I am sure everyone has seen in the news and on social media sites the possibility of a new Indiana Jones film! I know there are a lot of people out there who are tired of sequels or just don't like them, but I personally love revisiting characters that I love on screen. Indiana Jones in particular has always been one of my favorite film franchises like many kids growing up in the 80's! Anyway, I have to talk about Chris Pratt as possibly the new Indy and of course why those original films effected me and a generation so much!
As I already mentioned these films are some of my favorite and for my money some of the best action adventure films ever created! In Fact, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest films of all time! That being said it used to scare the hell out of me when I was a kid! I remember always having trouble sleeping when I was a "lowercase g" and I was always convince my mom to let me stay up and watch TV w/ her when I was supposed to be in bed. When I was a kid VCR's were still pretty new so local networks would show a lot of films... many seemed to be on Sunday night. They were all edited for TV, but there were still creepy parts that, as a kid, can be hard to process. I thought Raiders was awesome until Indy and Marion ended up in the tomb w/ skeletons that seemed to be alive! One skeleton scared me most of all because it was extra craggy and decayed and had a snake coming from out of it's open month! I thought about that for weeks while trying to sleep at night! I tried to think of all my favorite superheroes instead, but that skele-snake face would always creep in. Temple of Doom was a little different. I was older then... not a lot older, but old enough not to be as worried about some skeletons and snakes. I remember this film being important because I watched it over and over again! I loved that it had a kid my age in it and that Indy was helping free enslaved children. The irony is that this film should have been much more scary to me because it is much darker. In fact, I think it was one of the first, if not the first film, to carry a PG13 rating! Then there was Last Crusade... I was even older and we learned why Indy is who he is! I loved the opening w/ the great River Phoenix. He was only a few years older than me and gave me a deeper connection to Indy as a character... now I new him as a kid! I remember seeing Crusade 4 or 5 times the summer of 89 at the drive in! That was a great summer and a hell of a decade for Indiana Jones!
I feel like I grew into a young man as these films were released! Like Indy I was a little older and a little wiser as the new movies would hit theaters. I was learning what a good hero does by watching the Indiana Jones movies. Indy wasn't perfect. He did amazing things and was smart, but he also got hurt a lot and made mistakes... AND he always had help from his friends. In one way or another, he was never alone. He talked of fortune and glory, but risked his life to help a village of people get their kids back! He was a good man! I was pretty lucky to grow up around a lot of good men in my daily life and they all liked the Indiana Jones films! Indy isn't just an every man... He's every good man who lives by a code! And that's what I will always take from the films!
Harrison Ford definitely has another Indy film in him, but it looks like Disney is wanting to start fresh. You could never ever replace Ford, but you can make smart casting choices and do him justice! I have heard the names Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper and recently Chris Pratt being kicked around as possible Jones replacements! I love the Idea of both Chris' ...Cooper not so much. Out of the three I love Pratt, he is my front runner! He was a one part Jones and two parts Solo in Gardians of the Galaxy, and to me those are two of the Greatest parts of Harrison Ford! Pratt wasn't doing an impression of these iconic characters he was taking some of the best parts of both to create a new icon in Star Lord! I cannot think of a better choice to pick up the whip and fedora! He has the charm and charisma to pull it off and put his own stamp on the Jones character, built by Ford! It only sweetens the pot that Spielberg appears to be on board w/ the idea, but what about Ford?
I think not to use Ford in some way would be a major mistake for the new film to make! I keep hearing reboot so what if Ford came back as Henry Jones SR? It's a new franchise, anything is possible. Or maybe Ford could play Indy's cool archaeologist that inspires him on his future path. Another interesting approach would be to make another sequel and just have Mutt Smith become Henry Jones III? I am sure that won't happen, but Crystal Skulls got a bad wrap. If people were to... I don't know... READ about the real Crystal Skulls they might see a completely different movie! Anyway, other actors take over other actors original roles all the time and Pratt could slip in to Shia's role easily. I will spare you and not go into how that would all work, but it could be very cool if done right!
Well, I have said my piece! I wonder if other people out there are as excited about Chris Pratt taking over as I am! I also wonder if anyone else has started to imagine half baked notions to keep Ford involved? As always I love to hear your comments and viewpoints so share them on my Facebook page or Twitter feed. Hell you can even comment on here! Take care out there and remember to run when you have a giant bolder rolling toward you!
As I already mentioned these films are some of my favorite and for my money some of the best action adventure films ever created! In Fact, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest films of all time! That being said it used to scare the hell out of me when I was a kid! I remember always having trouble sleeping when I was a "lowercase g" and I was always convince my mom to let me stay up and watch TV w/ her when I was supposed to be in bed. When I was a kid VCR's were still pretty new so local networks would show a lot of films... many seemed to be on Sunday night. They were all edited for TV, but there were still creepy parts that, as a kid, can be hard to process. I thought Raiders was awesome until Indy and Marion ended up in the tomb w/ skeletons that seemed to be alive! One skeleton scared me most of all because it was extra craggy and decayed and had a snake coming from out of it's open month! I thought about that for weeks while trying to sleep at night! I tried to think of all my favorite superheroes instead, but that skele-snake face would always creep in. Temple of Doom was a little different. I was older then... not a lot older, but old enough not to be as worried about some skeletons and snakes. I remember this film being important because I watched it over and over again! I loved that it had a kid my age in it and that Indy was helping free enslaved children. The irony is that this film should have been much more scary to me because it is much darker. In fact, I think it was one of the first, if not the first film, to carry a PG13 rating! Then there was Last Crusade... I was even older and we learned why Indy is who he is! I loved the opening w/ the great River Phoenix. He was only a few years older than me and gave me a deeper connection to Indy as a character... now I new him as a kid! I remember seeing Crusade 4 or 5 times the summer of 89 at the drive in! That was a great summer and a hell of a decade for Indiana Jones!
I feel like I grew into a young man as these films were released! Like Indy I was a little older and a little wiser as the new movies would hit theaters. I was learning what a good hero does by watching the Indiana Jones movies. Indy wasn't perfect. He did amazing things and was smart, but he also got hurt a lot and made mistakes... AND he always had help from his friends. In one way or another, he was never alone. He talked of fortune and glory, but risked his life to help a village of people get their kids back! He was a good man! I was pretty lucky to grow up around a lot of good men in my daily life and they all liked the Indiana Jones films! Indy isn't just an every man... He's every good man who lives by a code! And that's what I will always take from the films!
Harrison Ford definitely has another Indy film in him, but it looks like Disney is wanting to start fresh. You could never ever replace Ford, but you can make smart casting choices and do him justice! I have heard the names Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper and recently Chris Pratt being kicked around as possible Jones replacements! I love the Idea of both Chris' ...Cooper not so much. Out of the three I love Pratt, he is my front runner! He was a one part Jones and two parts Solo in Gardians of the Galaxy, and to me those are two of the Greatest parts of Harrison Ford! Pratt wasn't doing an impression of these iconic characters he was taking some of the best parts of both to create a new icon in Star Lord! I cannot think of a better choice to pick up the whip and fedora! He has the charm and charisma to pull it off and put his own stamp on the Jones character, built by Ford! It only sweetens the pot that Spielberg appears to be on board w/ the idea, but what about Ford?
I think not to use Ford in some way would be a major mistake for the new film to make! I keep hearing reboot so what if Ford came back as Henry Jones SR? It's a new franchise, anything is possible. Or maybe Ford could play Indy's cool archaeologist that inspires him on his future path. Another interesting approach would be to make another sequel and just have Mutt Smith become Henry Jones III? I am sure that won't happen, but Crystal Skulls got a bad wrap. If people were to... I don't know... READ about the real Crystal Skulls they might see a completely different movie! Anyway, other actors take over other actors original roles all the time and Pratt could slip in to Shia's role easily. I will spare you and not go into how that would all work, but it could be very cool if done right!
Well, I have said my piece! I wonder if other people out there are as excited about Chris Pratt taking over as I am! I also wonder if anyone else has started to imagine half baked notions to keep Ford involved? As always I love to hear your comments and viewpoints so share them on my Facebook page or Twitter feed. Hell you can even comment on here! Take care out there and remember to run when you have a giant bolder rolling toward you!
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