Indiana Jones vs Frodo Baggins – No Brainer!

Clay at EduClaytion has a regular spot on his blog that finds a few movies that are associated by a common thread. He does a nifty write-up about them and then pits them against each other in a voting frenzy from his readers that ultimately declares one the best in that group.

This month, things are a little different. Think “Bruce Banner to Incredible Hulk”. Think “Dr Jekyl to Mr Hyde”. Think “Calm Homer Simpson to Angry Dad”. The usually interesting-but-calm event has exploded into a slobbering, raving, ADHD-infused behemoth!

“Dude, you’re ranting again. What’s the point?” I hear you say. Ok, sorry about that. The point is, I contributed and now I’m involved. Yes – I fed the animal.

In this initial phase of March Movie Madness, my pick “Raiders of The Lost Ark” is pitted against “The Lord of the Rings (LOTR): Fellowship of the Ring”. We’ve been asked to include a brief summary of why our pick should win the bracket it’s been entered into. Knowing that I can’t do that, I’ve taken Option B: post something on another site so it can be linked back to in support of your cause.

Allow me to bypass any Tolkien-esque rambling and get straight to the nitty gritty. Indy style.

Obviously, both movies have my respect. Being a fan of Tolkien I really think that Peter Jackson did a great job on the adaptation. There are a number of differences that set these movies apart from each other, but there are also similarities. I will focus on these (remembering that I am only debating against the first LOTR movie) and hopefully debate successfully that Indy trumps Frodo in every respect.

	Indiana Jones	Frodo Baggins
General adventuring skills	Common sense by the bucket load Great knowledge of ancient lore Charismatic Resilient Dextrous Culturally aware Excellent ability with whips, pistols, bazookas and brawling Can drive cars, trucks and fly planes (I didn’t say he could land them.)	Can walk in bare feet Can stomp out fires with bare feet
Previous experience	Has studied history and the World, has been on previous adventures.	Has never left The Shire.
Preparedness for adventure	Indy’s rarely far from his pistol, whip and some form of transport.     He carries a satchel which isn’t overly cumbersome and wears clothes that are protective but also offer freedom of movement.      Having studied for years, Indy knows exactly what he’s getting into before he ever leaves his home.	Even though he yearns for adventure, Frodo has no clue about what to do.    He packs a loaf of bread and some cheese, a light cloak and heads off without any shoes.      He doesn’t even understand the magnitude of his adventure.
Companions	Marion Ravenwood – Owner of a bar in Nepal, Marion is self-reliant and a little mercenary, only joining the adventure for the money (at least, at the start…)    Sallah – An Egyptian contractor, friend of Indy’s and procreator extraordinaire, Sallah is able to muster up teams of workers and has contacts throughout Northern Africa. Quite handy!	Gandalf The Grey – Big shot Wizard who discovers that the ring Frodo has been given is actually The One Ring. Neglects telling Frodo this. Instead, he just tells Frodo to meet him at the pub.    Samwise Gamgee – Gardner and Frodo’s friend. Also, his pack mule by the look of things and slightly more prepared for travels than Frodo. Still no shoes though.    Merry & Pippin – Two more hobbits who join Frodo & Sam purely to avoid being held accountable for their thievery of vegetables. They excel at all the required adventuring skills – stealing, drinking and drawing unwanted attention. No shoes.    Strider – A mysterious ranger who doesn’t talk much but is always expecting trouble and wearing shoes. Good with a sword though, and able to find food for the constantly ravenous Hobbits.    Legolas & Gimli – An Elf & Dwarf who form a friendship despite the general dislike that exists between their races.    Boromir – Son of the Steward (King) of Gondor and misguided in his hope to use The One Ring for good.
Nemeses	Belloq – A French archaeologist and mercenary who wants to take the hero’s shinies.    The Nazis – A big army of nasties led by a power-hungry malevolent being who wants to rule the World.	Gollum/Smeagol – A creature once twisted by The One Ring who eats raw fish, hates sunshine and elongates his S’es. Wants to take the hero’s shiny.    Sauron & the forces of Mordor – A big army of nasties led by a power-hungry malevolent being who wants to rule the World.
Ability to cope when the trouble starts	Rarely caught off-guard, Indy is generally the one taking the initiative and coming out on top.    Even when he’s horrendously outnumbered, Indy’s got a plan or is at least prepared to face everyone down – with or without a bazooka.    No beating has ever kept Indy from getting the job done.	Frodo can barely even hold a sword.    As soon as things get real, he slips the ring on his finger and leaves his buddies to face whatever foe there is – even if it’s just a random foot tripping him in the pub.    However, this only causes more trouble and eventually Frodo gets stabbed for his cowardice and very nearly dies.
Achieves Results	Indubitably. Indy rescues the Ark AND the girl.    Job done, all in under 2 hours.    He even has time to get home and shower.	Walks for ages and ages through fields, forests, caves and mountains but really doesn’t achieve much.    After almost 3 hours of him constantly on the verge of tears, he ditches his friends and continues walking with only Sam keeping him company.

I could certainly go on, but I think I’ve made my point. So head on over to EduClaytion and have some fun! Check out the other match-ups and vote as you like; there are some great face-offs in this one!