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SPOILER ALERT

“Really? They’re making another Indiana Jones film? Sigh…”

That was my thought when I initially found out that Indiana Jones 4 was going into production. Not because I don’t like Indiana Jones and his amazing adventures. Like many my age, I grew up knowing the trilogy well and watched the films many times. I just felt like it wasn’t necessary. The Last Crusade wraps things up nicely, was an awesome film (my favorite) and, after all, is called the last crusade. Don’t get me wrong, I supported the film and wanted it to be as amazing as the rest (except for Temple of Doom), but I was a bit afraid of what it would do to the franchise.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is great, it fits well into the existing trilogy and captures the feeling of an Indiana Jones film. Choosing to use the original opening credits visual motif was brilliant. That was a great idea that immediately connected me with the very first film and helped bridge the time gap. It delivers on exactly what we want to see out of Indy: goofy, action-packed adventures.

Harrison Ford did a great job, and you can tell he had a lot of fun stepping back into the shoes of the legendary archaeologist. The script didn’t hide in the slightest that the story was taking place several years after the third film, and the fact that Mutt makes fun of Indy for his age makes it even better. People are giving the movie a lot of crap for Indy getting married at the end and being softer than he was. I think it’s perfect. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr has experienced the death of his father and Marcus Brody, two very important people in his life, has fought in a demanding war with the military demanding a lot from him, and has dealt with whatever other things life threw his way. He doesn’t exactly lead a stress-free life. So it makes absolute sense that twenty or so years later we’re seeing a slightly softer Indiana Jones who very well might be ready to tie the knot with someone he felt strongly about long ago. Especially if he found out some young punk who’s making a good impression on him turns out to be his son. So bravo George Lucas and David Koepp for giving Indy a little depth.

That said, this should be the last Indiana Jones film. It wraps the story up very nicely. Yeah, I know, George has a story in mind that puts Mutt in the lead and Indy in a supporting role, much like Henry Jones Sr. in the Last Crusade, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Sure, I’d go see it because it’s Indiana Jones – or would it be called Mutt Jones, that isn’t catchy at all – but please just go out on top with this film and go on making other great adventure stories.

Roger Ebert has a great review on this film as well. I didn’t mention the points he makes here, because his site is definitely worth checking out.

Admittedly, I haven’t mentioned a lot of the nit-picky things in this review, but what are your thoughts on the film? Leave comments and we can discuss further!

4.5 out of 5

If things keep going the way they are this summer, 2008 is going to be one of the best summer movie seasons I’ve ever seen. I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night and really liked it. This was much better than the first one for me. There were some elements that I really didn’t like, but overall it’s a good film.

I haven’t read the books yet – although they have been sitting on my desk for months now, waiting to be read – but especially after seeing the second film, they are books I am excited to read. So going into the films, I am completely unaware of what will be happening. What happened in Prince Caspian was a bit of a shock for me. With the last film I was very used to hearing about all of the religious connotations the film had, all of the groups that were supporting it and trying to get people to go see it, and that it felt like a Disney movie for kids and teens. Not that adults couldn’t enjoy it. Many of my friends, and myself, enjoy the first film. This film is much more violent and has much darker themes in it. For example, attempting murder on Prince Caspian as a new heir to the throne is born. This is not a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting these brutal tones from the Narnia series.

I loved the story of Prince Caspian, the world transitioning from the new and evil Telmarine world back into Narnia with the help of a Telmarine Prince. The Pevensie children grew up a bit and their acting improved with that, they were much more enjoyable to watch this time around. I liked Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, I was a little impressed actually. Definitely supposed to be the heartthrob leading guy, but I think he did a good job with the role. Like in the first film, I really enjoyed the visual effects with the magical creatures and characters. I cared about what happened to some of them, like the badger and mouse, and thought they were written well.

I didn’t watch the first film before I went into Prince Caspian, so I forgot completely about the kids living in Narnia until they were much older, finding the closet door again, going through it, and being young in the real world again. That said, as a stand-alone film they do a bad job of explaining that time difference. They allude to how they were “much older then” and hold up adult-sized clothes, but it isn’t explained to a point in which the viewer really know what happened. This was confusing to me. However, I am sure that these films are being made to be considered part of a series, much like the Lord of the Rings films, and when watched together make a lot more sense. That just makes me wish these films were being made back to back – knowing there’s at least one more.

The visual effects were very good. Enough said really. It was another satisfactory job of creating a fantastical environment with believable characters and effects that were detailed and enjoyable to see. However, the film tried to be overly dramatic and intense at times, I felt. Some of the slow motion and editing techniques used were totally ineffective and distracting in contributing to emotion they were trying to convey. I also really enjoyed how the opening credits were handled. Opening credits seem to be taken out of summer blockbusters now, but I think this film did a nice job of making them noticed without distracting from the opening narrative.

The biggest criticism I have is the kiss at the end. Holy crap did that feel forced. It was completely predictable and did not feel natural. As in, I didn’t think for a second that the two characters should be kissing in the first place – and in the book, I’m told, they don’t kiss at all. For some reason the studios must feel that at the end of stories like this there should be two characters that kiss in order to help close the story out. That’s great when it fits the story! I didn’t feel any connection between Caspian and Susan.

I left the theatre really liking this film and excited to see the next one. Keep the great summer coming!

4 out of 5

So I’m already off to a good start with the whole weekly movie review plan. I have been a bit busy with interviews in San Francisco and other things, so that is why my Speed Racer review is coming to you now instead of Saturday, May 10th.

Growing up I watched a lot of cartoons, naturally, but one I didn’t watch very often was Speed Racer. I knew what it was, but for reasons I don’t know any more, I didn’t watch it that much. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my primary animated interest as a child - rightfully so too. In high school I started watching anime (Japanese animated shows and movies). It all started with watching the Freeza Saga in Dragonball Z, and I have been watching a series here and there ever since (Bleach and Naruto Shippuuden currently). I mention that because the anime style of action and storytelling is very familiar to me, something that is also familiar in the Speed Racer film (this will come in a bit later in the review).

I liked this film, I really did. I went into it knowing of the show by reputation only, expecting a fun, digital ride by the Wachowski brothers and a storyline that isn’t too deep – it’s marketed as a children’s movie after all. It met my expectations and then some. Call me sappy, but I like stories that concern an entire family fighting to resolve something together. It deals with a family coming together to overcome a big obstacle and standing by each other. It was very moving, I loved it.

The cast was really interesting to me. I wouldn’t think of Susan Sarandon to play Mom in what is basically an animated children’s film, but it was great to see her in it and I think she did the part fantastically. Now I’ve always liked John Goodman, as a kid I thought the Flintstone’s movie was great, and while I’ve been watching the West Wing lately, I enjoyed him in his brief role. I was really happy to see that he has gotten himself in better shape; he acts better and is more enjoyable to watch on screen (and I was a little worried about him when he was at his heavier weight). His role as Pops was great. A bit predictable at times, but overall I think his role in the story fit well and was very touching.

Mathew Fox is growing on me. I have been watching Lost since season one (and so should you, it’s fantastic), but I didn’t really like him at first. I think he’s evolving as an actor well and transitioning into films well too. What was done with Racer X worked, the twist at the end explaining the accident and face manipulation explained things nicely.

Spritle and Chim Chim were hilarious. They were a bit overused as the comic relief of the film, but really fun to watch. The fight scene when they were watching cartoons – awesome.

Speed and Trixie worked. I think Trixie was a great role for Christina Ricci to break out of the type of characters she usually plays. She looked fantastic as Trixie and I hope that we get to see her doing more light-hearted films like Speed Racer. In the animated show I do remember the mach speeds that Trixie spoke at. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to speak that fast without alteration, but she had some moments that reminded me of it. Not much to say about Emile Hirsch as Speed, he did an adequate job. Nothing that stood out to me, but that doesn’t mean he did a bad job. He was enjoyable to watch as Speed Racer.

The action was great. The movie is cut like a high-speed, action-packed film and there is a lot of fun to it. If you have ever watched anime, you are familiar with the action lines that appear in dramatic fights as the character is charging towards its opponent in a fighting pose. I laughed out loud the first time I saw that happen in this film. The fight that happens in the middle of the grand prix with the snow falling was great. Utilizing the snow as a visual and dynamic element added a lot to the fight with a sense of motion and speed. The hand-drawn settings that happen in the movie twice were very cool. I thought it fit the story and film perfectly. This film walked a very fine line, very successfully, of creating a live-action animated film. As in, it was clear that most of the movie was done in post-production and was very over the top, out of this world elements and technology. But it worked, it worked very well.

This is another solid film from the Wachowski brothers that doesn’t tell the audience blatantly that there is a sequel (perhaps they are sticking to stand alone films to make up for botching the Matrix trilogy? (by popular opinion, I liked the third one)). If you like fast-paced action, fun humor, a touching story, are in touch with the Saturday morning cartoons side of your childhood, and of course automobile racing, go see Speed Racer – it’s a great ride.

4.5 out of 5