Do We Really Need Another Indiana Jones Movie?

When no fewer than 92 of the year's scheduled releases are sequels, remakes, spin-offs, or adaptations, it's fair to wonder whether Hollywood would make better movies with new material. Sure, there are great sequels, but it's too easy to coast on name recognition, knowing that people will go because they saw the last one (or last 10, if we're talking Friday the 13th).

So with the news that after 19 years Harrison Ford, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg were reuniting to give Indiana Jones one more comeback, I asked the big question: Do we really need Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

Here at Film.com Joanne Hinkel recently took on the elephant in the viper pit: At 65, Harrison Ford may just be too old to be an action hero. She thinks no, and as a big Ford fan I think he can pull it off too; but most of her (and my) argument is based on nostalgia. We loved those old movies, and Harrison Ford just is Indy. But will he work for the younger audiences that drive the blockbuster business, people who think of him as, I don't know, maybe the guy from What Lies Beneath?

Besides, Indiana Jones is one of those series that people feel real attachment to, like the Bond movies and, of course, Star Wars. They've become part of the culture, our mythology, and sometimes it's worth leaving mythology alone. Of course, these are Lucas's creations, and he doesn't owe anything to the rest of us. "The fans are all upset," he told Vanity Fair in the February issue. "They're always going to be upset." But there's still an argument to be made that American Graffiti 2 with drift cars would hurt the original's legacy. And let's face it, the last time he revisited his old classics he didn't inspire much confidence.

(Warning: spoilers ahead)

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place in 1957, and in the production stills costar Shia LaBeouf wears a leather jacket and pompadour straight out of a dinner theater production of Grease -- more Kenickie rather than Brando in The Wild One. (I can already sense the Elvis reference.) Lucas has said that the period affected his approach to the movie too. Rather than the '30s adventure serials the first three films were modeled after, the fourth will be, in Lucas's words, "a B science-fiction movie from the '50s." Science fiction?

Early rumors point to -- hold on -- aliens. Just look at this picture of the crystal skull itself -- posted by MovieWeb, then taken down at the studio's request -- here. (Lucas was at least right about the fans. One post on an Indy forum reads, "Great. Aliens in an Indiana Jones movie -- talk about officially jumping the shark.") There's also considerable speculation that LaBeouf's character, Mutt Williams, is actually Indiana's son. For one, the long-lost son is a stale device, and then the father-son thing was already done in the poorly titled Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (not to mention The Empire Strikes Back). What's more, Spielberg purposely wants the movie to look old, like the first three. After the Matrixes, after the Bournes, will that still play?

All that said, this is the team that was able to make '80s audiences appreciate the style of the old Republic adventure reels. And I think even younger audiences will go along for the ride; Indiana Jones is still an icon for them, and if long-time fans feel betrayed by the aliens and motorcycle jackets, it may end up just another case of the new overthrowing the old. After all, around the world there are people in their 20s who call Phantom Menace the first Star Wars movie; those pre-teens who liked Jar Jar Binks can go to bars now. The Spielberg/Lucas machine is way too polished to drop the ball on something like this, and it's all but guaranteed to make an ocean of money. But will it be any good?

It might just be my inner crotchety old man -- damn kids, get off my movie! -- but part of me does wish Indiana Jones could enjoy his retirement, maybe do some fishing. And there's something almost sad about George Lucas, such a great maker of myth, tweaking shots from 30-year-old movies and retreading old characters, like Howard Hughes shuffling around the Desert Inn in tissue-box shoes.

But, even though I'd love to see Lucas focus all that talent on something new for a change, who am I kidding? I'll be in line to see Indy strap on the bullwhip one more time.

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