As a life-long fan of the Indiana Jones films, I have to confess that I’m one of the few people out there that actually really like the 4th film: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yeah, I would have been happy with just the original three films, considering that The Last Crusade ended perfectly with Indy and company riding off into the sunset. That was a perfect ending if there ever was one. But after that, people were clamoring and wondering if there was going to be a 4th film. To everybody’s joy and/or dismay, we DID get a 4th film in 2008. With Harrison Ford once again donning the whip, fedora and leather jacket, Indy heads to South America in search of a mysterious crystal skull and a mythical lost city. On the way, he’s joined by Mutt Williams played by Shia LeBouf, Karen Allen reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood, and Cate Blanchett who plays the villainous Irina Spalko. The reviews were mostly mixed on the film due to it’s subject matter, which involved “Interdimensional Beings” as described by Steven Spielberg. In other words: ALIENS. The reviews also criticized the over-use of CGI, which I do agree with, it was excessive. Ultimately, though, I still Crystal Skull to be a fantastic ride, nuked fridge or otherwise. While I don’t think the film really added anything to the series, it was by no means a terrible film. We had plenty of action. Harrison Ford could still hold his own and do most of his own stunts despite his age. It was fun. It was an Indiana Jones movie, and I was thrilled to have seen it in theaters.
Since 2008, there have been many rumors and speculations about the possibility of a 5th entry into the franchise. Spielberg and Ford themselves have stated that would like to do one more before Harrison Ford is no longer physically capable of doing such things. It was announced earlier this week that a new film is indeed planned….for 2019. The official title is unknown at this stage, as the film just barely announced. Harrison Ford is returning as Henry Jones, Jr. a.k.a Indiana Jones. Cool, right? I thought so, initially, but the more I think about it, the more I think that this is a really bad idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love Harrison Ford as an actor. He is phenomenal. He’s got two of the largest film franchises in the world under his belt, but let’s be realistic here: He’s almost 80 years old. He’s not getting any younger, and I’m not entirely sure his body can take the pounding anymore. Second, they plan to release the film in 2019, which is the same year in which Star Wars: Episode IX is being released. Why would you release two of your biggest movies within months of each other? Granted, Disney owns both franchises since George Lucas sold his company, LucasFilm to Disney, but do you really want Indiana Jones to be competing with Star Wars AND Avengers: Infinity War? The mind boggles.
The only way I can really think this MIGHT work, is if they pull the same trick they did with the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Harrison Ford guest-starred in one of the episodes called the Mystery of the Blues, in which he played the older and more grizzled Indiana Jones. The trick would be that he’s reminiscing about an adventure he had when he was much younger. To do that, however, they would have to cast a younger and more energetic Indiana Jones. It could really work. Here’s the problem: The producers and director don’t want to hand the role over to anybody else but Ford. Even so, that idea could still work, because they cast Sean Patrick Flannery as young Indy in the TV series and River Phoenix at the beginning of the third film. It’s not a new idea, but it’s one I feel has merit and is the most practical considering Harrison Ford’s age. Story-wise, it would make sense, because Indy had a TON of adventures, if you’ve read any of the comics or novels, so there’s a lot that can be done with Indy. Just not Ford, it pains me to say. Before anybody gets on my case about The Force Awakens, yes, Ford did a fantastic job, both physically and as an actor. He’s just not going to be able to keep it up for much longer. But those are my thoughts.