zenithblue (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zenithblue) wrote2008-06-09 10:01 pm
zenithblue) wrote2008-06-09 10:01 pm
drawgirl dispatch #2: We Go Indy
Much of the movie was spent singing, very quietly:
"Indiana...Dr. Jones...Indiana...Dr. Jones Jones Jones..."
...to the tune of John Williams' music. I believe this joke (if you can even call it that) was started a few years ago whendrawgirl, hplovescats and I were busily writing Indiana Jones: The Musical! while tossing back tequila shots. Sing it through once and you'll never be able to hear the theme song again without muttering our perfect lyrics under your breath.
Anyway, I did not totally hate the movie, but that might be the best deal I can offer to Mr. Spielberg. I had very low expectations indeed and the movie didn't plummet to their depths. I've been complaining about seeing my favorite pre-pubescent sex symbol as an old man (that's Indiana, not Harrison, by the way), but that's not the problem--I like seeing middle-aged people on screen. It disturbs me when actors and actresses drop off the face of the earth when they hit forty and only emerge when they're eighty to play the warm-hearted old lady next door or the terrifying old bat hellbent on ruining the young and fair (we'll call this the Maggie Smith/Judy Dench effect). So it's not the fact that Indy is a little more wrinkly and saggy. It's the fact that the first three movies pretty much covered every single thing I could want out of an Indiana Jones film. Boobie traps! Monkeys heiling Hitler! Wry humor! Derring do! Nazis with melting faces, and Kali-cults, and sexual tension with young uppity women! My real problem with doing a fourth movie was the idea that we were going to trot out our old comfy pony and make it do its same old tricks as a shadow of its former self. This more or less turned out to be the case, but it could have been way worse.
I was really dreading the idea that the previous memorable moments of the original trilogy would be reiterated as catch phrases and watered-down running gags. There were a few call-backs to the original series, but nothing too dreadful. And it was fun to see Karen Allen with Indy again, but frankly, the fun of Karen Allen in Raiders was the sexual tension generated by their constant squabbling, and none of that was present here. In fact, the whole reunion was fairly well meaningless because after one quick argument she was all beaming sunshine and adoration. I'm like, why haul in Marion unless you want some lip? Disappointing.
Cate Blanchett was hot, there was some Stargate nonsense, there was an absolutely gratuitous nuclear explosion, and there was some clambering about in temples where you could virtually hear Ford's knees creaking. All in all, not a flaming pit of poo, but not a lot of memorable scenes either. Also: there is absolutely no reason to include CGI monkeys and prairie dogs I'M LOOKING AT YOU GEORGE LUCAS. Find Industrial Light and Magic something more interesting to do.
I'm glad I went 1) withdrawgirl and 2) to the beer theater. Now I'm craving a re-viewing of the original--might I even call them canonical?--three. Yes even Temple of Doom--I know everyone else hates that one but I'll defend it until my dying breath.
"Indiana...Dr. Jones...Indiana...Dr. Jones Jones Jones..."
...to the tune of John Williams' music. I believe this joke (if you can even call it that) was started a few years ago when
drawgirl, hplovescats and I were busily writing Indiana Jones: The Musical! while tossing back tequila shots. Sing it through once and you'll never be able to hear the theme song again without muttering our perfect lyrics under your breath. Anyway, I did not totally hate the movie, but that might be the best deal I can offer to Mr. Spielberg. I had very low expectations indeed and the movie didn't plummet to their depths. I've been complaining about seeing my favorite pre-pubescent sex symbol as an old man (that's Indiana, not Harrison, by the way), but that's not the problem--I like seeing middle-aged people on screen. It disturbs me when actors and actresses drop off the face of the earth when they hit forty and only emerge when they're eighty to play the warm-hearted old lady next door or the terrifying old bat hellbent on ruining the young and fair (we'll call this the Maggie Smith/Judy Dench effect). So it's not the fact that Indy is a little more wrinkly and saggy. It's the fact that the first three movies pretty much covered every single thing I could want out of an Indiana Jones film. Boobie traps! Monkeys heiling Hitler! Wry humor! Derring do! Nazis with melting faces, and Kali-cults, and sexual tension with young uppity women! My real problem with doing a fourth movie was the idea that we were going to trot out our old comfy pony and make it do its same old tricks as a shadow of its former self. This more or less turned out to be the case, but it could have been way worse.
I was really dreading the idea that the previous memorable moments of the original trilogy would be reiterated as catch phrases and watered-down running gags. There were a few call-backs to the original series, but nothing too dreadful. And it was fun to see Karen Allen with Indy again, but frankly, the fun of Karen Allen in Raiders was the sexual tension generated by their constant squabbling, and none of that was present here. In fact, the whole reunion was fairly well meaningless because after one quick argument she was all beaming sunshine and adoration. I'm like, why haul in Marion unless you want some lip? Disappointing.
Cate Blanchett was hot, there was some Stargate nonsense, there was an absolutely gratuitous nuclear explosion, and there was some clambering about in temples where you could virtually hear Ford's knees creaking. All in all, not a flaming pit of poo, but not a lot of memorable scenes either. Also: there is absolutely no reason to include CGI monkeys and prairie dogs I'M LOOKING AT YOU GEORGE LUCAS. Find Industrial Light and Magic something more interesting to do.
I'm glad I went 1) with
drawgirl and 2) to the beer theater. Now I'm craving a re-viewing of the original--might I even call them canonical?--three. Yes even Temple of Doom--I know everyone else hates that one but I'll defend it until my dying breath.
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And you're right about the prairie dogs - I'd forgotten about them. Seeing them a few times early on set me up to think that they might have some significance later in the film; gnawing through a rope to save his life or something. But, of course, nothing, just a few somewhat non-sequitir shots early on.
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"People like cute little animals who appear to have a personality. Let's put some in there!"
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