It must be Indiana Jones!
That's right, dear reader, prepare to get your geek on as we are talking Indiana Jones today.
Went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this past weekend. (Man, that title is a mouthful!) It has been 19 years since the last Indy movie and I was beyond thrilled when I heard they were making another one.
I was 12 when Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theatres in 1981 and to say it made an impression on me would be an understatement. The Indy movies were second only to Star Wars in the impact they had on me. I had seen a few of the old time serials on TV, but here was a full blown, swashbuckling adventure, the likes of which I had not seen. Nazi, car chases, historical relics with awesome power and the bullwhip. More on that in a moment. So from start to finish I was hooked with Raiders. Can't say I was a huge fan of Temple of Doom. It had it's moments, but for the most part was not a great movie. However, Last Crusade made up for it. The addition of Sean Connery as Indy's dad combined with the fun and excitement made for a movie almost as much fun as Raiders. But I was still sad when they all rode off into the sunset.
That is until the announcement came that a fourth Indiana Jones was in the making. The trolls on the Internet chat boards went into their hand wringing of how Harrison Ford was too old and how the movie would suck (I always love how these geniuses say a movie that hasn't even been made yet will suck. They should all become film makers and make movies that don't suck.) But I for one was excited. I could feel the excitement build when the first picture of Harrison Ford in his Indy gear was released. And when the first trailer hit the net, chills went up my spine as the silhouette of Indy putting on his fedora as the familiar strains of the Raiders March began to play. At that point I was on board. As some plot points came out I was convinced it would be good. The filmmakers were not going to try and pass off Indy still fighting the Nazi's. No, it had been 19 years since last Crusade and the new movie was going to take place 19 years later. Other than that I stayed right away from all spoilers...this was one movie I wanted to see fresh.
So how was it? I loved it. Was it the best of the Indy movies? No. But it was a solid movie, better than Temple of Doom. Sure, at places the plot was a little weird, but I wasn't there for a plot that makes total sense. I was there to see Indiana Jones fighting bad guys, exciting chases and cool effects. The movie more than delivered. With Indiana 19 years older, the movie was also able to explore themes of loss, regret and aging. Things that I certainly think about. It may not be fast paced enough for kids today, but for a nostalgic old guy like me, it was a dream come true.
Though as I think about it, that may not be a fair statement. My 13 year old son went with us to see it. To that point he had never cared about Indiana Jones no matter how many times I tried to get him to watch the older movies. But coming out of the movies, he was hooked. He loved the adventure, he loved the bullwhip (I was so proud!) and, being of this generation, he wanted to go right out and get the video games. Though I can remember being excited when Atari came out with a Raiders game. I realized that he is about the same age I was when Raiders came out. Funny how things seem to repeat themselves.
Though he hasn't shown any of the Indy craze that I did after Raiders. That fall I went back to school and started taking books out of the library on archeology. Surprisingly the books only talked about techniques of excavation and the history of civilizations. Not one of them mentioned how to fight Nazis, swing a bullwhip or jump from a horse onto a moving truck. Imagine my disappointment. Sure, I learned a few real facts, but I didn't want real facts! I think that is when I decided archeology probably wasn't for me.
Several times I have mentioned the bullwhip. Raiders had me hooked on it. What a versatile object! Indy used it to swing, climb, fight, even whip the gun from the hands of a back shooting sneak! I had to have one! Luckily, that Christmas my step-dad Curt actually went out and found me a real, honest-to-Indy bullwhip. For the next couple of years that whip and I were inseparable. I learned to crack it, I learned to wrap it around tree limbs and swing. I also learned that the tip of a bullwhip can ricochet off a railroad tie and come back at you and slice half your nose off...which also taught me that when you get hit in the nose with a bullwhip, it is too numb to hurt right off and you may not even know you are hurt until your hand comes away covered in blood. After that you learn to duck. It is amazing how a whip will sharpen your reflexes. I still have that old whip. It hangs in my office, looking like it has seen better days, which it has, but the fun and imaginary adventures that whip and I went on still make me smile and long for younger days, the smell of fall in the air as my trusty whip and I made our escape from imaginary Nazi hoards. I have been tempted to take it out and see if I can still make it crack. My girlfriend has pointed out that this might not be the best idea and I could hurt myself. That just makes me wonder if the old reflexes are still sharp. Hmmmmm...it is a nice day out....
Anyway, getting back on topic, Harrison Ford still can pull off Indy being a believable hero and the fact that he isn't afraid to show his age, to be the wise old warrior, just makes the character more endearing. personally, I couldn't have been happier. The addition of bringing back Marion Ravenwood just made the whole series come full circle for me.
So if you are a long time Indy fan, or if you are a Jones newbie, there aren't many better ways to spend a couple of hours this summer than sitting in a dark theatre, popcorn in hand, revisiting an old friend. Adventure does indeed have a name and that name will always be Indiana Jones!
