50 reasons Star Wars is better than Lord of The Rings
By Ryan Wrenn
34. Harrison Ford vs. Viggo Mortensen
Who is Harrison Ford? Actor who played Han Solo
Who is Viggo Mortensen? Actor who played Aragorn
Verdict: Being cocksure is a hard attitude to pull off. There’s a fine line between maverick and overconfident idiot, but Harrison Ford found himself balanced perfectly on it throughout the Star Wars original trilogy.
That’s no mean feat. It’s not like Ford had hours of screentime with which to convey who this Han Solo guy actually was. Instead, he had Solo’s opening scene with Greedo and the Cantina. Ford used those few minutes of dialogue concluded with a blaster shot to paint the picture of a vaguely charming but somehow untrustworthy dude whose take on ethics was loose at best.
That he could take that seed and turn it into one of popular cinema’s first anti-heros is all really quite remarkable, especially considering the fact that Ford wasn’t exactly an established actor prior to Star Wars.
On the flip side, Viggo Mortensen wasn’t called upon to do much more than have a perfect jawline and look stern all the time. He, in short, more looked the part than acted it.
There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. Mortensen has proven that he’s a great actor in many other films besides the Lord of the Rings. Here, he knew what the trope of the noble warrior called for it, and he did it. Hard to complain about it, but also hard to say it’s more worthy than Ford’s take on Han Solo.
Star Wars wins
Next: 33. Carrie Fisher vs. Orlando Bloom