Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

5 Epic Plot Ideas for ‘Indiana Jones 5’

Indy 5 has not been officially confirmed in any way, shape, or form. But Disney, who now owns the rights to the franchise, has expressed interest in creating a new entry in the series. Whether that new film will star Harrison Ford once again also remains to be seen. But apparently Steven Spielberg wants it, and we want it too.

When someone like Spielberg says something along the lines of “we have to do Indiana Jones 5 with Harrison Ford,” you don’t question it. You simply take it as gospel and run with it, which is exactly what we’re doing.

5 Things Disney Needs To Do To Make Indiana Jones 5 Great

Dr. Jones has always had a knack for exploring the paranormal and the supernatural. From the Ark of the Covenant to the Holy Grail, and from El Dorado to Roswell, Indy has seen it all. But there are plenty of objects, stories, and myths that the famed archaeologist could uncover. Here are five that could help make Indiana Jones 5 an epic movie.

 

The Easter Island Moai

Easter Island

Few mysterious locations throughout the world have been poured over, examined, and well-documented as Easter Island. Many, if not all, of Indy’s expeditions have been to uncover places or things based on pure myth and fantasy. But that would not be the case with the Easter Island Moai.

Mystery and fascination surround the massive, ancient Moai. How could the natives have constructed, and then moved these massive statues? Did they move them, or did the statues move themselves? The great thing about the Moai is that, even to this day, archaeologists are still discovering fascinating new facts about the stone pillars. It was only four years ago that we learned that many of the giant heads also have bodies, buried underground.

The best case scenario is that the Moai are closely related to Easter Island’s Birdman cult. Because, let’s be honest, we could all use a little bit more cult infiltration by Indy.

 

Pandora’s Box

Pandora's Box

The tale of Pandora is a typical Greek mythological affair. Someone did something bad, Zeus got pissed, and then he got Pandora to open a box (or jar, literally) that unleashed death, despair, corruption, and all kinds of evil into the world. A pretty normal day on Olympus, more or less.

But let’s think about Pandora’s Box in the context of an Indy film. In three out of four movies, Dr. Jones races against time and corrupt European powers in order to stop evil people from obtaining a powerful force and from meddling with powers they can’t possibly comprehend. It’s a formula that works, so why change it?

Pandora’s Box seems like the exact thing that the Nazis would try to get their hands on, thinking it would help them to rule the world. But really, in the end, it would probably just end up melting some faces and then sitting dormant in Area 51 being studied by top men.

Who?

Top. Men.

 

Bermuda Triangle

Bermuda

Home of the greatest disappearing act of all time, the Bermuda Triangle is a perfect location for Indy to explore. Although he may not believe in magic and all that superstitious hocus pocus, the Bermuda Triangle could put those beliefs to the test. But perhaps the best part about the Triangle in relation to Indy is the timeline.

While there are a handful of documented cases of ships gone missing in the Triangle pre-1900, the majority of the disappearances took place between 1918, when Indy would be nineteen, and 1965, which would put Indy in his late 60s, perfectly in line with Harrison Ford’s age. Who knows, maybe we could have another awesome “Young Indy” adventure that transitions into the main story, a la Last Crusade.

The biggest issue with the Bermuda Triangle is that it would be easy for the plot to veer off into extraterrestrial territory, and we’ve all learned that doesn’t suit Indy very well.

 

The Remains of Nurhaci

The Remains of Nurhaci

The Temple of Doom begins with a 007-esque opening sequence that, like the Bond opening scenes, has very little to do with the rest of the film. Indy shows up in a slick, white dinner jacket at Club Obi-Wan (seriously) to meet with Lao Che. In exchange for a large diamond and an attempt on his life, Indy gives Lao Che the remains of Nurhaci, the first emperor of the Manchu Dynasty.

Now, Temple of Doom is a fantastic film, and my personal favorite in the quadrilogy. But what a shame it is to not have seen any of Indy’s search for the remains of Nurhaci in the film. Other than Temple, we haven’t really seen Indy explore much of Asia, and ancient Chinese locales would be new and refreshing for the series.

So, if Disney is set on rebooting Indiana Jones without Ford, this is a great way to start. Temple of Doom is already a prequel to Raiders, and who could resist a pre-prequel?

 

Montezuma’s Treasure

stacks of gold

What is Montezuma’s treasure, and why would Indy search for it? Well let me tell you, dear reader. Montezuma was an Aztec king that was responsible for major expansion of the Aztec Empire. But then a bunch of Spaniards showed up and started slaughtering the Aztecs, so Montezuma rounded up a bunch of gold and other valuables and sent them north, out the hands of the Spaniards.

Fast forward a couple thousand years to 1914, when a prospector named Freddy Crystal would find a stone etching in southern Utah that matched a symbol on a map said to lead to Montezuma’s treasure. This symbol led to the discovery of a vast network of caves, laced with booby traps that claimed the lives of more than a few treasure seekers.

Now, the great thing about this treasure is that entire story is verifiably true. And, like the Bermuda Triangle, this treasure fits wonderfully into Indy’s timeline.

Last Crusade’s opening scene, as I mentioned before, takes place in 1912, when Indy is just thirteen years old. And where is he living in 1912, and thus likely in 1914 when Freddy Crystal would begin the search for Montezuma’s treasure? That’s right, Moab, Utah, the exact geographical location of Crystal’s search. Surely young Indy would have heard of Crystal’s excavation, and maybe could have even been a part of it. There you go, Disney. There’s half a screenplay for you right there. Indy needs to go on a good, old-fashioned treasure hunt, because, after all, what does he want most in life?

Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.

Which artifacts, treasures, or hidden cities do you think Dr. Jones should search for in Indy 5? Should Indy 5 even happen? If it does, would you like to see Harrison Ford return, or have a fresh face on screen? Make sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments!

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