Okay, so I just finally got around to watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...

[DarkTirade]

... and I really don't see what everyone was complaining about. No, it wasn't Lost Crusade or Raiders. It couldn't be. It's been about 20 years since then. The whole point of the Indiana Jones movies was to make an adventure movie that was a modern movie, but set in a different zeitgeist. In the originals, that was the WWII era. It's been 20 years. The new era has a different feel to it. Indy's gained 20 years, he's still the same guy but he's changed with the time. My only real complaint was the vine-swinging scene. (and those who've seen the movie know what I'm talking about.) Well, that and the fact that the trailer pretty much spoiled the entire first 10 minutes of the movie.

The treasure/villains? Yes they were different. But they fit the time and place. Some of the overdramatic moments, like the nuclear tests and the government commie witch hunts? Those were the fears of that era. Same with the treasure. It was beginning of the technology race between ourselves and the 'reds'. When Hitler was the bad guy, his obsession with the occult provided fodder for the first and third movies. Now that the obsession is getting a technological advantage over the enemy and dealing with the people outside our nice American way of life, the new fears and goals came into play.

As far as Mutt... well, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting the normal annoying spastic Shia LaBeouf character. Hell, I was expecting him to be this movie's Jar-Jar. But he wasn't. He was reigned in and let the character be the forefront and not himself. Not sure how much of that was directing and how much was himself, but whatever the cause, it worked.

The other complaint I've heard a lot are the various pratfalls. My response to that is... did you see the other three movies? Indy's schtick is that he's not perfect. He does screw up from time to time. What makes him the hero is that when that happens, he keeps going. I think the only reason it seemed more noticeable in this movie was A) nostalgia goggles. He was the hero 20 years ago so we forget his mistakes, and B) he's older and so any pratfalls he does now could be seen as poking at his age.

Honestly, I'd rate this one as being the third best out of the four movies. But I never was that big a fan of Temple of Doom. :)

[TZ]

1. Hmm---I pretty much agree with you.

There were some things that were ridiculous (the refigrerator/bomb thing) but overall I thought it was an entertaining movie...Now, Orrex to come in and tell you and me how wrong we are in 3....2.....1....:popcorn:

[DarkTirade]

2. Yes, that was a bit silly.

But no sillier than melting wax Nazis. :P

*edit* Actually I forgot that I was going to mention something about that... the only part with him in the fridge that I found REALLY ridiculous was the way it flew and bounced around. He woulda been pulverised in there. I can picture it withstanding the heat for a few brief seconds. I can picture it getting knocked over and flying a few feet. But the way it did... no. That did kinda jar you out of the fantasy for a bit.

[TK421]

3. This movie sucked...sorry, but it was the biggest bore

I don't remember ever thinking to myself "Isn't this movie over yet"? but more especially when it comes to Indiana Jones. Temple of Doom was never a favorite of mine...Raiders was always my favorite. I also liked Last Crusade, though the whole Sean Connery aspect put a different, almost mushy spin on Indianas character. KOTCS seemed like it was rushed when they put it together, and certain parts were so......god-damn BORING!! Fuck! Indiana Jones movies are not supposed to be boring!

[DarkTirade]

9. I agree that it didn't have the flair of the original,

but I wouldn't call it boring. :shrug:

[arcadian]

4. Kinda agree with you.

But my better judgment tells me that the movie was just god awful. But I will watch it again and I like pretty much all sci-fi no matter how awful and sucky, it's my MST3K syndrome.

[DarkTirade]

10. I wouldn't even really look at it as sci-fi, just an escapist adventure movie

that happens to revolve around one major sci-fi plot point.

[AlCzervik]

5. i hated it, the moment i saw Shia LaBeouf in the Wild one outfit it was all over for me.

then it was just hilarious.

[DarkTirade]

11. That was my initial reaction.

But I think it was to show that he's a young guy trying a little too hard to be a big tough man. And not succeeding.

So if that is what they were going for, it totally worked. :)

[Lost in CT]

6. Aliens? Aliens???? ALIENS?????

Sorry I can excuse the fridge and the CGI groundhogs... but the movie sank around the Tarzan sequence and the end simply could not have been stupider if they had tried.

Plus was it me or did Karen Allen look like she was on Quaaludes throughout the entire film?

[DarkTirade]

12. As opposed to an ancient relic that melts people's faces off, or a guy who can use magic to reach

into your chest and pull your heart out? I don't see how aliens is really that big a difference there. :P

[Lost in CT]

14. At least those are based on "true" stories.

If the Ark of the Covenant showed up in Star Wars I would be just as perterbed... (Not that the prequels weren't perturbing enough.)

[DarkTirade]

15. Aliens and Area 51 are embedded into our culture now just as those things are.

They're just a little closer to the surface. More recent. While I was a bit surprised that that's the way they chose to go, I'm not surprised that they tried something different. And they went for something that, like I said, fit the time the movie was set fairly well. I certainly don't think this movie lived up to the legacy of Raiders or Last Crusade, but neither do I think it was as horrible as people are saying it is.

[Redneck Socialist]

7. Meh, it was pretty bad.

It started off dumb and went down hill from there. Maybe my expectations were too high (probably) but the fridge scene killed the entire movie for me.

[AlCzervik]

8. i totally agree, my mistake was in looking forward to it.

after seeing that movie i have been way too hard on Alien 3.

[DarkTirade]

13. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it... my expectations were low, so the movie exceeded them.

Unlike Star Wars Episode I... my expectations were low, and it still didn't exceed them...

:)

[sammythecat]

17. Likewise

If someone hadn't sorta pushed it on me I probably wouldn't have seen it. It was much better than I expected. Not great, or memorable really, but it was an entertaining way to while away a couple of hours, to say the least.

Nice synopsis/critique/review/analysis you gave up top.

[Lethe]

16. the fridge thing was just too much for me

i didn't like the cgi stuff either

[Random_Australian]

18. I saw it with a bunch of physics friends. (mild spoilers)

As such, surviving a nuke in a fridge and "magic aliens did it" as the only rational explanation added to our enjoyment rather than detracted from it.

[tigereye]

19. not sure it deserved a razzie, although the plot was a bit over the top

[Orsino]

20. The consensus is that they made a weak, silly movie.

They didn't have to do that--no matter that it's been a couple of decades. Good writers and a good director could have made a movie as exciting (or more) as the earlier installments.

[LanternWaste]

21. I thought it was a great popcorn movie...

I thought it was a great popcorn movie. Much better than numbers two or three (but nothing can hold a candle to number one). Fast, campy, cheesy fun-- that's what I wanted from the the movie and that's exactly what I got from the movie.



Good stuff!!

[Strong Atheist]

22. The biggest flaw in the movie was

that the skull was taken a long time ago. Why hadn't the aliens left then, when they were whole? They leave as soon as the skull is back...

And how did it get stolen in the first place? Indy had to activate that sand/temple thingy, it was not already open...

[underpants]

23. Indy movies were just highbudget Saturday afternoon serials

as Spielburg said at the time. Just like Star Wars is simply a western in space.


:shrug:

We have had the new Indy movie for a while (netflix) just haven't gotten around to watching it.