the elevator pitch

Indiana Jones is a survivor. In the heroic sense, yes, but also in the political and cultural definition of the term. Filmdom’s favorite whip- and wise-cracking archaeologist should have gone the way of Gremlins and Goonies, other silver-screen phenomena of the 80’s that could never seem relevant today. Indy shot out of a Peruvian jungle and into the cinema in 1981 hauling a gilded idol and the sagging set of shoulders of a perpetual victim of circumstance wary of the next obstacle ahead.

We found him likeable because he was fallible — a bright man who made foolish decisions in pursuit of glory. In an era of epics dominated by archetypal heroes like Skywalker and Superman, Indy stood out because of his escape acts that were more Keystone Cops than Errol Flynn. We could laugh at Harrison Ford’s Indy and still take him seriously, something we could never do with a Jedi.

It’s the character’s human frailty that allows him to re-enter our lives 27 years later and why we are eager to let him despite the disappointments his creators have made us endure. While “Raiders of the Lost Ark” will forever stand up as a Hollywood classic and a triumph of teamwork by cinematic masters Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, the sequels were gimmicky and rife with the worst of the 80’s tendencies to peddle recycled mediocrity as works of original art. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was a film tinged with more than a little racism and a plot with the solidity of gauze. The third film, which co-starred Sean Connery as Indy’s father, was given a pass by fans because it allowed the character to at least recover some of his dignity lost in the “Temple of Doom”. But “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was full of sentiment and the kind of self-adulation for its franchise that usually turns off audiences.

Internationally, though, it became a bigger box-office hit than “Raiders”, in part because of the dynamic duo of Connery and Ford. That film’s success and the need for a hero who doesn’t wear a mask or a suit of Iron is why Indy is welcomed back.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” debuted on Thursday to reviews that were mixed but mostly favorable. Barring a national power outage this weekend, the film will break the record for opening-weekend box-office revenue of $151.1 million set by “Spider-Man 3” last year.

What Indy teaches us is that you can survive your failures, even if they’re made in the public relations arena, as long as you live with conviction and chase your goals without betraying your morality. In this most unprecedented of election years, it’s not surprising we can see some of Indy’s most admirable characteristics in the humans we have shortlisted to lead us.

PHOTO: Harrison Ford is back on top of the box office as Indiana Jones. (Courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

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