Catching Up #1: Geek Interlude – Indiana Jones and a Disappointing Movie
Yes, I need to get caught up on many things. Hence the catchy title to this and several entries this week. However, I just saw the fourth Indiana Jones movie last night and as you might have guessed, it was a let down.
WARNING: I’M GOING TO SPOIL THE MOVIE NOW. SO IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW PLOT POINTS OR ANYTHING ABOUT IT. LEAVE THIS BLOG NOW AND COME BACK EITHER AFTER YOU’VE SEEN IT OR WHEN I PUT UP ANOTHER POST.
Ok, now that that covers my geeky obligations…
Harrison Ford has been The Man for the past 30 years. Sure, there are better actors (Norton, Depp, Washington spring to mind). But in terms of presence, conveying both heroic resolve, humanity and (yes, I’m secure enough to say this) charm and charisma that will make just about any woman melt, it is REALLY hard to argue against Ford. Why do you think he was the only star from Star Wars who isn’t pigeon-holed? Because he’s too good, too talented and just too damned cool.
Indiana Jones had a lot to do with that. Granted, so did Blade Runner, but for different reasons. Indy is an extremely human hero. Yeah, he kicks butt and does cool stuff with his whip and pulls off great stunts. All that is balanced by the fact that in almost equal measure, he’s getting caught, beat up and foiled by the bad guy. After a fight, Indy looks beat up. And will need some booze and some TLC from his girl to get through the night.
And for both the character and the movies, that streak of reality is what worked so well. Be it the Ark or the Grail, Indy chased after some powerful and mysterious objects in the first three movies. Solving riddles, puzzles and pulling of daring escapes before moving onto the next clue and or location. George and Steve (I’ve been watching their movies all my life, I’m using their first names damn it) made sure to keep the magic light shows to a minimum and kept them reserved for the last act. Yeah, the Ark was opened, but that was a BAD IDEA for the Nazis and they paid the price. When it was over, the government responded as many do to something they can’t explain. They locked it away. And Indy went on to the next adventure, with only a slightly great understanding of the mystery.
All of those elements that worked oh so well are gone in this, the 4th and much delayed movie in the series. They fact that it’s aliens this time around doesn’t bother me so much as the fact that the mystery is gone. Yeah, the action is fun and their are some very Indy moments in the film, making it more than a knockoff (looking at you Mummy movies…) but it’s a very self aware film. It doesn’t grab you and pull you into the adventure like the first three. There’s too much CGI for my taste (and not just with the aliens), which makes me feel more of George’s hand in this one than I would like. Perhaps I’m just going easier on Steve since he didn’t make a trio of movies that largely pissed on my childhood.
I don’t blame the cast. Each of the actors did a good job considering what they had to work with. Shia and Harrison did a good job with what I felt was a clumsily developed father-son dynamic.
Overall, it just didn’t recapture the magic for me. Perhaps the bar was too high, this movie brought on too late. Part of me was very hopeful for this movie while pat of me knew that I was see it out loyalty, regardless of what I was hearing from friends and trusted reviewers alike. Maybe that’s what George and Steve were counting on from us. That we’d be so happy to see our friend, our hero, back in action again that we’d forgive the cgi monkeys, aliens and lack of plot twists.
If that’s the case, I have a word of caution for Steve. George didn’t do himself any favors by treating our memories with disrespect. Please learn from his mistake.
*DISCLAIMER* I may be talking smack about Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg in this review, however I do know being fully aware of several things. One, I still adore their movies, own them and rewatch them and enjoy them each time. Except Howard the Duck. Two, both are very good creators/storytellers who have achieved a level of financial and critical success I can only dream of and work towards everyday. Because of that I have nothing but respect for them. Three, they have (together and on their own) created stories and characters that resonant so profoundly through our culture that it’s hard to measure their impact. So great are their influence that I get disappointed by an enjoyable movie not being as fantastic as previous ones.
