think this way, a lot of people saw the original three movies first as a kid and so they have always carried that initial viewing in their minds. but when they saw number 4 they saw it as adults. and i bet it didn't even cross their minds to watch it with the same mindset as that of their childhood screenings.
a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, wrote a negative response to good ole indy 4. included in this response he said:
Okay, okay, I know - Indiana Jones is an action movie...But the latest movie? What did we get?
Aliens. Monkeys. Big ants. Refrigerators in nuclear blasts.
let us pick apart a few of the more, let's say, unrealistic parts of the first three indy movies, shall we?*raiders of the lost ark*
-giant snake pit
-giant rolling boulder
-marion ravenwood's accent
-THE ARK OF THE effing COVENANT
-the effects of opening the ark
*temple of doom*
-short round (nuff said)
-willie scott whining "indeeeee" continuously throughout the movie
-the bugs
-the ENTIRE concept of the movie (the family guy spoof is spot on with michael eisner btw)
-eating monkey brains
*last crusade*
-the snake in the train
-infiltrating into nazi germany and coming face-to-face with adolf hitler
-the rug on fire/hearth scene
-THE HOLY effing GRAIL
-the melting face/body
i hope this shows that aliens, monkeys, ants, and nuclear explosions aren't too far-fetched in the story of indiana jones. in fact, they're thematically right on target. what's that formula again?
supernatural/extraterrestrial/religious artifact + gross animal scene or scenes + impossible situations + interesting sidekick (a bit of a stretch with short round) + love affair + frightening global power figure = indiana jones movie
i rest my case.
2 comments:
Ooooohhhhh! This is going to be good.
I will concede your point about the supernatural. Truth be told, I was in it for the alien thing. Totally okay with that.
My problem is two fold - first of all, to George Lucas, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Secondly - I honestly didn't think that the Crystal Skull had the heart to it that the other movies did. Now it could be, as you say, that I am older and I've grown cynical in my wisdom, but even so, I honestly didn't care about Mutt. Or that crazy guy who I can't even remember his name now. Or Marian any more.
Ultimately, I left the movie saying this: "It was okay. And it probably would have been better if I hadn't seen the other three."
I have to agree with Michael on this one. Where were the moments of bonding in CRYSTAL SKULL? Near the beginning, the Dean says, "We've reached that point where life stops giving us things, and starts taking them away." So where were the moments when Indy realizes he's getting another chance at things in life? When did he bond with Mutt, or with Marion? Where were the serious moments of hurt and fear when their lives were in danger? What was comparable to the love and self-sacrifice Indy showed for his dad in CRUSADE? The other movies had moments between the action when the characters bonded. CRYSTAL SKULL skipped those scenes.
AR
Post a Comment