1. Indiana Jones
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Yes, that's right. Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. My number one.
The return of the classic great adventurer, Indy is everything a classic hero should be: charming, a good guy, adventurous, with easy to hate enemies and iconic imagery (in this case his fedora and especially his whip). There is not a single person on Earth who has seen this movie and didn't have even a passing thought of becoming an archaeologist.
Not only a classic hero, but incredibly human as well. Dripping with a wry sense of humor and a lack of respect from his superiors, Indy gets the job done as any other adventure hero would: with his fists and brain. But here's the catch about Indiana, he'll take a punch. James Bond never gets hit in the face, Indiana Jones does. James Bond is fearless, Indiana Jones is like the rest of us. He has phobias. When met with snakes, he's almost completely frozen. He's a human being, like the rest of us.
Defining moment: The opening of "Raiders," as we see Indy venture into an ancient booby-trapped cave to retrieve a lost idol. One of the most iconic scenes in film history and still awesome today.
It took a long gestation period for me to figure out the number 1 spot. Once I figured it out, though, it was like I never had a second thought about it. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's love of the old adventure films of their childhood had me seek out films like them. Indiana Jones is the reason I love movies. He may not be as compelling as Patrick Bateman, or as emotionally-stirring as WALL-E, but without Indy? This list wouldn't exist.
Indiana Jones is still one of my heroes.
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