THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES: OGANGA, THE GIVER AND TAKER OF LIFE (1998) ** There are a lot of problems with this. First of all, casting Sean Patrick Flanery as a military action hero is a big mistake. He's like Michael J. Fox, but with less charm (notice how courage in real life doesn't necessarily translate onto screen). Then there's the fact that none of the other actors are particularly good either, that the film presents a new and disastrously profound scene every 42 seconds without interruption, and that it's all dealt with in a manner somewhere between soap opera and testosterone-lite game show. But the main problem with the film is that it could have, should have, been much better. Albert Schweitzer and his work are far too important to be given so little attention. I know that his thought is presented here in comic book format, but even so it's far more philosophically profound that anything you're going to get from soundbites on CNN or Fox News. It turns out that Indiana Jones was a whiny, rather stupid young man-he finds himself fighting in the jungle for the Belgian army against the Germans and hasn't yet confronted the obvious reality that the war is one among white men. The derivative thought that young men are responsible for their actions, for killing people in Vietnam or Iraq, and should therefore give some thought to what they're doing, is obviously a very dangerous one. Schweitzer's right that society only wants people who do what they're told without thinking about it, and no more so at the grunt level than in succeeding levels of social strata. So I'm mainly disappointed that so many important considerations, ignored by others, are presented in such a dull and haphazard manner. I mean, Indy could have at least defected and taken the guns to the African tribesmen or something...no, wait, I missed the point too, didn't I? Or did I only amplify it?
back to Brilliant Observations on 1776 Films home
go back home, or send me email
no more reviews! I want to buy your novel!