It’s been revealed in a recent poll that Indiana Jones is the greatest movie hero ever, but is he really better than the myriad of heroes on the big screen?
Indiana Jones has been one of my personal favourite movie heroes ever.
I still remember watching the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and just falling in love with everything about the film.
I loved the action-adventure movie genre, and I also loved Harrison Ford’s take on the character.
Indiana Jones was easily the coolest character I’d ever seen on the big screen.
A new Empire Magazine poll has revealed that Indiana Jones is their readers’ favourite movie hero of all time.
Honestly, there were some brilliant heroes on that list, and that got me wondering whether he really is the great movie hero of all time.
Indiana Jones has been voted the greatest movie hero ever
The Indiana Jones movies have been Disney movies for a while – Credit: Lucasfilm
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Empire asked their readers to vote for their favourite movie heroes – “the characters that have thrilled and inspired you with their daring deeds and wise words on the big screen.”
The turn out for this vote was pretty big and Indiana Jones ended up on top.
Coming in second position was Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies.
Ripley was played by Sigourney Weaver, and she was incredible in those movies.
The first Alien movie is often the film I’ll given when someone asks me which is my favourite movie ever.
I think Ripley is incredible in the Alien franchise.
There have been some pretty terrible Alien movies, yet Weaver’s Ripley has never disappointed.
It’s interesting because both of these movie heroes have been in rather disappointing movies.
Is Indiana Jones really the greatest movie hero?
Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Credit: Disney
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Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones was also in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Cyrstal Skull and I don’t much care for The Temple Of Doom.
The same could be said about Ripley. She was in Alien, which was incredible, and Aliens which a lot of people love.
Just as a side note – I’m not a big fan of James Cameron’s Aliens. I think it moved the franchise away from its horror roots and I can never forgive it for that.
However, we then got Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, which were both awful.
One of the things I will say about Ripley and the movies she’s been in, she’s never been completely useless as far as the overall plot’s concerned.
Every decision Ripley makes has weight to it and influences the outcome of the film she’s in.
The same can’t be said about Indiana. Just rewatch the first movie.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is great, but take away Indiana from the picture and nothing in the film’s overall plot would have changed.
The Nazis would have still got themselves killed at the end.
Which other movie heroes are worth mentioning?
Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Credit: Lucasfilm
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I also think Indiana Jones is not as an important movie hero as Ripley is.
Let’s put the fact that Ripley is a woman to one side – that is still pretty important though.
Ripley is tough, fearless, brave, a leader and always up against the odds.
She literally fights monsters. All Indiana Jones really does is get himself into sticky situations and often makes a mess.
He’s a treasure hunter, whereas Ripley is a fighter who’s always having to fight for her life.
If you were to ask me to chose between Jones or Ripley – I’m sorry Indy, but I’d have to go for Ripley ever single time.
She’s just the best and I also think she’s a far more important movie hero.
That said, Harrison Ford is effortlessly cool as Indiana Jones.
If this poll’s aim was to find out the coolest movie hero ever, then I would have voted for Indiana Jones.
But, this is the ‘greatest movie hero ever’, and Indiana Jones is not that.
That honour should have gone to Ellen Ripley.
What do you make of this news?
Do you think that Indiana Jones is the greatest movie hero of all time?
If not, which other movie heroes do you prefer?
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