00Kevin
Indyfan
When the film first came out, I had my reservations because I wanted the film to be Raiders of the Lost Arc part 2; disappointed by many elements, such as the alien-whatevers and the russian villians, I didn't give it too much thought.
But as a student of film history and as a hopeful writer, my perception regarding this film changed and I began to look at it for what it is.
Kingdom is a modern reimagining of a historical film genre; 1950s scifi films. Raiders of the Lost Arc also was a modern reimagining of a historical film genre; 1930's serials. George Lucas loves making films in homage to films from his youth, think about his career and think about films from the 30's-50's. So while the change in genre and setting may seem a bit much, Kingdom does capture one of the most essential ingredients to an Indy film which is sometimes overlooked: capturing the magic of a classic era in film.
the 1950s scifi craze fictionalized fears of communism and invasion. With films like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Hollywood used aliens to feed off the cold war era fears of american consumers. Like Indy 4, this film draws on cold war tension with the conformity of 1950s America. So for me, involving Russians in a scifi fifties era adventure is a fun idea. Mind control was often used in scifi films of this era which played into the fears of the public, and this ties together well with the theme of the mind and Knowledge.
As I have watched this film over the years, This is another thing that sticks more the older I am; The motif of the Knowledge and the mind. I didn't really appreciate it in 2008 and while it isn't perfect it does have some clever elements:
-Skull is a symbol for mind/knowledge
-"Knowledge was their treasure"
-Indy just lost his job as a professor, he goes to save a professor (professor-education-knowledge)
-Irena spalko 'I KNOW things' scene, also established that indy has a strong mind
-Dialogue between Indy and Mutt throughout the film regarding education
Anyways, with a new appreciation I'll say that while the film has its flaws, It can be a rewarding experience for fans of fifties scifi or lovers of film history. To be honest I would be very interested to see if Lucas can craft another indy film out of a new film genre, rather than just writing a new adventure in the same old way. What's left? Noir? Sixties spy craze?
But as a student of film history and as a hopeful writer, my perception regarding this film changed and I began to look at it for what it is.
Kingdom is a modern reimagining of a historical film genre; 1950s scifi films. Raiders of the Lost Arc also was a modern reimagining of a historical film genre; 1930's serials. George Lucas loves making films in homage to films from his youth, think about his career and think about films from the 30's-50's. So while the change in genre and setting may seem a bit much, Kingdom does capture one of the most essential ingredients to an Indy film which is sometimes overlooked: capturing the magic of a classic era in film.
the 1950s scifi craze fictionalized fears of communism and invasion. With films like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Hollywood used aliens to feed off the cold war era fears of american consumers. Like Indy 4, this film draws on cold war tension with the conformity of 1950s America. So for me, involving Russians in a scifi fifties era adventure is a fun idea. Mind control was often used in scifi films of this era which played into the fears of the public, and this ties together well with the theme of the mind and Knowledge.
As I have watched this film over the years, This is another thing that sticks more the older I am; The motif of the Knowledge and the mind. I didn't really appreciate it in 2008 and while it isn't perfect it does have some clever elements:
-Skull is a symbol for mind/knowledge
-"Knowledge was their treasure"
-Indy just lost his job as a professor, he goes to save a professor (professor-education-knowledge)
-Irena spalko 'I KNOW things' scene, also established that indy has a strong mind
-Dialogue between Indy and Mutt throughout the film regarding education
Anyways, with a new appreciation I'll say that while the film has its flaws, It can be a rewarding experience for fans of fifties scifi or lovers of film history. To be honest I would be very interested to see if Lucas can craft another indy film out of a new film genre, rather than just writing a new adventure in the same old way. What's left? Noir? Sixties spy craze?