VOTD: Echoes Of The Past: The Visual Symmetry Of ‘Indiana Jones’
Earlier this week wehighlighted a video calledStar Wars Poetry, which took a look at the visual symmetry between the originalStar Warstrilogy and the more recent prequel trilogy. When comparing the two sets of films, some striking similarities in shot composition arose, showing thatGeorge Lucaswasn’t completely off his rocker for the prequels.
Now the same creator of that video,Pablo Fernandez, has done the same thing with another trademark George Lucas creation:Indiana Jones. This time the video compares Indiana Jones visual symmetry from the original trilogy of adventure films to the frequently panned, outcast sequelIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, all directed bySteven Spielberg.
Here’sIndiana Jones 4 and the Echoes of the Pastfrom Pablo Fernandez (viaGeeksAreSexy):
Much like theStar Warsvideo, not every single shot featured is a direct connection or homage in style to the original trilogy. Sometimes a two-shot is just a two-shot, and an over-the-shoulder shot is just an over-the-shoulder shot. But it does highlight some of the more trademark elements, such as the use of the looming, hatted shadow ofHarrison Fordas Indiana Jones.
If anything, this actually shows more of a similarity in how the action scenes are constructed in all the films. And in some ways, this actually makesKingdom of the Crystal Skullfeel a little more lazy, only trying to recreate what was great about the previous beloved films. But then again, that’s exactly what some fans want out of sequels like this. So it’s a give and take of nostalgia and originality.
It’s just a shame that Indiana Jones didn’t have the goods to live up to the hopes of fans. Most were resigned to the fact that it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as the original movies, but it certainly could have been better than what we got. Anyway, maybe Indy will get redeemed with theunknown arrival ofIndiana Jones 5, or we’ll just start over witha reboot starring Chris Pratt. We’ll see.
