Montana Smith said:
On balance I agree that the TOD unit was preferable.
I'm with you here as well. For me KOTCS lost something that the other films had: the ability to care for the characters. The original three managed to create pulpy characters that felt more than mere cardboard cutouts. During the 19 years since TLC the Beards lost touch with that, and instead went for over-the-top action scenes to compensate. Action scenes in which you don't care about the characters are tedious, which is probably why the jungle chase fails to engage in the way previous chases played out.
The last great action scene of KOTCS was Indy getting into the fridge. After that it went downhill fast. But not fast enough that you don't feel the need to reach for the remote control.
It’s a difficult one because KOTCS is so far removed from the originals in terms of age. It’s a given that I was emotionally invested in the relationship between Indy and Marion in
Raiders… because I think
Raiders (although hugely implausible in itself) is the most naturalistic Indy movie (in terms of the action and human relationships). I was also always emotionally involved in the relationship between Indy and Henry Jones Senior… largely because of what Connery brings to the role and the fact that I think it’s Ford’s best performance in the role (due no doubt to his co-star). I’d have to say that I don’t have any emotional investment at all in TOD… other than it’s a movie that’s easy to like, not so much for any tangible character development/emotion, but for the pace of the movie which keeps you constantly visually engaged, if not emotionally engaged.
Coming onto KOTCS… there doesn’t seem anything as genuine as the original Indy and Marion relationship, which is a shame given the returning charcters, and the key relationship between Indy and Mutt just doesn’t have the same dynamic/quality (and resolution) as the Ford/Connery one. Still, I think Mutt is a much more believable and engaging character than Short Round ever was – who was always, it seemed, just written/performed as ‘cute kid’ (IMHO). And I think Mac is a classic Indy character (although I'd wholeheartedly agree that the way his character is handled in the final 3rd does its best to undnermine the good work leading up to that point).
Also – I’d have to say that I don’t particularly buy into the notion that ‘action scenes in which you don’t care about the characters are tedious’. The best action scenes/sequences (IMHO) are when you don’t have to care. For instance, and taking into account that even the best action sequences age as techniques advance, the truck or tank chase can/could be watched in isolation and they’d still be brilliantly crafted action sequences that kept you on the edge of your seat (Spielberg in his action prime I’d say). Same applies for the Death Star trench run in
Star Wars ANH or the car chase in
The French Connection. I think the main reason the action scenes in KOTCS don’t work as well as the main sequences from
Raiders, TOD and TLC (although I’d still argue there’re better than most of KOTCS contemporaries) is that they are not quite as good… both in terms of concept and execution. And if they don’t visually excite; any emotional investment is largely irrelevant. Again – that’s one of the reasons why I was disappointed that Spielberg didn’t try something new in terms of how he directed/cut the action i.e. it feels a bit dated.