Ninja Assassin

OPENING: 11/25/2009

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

RUN TIME: 99 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Fear not the weapon but the hand that wields it.

Opening Statement
Just when most studios are rolling out their serious pictures for awards season, here comes a wild bit of counter-programming from the makers of V for Vendetta and Speed Racer. As far as Japanese sword epics go, Ninja Assassin is about as authentic as sushi from McDonalds. But this plate of martial arts action is served up with all the right fixings which makes it a wholly satisfying heap of ninja carnage.

Facts of the Case
As a young orphan, Raizo (Rain, Speed Racer) is taken in by the Ozunu Clan and trained as a deadly assassin. When his childhood friend is killed, Raizo turns his back on his ninja brethren and vows revenge. Meanwhile, agents of Europol (a generic international law enforcement agency based in Berlin) are investigating a series of high-profile murders. Agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) uncovers a complicated money trail that suggests a secret society of killers has been hiring out their services for hundreds of years. As incredible as her analysis of the clues is, Mika manages to explain it with a straight face to her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles, Coupling), who appears to buy it. It isn’t long before shadowy figures are dispatched to silence Mika. The only one who stands in their way is a lone outcast ninja.

The Evidence
Fans of martial arts movies will recall the love affair American film studios had with ninjas in the 1980s. Films like Enter the Ninja, American Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination, paved the way for parodies involving kids, turtles, and a fat guy from Beverly Hills. That’s to say, maybe ninjas have never received proper treatment on this side of the globe. With Aussie James McTeigue directing and the Wachowski brothers and Joel Silver producing, Ninja Assassin rights some of those past wrongs.

This genre lives and dies with its action scenes and Ninja Assassin offers up plentiful doses of exhilarating action. The choreographed fighting and the special effects are seamlessly, masterfully blended. The stunts are executed with such realism the occasional CGI assist — whether to make an actor move swiftly or to fill the screen with throwing stars — is the icing on the cake. While many of the fights occur at night and in the shadows, the darkness doesn’t obscure the action and the nighttime scenes are beautifully lit. The shooting and editing style also varies during the movie so that some sequences are framed tight and cut fast while others are afforded a wider composition. This is a gloriously gory action movie, with plenty of sword play accompanied by lots of severed limbs, sliced bodies, and gratuitous blood spatter. Fans of this kind of action will surely get their fill.

Korean pop star Jeong “Rain” Ji-hoon headlines but his acting chops aren’t really tested here. His character doesn’t say much, but he’s got that tough guy intensity and mysterious cool that says Raizo’s an action hero to be reckoned with. There’s no denying Rain looks fantastic, whether he’s posing oiled and shirtless or battered and bruised. Best of all, Rain looks entirely believable as a martial arts expert. The kusarigama — a sickle on a long chain — is his weapon of choice and he is awesome when he wields it.

The non-ninja players are pulled from the stock character bin, but they support the story without getting in the way of the action. Of course Mika gets herself into trouble, but she’s tougher than she first seems, the rare sidekick who doesn’t make you anxious to see killed off. Ryan is the standard cynical and suspicious veteran cop but he proves that he’s not too old for this stuff. Veteran actor Shô Kosugi (alumnus from numerous ’80s ninja flicks) adds some old school authenticity as the bad guy.

The story doesn’t break new ground, but works quite well setting up the action set pieces. Writers Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski don’t waste time with ancient mysticism, overwrought emotions, or corny jokes. The flashbacks to Raizo’s childhood just barely slow the momentum of this adrenaline ride. The screenplay does leave a few plot holes open. Early on, a yakuza tattoo artist recalls surviving a ninja attack thanks to a miraculous physiological anomaly but this is never explained. There’s also a brief moment that suggests someone is assisting Raizo in his quest for vengeance, but this is also left undeveloped. Maybe those mysteries will be revealed among the extra footage when the movie hits DVD. Nevertheless, the quick pace of the movie and the dazzling action is enough to distract from those gaps in the narrative.

Closing Statement
While Ninja Assassin doesn’t revolutionize the genre, it just might rejuvenate it. This may be the best ninja movie ever from the hands of Western filmmakers and it’s bloody fun.

The Verdict

8/10

The International

OPENING: 02/13/2009

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Is your money making a killing?

Opening Statement
The International is a very silly movie about very smart people. It’s the sort of film brilliantly satirized by Burn After Reading, a very smart movie about very silly people. Honestly, in the wake of that savagely funny Coen Brothers film, is it even possible for the paranoid political thriller to seem credible again?

Facts of the Case
Directed by Tom Twyker, best-known for the thriller Run, Lola, Run, the film’s heroes are a rugged Interpol agent (Clive Owen) and an ambitious member of the New York District Attorney’s office (Naomi Watts). They’re working together on an investigation of some powerful figures within the world of international banking. These high-powered, super-secretive bankers are apparently behind all sorts of arms deals, political assassinations, and other terribly sordid activities. It’s a murderous network of corruption that seems to have strong roots in every government organization throughout the world. Slowly but surely, our dynamic duo realize they won’t be able to solve anything by working within the system, because the system is so corrupt.

The Evidence
Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I do not for one instant doubt the corrupt nature of humanity. I believe that there are evil people all over the world, that lots of unsavory people are in bed with lots of other unsavory people, and that there are conspiracies we know nothing about. However, I do not believe these corrupt networks are half as well-organized or efficient as the movies would have us believe. The International suggests the world is run by an unstoppable, well-oiled machine of corruption that cannot be slowed down in any way. I believe the world is a whole lot more chaotic and confusing than that, even for the villains. Any moments of lucidity and luck are overwhelmed by these dominating factors of chaos and confusion.

It’s not difficult to buy the cynicism The International is selling, but this is a film that doesn’t seem to recognize that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes things are precisely what they seem. If you don’t believe that, perhaps you’ll enjoy The International a good deal more than I did, because it’s a professionally crafted adventure featuring some perfectly solid performances. Clive Owen does the whole “disillusioned hero” thing rather well, and Naomi Watts brings an intelligent class to an underwritten part. The people having the most fun are the international character actors playing the villains. Watch Armin Mueller-Stahl and observe the various shades of resignation he exhibits. Here is a man who seems to understand the system he is working for will destroy him without hesitation, and the only way he can prolong his time on Earth is by continuing to build the system up.

Considering Twyker’s reputation for dramatic flair, I was surprised by The International’s reserved nature. Even so, there are times when the director’s recognizable style shines through. The obvious highlight is a crackerjack action sequence inside the Guggenheim in New York. I marveled over the sheer skill of the scene and wondered how on earth Twyker managed to destroy the museum so convincingly. Twyker has a tendency to take pride in all his location shooting, frequently pulling back for sweeping portraits of various grand locales, as if to say, “This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most glorious parts of (insert country here)!”

Closing Statement
There are pleasures to be found, but sadly these seem a bit like lovely trimmings on a product rather lacking in core substance. The film may be crafted with skill, but the fact that it doesn’t recognize just how ridiculous the whole scenario is prevents The International from being consistently entertaining. The film desperately wants the one thing it is simply not capable of achieving: to be taken seriously.

The Verdict

6/10

Screening: Grave of the Fireflies
Of all the films that are showing at WFAC this year, Grave of the Fireflies is the one that needs the least introduction. When I found out it was showing at the festival this year, I was really excited. When I found out it was being projected in 35mm, I was even more excited. When I found out it was a free showing, and that I could bring a busload of students from school with me, I was more excited yet.

Without a question, this was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had in a theater. For those of you not familiar with Grave of the Fireflies, it is one of the best films to come out of Studio Ghibli, the same studio that produced Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Unlike most of the other Ghibli films, Grave of the Fireflies is far from being a whimsical, delightful children’s tale. It follows the experiences of Seita and Setsuko, two children who are orphaned during the last days of World War II. For a while, they stay with relatives, but they are eventually pushed out, forced to try to make do without any aid or societal support. It is one of the most heartbreaking films ever made, and the experience of watching it on the big screen is one that I never expected to have.

If anything, the film is better than I remember it. It is flawlessly structured, set up from the very beginning to deny us the hope of a happy ending, and yet the children are so innocent and delightful that we find ourselves hoping that something will arrive to make things okay. Director Isao Takahata sets each moment up to tug us in these two directions, and the result is astounding.

It’s also a film that defies any real classification. It looks like an anime film, particularly in the character design. It’s quite similar to the artwork style of My Neighbor Totoro, but it’s also full of a shocking, unsettling realism that few people are really prepared for. As a result, this is an anime that can be appreciated by a much wider range of people, not simply those who already enjoy animation. If I were to come up with a list of the greatest animated films of all time, I have no doubt that Grave of the Fireflies would top that list.

As it turns out, WFAC is the only stop this print is making in Canada. The print itself is in quite good condition considering the film’s age, and the experience of watching animation in 35mm is a truly dazzling experience. I only mention this because the same print will be presented in several places in the United States, including the Smithsonian and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. If you are a fan of Grave of the Fireflies, of animation, or of films in general, I strongly recommend you look into whether this print will be showing anywhere near where you live. If it is, don’t miss the opportunity. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for film buffs.

Screening: Idiots and Angels
After seeing some of Bill Plympton’s short films, I was excited to get a chance to see Idiots and Angels. Plympton’s animation style is incredibly unique, and he has a vicious sense of humor that I wanted to see stretched out into a more ambitious work.

Now, coming out of this screening, I’m not so sure that’s really what I wanted after all.

That’s not to say that Idiots and Angels isn’t an impressive piece of animation. Plympton’s animation exists in a strange otherworld where nothing has sharp edges, perspective is continually changing, and nobody really speaks. This allows him a certain level of expressionism, and the lack of communication works well in a world where nobody is really capable of communication.

This particular outing centers around a cruel gun merchant. He is hotheaded and cruel, and has only a handful of friends, who don’t even like him. His life is trapped in a cycle of ugly routine, which quickly changes when he discovers that a pair of angel wings are growing from his back. He tries to suppress the wings, but they overwhelm him, then force him to start doing good things. In a lot of ways, Idiots and Angels exists as a fascinating counterpoint to the legend of Icarus, where we have a man with no great ambition, who is pressed into greatness and heroics through his bizarre circumstances.

Unfortunately, the film simply doesn’t hold together as well as it should. Despite a rich series of symbolic visuals, surprising twists, and fascinating visuals, Idiots and Angels often feels too long and uncontrolled. We see too much of the man’s cruelty to buy into his transformation, so we still don’t like him at the end, even if we are meant to. The film represents a true cesspool of humanity, and there are few characters that we can connect to in a meaningful way. This may well be intentional, as Plympton is trying to make us feel dislike for the characters that populate this vicious world. Regardless of the intent, I came out of the screening with a bad taste in my mouth and a sense of disappointment. A film with this much love and passion poured in should offer more of it to the audience. Doubtless, serious fans of Plympton’s work will be impressed by it, but the uninitiated will probably be perplexed and disgusted by its approach.

Given Plympton’s approach to animation and storytelling, that might just be exactly how he wants you to feel.

Screening: Nocturna
The 35mm print of Nocturna couldn’t be delivered in time for the festival, so we were unfortunately stuck with a digital screener copy. After five or ten minutes, though, we honestly didn’t notice. That’s thanks to the magical world that is created by this Spanish family film, which is sure to be a favorite among the children who are lucky enough to see it.

Nocturna follows the story of Tim, a young orphan (what is it with Spanish films and orphans?) who is afraid of the dark. When the other children fall quickly asleep, Tim sits by his window, watching his star and keeping in as much light as possible. One night, that star goes out, and Tim is thrust into a world of nighttime imagination. It becomes up to Tim and his new friend, the Cat Shepherd, to keep the night from falling into permanent shadow.

I always love when films create a new mythology, and Nocturna does a fabulous job at that. There is a whole menagerie of nighttime creatures, each one with a specific job–some mess up children’s hair, some steal individual socks, while others keep streetlights from going out. This probably sounds fairly childish, and it is, but that doesn’t begin to describe the magic that runs through the production and animation. Like the best family entertainment, Nocturna reminds us of childhood fears and joys, which thrusts us back into our own memories and experiences. There is nothing edgy or dangerous about the story, and yet it’s both exciting and engaging.

In the end, Nocturna really is a fairly inconsequential film. It doesn’t break any new ground, nor does it have the best animation I’ve seen. It has a lot of heart, though, not to mention a completely unique visual style and story rich enough to support multiple viewings. The English voice work is delightful, and I hope that it arrives in North America soon–where it is sure to secure a number of fans among the young and old.

Speed Racer

OPENING DATE: 05/09/2008

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
He’s a demon on wheels.

Opening Statement
One week after Iron Man’s box office blitz, a more familiar pop culture icon makes its move to the big screen, courtesy of the enigmatic and ever elusive Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix trilogy). Facing brutal early press, will movie lovers who came out in droves for Tony Stark show Speed some the same love?

Facts of the Case
The Racer family has grease in their blood. Pops (John Goodman) has been building cars since he was old enough to hold a wrench and he’s passed that passion along to his boys Rex (Scott Porter), Speed (Emile Hirsch), and Spritle (Paulie Litt). Rex has brought the family fame and acclaim as one of the finest drivers on the World Racing League (WRL) circuit; and along with it, the unbridled adoration of his younger brother Speed, who eats, sleeps, and breathes racing. When tragedy strikes Rex, on an overseas, cross-country road rally, the family is shattered and racing takes a back seat to their grief. But the roar of the engine is never far out of earshot, and a late night classic race on TV reminds Pops and Speed that this family needs to get back to doing what it does best.

Years pass and Speed is now in the spotlight, cautious of matching but never exceeding his brother’s accomplishments. But when an insidious corporate sponsor comes calling, history begins to repeat itself, and refusal to become a cog in a higher stakes game may destroy the Racer family forever.

The Evidence
Despite its many flaws, I enjoyed Speed Racer more than most. It’s brash, bold, and unapologetically inventive. Larry and Andy have taken the 300 green screen experiment to a new level, succeeding more often than not; but when it wipes out, all the flash and sizzle in the world can’t mask the pain. The primary color scheme of its anime predecessor is evident from the first frame, coming at you in full force. The only thing I can compare it to is what Warren Beatty tried to do with Dick Tracy but on acid. About a third of the way in, the convention starts to grate on the eyes, but the brain adjusts and it becomes part of the landscape.

The greatest accolade I can hand Speed Racer is that the Wachowski boys have captured the essence of what made the series so memorable. The plot is fairly formulaic, offering few if any surprises, but its heart is pure as evidenced by the quiet character moments. We care about about Speed, from his early obsession with racing, to fighting off every attempt to take advantage of his talents or eliminate him as a competitive threat. This is due in large part to the work of Emile Hirsch who makes the conflicted Speed his own with several introspective monologues, followed closely by the always-authentic Susan Saradon as Mrs. Racer. But the performance kudos fall off dramatically from there.

John Goodman continues his recent track record of being more cartoon than human. This may have worked to his advantage, had he tapped into his anime counterpart’s bombastic, high blood pressure explosiveness. But John never gets there and the result is brutally obvious. Sparky, the Racer family’s trusted geeky mechanic is played here by Aussie Kick Gurry, and while functional, doesn’t really add much to the proceedings. Christina Ricci is completely wasted as Trixie, Speed’s ladylove. Her fragile, fear riddled predecessor is nowhere to be found, replaced by a confident, modern woman whose racing abilities rival those of her boyfriend. That’s a switch. The other waste is Matthew Fox as Racer X. What should have been a meaty role was reduced to a very one dimensional — look at me I’m brooding and mysterious — disappointment. For as exceptional a job as he’s turning in on Lost, there’s little here that endears this classic character to the audience.

My fear was that the greatest agony would come from Spritle and Chim Chim, two of my favorite characters from the series. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case, as their antics were more smile inducing than cringe worthy. The honor of most torturous performance belongs to Roger Allam as the film’s villain, industrialist snake Arnold Royalton. Talk about over acting, any more screen time and his SAG card would need to be revoked. Royalton and his cardstock goons were lifted directly from any number of gangster movies over the past 70 years, presenting no real threat to our heroes, as evidenced by any number of the ridiculous fight sequences. Larry and Andy did their best to recapture the anime/manga visual battle style, but it never quite works. The result is far too reminiscent of Kill Bill fused with the live-action Flintstones, and there’s John Goodman front and center. You’ll see exactly what I mean when you reach the Ninja attack. Awful is the only word that comes to mind.

The film’s only tension comes from the mind blowing race sequences, whose design, pacing, and execution are the centerpiece of Speed Racer. Just be forewarned: For as inventive and enticing as they are, each falls prey to the Michael Bay Transformers trap – there’s more coming at you than your brain can possibly comprehend. You’ll often lose sight of where you are, what car you’re following, and what direction is up. People prone to epileptic seizures best close their eyes or suffer the consequences.

The Rebuttal Witnesses
There are a handful of little surprises within Speed Racer, such as Peter Fernandez, the voice of Speed for the classic series, as one of the film’s many race commentators; Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree, as WRL racing legend Ben Burns; and fans of the British comedy Coupling will instantly recognize Ben Miles playing opposite Roundtree as the Grand Prix commentary team. Just a few things to keep an eye out for.

Closing Statement
Speed Racer is a film more people will see on DVD than in the theatre; and if you care to wait, its Blu-ray release is sure to be an impressive feast for the senses. For those going to the theatre, be forewarned – it’s long, it’s loud, and the little ones will get bored as soon as Royalton enters the picture. That’s where what begins as an intriguing film jumps the track. Larry and Andy Wachowski are to be congratulated for once again pushing the envelope of blockbuster filming, but to do so with a one-cylinder story engine doesn’t get Speed Racer anywhere close to the winner’s circle.

The Verdict
Hung Jury.

2008 Summer Movie Scoreboard:
Paramount – 1
Warner Bros. – 0

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation

OPENING DATE: 05/31/2003

STUDIO: Independent

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Triumph of the nerds.

Opening Statement
In 1982, three 12-year-old Mississippi boys decided to make a shot-for-shot re-creation of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Without any prior filmmaking experience (and in the days before the home video market had established itself) they worked out a way to backward engineer their own version of the greatest adventure movie they had ever seen. Chris Strompolos played Indiana Jones on screen and was the movie’s producer behind the scenes. Eric Zala served as director and played the part of rival treasure-hunter Rene Belloq. The ingenious Jayson Lamb was responsible for the camera and special effects. Filmed in the summer months only, the project occupied their lives for seven years and tested their friendships. After the movie was finally completed in 1989, the boys made copies for themselves — a souvenir of their teenage filmmaking adventure — and parted ways.

Facts of the Case
Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation existed for years through an underground network of increasingly degraded video tape copies — one such copy got into the hands of director Eli Roth (Hostel). He passed a copy to Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News who programmed it into his Austin, Texas film marathon in 2003. Following the wild response from the Butt-Numb-A-Thon 4 crowd, programmer Tim League was determined to reunite the film’s creators for a proper world premiere screening. Further attention was brought to the boys’ labor of love when the March 2004 issue of Vanity Fair featured an exhaustive story by Jim Windolf on the movie’s creation. That same year producer Scott Rudin purchased the rights to make a biographical movie about Eric, Chris and Jayson ’s experience making their Raiders Adaptation. Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) is currently working on the screenplay.

The Evidence
Despite the minor media explosion around the Raiders Adaptation when it resurfaced in 2003, the movie remains an elusive artifact of fan films. Due to obvious copyright issues, the movie is not commercially available on home video. On rare occasions the filmmakers have brought it to screenings where the proceeds go to charity. Organized by Kick-Start Cardio to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society and Camp Good Times, a special one-night-only screening was held in Vancouver, BC on May 2, 2008, with Chris Strompolos in attendance. Less than three weeks away from the opening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy fever was high among the sold-out crowd at the Park Theatre. But how would they react to seeing a bunch of kids trying to re-create such a beloved piece of cinema?

Originating on Betamax and VHS, and further degraded from generations of tape duplication, the Raiders Adaptation looks as bad as can be expected. The picture is most unstable only in the opening few minutes but even at its best moments the image details remain soft. Though the teenage filmmakers probably refined their sound recording method over the years, the audio is also of varying degrees of low quality. Those viewers who were not familiar with the original movie would likely have found it difficult to follow the script as presented in this version. It was hard to deny that we were watching an aged copy of some kids’ home movie. But it wasn’t long before something magical started to happen.

As the classic John Williams score plays over the scenes, a familiar feeling begins to take over. The camera angles are more or less how I remember them. That shot of Indy running over the hill with Hovito Indians in hot pursuit looks remarkably similar to the original. The actors are different, the sets and lighting less sophisticated, yet somehow it all feels right. Like listening to a rock band cover an old favorite, if they hit enough of the right notes your memory of the original fills in the missing parts. And these kids hit so many of the right notes.

For the most part, their timing of the scenes is impeccable. With the tempo for each sequence dictated by that instantly recognizable music it quickly becomes apparent how accurate this shot-for-shot re-staging really is. Attention to detail is evident in the set decoration and costumes. And then there are the stunts. Seemingly with complete abandon, the teens faithfully re-stage the rousing fist fights and shootouts we remember so well. They manage to burn down the Ravenwoods’ bar in Nepal (actually the basement of Eric’s house). Plus there are enough moments of amateur stunt-kids leaping on and off of a moving truck to make you wonder how long can this go on before an adult puts a stop to the fun?

While many of the performances are what can be expected of adolescent “day players” (charmingly comedic at times) the principles do a good job. Eric’s French accent improves over the years and he conveys the right amount of arrogance to be Belloq. A nice surprise is Angela Rodriguez, as Marion Ravenwood, who is a natural in front of the camera. Chris puts in a good effort as Indiana, mimicking Harrison Ford’s body language and rough-around-the-edges charm — it is an honest reproduction and definitely not an ironic impression. In fact, there is no hint of parody anywhere in this fan film. In its painstaking closeness to the original, the Raiders Adaptation proves itself to be a sincere homage to the original. That spirit of authenticity won over the fans in the audience.

Aside from some restless younger viewers, the Vancouver crowd enthusiastically embraced this highly entertaining home movie. Applause and cheering erupted after each action sequence. Laughter constantly competed with the soundtrack whether it was in appreciation for a well-staged favorite moment or in disbelief that a stunt was pulled off so convincingly. The style of the original movie — the way it looks, sounds, and moves — is so familiar to a certain generation of film-goers that it is practically a common language. The Raiders Adaptation speaks that language so fluently that we understand it even when it isn’t perfect.

There was the risk that this fan film could be one of those unofficial off-shoot products that cause mainstream fans to cringe in embarrassment. Thankfully, the Raiders Adaptation is the exact opposite: the kind of inspirational effort that makes fans proud to dust off their fedoras. This fan film is too good to decay into video tape heaven. When Hollywood does make the movie about Eric, Chris and Jayson, let’s hope the video by these novice filmmakers is included as a bonus DVD. Until then, Indy fans, keep an eye out for a charity screening near you.

The Rebuttal Witnesses
There are a few moments that don’t make it into this adaptation: Indy’s entrance in Nepal isn’t announced with his giant shadow, for one; the horse that gets him onto the Nazi truck is another. The most notable deletion is the fight on the airstrip with the flying wing. But the cuts also reveal the filmmaking instincts of Eric and Chris. They correctly decide that the flying wing scene isn’t crucial enough to the story to warrant staging a poor model explosion. And where they can’t find a biplane and horse to play with, they manage workarounds. It doesn’t serve much purpose to be overly critical of this elaborate home movie. For every missing scene or moment that doesn’t work there are ten that turn out better than expected.

Closing Statement
When the earliest announcements of Crystal Skull were heard, I had mixed feelings about a new Indy movie. As the Star Wars prequel trilogy proved, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Would a new Indy adventure after all these years diminish the magic of the previous films? It was only a few minutes into the Raiders Adaptation when I realized it would take much more than a single movie to ruin the fantasy. Even though the kids’ version wasn’t exactly the real Raiders, it definitely captured the spirit of it. Watching their movie was probably the closest I have come to feeling as though I’ve watched the original for the first time again. That magical feeling of being swept along in the fun and adventure is why I love these movies so much. No matter how the fourth movie turns out, the essence of Indiana Jones will endure. Now, I can’t wait for Crystal Skull — it’s going to be great!

The Verdict
9/10