Indiana Jones for the new generation

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2016)

I've heard tales about archaeology professors who insist on opening their first lectures with the following words: "Indiana Jones has nothing to do with real archaeology!" And I like to imagine that at that point about half of their pupils get up and leave, with their little hearts broken. But can you really blame them. Indiana Jones made archaeology and history cool, as well as romantic. We traipsed along the pages of history with good old Indy, learning a nugget of information here and there. Keeping that in mind, I wasn't at all surprised that this film became such a success. We've yearned for another Indiana Jones movie for decades, even more so after the disappointment that was the fourth film.
And make no mistake, this is an Indiana Jones film at its heart. Sure, Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is his own man, but there are a lot of similarities to a certain fedora-wearing globetrotter. Both men of history, highly-educated, with multiple distinctive talents under their belts. Both men of action, who have the wits to out-think all their opponents.
But, the films are also dissimilar enough. This film takes place in the modern day and chooses to focus on American history. More specifically the Founding Fathers and the supposed Knights Templar treasure hidden by them to keep it from being abused and stolen. The film also focuses more on the mystery and puzzle solving than any of the Indy films. The treasure is hidden well and it takes a truly knowledgeable man to solve all the clues. And I really like that. I was hooked from the very first riddle.
It's also surprisingly well-acted. This is very much my favourite Nicolas Cage film. He plays the character very straight, very serious, with almost none of his usual antics, and the man can really act when he wants to. The supporting actors aren't bad either, with special mention of course going to the esteemed Sean Bean, who manages not to die for once in a movie.
This is a must see film for all fans of adventure and especially Indiana Jones. It's the spiritual successor of one of the greatest adventure trilogies ever made and I hope they keep making them.