As Alex Crisp of We Got This Covered shows everyone has their own opinion on why Steven Spielberg is exiting the director’s seat for Indiana Jones 5, which doesn’t have a definitive title yet, but the famed director’s own explanation is easy enough to accept, even if it sounds somewhat incomplete. In Spielberg’s own words he wants to pass Indy’s whip to the next generation and let them put their own perspective in line when thinking about how to present him to the public. It’s already been established how Harrison Ford feels about the character, he doesn’t want anyone else playing him, but what that could mean for Indy in the coming movie has a lot of people thinking that this will be the last time we could see the famed archaeologist on screen. I hate to say this, well no I don’t but anyway, it might be time for Indiana to finally admit that he’s getting a tad bit too old to go climbing around ancient ruins and discovering long-lost artifacts that are hidden within mazes guarded by traps that are devilishly clever most times. Has anyone ever really taken a look at the engineering skills that would have had to go into the making of some of these traps? Seriously, it’s a belief that some of the ancients had a good deal of knowledge of mathematics and said skills that came from the study of the world around them, but from The Raiders of the Lost Ark to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull there are some seriously next-level traps and designs that defy the imagination of those alive today, meaning that those who had less experience with processes that were still being built and perfected throughout the ages would have been at a serious disadvantage. Anyway though, moving on…
We here at TVOvermind don’t doubt that Spielberg is relinquishing his director’s seat to give the next generation a chance, but that’s not the only reason. Keep in mind he’s staying on as a producer, so he’s not leaving entirely. But it sounds as though his heart isn’t completely in it at this time, much as it wasn’t for the last movie. That makes a huge difference when a director is less than one hundred percent focused upon the movie and making it the best that they possibly can. If anyone remembers, and some people might try deluding themselves into thinking that they don’t, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was kind of a flop in regards to the other movies since even The Last Crusade was starting to show a slightly downward slide since it was relying on more star power and slightly less action as opposed to exposition in order to keep from losing people along the way. The two movies that came before, arguably the most popular of the bunch, were filled with action and only passing explanation of what was going on, and somehow people tended to enjoy this just a bit more since the movie tracked along at a pretty even pace and had enough laughs, thrills, and action to make it worthwhile and keep people watching. The last movie relied so heavily on giving Indy a defined background that it felt as though it was already saying goodbye to the character via a back story that skipped about here and there without ever landing fully on one solid idea. He was a war hero, he and Marion had a falling out, he introduced her to the man that she would one day marry, he and Oxley stopped talking to each other, blah, blah, blah. Mutt being his son was less of a revelation than it was a moment for people to say “Finally! We got it already!”
The big hope for Indiana Jones 5 is that it will go back to its gritty and basically action-packed ways without all the exposition or need for added star power that wasn’t really needed back in the day since the story itself was something that drew people in without needing to add another famous face to the mix. In all fairness Sean Connery was a great addition since as the senior Dr. Jones he was capable of putting Indy on his heels, something that no one had really done to that point. It was nice to see Indy humbled in a way for a short time, though it was also just as nice when father and son reconciled at some point as it was understood that they had finally come to understand each other. That went out the window with the last movie since Indy and Mutt might share some similarities, but the generational gap between them is all too obvious and doesn’t allow them to mesh well. So say what you will about Spielberg and his reasons for giving up the director’s seat, but in a big way it’s a belief of ours that he really doesn’t have a lot of faith in the coming movie.
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