I wanted to continue this whole week of Indiana Jones, but we've already given you movies reminiscent of the classic adventure series, and we've already given you retro reviews for each of the three films. So, I started to think about what I like about Jones and my favorite of the three, Raiders of the Lost Ark. One of the best gems of that film is Marion Ravenwood.
So, in celebration of how much Ravenwood rules, I wanted to celebrate women who are more than just damsels in distress. The might find themselves captured. They might get beaten down. But they don't wallow -- they fight back. And even better -- they're both old-school. One comes from the '90s, and the other first kicked butt on the big screen 31 years ago. I give you: Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia in Star Wars.
27 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark burst onto movie screens, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brings Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood back to the big screen: Reunited, as the song says, and it feels so good. What felt less good was the timing of the press interviews for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Paramount scheduled their Cannes publicity interviews the day before the press screening of the film. (Call me a traditionalist, but normally I like to see the actual movie before talking to the actors in it; I'm just funny that way.) Still, Ford and Allen were funny and disarming -- they seemed a little amused by the hypothetical questions and broad general inquiries the chain of events required -- and Cinematical was there to learn about Harrison Ford's take on the best parts of playing Indy, Karen Allen's musings on Marion Ravenwood's sex life and much more; Cinematical's questions are indicated.
I'm just wondering how your own excitement level is, returning to the Indiana Jones character?
Harrison Ford: Well, I'm very excited to bring another one of these spectacular adventures to the screen, and to work with Steven and George again. For the last twenty years or so, these films have continued to appeal to an audience, and young kids, as it becomes age-appropriate, have been introduced to the films on DVD by their parents, and to have the opportunity for them to see it full-scale in a movie theatre, with a big screen and big sound, in the dark with a bunch of strangers, and have this common visceral experience is a brilliant opportunity, so I'm delighted to be a part of it again.
If there is one thing I want to learn from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- one damn thing -- it's why the hell Dr. Henry Jones Jr. didn't end up married to Marion Ravenwood. Was she just too much for him? Or did she dump him, fed up with a man who was not only a scattered academic, but a fly-by-night adventurer? Really, that has to be a tough combo when you just want him to take you out to dinner.
With Kingdom of the Crystal Skull not only bringing back Ms. Ravenwood, but introducing the domineering Irina Spalko, I think it's high time we discussed Indy's women. Where would Dr. Jones be without the ladies? Without Marion, he probably would have been in an early grave, without Willie Scott and Elsa Schneider, he may have been spared a few extra scars.
I don't really need to sing the praises of Ms. Ravenwood here. We already know how she was the coolest sidekick of all, the sort of kickass chick who was not only unusual in 1981, but still pretty rare today. She rivals Princess Leia as one of George Lucas' finest characters. (It's rather sobering that the man who gave us Leia, Marion and Sorsha could only conjure up the broken-hearted Amidala years later. Seriously, Lucas, you burned your geek girl cred on that one.) I give Lucas the credit because my gut says it is owed him. When it comes to his action-adventure movies, Spielberg never quite spent the kind of time on his heroines like Lucas did. But he gets major props for the way his moms shine -- Spielberg knows that when you have kids, you don't immediately become a screeching moron -- even if your kids do surprise you with an extra-terrestrial.
Above you will find the latest Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer. While it looks kinda like the last one, it's easy to spot a whole bunch of new scenes and dialogue. Anyone else notice how all these trailers and TV spots have been very light on Marion Ravenwood's scenes? They've included her in this jungle car chase scene, and she's had a line or two, but that's it. Part of me wonders how much she's in the actually movie? Then again, perhaps they'd rather play up the Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett roles over Karen Allen, who, while very well known to all of us movie buffs, isn't exactly a household name across the globe. Kinda diggin' LaBeouf's character more and more each day; he's a fun guy to watch on screen and my fingers are crossed he does a good job here. Reviews thus far have been iffy ... but I'd rather wait to see for myself.
It was briefly leaked online last week, but now the new official trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is online ... and you can watch it above or over on IndianaJones.com. This is the trailer that begins to explain the story; how, as per usual, Indy is off in search of some artifact (the crystal skull) which comes with a spooky-cool story (the person who has possession gains great powers), but there's an evil group (the Russians) who want to use said artifact to their advantage. Sound familiar?
But it's cool, because Indiana Jones is back. And Marion Ravenwood is back. And a whole new generation now gets a chance to enjoy one of my all-time favorite movie characters on the big screen for the first time. And, well, you got Steven Spielberg who, last I checked, makes some pretty good films. What's not to look forward to? In addition to this new trailer, you can check out two new TV spots for the film here and here -- both of which use a combo of footage we've seen previously, and there may even be some new stuff thrown in too.
With all this Iron Man talk, did you realize we're only a couple weeks away from Indy? May 22? C'mon! Am I the only one excited about this?
Paramount has sent over a handful of new photos from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Above, you can see the adorable smile of Karen Allen, who's reprising the role of Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark for this film -- and I couldn't be happier about it. She was always my favorite Indy gal, and I'm itching to see what they've done with her character; how they've aged her, who she is, what she's been up to. I gather Indy won't find her throwing down shots in a remote bar in Nepal this time around. Can she still drink any man under the table? And, seeing as the Russians are the new enemies, will Marion get to go one on one with a big Russian and a bottle of vodka? Ya know, everyone talks about Indy and Mutt and the evil Spalko -- am I wrong for anticipating the return of Marion's character more than anything else? Check out the gallery below for the new images ... Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives in theaters on May 22.
Before I begin, I do need to give Kevin Kelly major props for live-blogging the hell out of yesterday's Paramount panel at ComicCon. Trust me (as someone who has live-blogged a number of awards shows), it ain't that easy. When news broke that Karen Allen was officially reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood, Kevin threw up pictures from the video that was shown to the audience. Since then, a new photo has arrived (one that shows director Steven Spielberg clowning around with Allen), which you can see to the right of your screen. While we weren't totally blown away by the announcement (it had been rumored for quite awhile now), it helped solidify my anticipation for this project.
Additionally, IndianaJones.com has re-launched with a whole new look and opening theme music. Can you guess which music it is? I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot of that music in the coming months, but it won't quite hit me until I watch Indiana Jones (all 65 years of him) grace the screen with his theme slowly rising in the background. Then I'll know he's truly back. Of course Shia LaBeouf will probably ruin the moment by popping in with a one-liner or two, but it's okay. I can handle Shia if it means I get to see Indy and Marion reunite on screen for the first time since 1981. And she still looks pretty damn good, huh? I'm not sure if she'll be throwing back shots in this film like she did back in the day, but she has a smile that always brightens up the room. Now if we can just get Sean Connery to admit he's secretly going to film a cameo, we'll be good to go. Memorial Day 2008. Mark your calendar.
Before I begin, I do need to give Kevin Kelly major props for live-blogging the hell out of 
