Just got back from watching Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was not impressed. It seemed to be like a bunch of recycled action scenes with a sci-fi oriented plot that did not fit the genre. I thought Indiana Jones was all about mysticism/religious themes. The nuclear bomb was rgatuitious and out of place. That said, there were some good ideas: the Cold War era with the paranoia in the US (reminiscent of our own time?), the Soviets as the badguys and the acknowledgement that Indiana Jones has aged. And what about the casting. Flawless, but they deserved a better script. But can Cate Blanchett play bad? She is always fabulous. I will watch something better of her, to see what she is really capable of. I know how good she is, but it's always a pleasure to watch.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Cate Blanchett
Just got back from watching Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was not impressed. It seemed to be like a bunch of recycled action scenes with a sci-fi oriented plot that did not fit the genre. I thought Indiana Jones was all about mysticism/religious themes. The nuclear bomb was rgatuitious and out of place. That said, there were some good ideas: the Cold War era with the paranoia in the US (reminiscent of our own time?), the Soviets as the badguys and the acknowledgement that Indiana Jones has aged. And what about the casting. Flawless, but they deserved a better script. But can Cate Blanchett play bad? She is always fabulous. I will watch something better of her, to see what she is really capable of. I know how good she is, but it's always a pleasure to watch.
I had a very similar reaction. It went way wonky at the end, but I was still glad to see Indy ride again. And there's nothing I won't watch Cate Blanchett in.
ReplyDeleteLe changement de thème est basé sur les thèmes des pulps de l'époque. Ceux des années 30-40, c'était mystique et Nazis, dans les années 50, c'était les Soviets, la bombe atomique et la science-fiction. Mais on aurait peut-être préféré un Indiana Jones plus vieux, combatant des Soviets dans une intrigue religio-mystique encore. Sauf que les maudits Soviets étaient athées...
ReplyDeletePJ: Je sais que les thèmes des pulps des années 50 étaient différents, mais Indiana Jones étant un archéologue, les trois premiers films explorant des thèmes mystico-religieux, la science-fiction se prête assez mal à son univers. Les Soviets étaient athées, mais certains étaient plutôt ésotériques (dont Staline).
ReplyDeleteHolly, we seem to share the same admiration for Cate Blanchett. I absolutely love her in every role she plays. My main problem with the last Indy was the fact that everything barely seemed developed: we have a psychic Soviet, we know nothing about her, we have those aliens we know nothing about, the story just goes through the motion, letting us filling the blank because we know how it goes in an Indiana Jones film. The whole thing, in the end, doesn't make much sense.