Chalice of Salvation
On the other hand, did George Lucas and Steven Spielberg pick today to release Indiana Jones' latest adventure for any particular reason? How could I possibly draw a connection between this and Corpus Christi?Well, despite being a long time coming, and Harrison Ford's grey hair and tired looks, there is still life in the old dog yet. The new cinematic film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull contains all the important formulae which made the original trilogy so enjoyable: excellent characters, cold-hearted villains, interesting historical themes (in this case the cold war with Russia), romance, dry wit and double-crossing twists. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and was truly on the edge of my seat!
But in terms of the supernatural nature of the film, for me this was a bit of a disappointment.
Sure, they are all just good stories and not to be taken seriously... But the original films all had spiritual themes which struck at an important core. Raiders has the lost Ark of the Covenant, and the supernatural wrath of God. Temple of Doom had the plausible fear of black magic and the evil occult. The Last Crusade had the wonderful theme of the quest for the Holy Grail, and Faith itself, and the healing power of the chalice of salvation. Of course it always goes a bit far, but hey, its Hollywood.The latest installment, by contrast, decides not to draw upon the spiritual realm. It goes for something perhaps more fashionable, but still supernatural it some sense. Many (crazies) may say even plausible. But unfortunately it passes into the realm of science fiction, and seems more like an ending from the latest instalment of Close Encounters, complete with excellent special effects. Indiana (and his motley crew) is again left a bit flabbergasted by the whole experience, but true to character, puts his tongue firmly in cheek, and makes light of the whole thing. I guess maybe I should too, rather than reminisce on how cool the ending to The Last Crusade was...
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