The Good: Great sculpt, Generally good coloring, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Fair balance, Skin coloring and artifact coloring
The Basics: The "Indy In Action" ornament is generally good, but is comparatively less impressive than other Indiana Jones ornaments.
For the last two years as I have been reviewing Hallmark Christmas ornaments, I have been surprised by how the company has been growing with franchises I would not have guessed would be a great investment. Licensing seems to work in odd ways and while this year Star Wars seems to be the major Lucasfilm property, the fact that Indiana Jones is still represented after all of these years surprises me. The current ornament, "Indy In Action," follows on the heels of more ambitious Indiana Jones ornaments with sound effects, "Surrounded By Snakes" (reviewed here!) and "Retrieving The Idol" (reviewed here!) and is a very basic ornament which actually has a lot going for it.
For those unfamiliar with the film, Raiders Of The Lost Ark (click here for my review of the film!) opens with the heroic Indiana Jones on a mission to try to recover an artifact, which is then stolen by his rival archaeologist. After getting that artifact, he runs for the exit with his satchel on his side and the artifact in his hand.
It is Indiana Jones, running with the idol under his arm that is the subject of the "Indy In Action" Hallmark Ornament. It is just Indiana Jones for this ornament.
Basics
The "Indy In Action" ornament recreates the moments after Indiana Jones makes the switch with Indiana Jones running with the idol under his right arm. The ornament includes just Indiana Jones cast in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2011, is a very cool and accurate sculpt of the idol and Indiana Jones, but is not colored as well as some of the prior Indiana Jones ornaments, at least with the idol.
Hallmark clearly made an effort on Indiana Jones as he has decent detailing like the buckle on his satchel strap and on his belt. Measuring four inches tall, the "Indy In Action" ornament is in the scale of most of the other individual people ornaments are. This sculpt looks just like Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
The Hallmark "Indy In Action" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has Indiana Jones running with his clothes having good earth tones. He has tan pants, brown jacket and there are accents for buckles and the like that are metallic. Indiana Jones looks somewhat weathered with things like his bag being not monotonal are good details.
However, the face is mediocre at best, with the ornament looking more like an animated version of Harrison Ford. The coloring for the eyes and cheeks is not quite right, though the sculpt looks accurate. Unfortunately, there is no realism to the flesh color and the eyes and this is baffling, given how detailed the rest of the ornament is. As well, the idol is a brushed bronze color, as opposed to the metallic gold color that the idol actually was. This would not be an issue were it not for the fact that other Indiana Jones ornaments actually have had the idol with more accurate coloring.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "Indy In Action" could have a sound or light effect, it has neither.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Indy In Action" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate movie nostalgia Christmas Tree, the "Indy In Action" ornament is a surprisingly affordable option this year. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of Indiana Jones's back. This is fairly unobtrusive and necessary for the ornament.
This ornament is very light and the balance is just a little off for the ornament. While Indy has his legs in a running pose to have an action pose, he lists slightly when hung from the hook. It is not a major problem as "Indy In Action" is only about 10 degrees off plumb, but it is just noticeable.
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Within a few years, Lucasfilm jumped on the bandwagon and began merchandising Star Wars in the Christmas ornaments. "Indy In Action" is one of only a few Indiana Jones ornaments on the market. Harrison Ford fans and fans of the Indiana Jones movies are likely to enjoy the "Indy In Action" ornament because it is inexpensive as well as pretty accurate. It is hard to imagine, though, that it would be an incredible investment piece because of how overproduced it was.
Overview
Fans of the Indiana Jones franchise, Harrison Ford, and Hallmark ornaments are likely to want this ornament, despite the fact that the skintones are a little inaccurate.
For other 2011 Hallmark ornaments reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
Thor ornament
Captain Jack Sparrow ornament
Fleeing The Fiendfyre Harry Potter ornament
7.5/10
For other ornament reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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