Call me a naive fool, destined to be disappointed, but, despite my reservations about Harrison’s age, I watched the trailer the other day, and the theme music alone brought a smile to my face…

I’ll also clarify my feelings on Indy a little bit: I think Raiders of the Lost Ark is arguably the best action adventure movie of all time. When we (I) get frustrated about the modern state of blockbusters, it’s because you can look back to a time when the blockbuster wasn’t an excuse to leave your brain at the door but was a byword for some of the world’s best directors working at the top of their game and making some of the most enjoyable, crowd-pleasing, but also nourishing and satisfying movies you’ll ever see.

That seems to have got lost somewhere along the way, quite possibly after Jurassic Park took us all down the road of CGI, which stopped being a tool and started being the point. Add to that, it seems like there’s more self-reflection and irony in summer films now, as if they don’t quite have the courage to go all the way and be pure pop, but have to maintain a knowing distance from themselves.

From the gestation of Indy IV (with George Lucas nixing script ideas, and obviously the age factor) my concern is that they’re taking one of the all time great franchises down a cul-de-sac. It began to happen in The Holy Grail - and not just in the hokey family dynamic (you can love Spielberg as much as the next man, but the guy is categorically not good at broad, knockabout comedy); look what they did to Brody in those films too. Made him into a buffoonish caricature. That’s why I worry: the signs of a great franchise in decline were, in my opinion, starting to become evident, and I suspect Indy IV might be pushing it too far. Kind of like, for me, personally, the Star Wars prequels have genuinely affected my enjoyment of the original trilogy. I don’t want that to happen again. To anyone!

But, to JJ: churlish? I promise you, nu-uh. Not us. We wouldn’t do what we do if were feeling churlish (or superior). We are all about the love. Except, possibly, when we keep having to review bad horror films. That does get annoying.

Just for the record, I was referring to Spielberg and Harrison Ford, rather than Brandon.

But, as before, point taken.

Rather than make churlish comments, just don’t go and watch it. In the meantime, whip away Indiana and keep painting Brandon.