Indiana Jones and the 20 year wait
I hate when I go to a site and don’t know they are reviewing a movie I want to see and the headline or opening blurb totally spoils it for me.
So here’s your chance. Though not a formal review, I am going to post some thoughts on the new Indiana Jones movie.
Enter at your own risk…
The new Indy flick can be best summed up with the phrase:
“Save your money.”
Sadly, yes. After almost 20 years since the last film (a fact in itself quite hard to believe) the trio of Ford, Spielberg and Lucas have reteamed to deliver a mediocre action movie missing much of the charm of the originals.
I honestly came out of the theater Sunday with very little to praise about the film. It’s nice to see Harrison Ford again. Shia Lebouf continues to deliver solid performances. Oh, except for that scene where he is swinging through the jungle on vines with a pack of monkeys….what? Yes, you read that right and I didn’t make it up. There is, in fact, a scene in Crystal Skull where Shia’s character swings through a jungle on vines with monkeys. But Nathan, that’s an homage to Tarzan, Indiana Jones has always been a love letter to bygone eras of pulp fiction. So what. Tarzan can swing through the jungle with monkeys and get away with it…he’s Tarzan. It’s what he does. Shia shouldn’t be in a leather jacket in the 1950’s era of Indy swinging through trees with monkeys…it doesn’t fit.
The other glaring plot point that will likely not sit well with people…at least I know it didn’t with me, is the origin of the titular Crystal Skull. Leave now if you don’t want to know.
Aliens. Yes, aliens. Yes, this movie ends with an alien visit and a UFO taking off. And none of the characters seem to think it’s that weird.
If anything I feel as though the new Indy suffers from the influence of National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean mentality which seems to think that the more Looney Tunes esque hijinks you can cram into a movie the better it will be. Not so. Green screens are everywhere in Indy, as is CGI. And listen, I know CGI is the current technological medium, but don’t make it quite so obvious! Heck, look at Iron Man as a PERFECT example of CGI done right. The jet fighter sequence in IM looks like actual jet fighters pursuing an actual Iron Man in the actual sky. Then look at Indy’s jungle chase sequence which looks like actual Shia and Cate and Harrison in a nonactual jungle with nonactual surroundings.
Sorry if I’m a cynic here. But I truly have a special place in my heart for The Last Crusade, a film with richness of character and depth of story. Crystal Skull is merely phoning it in.
Don’t worry. Lucas will just fix it in 20 more years.
By the way, you might not want to leave your house for the next few days. LucasFilm’s goons are probably on their way.
Well, I kinda had a suspicion it was a stinker and I didn’t mind you spoiling it for me. I entered knowing full well that I’d be ok.
I have a big problem with movie franchises that I cherish and adore being revisited 20-25 years later. Invariably they stray from the original formula and attempt to modernize a film, thus ruining the new movie and, if bad enough, tainting my view of the originals.
For example, Star Wars…I used to watch the original trilogy (old VHS copy before Lucas “fixed” it) about once a month…it was fun escapism that returned me to my childhood. Then he brings out the prequels and I have only watched the original trilogy maybe 3 times since.
Now Indy…great. What’s the common denominator here? George Lucas.
Anyway…I’m the muthaflippin’ blog-o-nocerus
-Shannon
I agree, I enjoyed most of the movie, except such monkey scene and the last 15-20mins or so… I had such a feeling of disappointment when I left the theater.
We were both flabbergasted at the pure awfulness of it all. I was so excited before it started…singing the theme song aloud…to the embarrassment of Jerod! But then, it unfolded and got wackier and wonkier. I would have seen it regardless of bad reviews because I was so darn interested…but geez. It was bad. I mean B to the A to the D, bad. And I have no need for Shia LeBouf to try to revive Indy in the future. He has as much personality as a stand-up life-size cut-out. Thanks for sharing.
come on nathan and friends, its another indiana jones movie, almost 20 years later. of course its going to suck. i went into the theater, with my raiders of the lost ark t-shirt on, KNOWING that it was going to suck. and that friends, is why i liked it. ridiculously low expectations = enjoyable movie experience. we all should have learned this from the prequels, guys. you know the ones i mean.
p.s.
were the aliens not appropriate? seeing as how the originals (set in the 40s) were “love letters to bygone eras of pulp fiction,” weren’t the aliens a nod to the cinematic trends of the 50s, the decade that crystal skull is set in?
i address your question in the post, j.
you may be right and you may find that a convincing argument for their inclusion, it still didn’t work for me though.
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