Those that save others come in many forms. It can be saving a single life or the entire world. It can also be protecting somebody in dire circumstances. Doing the right thing is both tough as well as easy if the character falls back on the correct morals. This is my Top 10 Fictional Movie Heroes. These can be everyday or other worldly beings. I have excluded well known comic book based superheroes. Capes and suits give one a bit of an advantage.
10. Leeloo (“The Fifth Element”):
Where else do you start than an alien that was designed to save the entire human race? Director Luc Besson created one of the most unique and energetic looks into the future with his 90’s sci-fi hit “The Fifth Element”. In the early 20th century an archaeologist is going through ancient Egyptian pyramids when robotic aliens show up in order to collect the most valuable thing to combat evil. It is called the Fifth Element. 300 years later they return when pure evil is heading towards earth. The savior is resurrected, expected to be a he, and it comes in the form of a beautiful red-haired woman named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). She is confused but after taking in the entire history of humanity in a few minutes she is ready to protect it. With the help of an odd cast of characters led by a down on his luck flying cab driver in Bruce Willis, Leeloo gets her bearings and ultimately is ready to save Earth from the giant ball of death coming to destroy every living thing.
9. Max (The “Mad Max” Series):
Sometimes the future can be portrayed in a positive way. “Mad Max” is the exact opposite of that. While not completely shown as to what exactly happened, society has drifted into a dystopia where the main currency and need is gas so that one can keep moving. Mel Gibson made the character an icon with Tom Hardy recently taking up the role. This bleak future is a place where the crazy thrive and the moralistic try to survive. Max is a bitter man, having witnessed his family murdered by thugs. While always making sure he and his dog are safe, never knowing how insane the people he runs into are, Max has a moral code and does not harm those who do not deserve it. A good man in an evil world.
8. Giant Robot (“The Iron Giant”):
Most children look up at night at the stars and fantasize about what could possibly be out there. They can also be fascinated by evolving technology. “The Iron Giant” combines both of those concepts. Hogarth is an innocent 9-year-old who stumbles upon a giant robot from outer space while exploring in the woods. Initially terrified, the childlike mentality in both characters creates a beautiful friendship. When shady government agents come hunting for the alien, Hogarth does his best to hide his new best friend. It turns out in the end “The Iron Giant” has to save and protect the boy from the humans no matter the cost. Friendship can often bring out the hero in you.
7. C.C. Baxter (“The Apartment”):
This is your average Joe coming to the rescue of a woman who feels trapped by simply being there to raise her spirits. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a nobody company worker in the 1950’s who is trying to work his way up the company ladder by allowing the head executives to use his apartment in the evenings to bring mistresses over. The head boss has been using Fran (Shirley McClain), an elevator girl, for some time in order to get his jolly’s off. When Fran is abandoned by the rich C.E.O., Baxter comes back home and discovers a woman he already knew was beautiful from work and does not deserve to be treated like a sex toy. Simple kindness is what makes some people a hero which is what “The Apartment” is all about.
6. Ash Williams (The “Evil Dead” Series):
If you’re going to war against the undead, better bring the chainsaw wielding Ash Williams along with his no-nonsense mentality. Everyone is up for grabs when the Necronomicon, an ancient book of the dead, is opened after being discovered by a group of friends staying at a cabin in the woods. “Evil Dead” is not afraid to kill off anybody, often in the most gruesome way possible. While there are a few scares, “Evil Dead” keeps it light with the un-killable Bruce Campbell fighting the dead. You can chop off his hand. No problem. A chainsaw is the perfect replacement.
5. Clarice Starling (“The Silence of the Lambs”):
In the early 90’s, I suppose now as well to be fare, an FBI specialist was pretty much always a man as the authority figure. None of the big dicks were a match for Jodie Foster’s unstoppable Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs”. A younger agent, Clarice is tasked with aiding in the capture of Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a serial killer who captures and tortures larger women in order to craft a female skinned body suit. Her bosses are by the book and do not have the, good or bad, unique brain that is required here to solve the case. With the help of the iconic cannibal Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), Clarice hunts down the psychotic Bill and saves a victims’ life. A chore that a massive government organization could not tackle themselves.
4. James Bond (The “James Bond” Series):
While Tom Cruise and Matt Damon are trying to catch up, we all know who the O.G. badass spy is. He doesn’t need to hang outside of the world’s tallest building or drive a mini-cooper down a flight of stairs. All James Bond needs to do is ask for a martini, shaken, not stirred, and the bad guys know they’re going down. With a license to kill, 007 has been thwarting plans for world domination while also sleeping with the hottest women for more than 60 years. From the original Sean Connery starring vehicle “Dr. No” to the current Daniel Craig iteration, I must say, the super-spy has aged very well for having to save the world so many times.
3. John Wick (The “John Wick” Series):
There are certain people one does not mess with. All it takes is a group of Russian thugs led by a rich mobster’s son killing a dog to unleash the greatest assassin ever against a legion of bad guys. From the initial “John Wick”, Keanu Reeves is arguably the perfect conception of justified revenge when it comes to action stars. Throughout the now three movies in the series (with a fourth planned) John Wick plays by the rules. He is the best in the business in killing you efficiently. Wick actually has to reload during action sequences. He also was raised with a code of right and wrong. Just don’t kill his dog you dumb mother-*****!
2. Ellen Ripley (“Aliens”):
An out of this world race seems to be unstoppable against the weakling humans. The “Aliens”, a group with face huggers that impregnate you and a giant being with acid for blood pops out, has ravished an otherworldly human colony. Unfortunately for these vicious creatures, they did not account for Ellen Ripley. A simple cog in a standard space mining mission in the original movie, Ripley refuses to let these ugly extraterrestrial pains in the ass defeat her. A drive that an entire battalion of space marines cannot achieve.
1. Han Solo (The “Star Wars” Saga):
Greg Squared Films 