Sunday, February 17, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Much-Anticipated Trailer

It's here! It's here!



Nothing spices up a Sunday night like finding out that the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has finally been released! My little brother went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles on Friday and casually mentioned today that he had seen the trailer for the fourth Indiana Jones movie. Ho hum.

WHAT?! Foolish youth! He clearly didn't realize how long some of us have been waiting for legitimate cinematic proof that we are not dreaming and Indy really will be back on the big screen in three months. Well, now we have the trailer and it's just as glorious as I had hoped it would be. As I watched, I couldn't help but grin like an eight-year-old when I saw the fedora on the ground and heard the familiar strains of John Williams' epic soundtrack. It's pretty clear that this sequel isn't likely to disappoint. (Though I do hope they get the "Indy's an old man now" jokes out of the way early on in the film. I think there were three in the trailer alone...)

Since Indy's last appearance 19 years ago, the pop culture world has changed significantly and entire online communities live for the prompt dissemination of a mere rumor about the upcoming film, let alone a full-length trailer. To be more specific, Indy IV would be a success with no marketing campaign whatsoever. This article addresses that notion, citing the fact that the trailer went viral instantaneously after its Valentine's Day debut. (And what a great V-Day gift for single nerds! Spielberg sure knows his audience!)

But should this type of fan-driven advertising and exposure really be a surprise anymore? The proliferation and easy accessibility of online media has (d)evolved to the point where nearly seven million people will watch Charlie bite his brother's finger. It's a pretty safe bet that at least a few million would scan the Internet for the known quantity of Indiana Jones cracking his whip and stopping international do-badders with a witty one-liner and an elbow to the face.

OK, enough of this. Can I buy my ticket yet?

1 comment:

LMR said...

Harrison Ford rocks my world - I know back in high school, I had a crush on him (and he was pretty old back then too!). I join in your excitement for this movie!

Google