The Macguffin ?

mfisher

New member
wow... this theme of aliens that keeps coming back up really scares me... I am looking forward to this movie more than any other... but if there are aliens in this movie I may just sell all of my Indy memorabilia and walk away !
 

snake_surprise

New member
Add me to the side thinking that the macguffin is the Ark.

As always, it is like a cause/effect cycle. In this film I think the Ark is needed to activate the skulls/harness the power of the 'kingdom'/raise the dead/summon aliens, whatever.

Look at the past three films:

1. The Ark is needed to activate power that can "level mountains".

2. The Sankara Stones are needed to bring the lifeblood back to the village.

3. The grail is needed for eternal life.

When Lucas refers (I think in that Vanity Fair article) to how this new macguffin was in front of him 'this whole time', I think he is referring to the ark.

This would also explain why Harrison and Steven were apprehensive about using it again...on the surface it would seem risky/bland to use the same treasure again...I know I would balk at it for sure if I were in their shoes. But as we all know, Lucas is all about things coming full circle....and with Marion back...well...

I think the skull is essential to the story, but is nothing without the Ark.
It's gotta be the Ark.
 

yodazone

Member
I wonder if the Ark and the Crystal skulls are will be 2 macfuffins in the movie.

Those translucent skeletons in that lego set have me worried that they might look like the skeleton monkeys from "The Mummy Returns" movie.

:eek: :eek: :eek:
 

snake_surprise

New member
effin said:
I'm still not convinced the ark plays a prominent role.

Keep in mind, however, that the initial 'author' of this story is the same man who decided that Darth Vader literally made C3P0. He loves wrapping things up with a big, red bow on top. :sick: (n)

He is always working for story elements to come full circle. I just hope that this time it actually works...if the Ark is indeed the macguffin.
 

blueseattle

New member
effin said:
I'm still not convinced the ark plays a prominent role.

I'm not either. I'm moreso on the side that I enjoy having the ark being carted away at the end, lost forever in the warehouse. I prefer it staying that way. It adds mystery.

Maybe the warehouse might just be coming back for other items? :hat:
 

snake_surprise

New member
blueseattle said:
I'm not either. I'm moreso on the side that I enjoy having the ark being carted away at the end, lost forever in the warehouse. I prefer it staying that way. It adds mystery.

Maybe the warehouse might just be coming back for other items? :hat:

I don't disagree with you at all, but this thread is speculation on what it COULD be not what we WANT it to be.

I wish Lucas would leave the Ark alone, but I really doubt it.
 

peterlally

New member
Well here is my crackpot theory... While looking for a crystal skull in the warehouse they accidently uncover the ark and Indy tugs the brim of his hat at it and thats it.

Either that or Indy gets nabbed trying to steal something from the warehouse and he gets hauled in front of the ark which they are experimenting on. Which could be the scene where he is being held by two soldiers in the desert and looks like he's about to fill his pants.
 

1ord3vil

New member
At this point, I'm beginning to suspect that they might commit one of the most common and fatal mistakes sequel moviemakers never ever seem to learn from: Throwing in an overabundance of plot devices in an attempt to compensate for a poor macguffin or storyline in the hopes that pushing things over the top will "add up" to something worthwile.

This has never failed to ruin a movie, yet screenwriters, directors and producers line up to commit this tired old mistake over and over.

Let's just for the sake of all that is good and noble hope that they DON'T try to fit the Ark, saucer aliens, crystal skull power and Aztec antenna death rays into the same movie, with a goofy wedding at the end.
 

1ord3vil

New member
About the Ark: I really can't see this being the MacGuffin of another movie and it would probably be better to just imbue the crystal skull with whatever powers are needed for the story rather than use the same thing over again.

I can see the Ark being referenced in the movie though, even though that too has already been done, in LC.

An opening scene containing the Ark could be pretty cool. Something along the lines of the army conducting a research experiment to harness the Ark's power. The experiment fails and the opening scene ends with the Ark being destroyed in a nuclear explosion.
 

sandiegojones

New member
I kind of felt the Ark would be a place that the Crystal Skull could be stored away in at the end of the film. Maybe only the power of God can contain it's power? Something powerful like the Skull needs to be in a secured place with "top men".
 

snake_surprise

New member
It could be the skull itself, but that does not correspond with what Lucas said.

He said that the macguffin has been sitting in front of his face the "whole time". He has also CONSISTENTLY talked about the crystal skull, the history behind it, etc...in separate discussions.

As I mentioned earlier, why would Ford and Speilberg balk at the macguffin if it were the skull? I think they were so apprehensive because of the 'risk' in using something already used...aka the Ark.

I think there are two treasures here...the Ark and the skull. The Ark is the driving force behind the skull, and the search thereof.
 

jasperjones

New member
the mcguffin is the skull. The mcguffin is literally the object that everybody is after. The ark in Raiders, The Death star plans in Starwars, the Skull in Kingdom. Aliens and ancient civilisation will be part of the plot (and the ET angle fits in very well with 1950's obsession of the space race etc) but the mcguffin will be the skull. I'd say that's pretty clear from what we know and people are making far too much out of the fact that Lucas used what is a very common film-making term in that article. If he'd just said the thing that everyone's after there wouldn't be this debate over it because we already know what everyone's after - the crystal skull.
 

sandiegojones

New member
I agree. I think the title gives it away! :hat:

I was only suggesting where the Ark may fit in (if it does in fact show up in the film).
 

commontone

New member
jasperjones said:
you could well be right. Certainly the warehouse suggests that. If used well I think it would be pretty cool.

OK, I'm just gonna keep pointing this out until people stop assuming and address it. The picture of the warehouse in VF looks nothing like the Raiders warehouse--the ceilings are way too low, among other differences. At this point it is simply a big low-ceilinged space with crates in it, totally generic. We can speculate it will be CGI'd into the Raiders warehouse somehow, but we don't know that.

I just wish people would stop saying, "Well, given that the Raiders warehouse is back..." That's a big empty assumption. It's like seeing a picture of the jungle and assuming we'll see the same temple from the beginning of Raiders.
 

snake_surprise

New member
jasperjones said:
the mcguffin is the skull. The mcguffin is literally the object that everybody is after.

Not necessarily. It can simply be a way/tool to keep the plot moving forward. I do think that Indy, et. al., will certainly be gunning for the skull, but I have a hunch that the Ark kicks it off (in terms of story design).

commontone said:
OK, I'm just gonna keep pointing this out until people stop assuming and address it. The picture of the warehouse in VF looks nothing like the Raiders warehouse--the ceilings are way too low, among other differences. At this point it is simply a big low-ceilinged space with crates in it, totally generic. We can speculate it will be CGI'd into the Raiders warehouse somehow, but we don't know that.

I just wish people would stop saying, "Well, given that the Raiders warehouse is back..." That's a big empty assumption. It's like seeing a picture of the jungle and assuming we'll see the same temple from the beginning of Raiders.

Keep in mind that the 'original' warehouse was a matte paining, so it really didn't exist. You mention CG...couldn't they utilize that to give the illusion of a higher ceiling? Seems pretty plausible to me, anyway.

I agree that this is an assumption, for sure...but if there were pictures of cast members alongside the village in India from TOD, couldn't we assume that the sankara stones were back? What about a picture of Shia in front of the grail temple in real life Jordan (Petra). Why would it be out of bounds to assume the grail is back?

I think the warehouse is such a seminal set/location/image in Indy lore, and I would be utterly shocked if The Beards used that location or setting for anything but the inclusion of the ark.
 

commontone

New member
I see your point, but a warehouse is a lot more generic than a temple or village. There are tons of adventure movies that feature spaces with crates, or barrels..those are just standard backdrop objects for places like military bases or "hideouts."

The VF picture actually looks more like a shipping center, or loading dock to me, than a secret warehouse. I'm just not sold that it's the Raiders warehouse. Could be, but is far from a safe assumption IMO.
 

sandiegojones

New member
I looks just like the Raiders wherehouse to me. I watched that part again recently!

I think the ceiling is the actual studio ceiling and will be digitally enhanced to appear more like it does in Raiders.
 
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