-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
When I review the latest installment of Indiana Jones action, I just don’t know what to say.
Overall, I would say that the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is good for a nice action movie. It has the action sequences typical of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, of course)-using the whip, of course-against Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her troops during the Cold War. With backup from “Mutt” Williams (Shia Lebeouf), and a returning Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, once again), this movie is somehow different than the other Indiana Jones movies made 20 years ago.
Also in this movie are Ray Winstone, as Indy’s friend Mac, and John Hurt, as Dr. Oxley, who has gone crazy from the Crystal Skull.
The movie starts at the place where Raiders of the Lost Ark ended-a warehouse in the American desert, in Nevada-but at a different time, 1957. At the height of the Cold War and the Red Scare, a group of KGB led by Blanchett’s evil character, the psychic researcher Irina Spalko, have found the warehouse containing the Ark. They command Indiana and his friend Mac to search the warehouse for a prize none would expect: an alien carcass. Indy escapes, despite Mac betraying him, and Spalko and her soldiers try to find him. If you pay attention, you will see part of the Ark of the Covenant in a smashed box.
Soon after, Indiana meets up with Mutt Williams, a greaser sent by his mother to find “Dr. Jones”. Mutt is played by the young star Shia Lebeouf, who surprised me with his performance. We find out that his mother is Marion Ravenwood, the long lost love from the original Indiana Jones movie. Of course, Karen Allen returns and plays her with a different attitude, between her original behavior to Indy and a mother’s care towards her son. This is the third link I see between the first and fourth installments of the saga.
(Spoiler alert! We are told by Marion that Mutt’s real name is Henry…Henry Jones III. Williams was the name of Marion’s new husband, after Indy left her. This brings the number of Joneses in the movie to three. What a twist!)
Of course, the Soviets and Indy go on several mini-adventures to find Alcator, the city of pure gold. The crystal skull that Indy finds belongs there in some way. In the end (to no one’s surprise) Indy and his friends, except for double agent Mac, escape the destruction of Alcator by a surprising source.
This ties in with the Legend of the Crystal Skull, in which 13 skulls made of quartz crystal must be found by December 21, 2012. This is the date of the “apocalypse”, the date that the Mayan calendars meet up. The legend says that the 13 skulls can be used to stop the destruction of earth. I don’t believe in the 2012 Apocalypse theory, but I do think that such skulls would be an incredible prize for anyone. We use tiny bits of quartz crystal to hold information-is it possible that these skulls contain huge amounts of knowledge?
My Ranking: A-. Good performances abound in this movie, but Cate Blanchett is a bit too unbelievable as a Russian psychic researcher. Also, Karen Allen doesn’t have as wide of a role as she did in Raiders. The plotline, while filled with exciting action scenes and a paranormal finale, is not much more than waving swords, whips, knives, and guns-though Spielberg made that into a movie worth seeing. And this movie is definitely worth seeing. But it isn’t even in the same class as Raiders, 27 years ago.
Hey, it’s the Tick again.
Anyway, I’d just like to share my thoughts on some of LOST’s issues here.
First, the episode “There’s No Place Like Home, pt. 1”. The numbers, a crucial part of the show, show up in an earlier flash-forward of the rescue. Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, a ‘rotund’ Hispanic man (though you can’t tell), receives a car at his birthday party. But, the numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) show up in the car gauges. Hugo freaks out, and runs from the car. This eventually leads to his becoming “crazy” and going to a mental institution.
My thoughts: Hurley does have a reason to be worried. These numbers have shown up too many times to be a coincidence. I think that somehow, either the island or Ben Linus (you’ll find out about him) are manipulating random things around Hurley, to make him go crazy.
This leads to another event. In a previous episode, the flash-forward is of Ben Linus, a survivor of the island who was not on Oceanic 815. He manipulates Sayid Jarrah, a Middle Eastern interrogator, into believing that a hit man from a rich industrialist has killed his wife. Sayid, angered, kills the man, and starts working for Ben.
My thoughts: I believe that Ben’s ultimate goal is to control the Oceanic Six, the group of survivors that escaped the island. He has mentally controlled Hurley and now controls Sayid. The other members of the Oceanic Six-Jack Shepard, Kate Austen, baby Aaron, and Sun-Hwa Kwon-are probably next on Ben’s “hit list”.
Soon, there will be another LOST post. As well as my interpretation of the Orchid, this post will contain thoughts from my father and brother, both of whom are avid LOST fans and have their own blogs.
One more thing: remember to watch the season finale of LOST on Thursday the 29th. It’s called, “There’s No Place Like Home, pt. 2, and the Oceanic Six are rescued. Hopefully, we will discover what happens to the other survivors-whether they die, or if they somehow survive.
“Co.” was a typo. Sorry, nothin’ here. Go home.
Hello, people.
My name’s the Tick. Now, I know you’re thinking Why the heck is this guy called the Tick? The Tick was a TV cartoon about a superhero with super strength and punch lines for any moment, and his sidekick Arthur. I bought a DVD, and I thought it was great.
But enough about that. I’m going to tell you about the things I will be publishing on my blog. My main two features will be LOST info and short stories. The season finale of LOST season 4 is coming up in about a week. I’m hot with anticipation about this new episode, and I will comment on it in one of my blogs coming up. In the meantime, I will write a little about LOST theories: my own, and others I have heard about.
Also, I am an avid writer, and I love writing about pretty much anything. (Well, not really.) If anyone has any ideas on short stories I should write, then just post comments on this post.
Finally, there will be occasional video and music posts, and maybe some pictures too. If there’s anything else you want, just post a comment.
Later.
Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
The Tick (01) 