Fans are very excited aboutIndiana Jones5, despite the fact that the lastIndiana Jonesmovie, 2008’sIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,was met with a mixed-to-bad reception. If the still-untitled fifth movie in the series is going to succeedthe way the first three did, the franchise would be smart to return to its roots in one particular way.
The technical aspect of movie making has changed a lot since 1981’sRaiders of the Lost Ark. Back thenIndiana Joneshad to rely much more in practical stunt work, just like in that iconic truck chase scene.Crystal Skull, on the contrary, relied much more on CGI and dazzling set pieces, to the detriment of the franchise. Fans never watchedIndiana Jonesfor the CGI, after all. And the best way to deliver the kind of movie that reminds people of what made the first one so groundbreaking, is to go back to the basics.
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Indiana Jonesis not the only franchiseto run into this issue.Star Warswas groundbreaking visually when it premiered, but the technological limitations made it so the movies had to rely on other things. These days, technology can make most things people can conceive possible, to the detriment of plot, characterization, and sometimes, pure stunt work.Indiana Jonesis already a very well-developed character, and fans have certain expectations for the plot of anIndiana Jonesmovie, but the stunt work can still be the thing that makes this movie memorable.
Recently, there have been movies that have relied completely on stunt work to make their mark.TheJohn Wickfranchiseis more about the work Keanu Reeves and the stunt team put in than it is about complicated CGI. Those movies weren’t successful despite the lack of CGI and big green screen moments, they were successful because of it. Despite the success of Marvel’s big movies with large special effects, there’s always an interest in movies that rely more on actual choreography when it comes to stunts. In fact, even Marvel is well known for incorporating such scenes into their movies.
One memorable recent example is the Seoulcar chase scene inBlack Panther.There’s a lot of CGI in the movie, but most of the more memorable scenes in this particular Marvel tentpole are smaller fight scenes, involving choreography instead of green screen. Marvel movies are, in fact, very good at blending both things, managing to provide fans with the big moments that only CGI can accomplish, while still incorporating real stunt work. This means fans of one or the other are satisfied, and that there’s a good balance to what they’re showing us, and the skills required to pull off the scenes.
Indiana Jones isn’t the type of movie that should – or needs to – rely on too many green screen scenes. Part ofthe magic ofIndiana Joneshas always been in its relatability. Indy is always at his best when he’s fighting human villains, not aliens or superheroes with a wide array of superpowers. This is part of whereIndiana Jonesand theKingdom of the Crystal Skullwent wrong, not just in the arguably bad CGI, but in the aliens-that-are-not-aliens storyline. It was great fun to seeIndiana Jonespunching Nazis in the original trilogy, it’s less fun to focus on a plot that involves interdimensional beings and villains that are not as clear-cut evil.
If anything, the biggest villain inIndiana Jonesmovies has always been greed and a sense of superiority, which are very human emotions. The reason the movies were initially a hit was Harrison Ford, yes, and interesting characters with interesting backgrounds, but also the way the movies made it feel like any of us could actually be part of the adventure. Not just that, that everyone should. This is much easier to sell when the bad guys are real, and the fights are grounded in the reality of what could actually happen, than when the movies rely on over-the-top and often unbelievable CGI and aliens.
By focusing on more grounded stunts and giving the characters fans have already invested many years in a chance to shine,Indiana Jones5can take fans back to what they loved about the original trilogy. Fans don’t want nuclear weapons or interdimensional beings. That wasnever whatIndiana Joneswas about. Instead, the movie would do well to remember that the smaller, more grounded stunts of the first three movies, paired with the emotional beats, made this franchise successful, and if fans are still excited for more, it’s because of that, not in spite it. AndifIndiana Jones5 can deliverin that respect, fans would be happy to dismissIndiana Jonesand the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as a fluke.
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