Thoughts on The Aging Action Star, the Writers’ Strike, and Corporate Greed
At every stage of his life, it was true that Harrison Ford looked good for his age. But in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the icon of the silver screen wanted you to see him as he really was: an 80 year old man. When we first see “modern day” Indy, he’s lazily reclined in a chair, wearing only boxer shorts and holding a glass of whiskey. He is jolted awake by the loud music of his neighbors. Viewers are thrust into the 1960s, where Indiana Jones is living in the space age. Harrison Ford has said in interviews that this was his vision for the portrayal of Indy in a 5th installment to the franchise.
“I wanted to see Indiana Jones as an older man. I wanted to see him dealing with the loss of his youth.”
This is the most interesting aspect of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. When I asked my friends about whether or not they’d be seeing this film in theaters, they said something to the tune of “they really dragged Harrison Ford out for another one? Isn’t that guy a little old for this?” Yes. He is. That’s the point. While no new Indiana Jones movie could hold up to the original trilogy, Indy 5 takes the character in an interesting direction (one that the previous installment didn’t do).
It’s admirable. We’re living in a curious age of filmmaking. Many legacy franchises are forced to pass the torch to younger stars and risk the loss of the magic brought by the original actors or bring the series to an end. Writers and actors of such franchises can find natural conclusions for their characters and see them off. But studio executives don’t like the idea of capping off a potential revenue source, no matter how satisfying a conclusion or how impractical the continuation of the saga. With enough money, you can convince just about anyone to come back for a nostalgia trip. Look at Futurama. The show has ended and ended again. And even though voice actor John DiMaggio held out, he eventually caved to Disney’s plans to continue the show (something he referred to as “getting blood from a stone”). And what about Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine? Logan is beloved by fans and critics alike as a tasteful send off to Jackman’s longtime performance in the role, which he has gotten into and out of shape for repeatedly over the two decades of playing the Marvel hero. You may have thought his Wolverine days were behind him. But not long ago, photos of him surfaced for Deadpool 3, clad in iconic comic book, yellow.
Harrison Ford’s send off is a little different. Jackman is not 80. Ford has logged several very physical performances as Indy across many years. His adventuring days are behind him. And with his surprisingly emotional performance in Dial of Destiny, he’s earned his chance to rest the character, one he claims should die with him. Whether or not Disney respects that decision remains to be seen.
Also (potentially) setting aside an iconic action hero this year is Keanu Reeves. The first John Wick starts in an unassuming way, but stuns with well-choreographed action, long takes, and Reeves’ dedication to the physicality of the role. The subsequent movies escalate from there, providing us with one of the best action franchises of all time. Reeves was 50 when the first installment was filmed. This year, he’s 58. Co-stars Donny Yen (59) and Hiroyuki Sanada (62) also displayed an impressive physical commitment to their martial arts/stunt work in John Wick: Chapter 4. Much like Indy 5, the latest John Wick demonstrates the weariness of its protagonist, who has grown disillusioned and tired of the gauntlet they’re forced to run. John Wick: Chapter 4 sees an end to Keanu Reeves’ portrayal as the character. And yet, a spin off show is in the works (described as a “prequel” as to not count out the inclusion of Wick).
Defying this rule is Tom Cruise. Cruise is a madman. But his commitment to death-defying stunts is worthy of praise. His life’s purpose, it seems, is to risk life and limb for entertainment. Harrison Ford and Keanu Reeves both seem to be down to earth, normal individuals. Cruise is larger than life. And for what it’s worth, his Mission Impossible franchise continues to impress. While the most recent Dead Reckoning Part 1 doesn’t compare to the previous Fallout, it’s still better than a great deal of long running action blockbuster franchises that just won’t quit (Fast and Furious, for example). Now 61 years old, Cruise seems committed to making more MI films until he physically can’t anymore. The general consensus was that Dead Reckoning would be a send off for Ethan Hunt, much like Indiana Jones or John Wick. But as long as Tom Cruise can do his iconic long sprint through a wide open area, he seems to now plan to make more Mission Impossible.
The tales have been told and now (some of) the heroes can rest. The true villain of future stories will be real life greed and ego. The greed of studio executives, who can’t help but dig up the past for a quick buck. And the ego of action stars, who can’t put down a franchise even when they have no more story to tell. With the current writers’ (and now actors’) strike, it may be time for Hollywood to reevaluate how to approach filmmaking. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is considered a commercial failure, with a “disastrous” box office of a measly $300 million. But why? It’s not because it’s terrible or “woke” or whatever nonsense people are peddling on the internet. Many are quick to point at Indiana Jones and say “he’s just not a marketable character anymore”. But is that true? The movie actually performed decently by many standards. But it won’t make its money back because it cost over $300 million to make.
When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg set out to make Raiders of the Lost Ark, they envisioned it as an inexpensive, fun side project. Lucas had just wrapped on Empire Strikes Back, which was very costly for the time. Spielberg and Lucas wanted to make a breezy, pulp adventure movie (and accidentally made one of the best films of all time). Raiders cost $20 million to make in the 80’s. Adjusted for inflation, that’s over $74 million by modern standards. When compared to the $300 million dollar Dial of Destiny, it’s clear that something, somewhere along the line, has gone wrong.
Fingers are pointed in every direction, looking for some reason to blame for this. But few actually acknowledge that the movie-going public might have a different outlook than they did 10 years ago. The Dungeons and Dragons movie was charming and fun, but performed poorly. Who’s fault is that? Does that mean fantasy as a genre doesn’t work? No. But is that the lesson that Hollywood will take away? Probably. Who’s idea was it to sandwich the release between John Wick: Chapter 4 and the Super Mario movie? The same goes for Indiana Jones, which releases among a packed summer movie schedule: Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part 1. Not to mention Barbie and Oppenheimer, which will be released later this week.
In the age of inflation, the average consumer is not going to the movies every week. And when forced to choose one movie per month, fewer people are willing to invest in the high cost of a theater experience to see something they might not like. If you were one of the few people who can even dissect the mess that is the DC cinematic universe, you might have also heard about star Ezra Miller’s crime spree and decided to sit that one out. Maybe you’re burnt out on the superhero genre. Maybe you just don’t want to sit down for nearly three hours every time you go to the theater. Not to mention that the availability of streaming makes the choice of whether or not to see something much easier. If you’re patient enough, you often only have to wait a month or two before a new release finds its way to a service.
Time after time, studios have shot themselves in the foot with problems of their own creation. It is greed that has ultimately transformed the movie-going experience into the mess it is today. Writers and actors should be striking. Because despite what studios tell you, they still rake in record profits year after year. Disney CEO Bob Iger makes more per day than the median salary of the average Hollywood writer. And that’s the AVERAGE. There are thousands of struggling creatives. For every millionaire writer, there are a hundred making pennies on the studio dollar. These are people we all rely on to make the content we consume on a daily basis. And what do the executives do to earn their paycheck?
If you still aren’t on the side of the writers, then just look at the response by most studios. This week, many of the trees that provided shade to those on strike were trimmed bare near Universal studios (which they deny doing themselves). That’s comically villainous. This is the type of behavior the Lorax warned us about. And there was, of course, the anonymous quote from a studio executive who said they would wait until the strikers began to lose their homes and apartments. Executives have zero respect or sympathy for the people who make their line of work possible.
Has this gotten off track? Yes. But I think Hollywood needs to reevaluate and restructure the way it operates. Because entertainment in the modern age is essential. It is human stories that have sustained and propelled us for all of human history, not AI generated content designed to reduce costs for the suits. It is the performances of real human emotion that effect us, not AI scans of background actors to be owned in perpetuity by a corporation. And the people who make those stories and deliver those performances deserve to be paid enough to live.
Anyway, enjoy your summer. I hope Barbie is good.
The Unprecedented Times
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