One week from today, I’ll be seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Time for me to put aside the heavier viewing fare and relive the joys of being a wide-eyed teenager.

In my opinion, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the finest adventure film ever made. Anne and I watched it again last night, and it’s amazing how well that movie holds up. There are so many things Spielberg did right in that movie, things he seemed to forget in later cliffhanger-movie attempts. John Williams never composed a more effective film score. Indiana Jones never had a better sidekick, or a better girlfriend, or a more interesting nemesis. I don’t expect Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to come anywhere close to such genius, but I’m hopeful that it will be better than Lost Ark‘s two flawed sequels, one of which was too grim and gruesome, the other a little too goofy.

Here, and here, Jeffrey Wells has been pondering an interesting story — Indiana Jones and the Generation Gap. I have a hard time imagining watching Raiders and writing it off as just another 80s popcorn flick. But apparently, those of us who grew up with Indiana Jones have a different appreciation for him than young moviegoers discovering him today.

Are you looking forward to the movie? Let me know. Answer any or all of these questions.

  • When did you first encounter Indiana Jones?
  • Which film of the trilogy is your favorite (and why)?
  • Is Indiana just another big-screen action hero? Or is there something that sets him apart?
  • What lessons would you like to see Jones learn in the fourth film?
  • If this was to be the final Indiana Jones film, how would you like to see it end?

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