Thursday, June 12, 2014

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Second thoughts

I can't express how cool it was to see Indiana Jones on film. I had a couple of old Indiana Jones books that I read as a kid and I loved the adventures; I think it's one of the things that drew me to gaming in the first place. Of course all this time I was expecting the movie to be called, you know, "Indiana Jones." The first Star Wars film is Star Wars, after all, and I'm sure when I get around to it the first James Bond movie will be James Bond. Thankfully, I'm getting smarter this week thanks to the mind-expanding experiences of the past... wow that's been six films now! and so it didn't take me long to figure out that I was seeing an already-enjoyed character on film.


This Indiana Jones is older than the one in the books, and it's been a long time since I read them so it's mostly broad strokes for me, but goddamn what an obsessive dink he is. If there's a right thing and an archeology thing to do, he always chooses the most brain-dead option. Fortunately, as chaotic neutral goes, he's absolutely excellent. "Let us sword!" "Let us not. POW." Strained my rib laughing at that one. Guys, you're torturing me sometimes, you really are. It hurts to laugh. Indiana Jones is just not on the ball, ever, and unlike when they sidelined Han, he's still in the middle of the action even when he's the universe's hockey puck.

He doesn't... do much... though. I definitely didn't notice during the film because it's a whirlwind so hard that I actually feel like I failed the first impressions from getting outpaced most of the time. There were so many times I wanted to say something and just got blown past. Most of the chase I was just sitting there with a dumb look on my face (shut up Lacy). In the end, he kind of doesn't contribute to the plot much at all. I mean, I suppose he found the Ark of the Covenant for the Nazis a bit quicker than they eventually would have (I remember a line about bulldozers being requested or something) but he loses it to them, fails to stop them from opening it, fails to stop them getting away with it... it just felt like a party getting railroaded.

Also from the start of the film I was really expecting a whole lot more of that sort of action and less of the fights and chases. Don't get me wrong, I liked the fights and chases, but I thought there was going to be a lot more dungeon delving and trap avoiding and so I think I kind of tired out on the more conventional action scenes faster than I would have if I was watching a lesser movie.

That this film was sparing with the special effects gave them a hell of a lot of punch, especially when they go from Ghostbusters-equse spirits straight into HEADS MELTING AND EXPLODING. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? Also great, I'm told this was John Williams again, but I think I would have guessed even if I didn't know beforehand. There's only really three themes in the movie but they're all great and distinct and used with so much talent. Marian gets a lot more dynamic than female leads I've seen so far, and while they do have her roped up and hostage at the end, Jones gets no better.

There was passing mention of the idea that Belloq (thanks Rachel) is a sort of evil twin or dark reflection of Jones, and as I said in the first impressions, it would have been interesting to see them if I didn't have so obviously a side to root for. Nazis do tend to make the story a lot less ambiguous.

Anyway, that's enough from me. I wish the first impressions had been more reflective of all the things I was thinking, but Mr. Spielberg was too busy blowing me away with high voltage adventure. I can see what you all meant about him as a director; my brain was just getting smacked around like I chugged expresso and I was charged up for basically the whole movie. I gave him his own tag and I'm looking forward to putting more films on here with it.

This has been a really awesome week, folks. :D

18 comments:

  1. There is quite a bit of railroading going on, as a matter of fact... but the Nazis are the ones being railroaded, and Indy never figures out that he's the DM's chosen tool to chase them to their destruction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. > It hurts to laugh.

    Try Alien next -- there are probably some funny bits, but, well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What's funny is that the scene where Indy shoots the swordsman was *supposed* to be a big fight scene, but Harrison Ford (and a lot of the cast) had horrible, horrible food poisoning, so Spielberg changed the action.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was an improvisation by Ford that Spielberg decided to leave in because it fit the character so well.

      Delete
    2. The story I heard was that Ford was so miserable that he, as a joke, pulled the gun out and mimed shooting the sword dude and Spielberg loved it and changed it on the spot.

      Delete
    3. The official story is:

      Harrison Ford was terribly sick. However, Spielberg had an extremely tight shoot schedule and couldn't wait to shoot the scene, which was a choreographed fight scene. He had to shoot something to stay on schedule.

      Harrison Ford had the idea to just shoot the swordsman.

      Spielberg set up the scene. Harrison walked from his trailer to set, did the bit, and immediately returned to his trailer.

      It got the biggest laughs in the whole movie.

      Spielberg shot this whole movie on a comparatively small budget and limited time frame so as to limit himself. He had made a few extremely successful movies up to that point, and they were starting to get bigger and bigger budget-wise and effects-wise.

      Then he made 1941 which was his first flop.

      He took a step back from big budgets and huge scopes and decided to make a tightly focused and "small" movie. That's why he put budget and time constraints on himself.

      He later said that those constraints forced him to be a much more creative story teller because he couldn't rely on more money, more sets, and more whiz-bang effects.

      It worked.

      Delete
  4. "and I'm sure when I get around to it the first James Bond movie will be James Bond."
    Gonna say "LOL" at this. Because it is lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm gonna say that one's a "No." :D

      Delete
    2. i c wut u did thar.

      (btw, i see no reason to start the james bond series at the beginning. i'd advise just skipping around between the most popular ones and seeing enough of the highlights that austin powers becomes watchable, then switch to that.)

      Delete
  5. I wonder why they didn't schedule Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom right after Raiders. Perhaps they didn't want you to find out that Raiders was one of the Indiana Jones. Nevertheless Temple of Doom is recommended.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fun fact: Spielberg was George Lucas' first choice to direct Return of the Jedi, but he couldn't due to a feud with the director's guild, and he had to hire an independent director.

    Basically, they had this rule that you HAD to put all the main credits at the FRONT of the film, and by the time Empire was being made and Star Wars was already a huge hit, the director's guild wanted to use their muscle to boss Lucas around. Then Lucas was all like, "No, that's gonna ruin my whole way of storytelling, I'm putting them at the end, screw you guys." And since Lucas was not actually PART of the guild, the guild went after Irvin Kirshner, the director of Empire. Blackballed him. Just for working for Lucas. What dicks.

    Anyway, Lucas hired an independent Scottish guy with no connections to the american guild, so as to save his buddy Spielberg from the guild's wrath. This in and of itself could be it's own dramatic movie, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  7. There is an episode of Big Bang Theory where Amy points this out to Sheldon about Indiana Jones not having any impact on the plot. One thing he did do was save Marion. If he hadn't appeared when he did at the beginning of the movie no doubt Marion would have been tortured and killed if not raped first. Since Marion is my favorite Indiana Jones woman this is at least important to me. Oh, and the scene at the end with all the dying Nazis was simply the wrath of God.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See, some of my tabletop friends told me that show wasn't worth watching. Should I add it to the list?

      Delete
    2. My wife and I love Big Bang Theory, and I'm definitely part of the demographic it pokes fun at.

      Delete
    3. Big Bang Theory is an hilarious show if you don't mind stereotypical nerd humor mixed in with some romance and other stuff. I think people just get butthurt over the portrayal of geekdom, but I still find it to be a worthwhile show and I am just as much of a comic-reading, D&D playing, video gaming, anime watching nerd as anyone else.

      Delete
  8. Basically for the period you are watching films from if it has John Williams or James Horner dong the music then the music will be excellent.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you really like Indiana Jones, there is a TV series which is pretty good called the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles that I think is on Netflix -- it takes place when he was between 10 and his early 20s, I think, and is a lot more rooted in historical fact.

    ReplyDelete