What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Latest Indiana Jones movie is prime example of joy that is cinematic escapism

Recently, I went to the movies. I don’t do this often, but when I do I thoroughly enjoy it and tell myself I need to do it more often. As was the case after this latest trip to the cinema to watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I had watched all the Indiana Jones films previously and was keen to relive some of the great escapism I had experienced in the past. And I wasn’t disappointed. This likely last instalment of the successful series had me captivated from the start with heroic action sequences that have always been the hallmark of Hollywood. You know the drill: good guy is confronted by bad guy, good guy has to fight bad guy and despite some predictable obstacles, good guy comes out on top. It’s been the same since Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and the four Warner brothers opened their studios more than 100 years ago. Growing up, like many others, I loved going to the movies — firstly to the drive-in and later the cinema — to be transported to another world. There is certainly something special about watching a big screen. One of my best memories was watching The Man from Snowy River with a full house at the QPT in the early 1980s. As you can imagine, the beautiful, breathtaking scenery of Australia’s high country simply leapt off the screen. You felt like you were almost there. And this was reiterated in the scene when Jim Craig (The Man from Snowy River, played by Tom Burlinson) is rounding up a herd of wild brumbies. The action sequence, which included some incredible horsemanship, was met by continuous cheers and clapping from the audience and the story was brought alive. There are those who would say that cinema is simply watching TV on steroids, but I reckon it is much more than that. Going to the movies is a unique experience. It’s not just the film, it’s the film interacting with the audience. Cinema is an all-inclusive product. When the venue, the actors and visuals on screen come together with a room filled with people from all different backgrounds, the result is indeed unique. Many may have thought that COVID would signal the end of going to the movies, but it hasn’t. In recent months the reinjection of blockbusters such as Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible have heralded its return. As for the Barbie versus Oppenheimer debate, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with a pink atomic bomb in Hollywood. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA