Tag: RPGs

Gene’s posts about role-playing games, mostly tabletop, but also including some computer games.

Entry for May 26, 2008: Indy 4 review

Friends, I hope that you’ve had a good Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, 24 May 2008, Janice and I drove down to Norwood, Massachusetts, for lunch at Conrad’s and to pick up my subscription at New England Comics. From there, we went to the Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro, Mass., where we ran into Sara F. & Josh C. After walking around a bit, we met Ken G. at the Showcase Cinemas nearby, later followed by dinner at Applebee’s. Here’s my review of Indiana Jones [4] and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Indy 4 wallpaper
Once more, cliffhanging adventures

First, the usual disclaimer: I’ve been a fan of this cliffhanging franchise since seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark with my father back in 1981 (“It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage”). I own numerous DVDs, reference books, novelizations, comics, role-playing games, and toys associated with the works of producer George Lucas, director Stephen Spielberg, and lead actor Harrison Ford. And, yes, I did wear my safari shirt and fedora, but at least I left my whip at home! Thus, this is hardly an objective review, and since a movie ticket now costs about $10 a pop, I tend to like those films I choose to see in theaters.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or “Indy 4” for short, picks up the story of our favorite adventuresome archaeologist in 1957. The Nazi and Thuggee adversaries of the earlier flicks have been replaced by Soviets, and the MacGuffin this time is a South American artifact that may be of extraterrestrial origin (I’ll try to avoid “spoilers,” but some of the reviews I’m linking to may give away more of the plot).

The strongest part of this movie is the cast, with Ford only slightly slowed by age as Professor Henry “Indiana” W. Jones Jr. and Karen Allen still attractive as a middle-aged Marion Ravenwood, Indy’s spunky onetime girlfriend. I missed the presence of the late Denholm Elliott as mentor Marcus Broady, John Rhys-Davies as Egyptian ally Sallah, and Sean Connery as Dr. Henry Jones Sr., but their absence was noted, and Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt do add a bit of gravitas to the ensemble, even if their roles are small.

Newcomers to the franchise include Cate Blanchett as nefarious Soviet paranormal investigator Col.Dr. Irina Spalko and the ubiquitous Shia LaBeouf as youthful rebel without a cause Mutt Williams. As in last summer’s Transformers, LaBeouf acquits himself well and isn’t as annoying as he could be in a blockbuster movie. Lucas’ musings on father-son relationships, human history and belief, and the value of friendship are here as in his Star Wars space opera series.

The cinematography reminded me of how Raiders, Indiana Jones [2] and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones [3] and the Last Crusade revived interest in the pulp entertainment of the 1930s. This time, Indy and his globe-hopping compatriots go from the desert of New Mexico to the groves of academe in the U.S. Northeast to the highlands of Peru. Computer-generated imagery smoothly replaced the matte paintings and animatronics of previous films.

Speaking of the previous films, there are several “Easter eggs” for alert fans, including references to the lost Ark of the Covenant, to the camaraderie of The Last Crusade, and even to the instructive Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series, as well as the novel and comic book continuity.

The set-piece action scenes are also well-done, playing to Spielberg’s strengths. They include fisticuffs in a secret government warehouse followed by a nuclear explosion, a swashbuckling chase scene through the jungle and down some waterfalls, and the usual trap-riddled tombs and temples. There are of course snakes, angry natives, and this time, ants. Yes, the pace is slower than it was in the original movies or in those that would carry on their legacy, such as The Mummy and National Treasure, but I think that gave the characters time to shine.

I would have preferred a more mystical MacGuffin or plot device, in keeping with the previous movies, but I understand the need for more science fictional elements since Indy 4 is set in the 1950s. In fact, I did like seeing the greasers and bobby-sockers of Lucas and Ford’s American Graffiti, visual allusions to Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and displays of the patriotism and paranoia of the Cold War that are still strangely relevant. The movie quietly ends on a high note, if not quite the ride into the sunset of Last Crusade. On the other hand, I’m not sure if a continuation about Mutt would really count as an Indy flick.

Overall, I’d give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which is rated PG-13 for violence and profanity, an 8 out of 10, or a B+. How does that compare with the previous installments? Raiders gets a 9 or a 10, or an A+. I’d give Temple of Doom a 7 or an 8, or a B+, while Last Crusade deserves an 8 or a 9, or a A-. I’d also give the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (now on DVD) an 8, or a A-/B+.

Janice and others at dinner noted that they enjoyed Indy 4 more than Speed Racer or The Chronicles of Narnia [2]: Prince Caspian. We all liked Iron Man, which remains the genre film to beat so far this summer. I don’t know if I’ll get to the theater for computer-animated comedy Kung-Fu Panda, but I do hope to catch The Incredible Hulk in the coming month.

In related news, I belatedly watched Disney’s computer-animated Meet the Robinsons, which was fairly entertaining. The season finales of supernatural slacker comedy Reaper, superhero drama Smallville, and Showtime’s The Tudors were decent, although I’m not sure the latter was historically accurate.

Completely devoid of historical accuracy was Brian W.‘s fun “Savage Worlds: Paranoia” one-shot last week. It was the first of a series of games between the D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains” Arabian fantasy campaign and the Boston-area group’s first Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition party. The “Broken Chains” disbanded after many adventures; after fighting monsters, cultists, and demons, it was nice to end that party for now with the birth of one character’s children!

I thought Brian did a good job of melding the Savage Worlds rules-light pulp system with Paranoia‘s comedic cyberpunk. Tonight, I’ll be missing Josh C.’s Everway fantasy session because I’ll be running the D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands: Holy Steel” teleconferencing team. I’ve spent much of the holiday weekend catching up on reading and filing. Janice and I also recaulked our bathroom, although painting and plumbing issues remain. Next weekend, we’ll be visiting my family in Virginia.

Best Friends and the Grand Canyon

Friends, here’s Part 2 of my travelogue of Janice’s and my recent trip to the U.S. Southwest. On Thursday, 11 May 2006, we left the flashy casinos of Las Vegas in a rental car and drove from Nevada to Utah. The landscape became more colorful, as the brush and cacti of the desert were still blooming from a spring shower of a few weeks earlier. We were on the lookout for deer early that morning and saw jackrabbits.

The open road climbed into more mountainous terrain as we reached the so-called high desert. We arrived at the small town of Kanab, Utah, by midday and learned that numerous Westerns had been filmed in that area, including the Lone Ranger television series in the 1950s, Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, and more recently, Maverick. We explored some pieces of movie sets.

Gene and cacti
In the southwestern desert

While we were deep in conservative “red country,” I found the people we met to be very nice, despite any political disagreements I might have with them. The firearms and animal heads on display nearly everywhere were part of Americana, anyway.

That afternoon, we visited the Best Friends animal sanctuary, the largest no-kill shelter for domesticated animals in the U.S. As some of the photographs I took show, not only are there dogs and cats in need of good homes, but horses, goats, sheep, and pot-bellied pigs as well. We took a brief tour and signed forms to volunteer there on Saturday.

On Friday, May 12, Janice and I drove to Arizona for a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the North Rim was still closed for the winter, so we had to make a long B-line to get to the South Rim. Fortunately, the long detour was worthwhile, as we saw red bluffs, mesas, and the Glen Canyon on our way.

The Grand Canyon itself was spectacular, making the human-made sights of Las Vegas seem small in comparison. None of the pictures I took or words I can type do it justice. Ever since seeing images in National Geographic magazine as a child, I’ve wanted to see this natural wonder, and it didn’t disappoint.

Like the Skyline Drive of the Blue Ridge Mountains near my parents’ home in Virginia, we drove from overlook to overlook. Fortunately, we encountered relatively few fellow tourists because we had left Utah early in the morning, approached from the east side, and visited the national park before Memorial Day. I recommend this to anyone.

The rock face clearly showed millions of years worth of strata, and a breeze blew through twisted trees at the top and bottom of the canyon. From rim to rim is a 10-mile gap, and some of the lookout points had a sheer 1,000-foot drop (and no rail)! The Colorado River twinkled far below the road, which is 7,000 feet above sea level, and we admired the narrow, winding mule trails and sheer scale of the canyon.

We reluctantly drove back to Utah, enjoying the sights on the way. I would have liked to have more time to hike or visit Native American reservations, and we passed several poverty-stricken roadside stands selling Indian arts and crafts. We ate at a Tex-Mex restaurant in town.

Janice and I helped feed horses and muck out paddocks at Best Friends. While most of the horses are too ill or old to be ridden, bumping around in a pickup truck on narrow mountain trails to get between pastures was an adventure in itself. We saw where the Lone Ranger had been filmed, found a cool, water-filled cave, and chatted with other volunteers.

On Saturday afternoon, Janice and I returned to Las Vegas for one night. After beholding the colorful landscape, the ride back seemed gray, and we were less interested in the neon and crowds of the Strip. We flew back to Boston on Sunday, May 14, and aside from a little jetlag and getting over the altitude change, we dove back into a busy workweek. Overall, I’d say our vacation was as successful as we could have hoped in the time we had!

Fortunately, after the recent rains, the basement of our new duplex didn’t flood. Last Tuesday night, I ran and hosted the last regular D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore” fantasy session for Byron V.O. before he leaves for a new job in St. Louis, Mo. Paul J. and friend Bre even managed to be present, despite impending college final exams. Byron has been busy getting ready to to relocate his family, and I’ll miss his role-playing ability and political sparring, but he’ll continue to be involved through e-mail and the occasional cameo in my games.

The latest Player Character party completed its investigation into murders in a steampunk future, culminating in a fight at a dance hall. I had to cancel last night’s session due to a dinner with co-workers and Jacqui M.D., but I look forward to wrapping up that team and shifting to D20 Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Ed.: “Drake’s Port” superhero scenarios for the summer!

In the meantime, Janice and I are preparing for our trip to Belgium later this week. We’ll be attending the baptism of my niece Ava by my uncle, meeting members of my father’s side of the family who I haven’t seen in 20 years, and sightseeing around Brussels, Brugge, and Ghent. It’s Janice’s and my first trip to Europe together, and we’re looking forward to the fine food, medieval towns, and a countryside that’s very different from the southwestern U.S. (if a climate that’s a lot like cool, damp New England)…