Harrison Ford needs no introduction.
But heres one anyway.
Thats especially true of his sci-fi and fantasy work.
Its not just Ford whos known around the world, though.
His characters are more famous than he is.
Just how much did Harrison Ford change the face of sci-fi and fantasy?
Lets take his genre work one by one in order of release.
Then, in 1980, it became a hit franchise.
Harrison Ford, of course, played smuggler-turned-hero Han Solo.
Theres no doubtStar Warsthrust Ford into the public consciousness.
Theres no doubt thatStar Warstook space fantasy to a whole new level of popularity.
But would Fords portrayal of Han alone have made him such a megastar?
After all, hisStar Warsco-stars didnt have nearly the career trajectories that Ford did.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
But, make no mistake, Indy belongs to the underdogs.
A one-man band of bothbrainsand brawn.
Could anyone else have stepped into his orthopedic boots the way Ford did?
Good thing Tom Selleck was busy, eh?
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
A mythical, unproven relic.
Only with greater abilities and zero empathy.
Its a theme that has been revisited in sci-fi, with tweaks and additions, hundreds of times since.
Blade Runnerdidnt invent it, but it did put the concept front and center.
In a stylized way that took years for audiences to fully appreciate.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Thats a thing, isnt it?
Or maybeStar Warscreator George Lucas is secretly obsessed with the number three like me.
Not trying to start a thing.
Just putting it out there.
Lucas does play a lot in threes.
And it makes some sense.
The three-act story structure is tried and true.
Anyway, in 1983, Harrison Ford was Han Solo again.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
There were still droids, still aliens, and still star wars.
It was another turn as Indiana Jones.
It was another artifact and another exotic location.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Maybe because the debate between science and religion has taken on more serious ramifications in the past thirty years.
In the movie, Harrison Ford plays an inventor in search of utopia.
But, in his efforts to create it, he forces his family into their own dystopia of sorts.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Sean Connery as Indys dad?
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Plus, a 700-year-old knight.
And that, in a nutshell, is how Harrison Ford became a geek icon.
