Wlos: Crystal Skull

          Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull offers a fresh look at the iconic American film hero, Indiana Jones.  The film features him in a new light as his characteristics are now much more reminiscent of those of his father in The Last Crusade.  Likewise, a new character, Indiana Jones's Son, Henry "Mutt" Williams Jones III, is introduced, and he displays many traits of the younger Indiana Jones.  This is easily observed 79 minutes into the film when Henry is seen battling on top of cars in the same manner in which Indiana Jones battled on top of a tank in The Last Crusade, while Indiana Jones is seen filling a role similar to that of his father during the The Last Crusade's tank scene.  This comes to show us that fathers and sons can be very similar, but sometimes that is only seen when they are thrown into similar circumstances.  The way the Jones men react to situations that are essentially constructed to be similar is a great example of this.  

The circumstantial happening of this particular seen illustrate Henry Jones as a gleaming image of his father.  There are plenteous references to his father's previous experiences during this scene.  One such instance is when he is thrown off of the car and into a tree that is occupied by a large number of monkeys.  This is actually reminiscent not of the battle tank scene, but of the seen in The Last Crusade that features Indiana Jones battling men onboard a moving train, and constantly falling into cars occupied by animals.  

This scene is similar to the battle tank scene as it features a young, cunning man fighting a military professional with hand to hand combat while standing on top of a moving military vehicle.  The position that Henry finds himself in is rather similar to Indiana Jones, he is constantly knocked around, almost off of the vehicle, but is able to barely hold himself on.  Another thing to look at is the fact that he's a young man getting beat up, but he refuses to give up and just keeps going.  He's an echo of his father.

Likewise, while this is going on, Indiana Jones takes a stance that is similar to the position his father took during the battle tank scene.  He remains in the vehicle, like his father, and battles for control of it. And at the end of the sequence, Indiana shares a little celebratory moment with his son, each saying "Woah,"  treating his son very similar to the way his father treated him in Last Crusade.

Overall, this film shows the ways in which we resemble our parents.  I believe the reason why The Jones men resemble each other so much is because they are naturally similar, being fathers and sons, and they find themselves in similar situations and thereby react in parallel ways.  It makes me think of what I'd be like if I followed my father's footsteps.  Or what he'd be like if he folioed mine, for that matter.

Andrew Wlos