Indiana Jones and His Five Adventures
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is surprisingly great; the problem with CGI; and the real Indiana Jones trilogy
[Update: July 16, 2024. Just a few days ago, Simon Dillon posted an essay titled “Ten Landmark CGI Films.” Dillon notes the “lazy reliance on computer-generated imagery” but argues that there are occasions where CGI can be effective. I can’t disagree with some of his examples: Men in Black, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park. Nevertheless, CGI is still overused by too many directors (and in unconvincing ways), and so I continue to stand by what I wrote below. Nevertheless, kudos to Dillon for pointing out some exceptional examples of CGI.]
“Indiana Jones” is the creation of George Lucas and was conceived as his bid to revisit the action-packed film serials of the 1930s and ’40s. Some film buffs have argued that a more direct influence on Lucas may have been Secret of the Incas, a feature film from 1954. Nobody can confirm that George Lucas has seen this movie, but take a look at Wikipedia’s summary: “American adventurer Harry Steele earns a living as a tourist guide in Cusco, Peru, but plans to make his fortune by finding the Sunburst, an Inca treasure.” That sure sounds like a precursor to Indiana Jones to me. Whatever the case may be, the Indiana Jones…
