eshine said:
Why would anyone want Indiana Jones to die alone?
Because he's a fictional character and drama sometimes - nay, often - demands unpleasant ends, or at least ends that aren't quite as tidy.
The complaint isn't even necessarily about the marriage, (that I've not quite bought into Marion's charm is inconsequential - I'd feel much the same way if it were, say, Sophia Hapgood), but about the way it was handled. See more below...
Peacock's-Eye said:
Hm, I think the film handled it perfectly in "Indy" style. There's no way you can handle all the elements of their relationship in a 2 hour popcorn adventure movie. I mean, he seduced her as a teenager, traumatized her, and left her pregnant at the altar! I think Koepp did the right thing - he simplified the issues: Marion is chasing after Indy, has been her whole life. All she wants is for him to stop running, and step up to plate to be the man she knows he is inside. When he finally does, she accepts him wholeheartedly. KA did a great job of communicating that Marion still has a schoolgirl crush on Indy - I mean, why else would she put up with him all those years? I think that worked better than going into some melodramatic stuff about their relationship, IMO.
My point is that there's no real way of jiggering the Indy style such that it becomes one where you throw away moments of real tension and character insight. Look at the conversation between Belloq and Indy in the bar in Cairo, look at all the serious conversations between the two Joneses in Last Crusade, even look at the moment with Indy and Short Round exchanging hats. Most of all, of course, look back to the scene in Raiders where we first see Indy and Marion interact. Far be it from me to critique an actor's interpretation of a role they originated, but I can't help but feel it's a whitewash for Karen Allen to say, as she said to Shia, that she was only a heavy drinker back in the day because the circumstances demanded it. There used to be a lot more loss in these films, and while this film edged towards it on occasion ("there were a lot of Marys, kid" was a <I>great</I> line), a bit of bickering does not make up for the resentment that you'd pretty darned well expect to be present. Off-screen character growth, yes, but it just strikes me as a lost opportunity, especially when the precedent allows for more.
