Indiana Jones and SIFF
The Seattle Film Festival opened tonight with a premiere of the film Battle in Seattle, starring Charleze Theron, Ray Liotta and Woody Harrleson. The film, about the WTO riots here, opens in September, and represents the first big American movie premiere in at the Seattle Festival since "Braveheart." They did the whole red carpet thing with Theron, director Stuart Townsend and other cast members, but I decided to skip it.
Though a pass holder for the entire festival (I have many, many movies to see over the next four weeks), I elected to take in Indiana Jones with some present and former office cronies at Seattle's Cinerama.
What can I say? Harrison Ford is back, and the action never stops. And seeing Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, the best of the Indy dames) back with Ford again was sheer pleasure. It's a pot luck of elements that have worked well in the first three Indiana Jones flicks, so it often seems familiar. But the lack of freshness and the deja vous factor did not detract from the fun of the movie. And moreso than its precursors, this Indy outing is one big popcorn flick. I won't try to compare this one to the three: it's different, and ought to be. It goes places the others never ventured (outer space and other dimensions, anyone?) and there were moments I found myself scratching my head.
No matter what the critics say, this is one of those flicks you have to see it for yourself. Draw your own conclusions.
*** out of 5 stars.
Comments
I distinctly remember seeing Temple of Doom with George in the #1 Auditorium back in 1984. We had to sit apart because of the crowd. I remember one comment he made regarding the believability of the Sankara Stones versus the Ark of the Covenant. I guess spaceships and aliens would fall in the same category. But, put the movie in the context of the year, 1957. This worked for me, because at that time, UFO sightings, Area 51, et al were becoming the new myths. Probably, as much a reaction from the scare of Communism, Russians and Atomic Weapons.
Turns out, in the world of Indiana, where the Ark of the Covenant still holds the power of God, Sankara Stones would restore Khali and the Thugee Cult, and the Holy Grail does provide immortality, aliens and spaceships just was not that big a leap for me.