“Indiana Jones 4 “and Summer ’08: Is That All There Is — Really?
For most summer box-office blowhards it’s a done deal: Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, opening for the hot-hot-hot Memorial Day weekend, will gross gazillions and beat off all competitors. Maybe so. Aside from the trailer, I haven’t yet seen a frame of Steven Spielberg’s fourth go at the Indy franchise. Harrison Ford, the man with the fedora and the bullwhip, is now sixty five, and some website wags are calling the flick Uncle Festus and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Personally, I can’t wait to see how Ford revs up a stalled engine. But Indy 4 is hardly my first choice this summer. Nothing interests me more right now than seeing the late, great Heath Ledger play the Joker opposite Christian Bale’s Batman in The Dark Knight. I’m seeing Iron Man soon and have good vibes about what a dynamite actor like Robert Downey, Jr. can do with a comic-book role. So my question today is:
Are there summer action movies out there that attract you more than Indy 4? How about Speed Racer? Or Hellboy Ii, from the genius that is Guillermo del Toro? Or Will Smith going the frayed superhero route in Hancock? Or Angelina Jolie packing heat in Wanted? Or that X-Files sequel, now officially called The X-Files: I Want To Believe. Can Edward Norton put a new spin on the unjolly green giant in The Incredible Hulk? Can Nic Cage restore some luster to his career by doing Bangkok Dangerous with those Eye brothers, the Pangs? Is Indy 4 really the only game in town when it comes to the wanna-see factor? Give a shout.