A Disturbance in the Force

Well.

By now the word has gotten pretty effectively distributed, so I can't really call this a news article. Maybe it's an editorial, or a diary entry, or just a monologue uttered on the windy plains of the cyber-frontier. I dunno. What I do know is that when I heard that Disney had bought Lucasfilm, I was pretty excited, but I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm. It seems like just yesterday Disney bought Marvel (something I never saw coming, not in a million years) and just before that, Pixar. Both times Disney bought another company, people were blown away. This most recent one has a lot of people utterly baffled – and one of my favorite comments I’ve yet read was “I sense a great disturbance in the force. Though for good or bad...I am not sure.”

Just so. Looking objectively at this, I’d say it’s 50/50.

The Pixar buyout resulted in a lot of Pixar’s keenest minds being integrated into Disney itself and subsequent Pixar films therefore falling short. I doubt it’s a coincidence that the Disney theme parks have seen a jump in quality over the past few years (they were always great, but they seem even better now) with John Lasseter as the Head Imagineer, but Pixar’s last couple of films have been...well, not up to par. This, regardless of the improvements I’ve seen around Main Street USA, makes me resentful.

Why...

Next came Marvel, and what a knockout that was. I remember seeing a newspaper with a Mickey Mouse in a Spider-Man suit, and listening to all the folks at work moan about how Marvel was going to be driven into the ground. I thought the prospect was exciting, but I too wondered how two ideologies, so markedly different, would mesh. With the recent release of The Avengers, I think we can rest assured that Disney’s backing of Marvel might be the best thing since sliced bread – so long as they continue to let Marvel do their own thing and fork over the funds to do so.

So, we’re at one positive change and one negative change. What’s it going to be with Lucasfilm? We already know that a new Star Wars is coming out (for those who haven’t heard, yes, Star Wars Episode 7 is coming in 2015 and bringing back the original heroes – Luke, Leia and Han Solo - with it.) and that George Lucas will be a “creative consultant," whatever that means.

Personally, I’m excited. I was skeptical when I first heard that they were revamping the Star Tours ride in Disney Hollywood Studios (I’m a traditionalist, what can I say) but when I went on it last fall, it was like the entire Star Wars universe had been reinvented before my very eyes. For those who haven’t ridden the new ride in Orlando, you really should. It’s fantastic. I remember being on that ride and wishing that someday we’d see a new Star Wars movie with a...ahem...fresher director at the helm. With this merger, we might get just that.

Disney and Star Wars have been very tight for a long while, and while the bond wasn't quite as close with Indiana Jones, it was still definitely there. The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular has been running in Disney World since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Same jokes, same stunts (though for some reason it closed in the middle for a while there. Never did figure why.) and same jam packed crowd every time. With this purchase, we might see a new Indiana Jones movie, too. Hopefully, the next one...well, let’s just hope the next one doesn't nuke the fridge.

What’s most encouraging in the end, I think, is that it seems like we are in an era of cinematic revitalization. What I mean is that we've seen a lot of re-envisionments lately, with Christopher Nolan re-inventing Batman and his nemesis, The Joker. We watched as Martin Campbell picked up James Bond, dusted him off, and turned him back into the gritty, murderous womanizing bastard that Ian Fleming intended for him to be.

Hell yeah.

Maybe Disney buying Lucasfilm was exactly what two great franchises (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) needed. Maybe instead of being a catastrophe, we could see these wonderful worlds re-envisioned, redesigned, reinvented to inspire us and entertain us and amaze us once again. That’s what we stand to gain, anyway. What with Hurricane Sandy and the election and the war...well, I like to think positive once in a while. Regardless, either way, it’s done.

Star Wars Episode 7 is on the way, by God.

May the force be with us.

Check out the Yahoo! article here.

Check out the Walt Disney Company statement here.

Sept 14: Raiders of the Lost Ark

"Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis."

Directed by: Steven Spielberg, Rated: PG, 115 minutes

I must admit, I've been pretty spoiled this week when it comes to movies. Not only was I able to see The Princess Bride on the big screen but I was also able to catch Raiders of the Lost Ark in IMAX- glorious, glorious IMAX. How often does anyone get the chance to watch two movies that have been out for over 20 years on the big screen? Raiders of the Lost Ark is a film for movie-lovers and turns a regular theater-going experience into something memorable. And after seeing it again, it's even harder thinking that it's a thirty year old movie. It has stood the test of time in all its glory and reminds me of the good ol' days of Indiana Jones, everyone's favorite adventurer. 

As everyone knows, Indiana Jones is an archaeologist and treasure-seeker, always looking for the world's greatest artifacts for the sole purpose of knowledge. He doesn't care about the money or the fame, but simply wants to see our history in a museum for everyone to see. Known for getting the job done, Jones is approached by the US government, asking him to acquire the Ark of the Covenant, an artifact said to carry the actual Ten Commandments. The United States hopes to find the Ark before the Nazis, who are looking for the Ark to give Hitler the "unlimited power" the relic is said to hold. As any secret treasure would hold, the Ark is not an item you just find. You need the pieces, specifically the Staff of Ra, to discover it's location. So Indy heads to Nepal and asks Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), the daughter of Indy's mentor as well as his former lover, for a piece of the Staff. She joins in the search with Indy and the two head to Cairo, where they gain another ally in Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), who's known as "the best digger in all of Cairo". The Nazis, led by rival archaeologist Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) have already begun their excavating and Indy must race against the Germans, and time, to find the Ark before them. 

It's all goooooooooooooooolllllddddd.

The best part of any Indiana Jones film (except... yeah, we won't go there) is the action. Spielberg is an avid fan of using practical, live effects in all of his films and Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect example of that. Each sequence, whether Indy is running from a giant boulder or driving a truck along the cliffs of Cairo, implements some of the best stunt-work I have ever seen. As a lover of film and, in my opinion, somewhat knowledgeable about movies, seeing this technical aspect of the film on the big screen gave me the biggest smile you can imagine. Using stuntmen adds a level of suspense you can't achieve with CGI and seeing an actual person in peril, hanging on the edge of a cliff, running from a real explosion, or dragging his feet while hanging onto the back of a truck, leaves you in awe. I really wish more techniques used in Raiders of the Lost Ark were still used today, as they really look better than anything else you can create with a computer. 

Moving onto the acting, Harrison Ford is absolutely perfect as Indiana Jones. He's as iconic as the character and re-watching his introduction film reminds you that he's one of the greatest movie, nay fictional, characters of all time. Ford brings his charisma and machismo we saw in the Star Wars trilogy, and adds another layer of genius and courage that shows all of his motives are for the ultimate good. He can tell you the history behind Tanis, a lost city in the Middle East, and then the next moment go hand to hand with a bunch of Nazis. As good as any hero can be, he's never as strong without his allies, and Indy has quite the group of friends behind him. Karen Allen does a great job as Marion, kicking just enough ass and holding her own in a fight to be an equal match for Indy, as well as having her few moments of "damsal-in-distress-ness" to give Indy someone worth fighting for. John Rhys-Davis, best known for his role as Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is the jolly, loyal giant Indy needs in a strange land and proves his value on several occasions. He's a big lug you can't help but love and his excitement in the search for the Ark is a joy to watch. And, as always, a hero is nothing without a villain and Paul Freeman absolutely delivers as Balloq. He's just as charismatic as Indy, and even a damn good archaeologist in his own right. He just so happened to choose the wrong side in the fight of good vs. evil and plays Indy's counterpart wonderfully. 

He wears a white suit the only way a villain knows how- with Nazis in the background. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark is everything you could ask for in a movie. It's full of adventure, action, humor, and glorious set pieces you never see anymore and shows you what the magic of movies really is. Although Raiders has never been my favorite Indy flick (The Last Crusade for the win!), I still love the hell out of it and respect it on a technical aspect. Seeing it in IMAX made me appreciate every little detail in the film, from the exotic locations to even the costumes. But as great as the movie looks, it sounds even better. John Williams' iconic score inspires your own sense of adventure and hearing Indy's theme in a packed theater gave me all kinds of chills. Along with the suspense of the stunt work and action, Williams manages to heighten it even more, knowing when to hit the action and cue Indy's theme. 

Thank you, you musical wizard. 

I don't even think I have to go and say I'd recommend this movie. It's universally loved by practically everyone and it's place in cinematic history has been cemented for decades. It's a damn near perfect film that is like nothing we've ever seen (and still haven't seen) and reminds us what a true story of adventure holds. As a kid, I watched all of the Indiana Jones movies over and over, and as I can imagine the same with other young people, made me really, really want to be an archaeologist. Indy's main message is that knowledge is sacred and that the more we learn, the better we are as people. With all of the films, even though a dose of supernatural is added in the mix, the curiosity it inspires fits that message. Raiders of the Lost Ark, as a film, does exactly what the titular character wants, and encourages all of us to go on our own adventures and explore the world. 

Overall: 9.7/10

Trailer: