The Secret of Monkey Island

 Developer: Lucas Arts

Genre: Point n’ Click Adventure

  Release date: 1990

My name is Guybrush Threepwood, prepare to die! The immortal words of Guybrush Drinkwater, um, Thrinkwood, eh, never mind. Squinky, just call him Squinky. 

The Secret of Monkey Island can be seen as one of the greatest point and click adventures of its time, and possibly of all time! It remains in the hearts and minds of all dedicated adventurers since the beginning of the classic pirate series from Lucas Arts, and more specifically Ron Gilbert, master of dialogue behind The Secret of Monkey Island. Guybrush’s adventures continue to this day, with some of the original team returning, in the Tales of Monkey Island from Telltale Games.

Guybrush is the wannabe pirate hero of the adventure, our pony tailed protagonist doesn’t realise that his arrival on Melee Island couldn’t have come at a worse time as its inhabitants are being terrorised by the fearsome Ghost Pirate Le Chuck.

To begin his dream of adventure on the high seas, drinking grog, and getting “a-head in navigation”, Guybrush must seek the three grog swilling, foul-mouthed pirate Captains who reside in the SCUMM bar, aptly named for the games interface system explained below. Guybrush must complete the three trials given to him by the pirate Captains to succeed in becoming a pirate. Sword mastery, thievery, and eh, treasure huntery. With cracking dialogue, cut scenes and some very funny moments Guybrush’s adventure goes from wannabe pirate to captaining his own ship and crew in order to find his way to Monkey Island and rescue the woman he loves from the evil clutches of the ghost pirate Le Chuck!

 The Secret of Monkey Island is an adventure game that utilizes the command verb-based system SCUMM (Script Creation Utility of Maniac Mansion), the kind of point and click interface first introduced in Maniac Mansion and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The technology was used in all subsequent Lucas Arts adventure games, with the exception of Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island. The branching dialogue system allows you to talk to characters in different ways without fearing a wrong choice, (if this was the not the case Guybrush’s’ further adventures could see him working down at the local fire station) after declaring to the pirate Captains “I wanna be a fireman”. The game play itself revolves around inventory-based puzzles to solve. Items are picked up and saved in the players’ inventory until needed; they can be used with each other or with an object, place or character within the game.

One of the most memorable of the three trials (for its longevity) is to defeat the island’s sword master Carla, an expert in the art of sword play and insults. A notable contributor to this very clever and funny part of the game was author Orson Scott Card. Orson wrote the insults and answers that the player has to collect by fighting stinking and bloodthirsty pirates on the road, and to  use the insults and answers collected to defeat the sword masters own unique brand of verbal abuse.

Along the way Guybrush meets many other great characters; including Captain Smirk who trains Guybrush, used ship salesman Stan, Otis the prisoner, and most significantly, the love of his life, Governor Elaine Marley, who Guybrush meets whilst attempting to steal the Idol of Many Hands (it really does belong in a museum).

 Le Chuck’s ghost crew kidnaps Elaine and takes her to the fabled Monkey Island. Gilberts dialogue throughout is funny and timeless, allowing new gamers who have not had the pleasure of the Monkey Island experience before to appreciate the superior humour and the great characters in a new light rather than focus on the outdated graphics and linear story line. The hilarious repartee between Guybrush and Meathook sticks in my mind to this day. If this situation arose in real life I’d be tempted to use it, although calling someone cannonball head may not result in the correct verbal reply I’m anticipating. Guybrush is busy insulting the people who will eventually crew his boat, (Carla, Meathook, and Otis), who all set out to find the mysterious island and free Elaine.

A brilliant game and still one of my all time favorites, it all culminates into a timeless game with humour and characters that stick in the mind to this day, playable and simply one of Lucas Arts, (or more accurately Ron Gilberts) greatest point and click adventures, nothing yet in my opinion has beaten sword fight insults and the pirate ghost ship shuffle. For similar experiences in humour and game play see other classics like Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle and the Last Crusade. Monkey Island sequels Curse and Escape (the 3^rd and 4^th in the series) have tried to sustain the template set out by Ron Gilbert but are missing the subtle humour and charm of the first two. Guybrush’s newest adventure from Telltale Games however raises the bar, and with a few familiar names on the production team recaptures some of the magic which made the first game such a classic.

Here is my personal list, one at a time, of the top ten movie characters ever. However, feel free to agree or offer better choices and argument. SPOILER CAUTION! The content below may give away some of the plot of the film(s) concerned.

<<< No.3 – Maximus ——————————————————— No.1 – James Bond >>>

#2 – INDIANA JONES

Indiana Jones is not just a superb movie character, he is an icon. He is the Professor of Archaeology who is also the hero who is forever in over his head, getting himself into and then out of tricky situations. In four films, we have followed Indy in his fedora hat, leather jacket and bull whip through his adventures to find or rescue some ancient artefact.

Dr. Jones is made larger than life by the amazing Harrison Ford, in a role he was born to play (it was very nearly played by Tom Selleck). From the opening sequence in the 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark with the tarantulas, the booby traps, swapping the statue for a bag of sand and then finally escaping being crushed by the giant rock ball, only to be confronted by hundreds of arrows pointed at his head and having to give up the statue, you are completely drawn into the world of Indiana Jones and totally hooked.

We don’t learn a lot about Indiana Jones in the first or second films, only that he is an archaeologist who cannot stay in the library and will risk his life to ensure dangerous and powerful objects, such as the Ark of the Covenant, do not fall into the hands of evil Nazis. He is obviously a hero and always on the side of good, a man of conviction but also know he has got on the wrong side of several people.

In Raiders of the Lost Ark:

(talking about Marion’s late father)
Marion: He said you were a bum.
Indiana: Aw, he’s being generous.
Marion: The most gifted bum he ever trained. You know, he loved you like a son. Took a hell of a lot for you to alienate him.
Indiana: Not much, just you.

Belloq: How odd that it should end this way for us after so many stimulating encounters. I almost regret it. Where shall I find a new adversary so close to my own level?
Indiana: Try the local sewer.

In Temple of Doom (1984):

Chattar Lal: Dr Jones, wasn’t it the Sultan of Madagascar who threatened to cut off your head if you ever returned to his country?
Indiana Jones: No, it wasn’t my head.
Chattar Lal: Then your hands, perhaps?
Indiana Jones: No, it wasn’t my hands. It was my… (looks down at his groin)… my misunderstanding.

The same qualities that alienate him from some, have also led to some close and loyal friendships who believe and trust in Indiana, friends such as Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) and Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan). We also learn he is not so keen on snakes.

Indiana: Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?
Sallah: Asps. Very dangerous. You go first.

We also learn from the first three films that he is attracted to intelligent and sassy women and the fact that none of them return in the film that follows, that he is not able to sustain a relationship. One woman, Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) has been a significant other of Indiana three separate times in his life, once before Raiders of the Lost Ask, then during that film and then in 2008’s disappointing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Marion: You’re not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage

It is in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) that we discover much more about Indy’s background and character. We see Indiana as a boy (River Phoenix) and learn that his name is actually Henry Jones Jr. and that Indiana was the name of their dog and he adopted this name as a rebellion against his father who simply refers to him as ‘Junior’.

Sallah: Please, what does it always mean, this… this “Junior”?
Professor Henry Jones: That’s his name.  Henry Jones … Junior.
Indiana Jones: I like “Indiana.”
Professor Henry Jones: We named the *dog* Indiana.
Marcus Brody: May we go home now, please?
Sallah: The dog? (starts laughing)You are named after the dog? HA HA HA…!
Indiana Jones: I’ve got a lot of fond memories of that dog.

We also see the guy who Indiana has modelled himself on, in terms of look, and it is he who gives Indy his iconic fedora hat. We also learn where he gets his bull whip and how it causes the scar on Harrison Ford’s chin. The main character development is gained from his interactions with his father Henry Jones (Sean Connery) who he has been almost completely estranged from in 20 years by the time of the Last Crusade film.

Professor Henry Jones: You don’t?! You think my son would be that stupid? That he would bring my diary all the way back here?
(pause)
Professor Henry Jones: You didn’t, did you?
(another pause)
Professor Henry Jones: You didn’t bring it, did you?
Indiana Jones: Well, uh…
Professor Henry Jones: You *did*?!
Indiana Jones: Look, can we discuss this later?
Professor Henry Jones: I should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers!
Indiana Jones: Will you take it easy?
Professor Henry Jones: Take it easy? Why do you think I sent it home in the first place? So it wouldn’t fall into their hands!
Indiana Jones: I came here to SAVE you!
Professor Henry Jones: Oh, yeah? And who’s gonna come to save you, JUNIOR?
Indiana Jones: (shouts) I *told* you… (grabs a gun and shoots all soldiers dead) …DON’T call me Junior!

As they share the adventure together, Indiana comments on them finally having a quiet drink together and the last time that had happened, he had had a milkshake.

Indiana Jones: It was just the two of us, dad. It was a lonely way to grow up. For you, too. If you had been an ordinary, average father like the other guys’ dads, you’d have understood that.
Professor Henry Jones: Actually, I was a wonderful father.
Indiana Jones: When?
Professor Henry Jones: Did I ever tell you to eat up? Go to bed? Wash your ears? Do your homework? No. I respected your privacy and I taught you self- reliance.
Indiana Jones: What you taught me was that I was less important to you than people who had been dead for five hundred years in another country. And I learned it so well that we’ve hardly spoken for twenty years.
Professor Henry Jones: You left just when you were becoming interesting.

Although the film is about the search for the Holy Grail, it is really a search for the lost love of a father and son. As they journey along their quest, they regain their respect and admiration for each other.

Even though the fourth film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is not so good in terms of storyline and character development, it is enjoyable only because of the Indiana Jones character. We had all missed Indy and could not wait to see him don that hat again and embark on another amazing adventure.

Indiana Jones is a movie character that will be enjoyed for generations to come. I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark again for the first time in several years and had forgotten not only what a great film it was, but how great the Indiana Jones character truly is.

<<< No.3 – Maximus ——————————————————— No.1 – James Bond >>>

Seven seasons of septuagenarian heaven

If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’s two things:

1) Don’t shop while hungry tipsy.

The second one I’ll share at the end.

Basically, I met up with some friends for a couple of drinks after work and opted to stop at Target because I needed a few things.  Those few things needed:

• Laundry detergent
• Vitamins and fish oil pills
• Air conditioner air filters
• Um… Charmin
• And some food

On the way into the store, I noticed someone had left their headlights on.  I memorized the license plate and approached the cart guy outside the store.  He told me to head to the customer guest service desk, where this happened:

Me: Excuse me, but someone left their headlights on in the parking lot.
Worker: They’ll probably just turn off themselves.
Me: I don’t think so.  It’s an old green Escort parked in a handicapped spot.
Worker: I’ll get to it when the line is clear.
(I wandered off to look at the sales ad in case the worker wanted more information.)
Random lady (leaving): You were very nice for doing that.
Me: Well thank you.

Me Just Grim...

Feeling victorious and uplifted, I made my way to the toy section first.  No real reason why, other than force of (forcive?) habit… of collecting.  Being in between a series of collectibles to search for, I’ve often eyed the animated Transformers toy line, and upon finally hearing the worker announce the Escort parked in a handicapped spot with its headlights on, I picked up a mini-Grimlock.  No essentials yet.  Just a small child’s toy.

I rounded the corner into the Lego aisle and what did I see?  Brand new Indiana Jones playsets.  Say what you will (and I have) about the last movie, the playsets from Raiders, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade are pretty sweet, and in my hands in an instant (Ambush in Cairo almost made the cut).

Deflated and defeated, I put back everything but Grimlock and walked over to the electronics section.  Guess what I discovered there?

Every season of Golden Girls for $9 each!

I had a similar impulse a few weeks ago when the first four seasons of Saturday Night Live was on sale for $20 each, but this one I’d follow through.  Several weekends in September are about to be booked up.  Mjusayn.

I eventually gathered up my remaining essentials, plus a ton of food.  (Yay! Hard salami’s back at Target!  For now…)  I put the bottle of Gain laundry detergent and a bottle of Liquid Plumr (‘cuz you never know) on the bottom of the cart, and a thought crossed my mind:

I wonder if someone will check the bottom of the cart…

At the checkout counter, the clerk brought something to everyone’s attention:

Somebody really must like Golden Girls.

I emptied the basket and pushed it forward to refill it with bagged items.  I noticed I had slipped the Gain and Liquid Plumr past the clerk.  I looked back into the eyes of the people that laughed at my must really liking Golden Girls, and a voice echoed in my head:

You were very nice for doing that.

I removed the two jugs from off the lower tray.  “I almost forgot something.”

After paying, I headed to my vehicle, past where an Escort with a dead battery could have been.  As I filled my trunk with purchases, the cart attendant approached to help.  I said thanks, and he nodded as he took the cart to add it to the returning basket train.

Finis.

Oh yeah, and the other thing I learned:

2) Don’t assume your friends ordered whatever beer was
on special, because it just might be regularly priced.

The other day Lucas Arts and Steam made a deal to release Lucas Arts games on Steam. The games will be released tomorrow but apparently this is just the start. This means that we could see even more of the Lucas Arts classics that aren’t on the list below.

All the games that are currently planned to some to steam tomorrow are:

Some really good games there but I’m hoping that we’ll see Grim Fandango getting released too.

I recently re-discovered Olly Moss, a graphic designer from England. I first learned about him when he’d post his work in the Penny-Arcade forums years ago. Even if you’ve never heard of him, you’ve definitely seen his work. He’s responsible for, like, half of the shirts on Threadless (maybe that’s a slight exaggeration). Like this one (spoiler alert):

And one of my brother’s personal favorites, “In Case of Zombies” (I can’t find the higher-res version on Threadless):

His latest project is a collection of re-imagined movie posters, which I’m really digging. Check them all out here.

And (of course) my favorite:

Your homework assignment is to go check out his work at his website, www.ollymoss.com, and his Flickr page. He’s only 21, which means (a) he’s going places and (b) I haven’t accomplished much in the same amount of time.

Over the course of my winter break, I have had zero motivation to do any graphic design. Maybe TOA killed all the fun I had with it. But checking out Moss’ work makes me want to get back to designing. I think I’ll take a cue from him and start by re-designing some of my favorite album covers.

Let’s start this off with a poll…

Now that you’ve answered that question, I’ll go ahead and introduce myself. I’m James, also known as The Strider, and I’m adventure film fanatic! In my definition, “Adventure” films are free-spirited, action-packed, mysterious, suspenseful, and humourus movies (think Indiana Jones). This blog is devoted to such movies, and I’ll try to bring you the latest news in the Adventure genre. Feel free to comment, and give me some feedback. Polls will be frequent!

So, I hear there’s this new Indiana Jones film on. What’s that? It’s been out for a month or so? Aw shucks…

I’m probably exactly the right age for the Indy movies. I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at the cinema when I was 14, and I got Raiders of the Lost Ark on video later that same year. As a teenager I enjoyed the hell out of these films – except for Temple of Doom, which I already didn’t particularly like at the time. It’s got fantastic set pieces but doesn’t hold together very well as a film. (And it’s the one Indiana Jones movie, in my opinion, where the stereotypical natives do become offensive and racist… but that’s not my beef here.)

My favourite one of the films was always Raiders. It had a magic, a rawness and an energy that the others don’t match. Last Crusade is the funnier film, but it comes dangerously close to self-parody – added to which, well, it’s pretty much a rip-off of Raiders. So many of the scenes made me think, “Yeah, cool, but haven’t I seen this one already?” You get the same type of intro sequence, followed by scenes at Barnett College, followed by the story proper. You’ve got rats instead of snakes. You’ve got the wrath of God visited on those undeserving. And all of it tries just a bit too hard to be funny.

Last Crusade fares worst when it comes to the side characters that were introduced in Raiders. Both Sallah and Marcus Brody are turned into jokes – and they aren’t particularly good jokes. If it wasn’t for the interplay between Indy and his father, Last Crusade wouldn’t be much better than, say, The Mummy or any other Indiana Jones rip-offs.

Now, finally, Spielberg, Lucas and Ford got their act together and made a fourth film. Lots of fans hated it. Correction: lots of fans hated it on the internet. There’s something about Web 2.0 that brings out the extremist in fanboys and nerds. Something can’t be pretty good or sort of bad – it’s all either perfect, worthy of geekgasms, or utter shite of the “George Lucas raped my childhood!” ilk.

Crystal Skull is neither. It’s the third best Indiana Jones film. It’s enjoyable but forgettable. And it makes a couple of very unfortunate mistakes:

• There’s little to no motivation for Indy. He’s only reacting to what’s happening. For a hero, he’s pretty damn passive. Compare that with Raiders, where something is actually at stake for him. Here the baddies have ten times more of a motivation to do what they do. Indy’s just along for the ride, really.
• What happened to the guy who got shot, who bled, who looked worse for wear after his big scenes? Indy’s always survived things that no real human being would survive – but he was never indestructible. Here, one of the first things we see the man do is survive an atomic blast. Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s one hell of a cool image. But if a hero isn’t touched by a nuclear explosion, well, are we supposed to be thrilled when he’s being chased by bumbling Russian soldiers?
• David Koepp, the script writer, didn’t really know what to do with his characters. Many of them are utterly unnecessary for the plot and take time away from one another. Was Mac necessary? Not really. The Russians could have done what they did without him. Oxley? He was basically a talking version of Last Crusade’s Grail diary. Even Marion, although she had some nice scenes, was basically wasted, as was Mutt. There was no urgent reason why any of these characters were in the film – and if you’re making what should be a rollercoaster ride of a film, superfluous characters slow you down.
• I don’t have any problems with aliens instead of religious artefacts – if they’re intriguing. The Ark of the Covenant had mystery, it felt positively alive. (It was also helped by John Williams’ wonderful score, which I’ll talk about in the next bullet.) The Grail was already much less interesting, but Last Crusade didn’t focus on it: it focused on Indy and his father. The crystal skull? It’s a pretty uninteresting gizmo. It doesn’t have much character. And the ending pretty much lacked awe… which the Ark had in spades.
• I don’t remember a single one of the new tunes Williams penned for Crystal Skull. All three former Indiana Jones movies had memorable tracks, and the Raiders March is one of the most iconic pieces of film music there is. I can’t remember the last time Williams wrote music that didn’t feel like B-sides. The man wrote some of the most memorable film scores – but from what he’s been producing in the last, say, ten years, he should finally retire.
• The villains… Raiders had its iconic Nazis, and it had Belloq, to date still by far the best adversary Indy ever had – because he wasn’t actually that different from the man. Belloq had a great introduction, his interactions with Indy were well written and acted, and he actually had charisma. Cate Blanchett tries hard, but the script doesn’t know what to do with her. Is she evil? Driven? Obsessed? Is she actually a tragic figure? I don’t mind ambivalent characters, but I mind scripts that seem to have an attention span of five minutes. Koepp didn’t really seem to have much of a concept of any of the characters… which is probably why the film feels mostly like a string of episodes, none of which are really terribly compelling. And what’s Indy without a good adversary?
• And what’s with the horrible over-exposed wedding at the end? It looked like Heaven in Always! Walk into the light, Indy…

Anyway, the film’s had enough of a critical pummeling. All in all, it was entertaining enough, but not much more so than a competent Indiana Jones knock-off. And somehow mediocrity is almost worse than an out-right bad Indy movie. I just hope that Lucas and Spielberg won’t try to keep flogging this almost-dead horse. At some point it becomes terribly, terribly undignified.

And talking of undignified: have fun with this! 

Here’s another one, let me know if you like these video reviews or not and whether I should post them all here. I uploaded it to youtube first but was disappointed in the quality so I’ve also uploaded the video to Vimeo so it can be seen in it’s HD glory (or as close as internet HD gets in this case).

I do hope that Stern makes an update to Indy soon that includes actual scenes and quotes from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This is the only thing I can find disappointing about the game – either Spielberg didn’t want to give them scenes from the movie or they didn’t ask for it, I’m inclined to think that it’s the former. But now that the movie is out and the game can be updated via USB, I don’t see why it can’t be fixed.

The only thing I forgot to show is what happens when you tilt the board, it’s pretty funny. Next up I’ll be doing Shrek Pinball and Blazing Angels, hopefully I will get those done tomorrow.

If your browser doesn’t support video from Vimeo, hit the post break after the jump for the youtube version.

[Discuss on the Forum]

Lo-Fi Youtube version

Passei hoje pela Fnac e finalmente encontrei-o . Qual não foi a minha surpresa quando encontrei o Last Crusade na prateleira à minha espera para o levar. Recomendado por um amigo trouxe também este The Big Lebowski. Vou ver o Lebowski e depois digo alguma coisa. O Last Crusade, da minha parte, dispensa apresentações.

**MILD SPOILERS THAT WON’T RUIN THE MOVIE FOR ANYONE BUT DIE-HARD FANS WHO’VE PROBABLY ALREADY SEEN THE DAMN THING ANYWAY…AHEAD***

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
( 2008 )
The fourth Indiana Jones movie in nearly 20 years is not without its flaws (Digitally-rendered prarie dogs, I’m lookin’ at you!) but there’s no denying the big stupid smile that was hanging off my mug for a little over two hours. The Nazi-face-melting “power of God” makes for a quaint and subtle finale when compared to Skull’s Made-for-the-Sci-Fi-channel revelation but I’ll take the X-Files over Temple of Doom’s rocks…that glowed…and only burn bad-guy hands. An appropriately rickety Indy has developed a decorated military history, a slightly crankier disposition and a leathery face since the events of Last Crusade. After a blast of an opening action sequence Skull manages to keep things moving briskly. Shia LaBeouf is this Indy’s sidekick, a cycle-riding greaser called Mutt, who has convinced the academic adventurer to help him recover his stepdad and Mom — and if a little history-trampling grave digging occurs along the way, so much the better. The “crystal skull” of the title is this adventure’s iconic Macguffin and ties into the familial quest in ways too complicated to get into now. There are Mayan tribes, killer ants, scorpions, temple booby-traps and -yes- a single snake to create opportunity for the favorite Indy-series running gag. Arguably, the best move the movie makes is bringing back Karen Allen’s spunky Marion Ravenwood (I was disappointed that there was nary a whiskey shot to be had.), providing the rare age-appropriate love interest for Harrison Ford. Kate Blanchett is cool (and hawt!) as a Soviet science officer, in sexy blunt black bangs, who’s after the titular artifact so the ruskies can use it as a weapon…or something. She’s a solid foil and probably my favorite villain of the entire series. Add sword fights, frequent laughs, Star Wars shout outs, fun references to previous adventures and a surprisingly sentimental wrap-up that ties the series up nicely and you’ve got what’s arguably the second-best entry and the most similar in spirit to Raiders. If they were gonna do it, I’m glad they did it like this. ***

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Frankly, I’m not a fan. There. I said it. After a fun, if annoyingly cheeky, opening that gives us insight into Indy’s past via River Phoenix’s flashback portrayal of a young Dr. Jones, things get a little boring. There have been tons of movies, books and Monty Python gags about the Holy Grail already, and LC has nothing interesting to add to the myth. Again, Indy races Nazis to the finish line and the titular prize. Sean Connery gives an over-appreciated performance as the elder Jones — it’s what most people considered the primary joy of this third series entry, but it honestly annoyed the hell out of me. A great tank scene and a motorcycle chase don’t quite make up for some very hokey comedy (which turns the previously respectable collegue, Marcus Brody, into a buffoon) and a painfully silly finale that seems implausable even by series standards and makes Temple of Doom’s rope-bridge wrap up a comparitively solid resolution. Allsion Doody’s love interest character is both bland and…well, kind of a Nazi. It disappointed a young Gill Man in 1989 and it hasn’t gained any favor over time. **

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Like the big-budget exploitation B movie it is, Temple of Doom has lots to like. The least cerebral of the series, this prequel (yes, prequel!) offers lots to love. The Shanghai opening sequence sets the over-the-top tone, but Kate Capshaw’s Mandarin take on Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” was ill-advised. Indy, his youth-in-Asia sidekick, Short Round and Capshaw’s disturbingly shrill “famous American night club singer,” Willie Scott, get rerouted on the way to Deli when a childless Indian village convince the trio to recover the magic rocks that will save said village and bring the children home. They end up in the titular temple where flaming human hearts, voodoo dolls and some serious child wellfare violations are a normal part of life. There are a ton of deliberate gross-outs gags — from eyeball soup to ritualistic heart extraction, that really up the grodie quoitent to the delight of 11 year-old boys everywhere. The mine car chase scene effects haven’t aged well, but some rad fist fights and a bug-infested booby-trapped secret passage more than make up for it. We can get past the worst dialogue in series history (from the writer’s that penned everyone’s favorite anti-classic, Howard the Duck) but we CAN’T get past Capshaw, whose campily atrocious performance damn near ruins everything. Overall though, the most maligned entry in the old Indiana Jones chronicles benefits from it’s incidental tone and dopey non-stop action, making it simultaneously the weirdest and most most daring Indiana Jones of all. ***

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
It’s a perfect movie — no getting around it and I honestly can’t think of a movie that can touch it. If you’ve found this site, you’ve seen this movie. Probably a thousand times. (Even more if you’re in your mid-30s like the Gill Man). If you haven’t seen it? What the hell is wrong with you? Concieved as a throwback to the cliffhanger serials of the 30s and 40s, Raiders became so much more. Raiders, how do I thee? Let me count the ways: I love you for “Stay out of the light.” I love you for the last-minute bullwhip grab seconds before the stone wall comes down. I love you for Marion’s whiskey-shot challenge. I love you for “I’m your goddamn partner!” I love you for Toht, the sinister Nazi interrogator (he of melting face). I love you for “Too bad the Hovitos don’t know you the way I do, Belloq.” I love you for “C’mon! Show a little backbone, will ya?” I love you for the fight scene in the truck and the bending hood ornament. I love you for “the map room” and “the Well of Souls.” I love you for the reflection in the glass between the cobra and Harrison Ford. I love you for the hilarious one-shot swordsman kill in the market place. I love you for “bad dates.” I love you for Indy’s salute gesture when he surfaces atop the Nazi submarien. I love you for “Snakes. Why did it have to be…snakes.” I love you for the fight in the burning Ravenwood saloon. I love you for Karen Allen. I love you for Sallah. I love you for Marcus Brody. I love you for “Love. You.” on the crushed-out student’s eyelids. I love you for the Ark’s sinister otherworldly hum. I love you for Marion’s “What did you say?” after cracking Indy across the jaw with the mirror. I love you for “I dunno, I’m making this up I go.” I love you for the fighter plane propellar mishap. I love you for Marion not dying in the exploding truck. I love you for “Top. Men.” and one of the best closing shots in movie history. I love you for being the most memorable father/son-bonding afternoon of the young Gill Man’s life. I love you, Raiders of the Lost Ark, for stoking my passion for genre flicks at an early age. ****

The weakest of the original trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is still unbelievably watchable, with the highlights of the delayed arrival on screen of Dr. Henry Jones Sr, River Phoenix and the well postured, impeccably costumed and hard-edge beauty of Dr. Elsa Schneider.

Magische Artfakte:
Indiana Jones und das Königreich des Kristallschädels.

Wer sich noch gut daran erinnern kann, wann er das letzte Mal mit kindlicher Begeisterung dem Kinostart eines Films entgegengefiebert, alle Vorberichte gierig verschlungen, dann mit zitternden Händen endlich die Eintrittskarte zum Abriss bereitgehalten hat und schließlich die letzten Meter zum Vorführsaal mit einem wilden Rudel Schmetterlingen im Bauch entlanggeeilt ist, um schnell noch den bestmöglichen Sitzplatz zu ergattern, bevor die Lichter ausgingen und der Projektor endlich, endlich zu rattern begann, der hat entweder ein lebhaftes Erinnerungsvermögen, das problemlos Erfahrungen wiederbeleben kann, die schon mehrere Jahrzehnte zurückliegen, oder aber er gehört zu jener fragwürdigen Spezies, der die Leinwand ein echtes Ersatzleben bietet. Mit dem großen Ereignischarakter ist es im Gegenwartskino nämlich leider nicht weit her. Der mediale Overkill von Werbekampagnen, die gerne mal die 200 Millionen-Dollar-Marke knacken, gibt sich zwar alle Mühe, selbst mittelmäßige Produktionen zu vermeintlichen Sensationen aufzublasen, den Adrenalinanteil beim Publikum können sie jedoch nur geringfügig ankurbeln, und das Zeitfenster zur DVD-Auswertung ist in den meisten Fällen ohnehin allerhöchstens nur noch ein Bullauge. Wer allerdings daraus schließen will, dass sich das Publikum und seine Bedürfnisse eben verändert hätten (und nicht etwa in erster Linie eine pappsatte Industrie schuld ist), der muss sich gehörig darüber wundern, wie groß die Sehnsucht nach Anachronismen werden kann, wenn nur das richtige Angebot da ist. Dass dazu eine altbewährte Formel und ein Filzhut schon ausreichen können, wer hätte das ernsthaft bezweifeln können? Welcome back, Dr. Jones, good to have you around again.

Nicht, dass die Rückkehr des Mannes, der sich selbst unter heißester Wüstensonne nicht von seiner Lederjacke trennt, ohne omnipräsenten Werbeaufwand vonstatten gegangen wäre – im Gegenteil natürlich (und zwar mit einem Budget von mindestens 150 Millionen US-Dollar). Den Sensationscharakter allerdings bringt die bloße Existenz des Films bereits ganz von selbst mit sich und reicht zurück bis in den peruanischen Dschungel von 1936 oder einen Nachtclub in Shanghai im Jahr zuvor. Wie auch immer man sich da entscheiden mag, spätestens beim Öffnen der Bundeslade jedenfalls war das Schicksal des unkonventionellen Archäologieprofessors mit krankhafter Schlangenphobie und ausgeprägtem Vaterkomplex (von dem damals allerdings noch niemand wusste) bereits besiegelt. So wie seine kreativen Wegbegleiter sich in der vielleicht berühmtesten Überblendung der Filmgeschichte das Paramount-Logo einfach mal schnell zueigen gemacht hatten, war Indiana Jones 1981 unumkehrbar in das kollektive Bewusstsein westlicher Popkultur eingetaucht.

Doch dabei ging es nicht um die bloße Figur alleine, sondern vielmehr um ein ganzes Stil- und Erzählkonzept mit klaren und unumstößlichen Koordinaten, von denen her sich der Wiedererkennungswert eines Phänomens definierte, das auch nach 27 Jahren ganz offensichtlich immer noch keinen einzigen Funken seiner Faszination eingebüßt hat. 1989 hatte Henry Jones jr. zwar bereits sein (vermeintlich) letztes Leinwandabenteuer bestanden, doch weder in den Köpfen und Träumen seiner Fans noch den Bilanzbüchern seiner Lizenznehmer war er tatsächlich für immer in den Sonnenuntergang geritten. In einer Flut aus Comics, Romanen, Videospielen, Themenparks und der endlosen Palette von Merchandising lebte das Prinzip Indy weiter und sorgte beständig dafür, auf keinen Fall in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Selbst das eher verhalten entgegengenommene TV-Spinoff „The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles“ mit ganzen drei Indy-Versionen in verschiedenen Altersstufen (und sogar einem winzigen Gastauftritt von Harrison Ford selber) konnte die Figur nicht entzaubern. Warum also sollte eine Rückkehr auf die große Leinwand fast zwei Jahrzehnte später etwas anderes sein als die logische Konsequenz aus echter Unkaputtbarkeit?

Für Lucasfilms und Paramount war dabei sicherlich vor allem die eine große Zahl ein ganz entscheidendes Argument: 1,2 Milliarden. So viele US-Dollar nämlich sollen „Raiders of the lost ark“, „Temple of doom“ und „Last Crusade“ angeblich bislang eingespielt haben, Lizenzrechte vermutlich nicht eingerechnet. Das ist eine Menge Holz (oder Papier), und so lag es eigentlich nur am Duett Lucas / Spielberg, das Prinzip Indiana Jones noch einmal dort auszuspielen, wo es ursprünglich hingehört – auf der großen Leinwand eben. Wie viele Storylines und Drehbuchversionen dabei entstanden sind, und wie viele Autoren verschlissen wurden, wissen wahrscheinlich nur die Buchhalter von der Skywalker Ranch. Der MacGuffin sei es gewesen, der Lucas über all die Jahre Kopfzerbrechen bereitet hätte, derjenige archäologische Plunder also (Bundeslade, Sankara Steine, heiliger Gral), der den Film zumindest auf der Oberfläche in Gang setzt. Nichts sei gut und groß genug gewesen, bis, tja, bis für Lucas die Erleuchtung in Gestalt eben jenes sagenumwobenen Kristallschädels kam, um den sich dann endlich eine echte Indy-Geschichte stricken ließ. Das mag man glauben oder auch nicht, die Erwartungshaltung schürt es aber allemal.

Mit dem unglaublichen Druck von 19 Jahren auf den Schultern also und einem Millionenpublikum, das die originalen drei Filme in- und auswendig kennt, genau weiß, wer, wie und was Indiana Jones ist, hat, darf und will, und das eine ebenso abstrakt-klare wie konkret-diffuse Vorstellung davon hat, wie die Rückkehr ihres Lieblingshelden auszusehen hat, und wie eben nicht, flimmerte schließlich am 18. Mai 2008 auf der ungemein werbewirksamen Plattform des 61. Filmfestivals von Cannes und begleitet von echter Vorabhysterie dasjenige zum ersten Mal über die Leinwand, worauf so viele so lange gewartet, und vor dem nicht wenige auch gehörige Angst hatten. Beunruhigendes gab es kurz zuvor bereits mit fragwürdiger Quellenlage im Netz zu lesen, und so war die Premierenpresse schon mal vorgewarnt. Ziemlich gemischt fielen demgemäss auch die ersten Reaktionen aus, und es war eingetreten, wofür Lucas bereits im Vorfeld aktive Schadensbegrenzung betrieben hatte: der Kritik gefiel sein Film nicht besonders. Zu bemüht, zu unoriginell, zu unzeitgemäß – so oder ähnlich war man sich weitestgehend einig, erst recht an der Croisette, wo Indy als alles überschattender Platzhirsch aufgetreten war, ohne überhaupt irgendetwas mit dem Wettbewerb selber zu tun zu haben. Das nahm man ihm selbstredend gerne übel.

Mit dem Film selber jedoch hat das alles herzlich wenig zu tun, und man würde einen entscheidenden Fehler begehen, ginge man davon aus, dass Indy 1981 von der professionellen Kritik merklich wärmer empfangen oder auch nur eines der vorherigen Sequels nicht gegen seine Vorgänger ausgespielt worden wäre (selten etwa wurde zum originalen „Raiders“ Unqualifizierteres gesagt als in jener legendären Kritik des damaligen Spiegel-Kulturchefs, die heute nur noch verständnisloses Kopfschütteln hervorrufen kann). Von einer Verbesserung der Bedingungen war also kaum auszugehen, und wie um alte Traditionen noch einmal aufleben zu lassen, war sich selbst der Archäologenverband nicht zu schade, dem Treiben des Mannes mit dem Faible für mythologisch vorbelastete Fundstücke allen Ernstes wieder einmal Rufschädigung vorzuwerfen – man kann es eben nicht allen recht machen. Und so waren es vor allem die Fans des Franchise, deren Zustimmung im Fokus der Macher lag. Die große Aufgabe des neuen Films müsste es schließlich sein, Tradition und Erneuerung unter einen (Fedora-) Hut zu bringen, und dabei dennoch nicht so zu tun, als sei die Filmgeschichte zwischenzeitlich stehen geblieben.

Vielleicht war es die klügste Entscheidung von allen, Indy etwas zu erlauben, was anderen Filmhelden im Normalfall eher den Hals brechen würde und deshalb meistens mehr oder weniger trickreich ausbleibt. Während der bekannteste Geheimagent seiner Majestät etwa alle paar Jahre einer Verjüngungskur unterzogen werden muss, um überleben zu können, ist Dr. Jones tatsächlich mit seinem Publikum gealtert – freilich ohne merkliche Anteile an Kondition und Schlagkraft einzubüßen (und das ganz ohne Martial Arts). Exakt 19 Jahre zeitliche Deckung erlaubt sich der Film, und so darf Harrison Ford zwar immer noch in derselben Montur, zugleich aber auch mit ehrenhaft ergrauter Mähne auftreten (wobei die Legende natürlich den Vortritt bekommt, und wohl deshalb die berühmte Silhouette das erste ist, was Indy als Indy identifiziert). Und weil Spielberg seit „Hook“ die ewige Kindheit gegen die Vaterschaft ausgetauscht und Lucas mittlerweile (für manchen Anhänger schmerzhaft) bewiesen hat, dass er den fiktionalen Generationswechsel für ein probates Mittel hält, um Altbewährtes fortzuführen, bekommt der (vermeintlich?) lebenslange Junggeselle Indy im Verlauf des Films tatsächlich einen unehelichen Sohn an die Seite gestellt. Die Funktion von Shia LaBeouf war zwar trotz akribischer Geheimniskrämerei frühzeitig, vielleicht aber auch ganz absichtlich durchgesickert, doch selbst der unbedarfte Zuschauer kann schon nach den ersten Minuten ohnehin ahnen, was da für ein Verhältnis vorliegt, wenn er Zeuge wird, wie Indy mit dem etwas ungestümen Mutt Williams (ein weiterer Beleg dafür, dass Lucas seine große Begabung für griffige Namen wirklich eingebüßt hat) mal im Wortgefecht liegt, mal eine gemeinsame Flucht auf dem Motorrad besteht (eine schöne Variante der umgekehrten Vater/Sohn-Konstellation aus „Last Crusade“). Und daran ändert sich auch solange nichts, bis es Gewissheit gibt und beide schließlich der Frau gegenüberstehen, die als einzige jemals ein ebenbürtiger Partner für den doch eher anti-emanzipatorischen Professor war: Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, die wie die meisten Spielberg-Frauendarstellerinnen keine nennenswerte Karriere aufbauen konnte), Indys weibliches Gegenstück aus „Raiders“ und der Zeit davor. Dass Mutt als wilde Mischung aus Brando und Errol Flynn das ungewollte Ergebnis einer gemeinsamen Liebesnacht ist (vermutlich jener einzigen, die es jemals in einem Indy-Film gegeben hat), muss man erst mal verdauen – aber warum eigentlich nicht? Marion jedenfalls ist damit endlich auch im Spielberg-Universum angekommen, in dem Frauen bekanntlich und ausnahmslos nur dann akzeptabel sind, wenn sie als Mütter fungieren – vermutlich also auch ein rückwirkendes Zugeständnis von George Lucas an die in Genderfragen geordnete Weltsicht seines Partners.

Unabhängig von dieser zentralen Figurenkonstellation, die „Crystal Skull“ zum echten Familienfilm macht und dem Sohn über weite Strecken diejenigen Actionsequenzen zumutet, die früher der Vater selber abgeliefert hätte, ist der neue Film vor allem eine gutgelaunte Variationssammlung aller bewährten Indy-Ingredienzien rund um Skorpione und Schlangen, Treibsand und Tempelbauten, versteckte Geheimgänge und verdeckte Falltüren, wenn auch ohne die obligatorischen Nazis, dafür aber mit einer Abordnung nicht weniger allmachtbesessener Russen (an deren Spitze eine akzentsichere Cate Blanchett sichtliches Vergnügen am bösen Spiel zeigt), vor allem aber mit einem gehörigen Augenzwinkern angesichts auch der absurdesten Plotwendungen und der unübertrefflichen (oder ganz einfach: saugeilen) Coolness Harrison Fords, der endlich wieder dort ist, wo er hingehört (und so selbst das filmische Entsetzen von „Firewall“ vergessen lässt). Das ist alles nicht neu, aber das soll und darf es auch nicht. Indiana Jones ist Indiana Jones ist Indiana Jones, und damit die unendliche Variation eines fest abgesteckten Regelkanons, in dem man sich selbst nach zwei Jahrzehnten Funkstille jederzeit willkommen, geborgen und zuhause fühlen kann – und für 124 Minuten ein bisschen das Gefühl haben darf, dass die Indy-Filme vielleicht selber magische Artefakte sind, die es auf ganz unerklärliche Weise möglich machen, die Zeit doch tatsächlich für einen Augenblick zurückzudrehen.

Artikel © 2008 Thomas Lenz. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Filmplakat: Universal Pictures International Germany GmbH

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Long-awaited fourth adventure collapses under its own wait. 

After nineteen years, could Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull possibly live up to expectations? And what kind of movie would in fact please everyone? Well, you’d think George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford et al. could’ve done better than this. 

Unevenly paced, slow to find its rhythms and too impressed with itself by half, the fourth installment of the beloved retro-series shows the mish-mash of the endless script versions, revisions and rewrites that dragged its development out for years without ever gelling into a coherent whole. The plot, such as it is, involves Jones’ attempts to find and return a crystal skull – a Macguffin if ever there was one – to its rightful place in a long-secreted South American temple. He gets help from Brando-esque teen rebel Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), his ex-love Marian Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and a former colleague (John Hurt) turned holy fool by the skull’s mysterious properties. They’re pursued – relentlessly, incredulously – by Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), a one-dimensional Russian baddie complete with jodhpurs and fencing rapier. There’s family drama, and lost love, and some jokes about growing old gracefully. But they’re murmurs in the whirlwind of the action.

Except now the whirlwind feels winded. Lucas and Spielberg, to paraphrase P.T. Barnum, never went broke underestimating the intelligence of their audience, but this time the film’s gaps in plotting and common sense are too wide to ignore. Problems of logic and reason are left untended, until what’s supposed to be escapism becomes instead distracting. In the case of a less-celebrated director, such gaps would get blamed on lack of skill. Here, they hint of complacency – worse, of arrogance. Adding self-indulgence to injury, the directors endlessly rehash their favorite visual motifs. 1950s nostalgia? It’s there, first thing. Cute animals that behave like humans? In abundance, no less than twice. Mindless, stupid gore? Better believe it. Overlong set pieces? Of course. The many obvious soundstages look Disney-theme-park fake, as well, as if shot on a studio backlot. While that’s partly homage to the serials of yesteryear, it’s also glaringly artificial.

As for the performances, the actors make the most of the few scenes they have that don’t involve punching, jumping, ducking, or lunging. Ford and LaBeouf have a comfortable rapport, but their instant familiarity telegraphs a mid-film revelation that will surprise no one with intelligence greater than the film’s numerous CGI prairie dogs. Blanchett has been better, and Allen isn’t given much to do except drive whatever commandeered vehicle lays around, moon over Ford, and serve as an example of aging gracefully. LaBeouf isn’t terrible in a part that’s obviously meant to satisfy Lucas’ seeming compulsion to introduce minors into deadly situations and an overweening readiness to spin off a new franchise.

And Ford. At 65, the actor looks worn down to his last but still game for a final adventure. Unfortunately, the effortless charm that endeared Han Solo and Indy to a generation is at a low flame here, only coming to life in occasional scenes where he manages to imbue a little weariness into the shrillness around him. Even just an extra scene or two more might’ve helped the film towards becoming a fully-realized piece – but there’s special effects and fights and a field of killer ants and raging waterfalls and an army of angry monkeys (honestly) that won’t wait for such luxuries. The film aims to amaze, not entertain.

Twenty four hours after its debut, a backlash is already brewing. If the public rejects this last installment as more Temple of Doom than Last Crusade, who’s responsible? American film audiences are a fickle lot, and modern genre devotees especially delight in second-guessing film creators about how a follow-up can – and more importantly should – be handled. And of course the results are often disappointing and even dispiriting. But we as ticket buyers expect more from the best filmmakers of their generation, especially after waiting through years of rumors and hints about one last ride with the hero of many a childhood. We expect more, and for decades of loyalty we as fans actually sort of deserve it.

- Michael Kabel

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Para o lançamento do quarto filme, que veio à tona na noite da última quinta-feira, a grande preocupação dos produtores e de Spielberg e Lucas era dizer ao público que Harrison Ford ainda era capaz das correrias e brigas exaustivas sem prejuízo físico, como Stallone no Rocky Balboa (que, talvez por conta disso, fica centrado a um melodrama chato e que não obtém aquele mesmo ápice nas cenas de luta). Isso porque a imagem de Ford representa muito para a série, apesar de a trilogia Indiana Jones ter muito mais a oferecer. E o terceiro filme comprova que, para além dos duelos corporais – que ganham sempre um diferencial pelo estilo abrupto de Ford ou sem-querer de outros personagens (como os vilões, claramente situados para deixar um saldo de machucados em Indiana e apanhar bastante) -, há um rico universo a ser explorado nas questões arqueológicas por Jones e seus companheiros.

Depois de duas aventuras bem sucedidas, com a segunda um pouco mais estafante, surgiu A Última Cruzada, que, no meu modo de ver, é bem separado dos dois anteriores, apesar de compartilhar daquelas situações descritas no primeiro parágrafo. O começo do filme já demonsta um tom mais épico na construção de sua história, ao mostrar o pequeno Indiana Jones tentando evitar o furto da cruz de Coronado, acreditando sempre no poder dos museus e da arqueologia. E, logo nesta situação, ele se depara com a decepção da polícia ao fazê-lo entregar a cruz aos ladrões (“seu verdadeiro dono”) – o que, provavelmente, é a justificativa de sua autonomia, com os contatos confiáveis em determinados locais, conforme sua procura em cada filme. Além disso, seu pai, que virará o grande barato desta obra, aparece de costas (sem dar muita importância à descoberta do filho), centrado exclusivamente em algum trabalho de anotações à sua mesa. Num dos cortes muito bem estipulados e que sempre caracterizam a bela parceria Spielberg e Michael Kahn, vemos Indy, novamente, num confronto pela cruz em alto-mar (desta vez, enfim, conseguindo – “era o trabalho de minha vida”) e, depois, rumando para seu cargo de professor de arqueologia em universidade americana.

Outra característica bem peculiar da personagem é seu poder contraditório na oratória, com os fins de convencimento, e isso ocorre na cena como professor quando ele fala que 70% da arqueologia é biblioteca, mas foge das dúvidas dos alunos para poder participar da parte “prática” da coisa (numa cema similar à de Os Caçadores da Arca Perdida). Então, ele descobre que seu pai sumira na procura pelo Santo Graal, algo de que ele duvida e vê unicamente como lenda, por intermédio de Walter Donovan, que o convida a assumir o projeto da pesquisa que era liderado por seu pai. Começa a última cruzada do cavaleiro Indiana Jones – pelo menos, a última desta trilogia – e a última na busca pelo Cálice da Salvação Eterna.

Um aspecto que é primordial, justamente por conta do objeto de procura, desta vez, é a religiosidade e o misticismo no trabalho e na pesquisa dos Jones (logo, por que não, nas suas vidas), as questões atrituais ou que convivem bem e se levam adiante no meio arqueológico-científico. Uma cena que revela bem o lado que assumirá o filme é quando Indy entra na biblioteca (lembremos, 70% da arqueologia), que, ora, nada mais é do que uma velha igreja. As dicas que seu pai lhe dá também se baseiam nos vitrais e, ao adentrar a câmara subterrânea, ele revê um traço da Arca da Aliança, que compusera sua primeira aventura “filmada” na fase adulta. Na saída, ele se depara com os protetores do segredo do Santo Graal, que tentam impedi-lo de seguir adiante na procura, mas Spielberg prefere colocá-los a concorrem nas furtivas cenas já destacadas (numa primeira vez, contra Indy; na segunda, contra os nazistas; uma demonstração da defesa singular e apolítica do ícone religioso). Falando dos nazistas, serão os verdadeiros inimigos de Indiana nesta terceira parte, justamente dando seqüência temporal numa linha de importância cada vez maior. No meio de Hitler, Gestapo, encontros do exército nazista, ele acha seu pai, que vem a se tornar a grande figura “coadjuvante” de toda a série.

Uma coisa que, além de justificar a opção de Lucas e dos roteiristas pela presença da personagem de Sean Connery no filme, é o próprio motivo para este surgimento modificando os padrões de trama é a mulher do filme. Depois de uma experiência incrivelmente desagradável, com uma irritante loira e um japa ainda mais angustiante como personagens secundários na segunda obra, a opção tomada é por colocar Elsa como figura dupla, seja na hora de trair ou se sentir injuriada, seja com as relações descritas tanto com pai quanto com o filho (a fim de provocar os dois num plano genial de simplicidade e hilariedade, com os dois, em seguida, passando pelos nazistas sem querer). E não é de maneira leve que termina a saga da mulher aqui, vendo tudo como prêmios a serem conquistados, insegura de seus verdadeiros objetivos e incapaz de se permitir voltar ao lado emocional na maior parte das vezes – algo que salva Indy, quando ele salva o seu pai antes.

Por fim, o que melhor torna a obra é a relação entre Harrison Ford e Sean Connery, entendendo magnificamente seus papéis e funções em parceria, também ligados ao destacado no quarto parágrafo. O obstinado Henry Jones, à procura do Cálice (deixando muitas vezes de lado todo o empenho familiar que deveria dedicar, reclama seu filho), não para auto-consagração, como faz Donovan ao se desligar das perspectivas futuras pensando na imortalidade que o Sangue d’Ele traria, ou mesmo como artefato museólogo, como chega a entender Indiana em certos momentos da história (o que gera uma série de debates motivacionais entre os dois; até a “quase-perda” de um ao outro). A compreensão na parcela divina que se demonstraria naqueles que acreditassem, o encontro, ainda terreno, de alguma forma com as respostas dos mistérios e o mero atestado visual daquilo a que o espírito já elevara, na fé, tornam extremamente rica a busca dos dois pelo Cálice. E quando o Sol ao fundo desponta, partem os cavaleiros, já tendo cumprido a última cruzada, porém que, com a Fonte Divina, rumam a novos horizontes.

4/4

Cassius Abreu

If you don’t get a little thrill hearing it you’re probably a little dead inside.

We’ll have our review of the new film up tomorrow, but in the meantime here’s a YouTube video of the classic John Williams theme in its entirety.

So if you’re reading us at work, close the door and crank the volume. Then leap out as the music swells into that awesome refrain.
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