Collectible Time: LIFE's Indiana Jones Magazine

LIFE's Indiana Jones is a new collectible that salutes the titular explorer, with writers Gina McIntyre and Maya Kukes documenting Indy's exploits from Raiders of the Last Ark to The Dial of Destiny. The text is bracketed by sizzling photos (some featuring rare, behind-the-scenes moments), all guaranteed to please. 

As should go without saying, the periodical places Harrison Ford centerstage, but it also supplies comprehensive sections on Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, Sean Connery and Cate Blanchett, detailing how they came to be cast in their iconic roles.  

As a supplemental feature, the magazine cites those actors who almost played Indy (Tim Matheson, Peter Coyote and of course, Tom Selleck, who had the role if not for his Magnum P.I. commitment to CBS); plus the productions that influenced Raiders' construction: Tarzan's Revenge with Glenn Morris, China with Alan Ladd and Secret of the Incas with Charlton Heston, not to mention several, classic serials.

I was pleased that The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was included in the expanse (since it often gets overlooked), but more on Dial would have been beneficial.

Still, on the whole, this LIFE special edition constitutes a perceptive tie-in for the latest, Indy chapter, as well as his escapades on the whole. (Life Magazine's Indiana Jones can be purchased at drugstores and supermarkets nationwide. Get it before it rides off into the sunset.)

I saw Blade Runner 2049...

That in the Year 2019, our reality won't reflect the melancholy wonders of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner", or for that matter the Phillip K. Dick novel upon which it's based, designates its sequel to the same, alternate-reality scheme. However, Denis "Arrival" Villeneuve's sequel, "Blade Runner 2049", produced by Scott and penned by Hampton Francher (the original's scriptwriter) and Michael Green (of "Logan", "Green Lantern" and "Alien: Covenant" fame) becomes its own speculative entity, while savoring the original's flavor.

Scott's classic was characterized by an invading Japanese, cultural influence, but since Japan has opted for a less effective, economic prowess, the predictions of '82 no longer hold weight. Gone is the Asian panache, perhaps to symbolize Japan's subdued status, but at least the original's New Wave, anguished-android glow still occupies the landscape.

In Scott's world and Villeneuve's re-entry into it, the androids are pretentiously called replicants. They're still abused and confused, just like Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty and Daryl Hannah's Priss. That's good, because their rebellious response makes sense in such a cold, cruel, computerized world. Also, to underscore the replicants' empathetic traits, classic questions remain: Are they mere devices for us to use as we please? Do these "machines" have the right to snap from their stupors and revolt? For that very matter, do they ever dream of electric sheep? Fans of both Dick's novel and the Scott/Fancher adaptation would say yes, but in "Blade Runner'"s extended universe, the same prejudices and misconceptions persist decades after the fact.

In particular, they hound beleaguered, replicant blade runner (yep, you heard right) Officer K, portrayed with somber, Harrison Ford-esque focus by Ryan Gosling. During K's duties and musings, he stumbles upon a long concealed plot with startling consequences. (Say, do androids reproduce?) However, K must substantiate his suspicions through investigation, which leads him to former blade runner Rick Deckard, reintroduced per Ford's seamless artistry. Deckard, we learn, has been out of the loop for some thirty years. As expected, he's not easy to find and once K does locate him, the old gent appears as woeful and vexed as when last seen. 

Fans of the '82 classic may not fancy what's become of Deckard: his fate having been mulled over by viewers for so many years that this film's lonely relegation might feel anti-climatic, if not disenchanting. (Personally, I felt quite at ease with it.) But as significant as Deckard is to the mythology, "Blade Runner" followers must surely realize he's not its only component. 

In this new story line, we're offered additional characters (android and human) to accentuate and oppose Deckard's painful perspectives: replicant designer/guru Niander Wallace (a next-generation edition of Joe Turkel's Eldon Tyrell), portrayed with creepy calm by Jared Leto; "Guardians of the Galaxy'"s Dave Bautista as renegade farmer Sapper Morton; "Walking Dead'"s Lennie James as child, sweat-shop overseer Mister Cotton; Robin Wright as cynical but supportive Lt. Joshi; Mackenzie Davis as sexy Mariette; Sylvia Hoeks as tough Luv; Carla Juri as memory-maker-with-a-profound-secret Ana Stelline; and paying us a sentimental cameo, Edward James Olmos as our old pal, Gaff. The film also contains a sporadic, holographic beauty in Ana de Armas' Joi. 

In addition to being easy on the eyes, Joi gives the plot its sense of normalcy and hope, not unlike Dick's Rachel, who came to be played by the stylish Sean Young. Since leading-lady Joi owes much to leading-lady Rachael, she isn't as novel as her counterpart, but fills the spot with loads of charm. As with Deckard, Joi's position in the story may not satisfy those craving an elongated manifestation of Rachael/Young, whose presence is felt, but only in a throbbing-thread way. Again, "2049" may link to the old, but as mentioned, it's also its own thing; and allows Joi to present her own compassionate and encouraging variation: ironic since she's artificial, but then, per Dick's fable, does that matter in cognition's pensive plan?

The story's revealed secret, in the wake of its "human" touch, is powerful, but perhaps not as important as its emotional and visual execution. (If the truth be known, "2049" cuts more along the lines of "Futureworld" and the recent, revisionist "Westworld" than its founding, cinematic chapter.) Atmosphere is what matters here. Though "2049" isn't characterized with as much wet, twinkling glitz as its predecessor (snow is this picture's rage), it still looks great--no, make that feels great--in the Syd Mead way we desire, and when required, remains respectful to the initial film's gum-shoe framework. To have abandoned that aspect would have been disastrous, but Villeneuve, Francher, Green and cinematographer Roger Deakins never let us down, granting us another fascinating, futuristic Mickey Spillane. (For the record, Deakins pays such exquisite homage to Jordan Cronenweth's influential '82 photography that many are proclaiming his work Oscar worthy.)

Indeed, beyond the film's moody meaning, it's the engrossing splicing of old and new that makes this follow-up worth one's while. "Blade Runner" fans, therefore, should be satisfied with the film's overall aura and may possibly find  "2049" even stronger upon repeated viewings. It may not be the vision they long sought or imagined, but as time passes, they're destined to rank it high on the sequel scale. 

I saw Star Wars Awaken...

"Star Wars I-III" disappointed, not because it was a lousy saga. Au contraire, it's actually quite a sprawling epic (and a damn big moneymaker, at that). It's just that, well...somewhere in the hustle of things, it lost track of its roots. 

"Star Wars", as the adventure was presented in 1977 by George Lucas, surfaced as a shameless homage to adventure tales gone by and the heroes who led them, namely John Carter, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. (As we well know, Lucas would have returned Flash to the big screen if only he had procured the rights.) With this, a "New Hope" presented a basic tale of good vs evil, unconcerned with murky Trade Wars or the unnerving shades of gray that characterized a villain we all knew would be uncompromisingly dark in his heart. As such, Disney's assigned director, J.J. Abrams, has assured us a new movie-serial style "Star Wars" with its seventh chapter, "The Force Awakens". 

Has Abrams fulfilled the promise? The answer is yes and no, but his slight deviations on the basic elements doesn’t mar the splendor. It simply makes this chapter (written by Abrams; the legendary Lawrence Kasdan; and Michael "Toy Story 3" Arndt) its own cool thing, which simultaneously looks to the past and the future. In this regard, we again have good and evil at odds, three decades after the epic Battle of Endor and the destruction of Death Star II, with new heroes leading the charge and supporting characters taking their sides accordingly.

Of course, as we've anticipated, it's old favorites who set the cozy pace: Princess/General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher); Han Solo (Harrison Ford); Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew); and even Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose). Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is also in there, but essentially in concealed form, his presence felt throughout "Force Awakens", just as Spock's was felt throughout "Star Trek III": a warm-up, in essence, for the saga's predestined shape of things to come. 

The acknowledgment of our past heroes helps keep this installment in check; for if there exists any remnant of the basic formula that distinguished the middle chapters, it's through these stellar stars, and its the new folks who redirect the saga into its spirited, sequelized stretch. 

The newbies include desert-dwelling Rey (Daisy Ridley); ace X-wing fighter Poe Dameron (Oscar "Ex Machina" Isaac); wise Lor San Tekka (Max Von Sydow); helpful Maz Katana (Lupita Nyong'o); and in-search-of-redemption Finn (John Boyega). They each figure into the plot, to some extent or another, the way the characters did in "New Hope", with a transported message prompting their actions. 

Finn, in my estimation, is this chapter's most identifiable protagonist, though some would argue that Rey is more so, if only for her Skywalker similarities. Still, Finn is the one through whom we experience the adventure: the misguided guy who gets thrust upon this gallant ride after befriending the dynamic Dameron, who in his own right becomes a significant Solo stand-in. (On a speculative note, the following chapters will probably do a better job of fleshing out Finn and Rey, thus strengthening their significance within this yet expanding universe and for better or worse, tease at a potential romance.)

So, what exactly does our dynamic duo face (or rather, should I say, fall into)? Well, again it's a division of sides, with the freedom-fighting Resistance vs the multiplying "Neo-Nazi" First Order/Empire loyalists. We also learn that matters weren't definitively resolved at "Return of the Jedi'"s end, with (and this is solely implied and never succinctly stated) ineffective leadership having allowed pockets of sovereign seekers to cause disarray (much as any typical terrorist group would when not kept under thumb). 

Finn is wise, having shed his Stormtrooper shackles in the name of galactic freedom and stumbles upon Rey, who immediately takes to him, and from there their alliance fortifies for a shared cause and against a common foe. 

There are a number of baddies in "Episode VII", including memorable supporting characters, like Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis); the staunch General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson); and the gleaming Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), who make a strong visual (and sometimes dramatic) mark, but never dominate the plot.

The villainous beacon, therefore, is the heavily publicized Kylo Ren (Adam Driver): an often masked zealot with a most distinct light saber, who desires supreme, cosmic control. He's this segment's Ming the Merciless or Killer Kane; a counterpart to reality's hated Hitler and for the here-and-now, our would-be Darth Vader. He's hellbent on rekindling the Sith Lord's influence, and his impetuous temperament confirms this. Oh, and in case you're unaware, he's the son of...well, never mind; most of you've already caught wind of the startling revelation and outcome. Anyway, Ren's wayward presence is why Finn and Rey fight the good fight, though they require guidance along the way.

For such, they (along with the bad guys) seek the elusive Luke Skywalker, and with Solo, Chewy and the Millennium Falcon's help, "Force Awakens" starts to take shape, becoming at least on the surface, what Abrams projected: a thrilling quest story. 

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t always make the best use of its cast, opting (as the weaker chapters have) to emphasize organic window dressing instead of extended characterization. Tekka's presence, for example, could have been expanded, and Dameron, though engaging when given the chance, should have received much wider focus.

Though it may totter in its character balance, "Force Awakens" indubitably delivers the goods in visual glitz and not of the cartoonish CGI sort, either. This chapter is laden with old-school, heavy hardware and fast action, which earned it a PG-13: a warning to parents that such sleek intensity may be unsuitable for their coddled kids (sad, but true). Nevertheless, for those who savor movie-serial zest, "Force Awakens" should more than please and have most fans clamoring for more. 

Also to its benefit, this chapter downplays the cutsey stuff. Sure, the adorable, snowman-shaped BB-8 is there to pick up the torch from R2-D2 (Kenny Baker, who in this instance "consulted" on the droid's movements) and fidgety but amiable C3PO (Anthony Daniels), but it's all within the proper context. When given their various moments, the three give the film that Disney-esque charm: apt since the franchise is now officially Disney stationed. However, they are more of a cheerful additive than a mawkish, Jar Jar Binks distraction. 

At the end of the day, whether one labels it a hit or miss, "Force Awakens" is but another part in a progressing mythology. How this chapter will figure into the grand scheme is yet to be seen. (Remember, "Empire Strikes Back" wasn't necessarily praised as the best of the best upon release.) For the time being, and for the sake of launching a new start, the film now stands as the franchise's "new hope": a chance to avoid the disfavor paved by the prequel trilogy. It may also become, in the long run, another magnificent moment in space-opera history. For now, with the box-office numbers blasting through the roof and fan praise mounting, things look most promising.