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5 Reasons Not to Panic Over Indy Reboot

The “Jurassic World” star has been approached to replace Harrison Ford in yet another reboot of a classic film series.

Millions of movie fans suddenly got a case of the vapors.

Relax. An Indy reboot was inevitable, for starters. But the news, should the deal go through, is hardly a cinematic tragedy. Here are five reasons why:

  1. The Franchise Is in Good Hands: Disney has done all the right things since acquiring the “Star Wars” property. The studio hired J.J. Abrams to shoot the seventh film in the series and targeted young, talented directors to helm the spin-off features (Rian Johnson, Gareth Edwards). The studio seems to understand how much more money it will make with a high quality product. And we recently learned the studio nixed Lucas’ ideas for the new “Star Wars” film. That’s smart, given how far his creative efforts have fallen in recent years.
  2. The Legacy Is Secure: No matter how many actors play 007 it won’t change a simple truth – Sean Connery IS James Bond. Period. Daniel Craig’s stewardship of the franchise has been nothing but rock solid, but he’s no Connery. No one will be a better Indy that Harrison Ford, and just try topping “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a film that dabbles with perfection. The classics endure, with or without reboots.
  3. Reboots Work: Do you like “Bates Motel,” “Hannibal” or “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?” You’re not alone. Audiences and critics alike love these rebooted properties, and deservedly so. We’ve come a long way from the likes of “Hannibal Rising” and Rob Zombie’s “Halloween.”
  4. Hey Kids, Meet Harrison Ford: Whenever a new reboot hits the big screen it stirs up interest in the source material. That means today’s kids, assuming they stop Snap Chatting for two straight hours, will give “Raiders” or “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” a look-see. Bet they like what they experience, and an inter-generational connection has been made.
  5. Pratt Gets the Genre: “Guardians of the Galaxy” proved Pratt understands how to snare mainstream appeal. More specifically, he fused heroism with a sunny, cocksure tone to make “Guardians” a surprise blockbuster. Chances are he’ll never eclipse Ford’s work in the franchise, but he doesn’t have to in order to succeed.

DID YOU KNOW: It took 50 takes to get the mischievous monkey to perform a “Heil Hitler” salute in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

2 Comments

  1. Maybe it’s my love of Parks and Recreation, but it’s hard to see Chris Pratt as “Dr.” anything, much less Dr. Jones. Harrison Ford’s Indy was goofy, so was his Han, but it was always a smart goofy. But then again, maybe this version of Indy is a little uncertain of himself and isn’t the smartest guy in the room. That could work too. It certainly worked in Guardians.

  2. The INDIANA JONES series itself is a pastiche of old serials and adventure films that its fans haven’t seen (or won’t see, because they refuse to watch anything in black and white or made before they were born). There’s an unintentional hypocrisy whenever some Gen-Xer or Millennial whines about their “childhood” being ruined by reboots when 75% of their favorite movies and shows are themselves remakes, rehashes, and homages.

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