Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
It's rivalry week here in the great state of Utah. Whether you are a BYU fan, a Utah fan or couldn't care less, there is no way you have escaped all the rivalry talk if you live in Utah. The Utes and Cougars started playing football against one another in 1896, and fans have been addicted to this game ever since.
Considering I'm a giant nerd who loves movies, the rivalry game didn't get me thinking about the greatest rivalries in sports, but rather the greatest rivalries in movies.
Yes, I know I'm odd. Sorry, not sorry.
There are notable rivalries in cinematic history, but which are the best? Well, I have my list, and you may or may not agree with it. What I am certain of, however, is that regardless of how much you may disagree with my list, it will not upset you nearly as much if I were to tell you which in-state school I root for.
Let's set our football rivalries aside and argue about movies instead. I'm more comfortable there.
A few things to know before you jump into the list: I did not include superhero rivalries — e.g., Batman and Joker, Superman and Lex Luthor, etc. — because those were born in the comics and not on the screen. I did not include literary rivals like Harry Potter and Voldemort or Holmes and Moriarty. We're also excluding historical rivalries like Mozart and Salieri.
Now that you have the rules, and you're already upset because you think I am a Ute or a Coug or had the audacity to leave out Batman and Harry Potter, let's get to business.
Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in "Rocky"
Let's start with an obvious one, shall we? "Rocky" is one of the hallmarks of American cinema. It's the franchise that keeps going, and we all know the name. Sure, the pugilist has fought some famous foes like Ivan Drago, Clubber Lang, and the infamous street fight with Tommy Gunn. But when discussing Rocky's actual rival, we must tip our hat to Apollo Creed.
Sure, the two became best buds, but even at that point they were rivals. In "Rocky III," Creed trains Rocky, but the two battle and compete every step of the way and even fight to wrap up the movie.
Rocky and Apollo earned their place on the list.
Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence in "The Karate Kid"
Let's stay in the fighting realm, shall we?
What happens when a small Jersey kid with a big mouth and zero karate skills moves to Southern California and ends up at what has to be the only high school in the United States obsessed with karate? One of the greatest rivalries in movie history, that's what.
Daniel LaRusso had to be a little shell-shocked when the most popular kids at his California high school were not the football or basketball players but the karate students at Cobra Kai dojo. It's pretty lucky Daniel's new landlord happens to be a brilliant karate master from Japan.
"The Karate Kid" is an absurd premise at the end of the day, but who cares when we get to see the rivalry of Daniel and Johnny Lawrence? These two hate each other, and for good reason. The truth is, I don't think either is the protagonist. Johnny is a spoiled jerk who terrorizes Daniel. But when Johnny is more or less ready to leave Daniel alone, this Jersey transplant soaks him with water and then steals his girlfriend.
Johnny retaliates, and then they settle it on the karate mat, where Daniel ultimately cheats. Man, this is a great rivalry, so great, in fact, that it gets picked up years later in the TV show "Cobra Kai," which is one of those so-bad-it's-good types of shows.
LaRusso and Lawrence belong here.
Happy Gilmore and Shooter McGavin in "Happy Gilmore"
We're going to stick with sports movies for a minute. But no hand-to-hand combat here, rather a couple of athletes going at it on the links.
The '90s comedy "Happy Gilmore" gave us some great one-liners that many of us quote on the regular years later. But it also gave us one of the great movie rivalries in Happy Gilmore and Shooter McGavin.
Shooter and Happy hate one another, and I get it. All Shooter wants is that gold jacket and this crass hockey player is in his way. All Happy wants to do is save Grandma's house, but this uptight golfer is making it much more difficult than it needs to be.
This rivalry includes witty jabs, harmless pranks, and attempted vehicular manslaughter.
Happy bested Shooter on the course, but there is no way the rivalry ended there. A sequel to "Happy Gilmore" is in the works, and Shooter is apparently returning. When it comes to movie rivalries, Happy and Shooter are worthy additions to the list.
Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa in "Pirates of the Caribbean"
The best rivalries often include two people who more or less hate one another but can't help but respect one another and are often forced to work together. Few movie rivalries fit that bill better than Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa.
This is a classic rivalry that spans the juggernaut "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Captain Barbossa stole Captain Jack's crew and his beloved Black Pearl. But Jack also managed to place a pretty gnarly curse on Barbossa and said crew. The two are bitter rivals who are forced to work together in later films, but things are never entirely simpatico.
Jack ultimately kills Barbossa but then helps bring him back to life. Barbossa doesn't exactly kill Jack, but he does end up helping bring him back to life, and both of them team up to take down Black Beard. Regardless of offering assistance and helping with resurrections, these two are always looking at ways to double-cross the other.
Whether you love these movies, hate them, or are split, you have to admit these two are classic movie rivals.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars"
I went back and forth with this one. I knew a rivalry from "Star Wars" belonged on the list, but which one? We immediately consider Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but is that a rivalry? I mean, they're father and son. Luke initially hates Vader, but Vader is trying to figure out how to get his son to join him.
That's why I have gone with Master and Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Unlike LaRusso and Lawrence or Rocky and Apollo, Obi-Wan and Anakin did not start as rivals; just the opposite, in fact. They were close friends who became more like brothers, only to have it all fall apart. Rivalries are not born out of apathy but rather passion.
The most bitter of rivals often started their relationship from a place of respect or even love. Obi-Wan and Anakin's journey is devastating, resulting in them becoming the bitterest of rivals. Obi-Wan wants nothing more than to see his friend shun the Dark Side and become the man he once was. Anakin wants nothing more than to destroy his former mentor and bury his past along with his former identity.
This rivalry spanned generations and gave birth to a galactic war. There are some great movie rivalries on this list, but for my money, this one takes the cake.
Honorable mentions
Here are some honorable mentions for the greatest movie rivalries of all time:
- Woody and Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story"
- Maverick and Iceman in "Top Gun"
- Regina George and Cady Heron in "Mean Girls"
- Godzilla and King Kong
Now that you have seen my list, you may be ready to consider me a rival for leaving your favorite off the list. If you have time between gearing up for the big game or avoiding it, let me know in the comments what I missed, what I got right and who you would add.
