Arts & Culture
Indiana Jim and the Tomb Raiders of National Treasure
Sooner or later I was going to hit a week where I failed my self-imposed CanCon Quota. Instead I bring you a theme: globetrotting mystery adventures. Also known as “the Quest”.
The Quest is a plot device that has been used in storytelling since the time of myth. It’s part of the broad structure of The Hero’s Journey. In a quest there’s not just obstacles there are usually puzzles and tasks to overcome. Sometimes there’s a supernatural power tied to the object the characters are going after. And in the end there is a moral.
In modern movies the quest often overlaps into a globetrotting action movie a la Mission Impossible or James Bond. The kind of storytelling that just would not work if it were say limited by the concept of putting tariffs on films made outside of the US.
I’ve always loved a quest story, even more so when it involves riddles and treasure. So this weekend I’ve thrown aside my regular format to focus on the theme. If you have your own favourites that I missed leave them in the comments!
~Katherine
Books
I think a lot of adults over a certain age write off YA novels as being for kids. But a good story is a good story. And Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ series The Inheritance Games isn’t just a good story, it’s a great one.
The series is comprised of four books that were released one per year from 2020-2023. A spinoff series called The Grandest Game is currently two books in. The story is about 4 half-brothers who were all raised by their quirky billionaire grandfather with puzzles and challenges galore. We meet them through the main character, Avery Grambs, who receives a mysterious letter when their grandfather dies. She’s been left the family fortune and no one knows why.
It’s the ultimate race against the clock to solve the mystery kind of a story. Although it deals with high school feelings, it also delves into murder, danger, and darker themes so I wouldn’t be wrapping it up as a gift for the tween in your life. But if you’re looking for a fun long weekend series to dig into I would highly recommend checking it out.
Movies
Fountain of Youth
Written: James Vanderbilt (US - Zodiac, the Losers, White House Down)
Directed: Guy Ritchie (England - Sherlock Holmes, Snatch, The Gentlemen)
Starring: John Krasinski (US), Natalie Portman (Israel), Eiza Gonzalez (Mexico), Domhnall Gleeson (Ireland), Arian Moayed (Iran), Laz Alonso (US), Carmen Ejogo (England)
Filming: Egypt, Italy, Austria, Thailand, England
I love Guy Ritchie films. I think I’ve seen almost every one he’s made so far except Aladdin and Swept Away. This is the more PG-13 version of Ritchie. The camera movements lacked some of his signature slow-mo, fast cuts, whip pans, and narratives that jump around. But I assume a lot of that is him matching the tone of the writing by James Vanderbilt.
Fountain of Youth is a grab your popcorn and settle in for two hours of someone telling you exactly what is happening and why and what will happen next. There is a time for subtle broody mystery. This is not it.
John Krasinski plays the son of a former treasure hunter who is funny and a shameless flirt in the vein of Indiana Jones. His sister is a stick in the mud played by Natalie Portman in the vein of Abigail Chase in National Treasure. All the normal parts are there - the mysterious cabal, the billionaire funding it all, and the police trying to stop them. Even the child genius shows up.
But I’m not mad that it sticks to the Quest recipe. It isn’t based on any existing IP, it’s a totally unique story, which is rare for an action movie these days. In fact if they wanted to make a second one I would watch that as well. It’s fun. And honestly sometimes you just need a little fun escapism in movies.
Once you’re done with Fountain of Youth if you want to watch more of the same and you’ve already seen the Mummy, Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and Tomb Raider franchises check out The Rundown (2003 - Dwayne Johnson & Seann William Scott) which was also written by James Vanderbilt and Uncharted (2022 - Tom Holland & Mark Wahlberg).
This week’s CanCon Quota: 0%