I guess the only counterpoint I can offer is that the Sankara Stones don't put on quite as much of a supernatural show as the Ark does. They glow. They make the bag catch on fire. Mola Ram tears the guy's heart out somehow, and the chest seals back up and the guy's still alive. (Amusingly, Pauline Kael — who loved the movie — pointed out that it would've been a perfect place for Willie, whose grandfather was a magician, to spot Mola Ram as a fake, similar to the 'faith healers' who 'pull out' hunks of meat that are supposed to be tumors.) But by the end, not much in the way of supernatural phenomena affects the outcome. They bring the kids back to the village and Indy says 'Yes, I see its power now,' which could just mean the stone's unifying power for the community. Actually, Indy doesn't seem all that skeptical of the village elder's story; he tells Short Round it's just a ghost story, but it could be argued he's lying to reassure the kid.
Be that as it may, I suspect you've given more thought to the script than the writers did. It was designed as a string for stunts and thrills and gags. The story isn't the strong point; I respond to it as a visceral adrenaline buzz.
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Date: 2008-05-22 12:19 am (UTC)I guess the only counterpoint I can offer is that the Sankara Stones don't put on quite as much of a supernatural show as the Ark does. They glow. They make the bag catch on fire. Mola Ram tears the guy's heart out somehow, and the chest seals back up and the guy's still alive. (Amusingly, Pauline Kael — who loved the movie — pointed out that it would've been a perfect place for Willie, whose grandfather was a magician, to spot Mola Ram as a fake, similar to the 'faith healers' who 'pull out' hunks of meat that are supposed to be tumors.) But by the end, not much in the way of supernatural phenomena affects the outcome. They bring the kids back to the village and Indy says 'Yes, I see its power now,' which could just mean the stone's unifying power for the community. Actually, Indy doesn't seem all that skeptical of the village elder's story; he tells Short Round it's just a ghost story, but it could be argued he's lying to reassure the kid.
Be that as it may, I suspect you've given more thought to the script than the writers did. It was designed as a string for stunts and thrills and gags. The story isn't the strong point; I respond to it as a visceral adrenaline buzz.