so i watched paul last night, for those of you who didn't see it there are a number of very obvious references to scifi movies from over the years, there is even a scene that takes place in the area 51 warehouse from rotla and kotcs.
so my brain starts ticking....
!!!!!
the russians are in area 51. there is a chase, several boxes fall, one of them gets a panel partially cracked off to reveal... the ark of the covenant. it was probably my favorite part of the movie, a great reference for fans to enjoy, but what if it was more?
a russian soldier passes by and sees the artifact, it seems like if the russians went through the trouble of breaking into the ultimate treasure trove of america's secrets they would at least check out a few of the other boxes. if memory serves, in the nevada scenes after the warehouse you just see 2 car fulls of guys chasing indy, the rest might have stayed behind and scavenged the warehouse.
looking back on that scene, where spielberg reveals the ark in kotcs, has there ever been such a potential set up for a sequel in the indy series? i think this is a great opertunity. I envision indy 5 begining...immendiatly putting you back in the chase at the warehouse, except when the ark is revealed, a figure approaches and inspects it and we follow the ark's story, not indy's...at least for the rest of the opening scene. the rest you can figure out for yourself.
It could have worked with the right script. and really, where else is there to go? you've done the ultimate jewish and christian relics, you did aliens (whatever) what could possibly top all those things? unless you want to chance it and bring a muslim element into the equation there is no catch that could be more interesting than bringing the series full circle. of course, it won't happen, lucas and spielberg wouldn't be interested in reusing a mcguffin. but for me, I had a moment of inspiration, the last great moment indy would likely provide for me, that's all i can ask for.
i'm sure i'm not the first person to present this. but it's the middle of the night, i felt an urge to submit this and there was no way i was about to go sifting through all the other threads. sue me.
At the very least, it'd probably be better than anything else they'll come up with for Indy V. Indy vs. Bigfoot? Indy vs. More Aliens? Indy's Quest for the Unknown Made Up Fake Relic Nobody Cares About?
I wouldn't mind seeing Indy chase after the Ark again. Good idea. And, yes, that was probably the best moment in the whole movie. Not that it was competing against a lot of other great moments...
The Ark has appeared in three Indy movies already, like an in-joke or a badly hidden Easter egg. For all the merits storywise, I don't think even Lucas would revisit that artifact in earnest.
Having to chase after it again undermines the original.
^^ With the iCloud as real entity now...you could be on to something rep....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montana Smith
The Ark has appeared in three Indy movies already, like an in-joke or a badly hidden Easter egg. For all the merits storywise, I don't think even Lucas would revisit that artifact in earnest.
Having to chase after it again undermines the original.
Not if prophecy says it's apocalyptic to disturb it. Putting it back is 1/2 the fun.
I always liked the speculation about the Ark being used as a superweapon against the skull in KOTCS. Don't know if it would have worked, but it certainly would have been 'pulpy'. I also remember the speculation around Indy climbing in the Ark to survive the atomic blast (assuming keeping your eyes closed still works). I wonder if that would have been better than the fridge???
I always liked the speculation about the Ark being used as a superweapon against the skull in KOTCS. Don't know if it would have worked, but it certainly would have been 'pulpy'.
An inter-alien war, with mankind in the middle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Vile
I also remember the speculation around Indy climbing in the Ark to survive the atomic blast (assuming keeping your eyes closed still works). I wonder if that would have been better than the fridge???
Only if John Cleese did it.
The Ark would have melted, then burnt to a crisp. With a crispy black Indy inside.
And what if Indy decides that the Ark is so powerful that it shouldn't be ANY nation's prize, and the goal of the movie is not to locate a lost artifact, but to LOSE it for no one to ever find again.
What would be awesome, is EVERYONE would be after him, bad guys, champagne villains, and even the CIA.
THAT might be how to end a series...bring back something familiar from the original, but do something new to the series as a whole!
indy coming to the realization that the ark must be destroyed for the good of mankink. i like it, could be a powerful scene as indy must abandon a dream. this would work as a strong character arc (or should i say, character ark...terrible)
I still think that IF there is an INDY 5 it'll be more along the lines of that haunted house idea Lucas has had for eons. They've done 30s serials and 50s sci-fi, I would not be shocked to see 60s B-movie horror (like Hammer) be given a whirl.
I wouldn't mind seeing Indy chase after the Ark again. Good idea. And, yes, that was probably the best moment in the whole movie. Not that it was competing against a lot of other great moments...
They should of used this.
That would have made way more sense considering Marion being thrown back into KOTCS like that.
I really wouldn't mind seeing this either, but in way that's not rehashed.
Scene after opening credits. A briefing room in the Army Intelligence headquarters. Present are INDIANA JONES and GENERAL ROSS.
ROSS
Dr. Jones, it appears that the Skull was not the only souvenir the Soviets took with 'em when they visited one of our most heavily guarded military installations a while back.
INDY
Tell me more.
ROSS
Item numbered 9906753. Uncovered in Egypt in 1936. Acquired from German hands in the same year-
INDY
The Ark of the Covenant.
ROSS
Yes.
(beat)
We have a good reason to believe the Soviets will attempt to use the Ark for their own nefarious means, just like the Skull. That's why you're here again. You're our utmost expert on this, we need to know everything-
INDY
Sure thing. Last time someone tried to use it for nefarious means, the thing exploded that guy's head right off his shoulders. It also took down three platoons of Nazis in the audience on the same go. It was a nasty thing. If Kruschev - or whoever- attempts the same, I expect the results to be similar. That's the reason you had the blasted thing in that box.
ROSS
Oh.
(beat)
Good riddance then. 'Kthxbye.
END. ROLL CREDITS.
---
I wouldn't be surprised though if some people preferred it to KotCS...
CS doesn't need a follow on, nor do we want that. The Ark has been done to death, it is now safe in Area 51. Let's leave it there. I wish we could crate up Marion and Mutt and leave them there too. If there is an Indy 5, I hope the story is fresh and interesting. No hangers on from the past installments, no aliens, no being upstaged by an upstart. Instead, give us a story line that has Indy motivated by his own ambitions to solve some ancient puzzle or seek some ancient artifact or both. It could be so easy, accommodating his age as well.
The problem I see with returning to the ark, as cool as it sounds upfront, is that if the Russians have it, the entire story would just involve its recovery from the Russians if anything. Even if they did some crazy story where the government sends in someone younger to retrieve it and Indy has to race THEM to the Ark so it can be hidden from all governments given its power, it still would involve urban or well-developed backdrops that just wouldn't feel quite right in an Indy film.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mickiana
Instead, give us a story line that has Indy motivated by his own ambitions to solve some ancient puzzle or seek some ancient artifact or both. It could be so easy, accommodating his age as well.
The problem I have with this, is if Indy is in his older years finally going after some pet project he's been puzzling over and really wants to pursue, then he has become his father - which just feels wrong.
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Call me crazy.... but I like the idea. I haven't really been persuaded by any other artifacts that have been suggested- except for Eden. Other than that, I have yet to see anything epic and well known enough to really take the cake in what would be considered the last Indiana Jones movie. And it's kind of a nice bookend. There's other aspects of the Ark that can be pursued and looked into, that aren't mentioned in Raiders.
Atlantis was a good idea, however FoA is too good as is to pass up later as a reboot film if Indy ever got a reboot. So with that in mind, I don't want it as a fifth film.
Eden as it's already been stated a number of times, with great reason, is an interesting possibility and would have great themes and concepts to play with. Maybe the best film for me in mind, might be a Ark opening act and Eden as the main.
re IAdventurer01, I don't think he has to become his father. They were both Archaeologists but they had very different personalities. There has been a progression in Indy through the series in becoming more like his father, but Indy5 can have a bit of the rogue of old that we all yearn for.
Scene after opening credits. A briefing room in the Army Intelligence headquarters. Present are INDIANA JONES and GENERAL ROSS.
ROSS
Dr. Jones, it appears that the Skull was not the only souvenir the Soviets took with 'em when they visited one of our most heavily guarded military installations a while back.
INDY
Tell me more.
ROSS
Item numbered 9906753. Uncovered in Egypt in 1936. Acquired from German hands in the same year-
INDY
The Ark of the Covenant.
ROSS
Yes.
(beat)
We have a good reason to believe the Soviets will attempt to use the Ark for their own nefarious means, just like the Skull. That's why you're here again. You're our utmost expert on this, we need to know everything-
INDY
Sure thing. Last time someone tried to use it for nefarious means, the thing exploded that guy's head right off his shoulders. It also took down three platoons of Nazis in the audience on the same go. It was a nasty thing. If Kruschev - or whoever- attempts the same, I expect the results to be similar. That's the reason you had the blasted thing in that box.
ROSS
Oh.
(beat)
Good riddance then. 'Kthxbye.
END. ROLL CREDITS.
That's as far as George got as well, when he told Steven he had an idea for Indy 5.
The Ark is a no-go because it's been done. If Indy 5 was the Ark again, it would be a sure sign that Lucas was clutching at straws, trying to bank on something that worked once. And in doing so, I say again that it would undermine the original. They hid that thing in the warehouse because it was too powerful to exist outside of it. That kind of thing destabilizes a fictional universe.
Indy puts Ark on eBay. Fat American kid gets into bidding war with slim German kid, eventually wins it for $15. Indy goes out and gets pissed with the money.
I loved the references to the Ark in both Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, but having another adventure involving the Ark would be a little too repetitious. I honestly rather they go a bold new direction like they did with Indy 4 then go that far in repeating the original.
I think its best having Indy's last adventure of the Ark with Indy being disgusted with the government's handlement and never seeing it or hearing of it ever again.
My idea for another Ark story. Always wanted to do it as a fanfilm, but would have been too large a project for our limited resources.
It's a transmitter, a radio for speaking to God... - Rene Belloq
What if Rene was right after all these years? At the end of ROTLA, we see the Nazis and Belloq being destroyed by the power of the Ark. But what if that's not what really happened? What if everything went as planned for Belloq and the Germans? They weren't destroyed by the Ark. Rather they were "sent" to Heaven.
Look at the pic above. Where did all the Nazis go? There quite a few soldiers on that island watching the power of the Ark. And they all vanished.
So we have an aged Indy who comes across a long lost Dead Sea Scroll at a dig site (can we see some actual archaeology in an Indy film?) The scroll is basically instructions for using the Ark. Indy realizes that he didn't stop the Nazis after all and must unite with the Ark once again to perform the same ritual that he "kept his eyes shut" from last time.
Heaven is now being destroyed by the Nazis. And there's only one man who can stop them...again. But this time, not to save the World...to save our place for eternity.
My idea for another Ark story. Always wanted to do it as a fanfilm, but would have been too large a project for our limited resources.
It's a transmitter, a radio for speaking to God... - Rene Belloq
What if Rene was right after all these years? At the end of ROTLA, we see the Nazis and Belloq being destroyed by the power of the Ark. But what if that's not what really happened? What if everything went as planned for Belloq and the Germans? They weren't destroyed by the Ark. Rather they were "sent" to Heaven.
Look at the pic above. Where did all the Nazis go? There quite a few soldiers on that island watching the power of the Ark. And they all vanished.
So we have an aged Indy who comes across a long lost Dead Sea Scroll at a dig site (can we see some actual archaeology in an Indy film?) The scroll is basically instructions for using the Ark. Indy realizes that he didn't stop the Nazis after all and must unite with the Ark once again to perform the same ritual that he "kept his eyes shut" from last time.
Heaven is now being destroyed by the Nazis. And there's only one man who can stop them...again. But this time, not to save the World...to save our place for eternity.
In George's original plans 'heaven' would first be the alien mother ship, and then the alien homeworld itself. (That is, in Daniken the Ark was a radio for speaking to the Most High).
Then we're back to Hitler's 'Moon Base Alpha' . Except the aliens would do Indy's job for him, just as they did to Spalko.
If the story went for a full-on religious vision of 'heaven' (which is probably about as likely as the place Jack visited when he climbed the beanstalk), it would end up being more divisive than the artifact in KOTCS.
Indiana Jones thrived on retaining mystery, rather than opening the door wide open to let the viewer see everything.
