Indiana Jones and the... meh

Ain't It Cool News had a rather brief article about a fifth Indiana Jones movie. Not much was said, just that Harrison Ford mentioned Lucas was hard at work on a new one and that, "it's crazy but great." Being a HUGE Indy fan, I was totally confident that a fourth one would be kick ass. Sure, Harrison was older, but it was being helmed by Spielberg and he assured fans that he was making it for us and that he would not dissapoint. And my confidence strengthened after seeing the very first trailer for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But I am came out of the movie wondering what it was I just saw. Because it certainly was not an Indiana Jones movie. The very first trailer and those two or three minutes in the actual film, that was Indiana Jones. I could go in depth on what I disliked about it but that would take a very long time. Instead, I'll discuss what I did like about it.

The first 30-40 minutes.

That's about it.

The action in those first thirty minutes or so felt more like the first trilogy then action in the rest of the movie. That jeep chase in the jungle does not hold a candle to the chases in Raiders and Last Crusade. Those were actually on location instead of a set(Was it on a set? It really felt like it was. I could be wrong..) And I loved the little hints of what Indy was up to in the years following the Last Crusades. I almost got teary eyed at the music cue from Last Crusade when Indy lamented about the death of his father and Marcus Brody.

One thing I will harp on, though, is the absence of Sallah. Brody was dead because Denholm Elliot lost his battle to AIDS in 1992. And Sean Connery opted not to return as Indy Sr. because he enjoyed retirment so much. But we could have had Sallah. Sure, we got Marion, but I would have been in Nerdvanna if Indy had been reunited with Marion AND Sallah. The character of Mac, the dusty brit who switched sides more than Anne Heche, felt like it was originally written as Sallah. And his betrayal at the beginning would have been more heartbreaking because we already knew him. And the only way Sallah would ever betray Indy would be if his litter of children were at threat. Sallah could have told Indy what was up in the trunk in the very beginning and Indy would have understood and went along with it. That would have been much better than what we got. *sigh* Sallah could have made that film. Or at least made it just a little better. Oh well.

So, now that I hear about a fifth Indiana Jones, I'm not setting my expectations too high. Oh, I'll see it. What kind of Indy fan boy would I be if I didn't go see an Indiana Jones movie. But I won't expect anything great. And hopefully, I'll be proven wrong. Indiana Jones and the Something of Something could be kick ass.

But it probably won't.