Sunday, May 25, 2008

Will Indiana Jones catch on with Young People?

Saw the 4th installment of Indiana Jones (Crystal Skull: http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html) this last weekend. Was it an enjoyable two hours? Yes. Did it have enought action to satisfy fans of A/A? Absolutely. But will it acheive mega-money heights with the movie ticket buying public? Maybe!

This movie is more about nostalgia than breaking any new ground. For those of us who grew up with the Indiana Jones franchise, it's almost like a pleasant trip down memory lane, as the movie drops in characters (whether in the movie or hinted at in dialog and/or in images litered throughout the backgrounds....if your quick enough to spot them) or plot elements, from the previous movies. It's almost like this movie set out not only to be a new episode, but also a homage to Indy (as well as its storied creators...re: Spielberg and Lucas).

Speaking of which...once again, though the movie is entertaining and action packed, when you step back and put it in the context of how it rates with either of these movie legends' best works, it might fall tremendously short (especially in Spielberg's award winning case)....mainly since it really doesn't do anything to break any new ground (movie making wise) and really rehashed a number of situations and themes from the movies in this series made decades ago.

But coming back around to my main point....will this type of movie making nostalgia catch on with the main demographic for this type of film (the teen to twenty something audience)? My son, who is 19, didn't go see the film this week, (and trust me he sees every big film the weekend...sometimes the night....it opens). He opted to go see Iron Man a second time. when I asked him why, he said, "Dad, that just doesn't look interesting to me, since I really don't know the character and feel I'll just be lost." Will other young people feel the same way? All I know is, the joy I felt when Indy saw Marion for the first time in this film and that big smile crossed her face, (re: Karen Allen, resprising her role of Indy's lost love from the first movie), I wondered to myself, whether this was meant to be just a sort of in-joke for all us baby-boomers and/or indy fan-boys (or girls)?

We'll see if I'm right after the big 4 day memorial day weekend? And that of course the ticket sales will then answer the question of whether Shia Lebeouf (or as I call him just to annoy my daughter...la-boof), is destined to become the heir to the Indiana Jones franchise?

Bob Luedke
www.headpress.info

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