God on Film 2008 kicks of this Sunday and I can’t wait! I totally love this time of the year. We’re going to take the biggest summer blockbusters and get behind the themes to discover some Biblical truths that can really impact our lives. This week, we’re going to be talking about how to find God at work all around us.
This week’s movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I remember loving the Indy movies from the 80s and was really looking forward to the new one. What I experienced though was a surprise. I had completely forgotten just how cheesy those movies were. As a teenager, I guess I was willing to just go along with the nutty plots. I’ve gone back now and re-watched some of the early movies and they are pretty slapstick in their humor. So, the new one just continues along the same lines, only this time, they really stretch the limits of the imagination.
I loved setting the movie in the 50s. With Frank Marshall involved with George Lucas, I couldn’t help but think of Happy Days as the movie started. During the extended jungle chase scene, I was reminded of the chase from the Return of the Jedi. No longer the suave ladies’ man, in Crystal Skull, we see Indy as an older guy who just might be ready to actually make a commitment to his family. The CGI was great and it actually looked like Harrison Ford was performing those stunts. I heard him say they gave him a choice between doing his own hair and doing his own stunts and he chose his hair. It might be a little intense for the kids, but I took my girls and they enjoyed it. Yes, the artifact that he’s looking for this time is straight out of Alien Autopsy, but if you’re willing to just check your brain at the door and enjoy the moment, it’s a fun movie.