Why Indiana Jones 5 Could be the Ultimate Swan Song for Harrison Ford as Indy

 

 
“That belongs in a museum!” is a famous quote from one Dr. Henry Indiana Jones iconically portrayed by Harrison Ford in 4 films to date over the past 4 decades. Indiana Jones is a classic part of our western cinematic culture and has helped to define a lot of our modern day action adventure movies. Steven Spielberg directed the first four movies, and the latest installment in the franchise, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, released in 2008, was met with much controversy souring many people’s desire to see a fifth installment. However after many delays involving multiple rewrites and also the spectacle that has been the coronavirus a fifth and final Indiana Jones film is finally underway which is set to begin filming this spring and will hit theaters in the summer of 2022 just in time for Harrison Ford’s 80th birthday. Many may balk at the idea of another Indiana Jones movie especially since the last one which saw Harrison Ford as the titular character in his sixties seemed to jump the shark with the 1950’s alien movie genre but I think Indiana Jones 5 stands a very good chance of being the ultimate swan song for Harrison Ford as Indy.
 

 

 
 
 
                                                              The 1960s Setting
 
The main question many will probably ask themselves when they go to see a fifth Indiana Jones picture is what will the film be about? My thinking is that since the original trilogy took place in the 1930s and then the fourth film which hit theaters nearly 20 years after perhaps the best Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), took place in the late 1950s to advance the storytelling forward in keeping with the progression of Harrison Ford’s age Indiana Jones 5 which will be coming out 14 years after the fourth film will have to take place in the late 1960s/early 1970s. I’m guessing the story will take place in the late 60s in order to capitalize on the nostalgia of the 1960s with iconic events in that time period such as the Cold War and the Beatles. Indiana Jones was also inspired as a 1930s version of James Bond so it would only be fitting that the final Indiana Jones film would pay homage to the original James Bond era. In fact Sean Connery, the original James Bond, portrayed Indiana Jones’s father to great comedic and dramatic effect. I think it would be fascinating if a James Bond esque character was part of the ensemble of the story or even better casting one of the other Bonds to play a pivotal role in the film would add another layer of legacy to the franchise that is already inherent with Sean Connery’s role as Indy’s father. Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan would make for natural choices that could serve as key allies to Jones or perhaps even make for a quite suitable and dynamic age appropriate villians for the nearly 80 year old Harrison Ford with Dalton and Brosnan both being 74 and 67 respectively. If a 1960s setting is implemented in the story I have full confidence that it would be executed flawlessly as the appointed director James Mangold pulled off the 1960s time period with elegance and grace in last year's Ford V. Ferrari.
 

 
 
                                                      The Direction of James Mangold
 
Steven Spielberg unfortunately won’t be taking up the reigns of the franchise this time as he has decided to focus on other projects and will instead serve in a producer capacity while James Mangold steps in to assume directorial duties. James Mangold is a great director who has directed such movies as The Wolverine, Logan, Kate & Leopold, and Ford V. Ferrari. Based on all of those films Mangold has proven himself to have a track record of creating dynamic stories with rich characters with charismatic talent in front of the cameras such as Hugh Jackman, and Matt Damon. Furthermore Mangold has shown that he is fully capable of pulling off both drama and comedy which is very important for an Indiana Jones adventure. The story of an aging Indiana Jones will need to have high dramatic stakes but with that comes plenty of potential for high comedy in the spirit of the original Indiana Jones films. Mangold excellently directed Hugh Jackman in Kate & Leopold which was a film full of romanticism and adventure which is exactly the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Mangold now gets the opportunity to direct Harrison Ford who has been a prolific talent for decades.
 

 
 
                                                            Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones
 
Everybody knows Harrison Ford is one of the best actors over the last few decades whether its his work as an action star in a high stakes adrenaline rushing picture such as The Fugitive (1993), or Six Days, Seven Nights (1998) or in a simple yet fascinating comedy such as the Rachel McAdams led picture Morning Glory (2010) and that doesn’t change just because Harrison Ford is pushing 80. Harrison Ford has always looked roughly 10 years younger than his actual age just like Tom Cruise and so though by the time Indiana Jones 5 hits theaters he will be 80 the character of Dr. Jones may only be in his later 60s and several years off from retirement. And just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t work or can’t be in shape. Harrison Ford appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show last year to promote this film and it was highlighted on that show that he certainly keeps in shape with activities such as bicycling which he insisted was actual authentic biking and not electric much to his frustration. Besides that Harrison Ford is an actor with a strong level of conviction who when you see portraying characters on screen whether its Indiana Jones or the President of the United States you believe in him as a character and last year in promoting the film which was set to film that summer before the coronavirus struck he emphasized to a news reporter that he doesn’t think of his fans as fans but rather as his customers and when he sets out to make a movie he goes at it with the ambition to make it as good as possible so people get their money’s worth and to do it with the same level of conviction they had when they started making Indiana Jones movies 40 years ago. So in conclusion if the story is good for the final entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, you know Mangold is going to be able to deliver a rich character story which doesn’t have to rely on purely action especially with an aging action star in Harrison Ford but even then Ford is still more than capable or rising to the occasion and making you believe in him in only the way that Harrison Ford can. Because after all Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones 5 stands a very good chance of being the ultimate culmination of 40 years worth of Indiana Jones films that won’t be forgotten for a very long time.
 

 

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