Bonjour.

Alright, so it`s been more than a year since I`ve posted anything here... marry me.

Those last two words are both a nod to the last post and a favored line from a favourite television sitcom. Donc! Now that I`ve succeeded in filtering out 0 out of the 0 people who still frequent this blog (including myself), I`m going to continue writing for the sake of a movie I anticipated for many, many months. It`s a movie I like to call Indiana Jones 4, though you may know it more commercially as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The first time I saw the movie, my initial impressions were slightly jarred due to several reasons. One, no mere movie could live up to the expectations I had reserved for this film. Two, I saw it in dubbed Quebecois. Three, I was restlessly squirming throughout the film, but not because I was bored: my undergarments had shrunk in the dryer earlier and in my former excitement, I hadn`t realized it. So I went to the premier. Well, once I wasn`t excited anymore, the epiphany kicked in--right in the crotch. The viewing experience was, needless to say, an uncomfortable one.

I came out of the theatre that night not really sure of what to think. It wasn`t a bad film, but then, it didn`t really feel like a film; I couldn`t judge the dialogue based on my rudimentary interpretation of the Quebecois dubbing. Overall, the film and viewing experience felt rather unnatural.

Well, I went back to the theatre last night for a review. And dang. This is Indiana Jones. The second viewing experience felt as natural as when I imagine popping in a dvd of my imaginary friend karate chopping David Spade`s limbs off and then sewing them back on with strings of lava-spiked yarn. This really is fantasy at its best.

The film is flawed. I caught more mistakes and implausibilities the second viewing, for sure. But I love it all the more because of it. I still couldn`t judged the dialogue because once again I viewed the film dubbed. Harrison Ford`s voiceover sounds a good deal more aged than he. But no matter; no matter how old this man gets, he`s still got the spirit of Jones. His age was not a factor for disappointment in the film; he`s still the same Indy that you`ll see in the first three films.

However, the film loses its tight pitch several times throughout the film. I won`t spoil where, but it`s not as tight as the first three. It`s missing the excitement that the original trilogy packed incessantly with every line of dialogue, every shot of cinematography. This film is full of action, but the adventuring aspect that made the first three so engaging seems to be in search of Indy, but never quite catches up due to the redundant fast-paced action.

The musical score by John Williams is decent; no theme really stood out for me on this one. With every Indy film in the past, there are at least 1-2 memorable themes. However, this film misses the mark and recycles too many of the themes found throughout the trilogy. Personally, I find that music can really make or break a film; it`s a huge factor for me, one that has the potential to situate myself in the moment of every shot on film and set the emotional stage. This film doesn`t break because of the lack of new music, but it`s certainly not rescued by Williams.

For all of my complaints, I really did enjoy this film. I am an enormous fan of the 50s era, and this film certainly captures that era. Shia Labeouf performed well, to my surprise.

There`s more that I can say about this film, but I`m out of time for now. A shame, really since I was just getting to the good stuff. But essentially, there`s nothing more I can really say about this film until I see it in English. Until then, enjoy Indy at the cinema and see you in a few weeks` time.

Peut-être.