.
And here's the entrance to Khazad-dûm, aka Moria!
Finally, compare the rotoscope animation used in The Lord of the Rings' opening to the scramble scene from Wing Commander I. Pretty similar! The film uses rotoscope animation throughout and it really does feel a lot like the cutscenes used in Wing Commander I and II.
Sully is more of a Dune fan.
