posted by admin on May 26
Editors Note: Comments section now contains spoilers.
Much like you good reader having to wait four days without any posts from me, Indiana Jones fans have waited nineteen years for their heroes return. Was it worth the wait? Should they have bothered? Have the destroyed Indy’s legacy?
Maybe, yes, no.
The movie has several problems but considering the state of the modern adventure movie (i.e. National Treasure) the return of Henry Jones Jr. is a fun ride that may not live up to our memories but accepts this and simply asks you to consider it on it’s own terms.
Raiders and Last Crusade are undeniably great films. Crystal Skull is not. Like Temple of Doom the plot device (i.e. Arc of the Covenant, Holy Grail, Sankara Stones) lacks the Judeo-Christian mythology that grounds the stronger entries in the franchise for the Western audience. This primarily manifests itself in dialogue problems. The writer does his best to build the story around familiar myths (or truths depending on your opinion) such as El Dorado and Roswell, NM but when the goal is returning a big, crystal skull to the Amazon and thus gain mystical power you require an American audience to suspend it’s disbelief significantly more then with the Holy Grail (or Arc of the Covenant). This gets to be a problem during certain action segments as suspension of disbelief is pushed to theoretical limits.
Other than Cate Blanchett (and possibly Shia Lebouf but that’s due to his characters skepticism) the actors struggle to make the search sound believable as they seem to pull lost languages and ancient myths out of thin air to push the plot forward. The first half of the film Ford and Lebouf seemed unsure of themselves but once they get into the jungle a rhythm is established and the actors clearly feel much more comfortable.
The opening of the film involves a group of teenagers joy riding and engaging an army jeep in a race. One can feel Spielberg flat-out slapping the audience in the face. Twenty years have passed, the world has changed. The movie was made for teenagers, people who weren’t alive when the Last Crusade opened in theaters. Forget everything you’ve seen before because if you remember Raiders of the Lost Arc releasing in theaters you’re too damn old for this movie. Basically, don’t bring in your expectations of living up to the old films, this is all about fun and anyone approaching the film differently refuses to engage it on it’s own terms.
And the film is fun. Jeep chases, sword fights, giant ants, giant snake, and some Commie bastards. Sure, you’ll occasionally find the action unbelievable (it is) but if you’re willing to accept that it’s also cool as hell and thematically appropriate for the 1950’s and the cheesy sci-fi movies that inspire the plot.
Initially, I though the opening was pretty weak and nonsensical but now I get it. Indiana Jones does something that literally and blatantly defies all laws of physics. Spielberg is setting the rules for this universe. Science laws are not harsh but bendable and sometimes breakable by the characters, particularly the titular one.
I’m interested to hear other impressions. I know the movie has been, generally, received well critically and very warmly received commercially but it is a mixed bag and I feel some people just won’t be able to stomach the changes. I enjoyed the film, I’ll probably buy the DVD and was very happy I saw it in the theater with friends, as that’s exactly the way it’s meant to be seen.
On a separate note, why does every guy in his 20’s hate Shia Lebouf? I know I did, but all I can really fault him for is starring in a Rear Window rip-off and Transformers. I’ve hated people for less but realistically it’s pretty silly. He’s a fine actor and seems like a nice enough guy from what I hear. So Shia Lebouf, international movie star, I apologize for anything insulting I may have said/written/implied about you. Also, I recently learned his name, in a combination of Hebrew and French, means ‘Praise God for Beef’. How can I not like this guy?!
