Taking about good old Indy, last week, Carla and I watched all three of the previous films on DVD, fitting them in between our favourite TV shows. That was brilliant! ("Raiders" is one of my all-time favourite films, and we kicked off with that on a typical rainy bank holiday Monday.) The most criticised of them, "The Temple of Doom" proved to be great fun and much better than I remember it, although I still don't like Kate Capshaw's character that much, as she screams to much!
On Friday, our pal Mandy came to stay with us for the weekend, and so the three of us watched "The Last Crusade". That lead us nicely into Saturday....
That day, a whole load of us met up in Birmingham city centre to see the new film, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Thankfully the weather wasn't to bad, so we didn't get wet. We all assembled a-okay at the Bull statue near to the Bullring shopping centre entrance, and then went off to eat a picnic style lunch in the park by the cathedral (lovely hummus and a fun silly chat, only marred by the mad homeless man begging for cash.) Gerald turned up after buying a few things at a local comic mart, and after lunch three of the gals went off to clothes shopping, and the rest of us did the usual trawl around sci-fi shops looking at geeky film stuff. I have decided to pick up some of the "Mouse Guard" comics when they are collected into a book, as I love the artwork!
Mark kindly booked the tickets for us for the 5:45pm performance at the lovely old Electric Cinema, Britain's oldest operating cinema. I love this venue, as it has bags of atmosphere and an evocative 30's art-deco look. We weren't seated long when two trailers played, and then the Lucasfilm and Paramount logos came on....Well, I'm happy to report that the film was wonderful - two hours of solid entertainment. That's all I wanted really! I absolutely *loved* the Paramount mountain dissolve into a prairie dog mound! What a great way to kick it off. The long start sequence in the Area 51 hangar and nuclear blast was *fantastic*. I really got into it. Harrison Ford was fine, back after 19 years as the weather beaten archaeologist. He seemed to be really enjoying the experience. The rest of the cast were good as well, although John Hurt's part was a bit of a missed opportunity I felt. It was nice to see Karen Allen back as Marion.
As a sci-fi fan I loved the 1950's Americana / aliens / technology backdrop which gave the film an interesting twist and feel. Unlike a lot of annoying internet fanboys out there, I have to say I was pleased with the end: ancient temple, inter-dimensional aliens, big "Close Encounters" style spaceship et al. I didn't have a problem with Indy and Marion getting married after all of that, in fact, it's a lovely way to wrap it all up. Generally good visual effects throughout as well.
(Picture here is of Mandy in the foyer at the Electric Cinema)
I did have some minor doubts about a couple of elements, like the 'Tarzan' moment and some of the editing in the jungle chase sequence, but on the whole I loved the film and cannot wait to see it again. Fab! :)
So where can they take the characters from here? Well, more of the same would be fine, but I also think it would be fun to see an 'Adventures of Mutt Williams' film, following Shia LaBeouf in the main role, with Indy and Marion as his supporting cast. Dunno what they could get Mutt to do, but maybe he could travel with Indy and Marion and then due to circumstances lead the adventure? I wonder if Lucas and Spielberg (aka the bearded ones) will produce it?On Sunday we watched 'The Mummy', as I was in the mood for more action adventure with a retro feel. That was one of my first DVD's I bought back in like 2000! Great cast, with Brendan Frasier on top form as the hero, and Rachel Weisz is so gorgeous in this film! I like her line, 'I am so proud to be a librarian!' The new film (to be released in August) looks interesting.
3 comments:
Cute photos of everyone!
I'm glad they brought Karen Allen back too.
I thought Indiana Jones was okay. It certainly kept me amused for the full running time. There were some bits that I feel could have been cut or edited a bit, in particular the Tarzan gag and the extended punch-up surrounded by giant killer ants. I did really love the whole 50s greaser vs. jock/flying saucer/Red Scare scenario. And I also love the fact that Indie is allowed to be aged and ageing, yet still getting on with his life. As Harrison Ford allegedly said, 'Yes, he's 17 years older. So what? Look in the mirror.'
Personally, I think this film slots in really well with the whole Indie franchise. I don't see any reason why they can't pump out another few of these while Indie's still in his spry 60s.
Hiya Dez/All,
For about month or so prior to the film's release I was really getting into all the hype on tv, newspapers, magazines etc to the point where I was beginning to expect another Raiders of the Lost Ark. But after the premiere I began to see some negative reviews which sort of brought me back down to Earth.
Anne and I went to the Ziegfeld cinema in midtown Manhattan on 23rd May and as expected the crowd was buzzing. As the Lucasfilm logo appeared there was an enormous roar and all negative thoughts promptly disappeared from my mind. I was a kid again back in the 80s. And I thoroughly enjoyed the film from beginning to end.
I think our biggest concern was whether Harrison Ford (at his age) could maintain his dignity and charisma as the man with the hat. And I thought he did a fantastic job. I never for a minute thought that he was too old for this. The acting all round was great, especially Cate Blanchett. Ray Winstone and John Hurt also made good contributions.
The action sequences were very clear and easy to follow. Yes some of the stunts were questionable (even for Indy) but its all part of the fun. Its not meant to be a serious film.
I was really hoping the film wouldn't have any computer/CGI animation and stay true to the 80's style and format, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. I think we're just in an age now where action films simply cannot be made without some form of digital animation.
And with that in mind and just like with Star Wars, I dont think we can compare this film with the previous three. Its a separate age (both in the story and in real life) so we should treat it as a stand-alone film. But hopefully it might become a duology in the near future with an Indy 5.
My only real gripe is the whole alien theme. I understand how and why it fits into the story and the convenience of erasing all evidence at the end, but for me Indy always took a religious/biblical point of view (even Temple of Doom) and it was very odd seeing the aliens and the spaceship at the end. Another reason I suppose why this film should be treated differently to its predecessors.
I know some of the gang were also annoyed by the little gophers and monkeys (clearly a merchandising ploy), but it didn't really bother me as they were quick sequences and didn't adversely affect the film (*cough* Jar-Jar *cough*).
No real surprise with the Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) revelation and the wedding at the end. And nice to see that Indy held on to his hat - I wonder if there's a subtle message there.
Ultimately Indy 4 is a great feel-good adventure that's a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm pleasantly surprised by its box office success and I hope it will go on to become the biggest film of the year.
Cheers,
Ram
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