Re: Indiana jones 5 still happening?
I honestly don't understand the gripe about the fifties, communists as the bad guys, or aliens. There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with those elements - it was how they were handled.
Respectfully, I disagree. To me, the very nature of Indy is a particular style of serial or pulp novel that is very rooted in its time -- namely the 1930s. You could maybe push it into WWII, but much past that and it stops working. It's well known that Hitler was into the occult, so it's easy to accept that he'd send some SS unit to go root out the Spear of Longinus or the True Cross or whatever.
But Commies? Trying to find religious icons? The only way that'd work is maybe if it was part of some plan to destroy this or that religious icon, except it didn't happen in the USSR itself, so that wouldn't really make sense. Moreover, I tend to think that most American viewers, particularly those who are about 30 and younger, tend to view Commies as kind of "quaint" as bad guys. Or at least as relics of a particular bygone age. Nazis, on the other hand, are always fun (and easy) to hate. You can ALWAYS root against the Nazis. Rooting against the Commies seems "very 80s" or "very 50s."
Aliens CAN be supernatural if portrayed that way. I always assumed that when it was revealed that Crystal Skull was about aliens and alien encounters in the past, that it would be linked with those other artifacts that Indy had chased after and found in the other movies. I'm sure it would probably have pissed people off, but I thought it could be an interesting twist.
Again, not really. The thing that works about the supernatural elements is that they're, you know, supernatural -- of divine or magical origin. The problem with aliens is that, on some level, they're based on science, not magic. Yes, they're high tech, but they're not wizards. Although I can see where trying to blend that by having them be "pandimensional" creatures also doesn't work. Might as well just have Indy punch it out with Cthulhu if you're headed in that direction (although that may not be in the public domain).
Ford IS Indy. There's just no way around it. Just like Mel Gibson IS Mad Max (I ain't going to see the new one).
So....you're saying we don't need another hero?
There's so many directions this could go beyond the formulaic treasure hunt story of what came before. There is magic, there is the supernatural of the world and ancient kingdoms, there is the mystery. There are loads of things that could happen, even for an aging archeologist - all except the retreading of the formula from the other movies. It was attempted for the fourth movie and failed because they were trying too hard to just go by the numbers, basically making it like one of the many Indy wannabe adventure films.
Can you tell good stories about some adventurer searching for the solution to, say, the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, or the sword and horn of Roland, or the secret descendents of Edward II, or whathaveyou? Sure. But if it's Indy, it's kind of got to stick to formula. Otherwise it feels like a fish out of water.
To me, the only acceptable continuation of the stories would've been Indy working for (apologies to Hellboy) the OSS Paranormal Division, basically doing what he did normally, but against the backdrop of WWII. Other than that, make a new character and tell a new story. You don't need Indy to do it, and you're probably better off with a different character anyway.
His father had an obsession that took up most of his life. Surely, Indy could easily have developed a similar thing that would take up all his interests that he'll try to seek out and discover before it's no longer possible for him to do so. With all the things he's seen and experienced, I'm sure he'd be pissed at the established blinders that are being pulled down over the population, marginalizing all the wonders of the ancient world and what they could accomplish and the truth about the things Indy has found.
Again, cool idea, but better with a different character.
If they go forward with a fifth movie, the writers and filmmakers need to understand that the formula used in the other movies are no longer suited for the story - it has to evolve. We need a finale where things go full circle in some way. I really want to know what that warehouse is and why things are just stored there without even being investigated. We saw a glimpse of it in Crystal Skull. And honestly... I would think Indy would want to know too. The enemy is not Nazis or Communists... it's the people who shield the truth from the public.
It would be a wholly different type of movie, sure... but in order to make another successful Indy movie, the story has to evolve as the character has evolved. It is a new time, Indy is older, and he wants answers.
See above. I like your idea. I think it actually could be particularly cool. You could even set up a new film series about the discovery of some particular earth-shaking truth, and the consequences of that discovery. But ask yourself this:
Why does Indy need to be in it? Why not have someone new?
The further you stray from the "Indy Formula" the more you should be asking yourself "So, why Indy, then?" Much as I love the character -- and I do -- I don't think he's suited to the stories you're describing. I see glimmers of that at the end of Raiders, but that's about it. If you HAVE to have a connection to the Indy series, then recast the role of Mutt and have it be about HIS obsession to shine the light of truth on the myths and lies by which people are controlled.
Only, to be honest, I'd rather it just be a totally new character. I think the problem you're running into is EXACTLY the problem that the studios run into nowadays: a lack of vision and an unwillingness to let go of the past and strike out to the future. That's harsher-sounding than I intend it towards you (and not nearly harsh enough for the studios...), but I think there's a degree of blinders that people have in wanting Indy sequels in the first place.
They're unnecessary. You can tell new stories with new characters. We don't need the man in the hat to be part of these stories. Indy's story is told. (Arguably one too many times, even.) Someone else's story though, that's just waiting to be seen. And it could be REALLY cool. Just not with Indy.
