Han Solo or Indiana Jones? (Harrison Ford Birthday Showdown)
Harrison Ford, the legend, turns 77 years old today.
His two most iconic roles are Han Solo (‘Star Wars’) and Indiana Jones (‘Indiana Jones’). I know people are going to want to bring up his other incredible performances like ‘Air Force One’ or ‘Blade Runner’ (‘Blade Runner 2049′ was better in my opinion and a firm 99/100 in my rankings), but there is no denying these are the characters he is known for best. Wikipedia labels these as his “Milestone franchises” and despite what your old windbag high school librarian said, Wikipedia is never wrong.
Picking between the two is tough as bother characters offer a treasure trove of fantastic moments across a combined eight movies (you’re lucky I included you in the count, ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’). But I decided to pick the two best for each.
HAN SOLO
Han saves Luke at the end of ‘Star Wars’
Goosebumps. I am a diehard ‘Star Wars’ fan so my opinion will be biased, but Han Solo is my pick. This moment defines my childhood (along with Jim Thome). Yeah, Luke made the shot, whatever, but Han knew all along that he was going to be the hero in the end. He let his piloting and cockiness do the talking and earned that damn medal at the end of the movie.
His most badass moment would have been shooting Greedo, but George Lucas tinkered with this fucking scene so much that it has to take a backseat to the Death Star assault.
The funniest part about Han Solo is that Harrison clearly, up until ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, hated the character after so many years of playing him. He wanted Han’s last movie to be in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, but it was shot down by George Lucas. Even in ‘The Force Awakens’ it took Han dying for him to truly crack a smile whenever the Star Wars franchise was brought up in interviews.
INDIANA JONES
Shooting the swordsman
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Whether you pick Indiana or Han, the one thing that isn’t up for debate is that this is one of the most boss moves in movie history.
We see so many times in movies where heroes or villains have such an easy opportunity to strike for the win, but, because of screen-writing, have to hold back for dramatic effect. The final (overrated, minus the music) duel in ‘Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ is a great example of this…
Not with Indiana Jones. Nope, he just straight up says screw the whip I’m shooting your dumb sword-ass right in the chest.
IN CONCLUSION
I actually almost convinced myself to switch, but my nostalgia and fandom require me to pick Han Solo. Over the course of all four movies, I just think he is a better character. Don’t get me wrong, though, Indiana Jones rules and picking him makes no sense. I can’t really argue against.
Who is your pick?
Happy birthday, Harrison Ford. What a crazy career.
