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Harry Knowles & INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL!!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is our childhood dreams captured at 24 frames a second and projected for us to relive laughing, clapping, gasping and shouting enthusiastically for.
I don’t know how many of you that read this site are children of the 80s. I’m not talking young adults. I’m not talking babies of the eighties – I’m talking about… you saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK when you were in the midst of Elementary School. That you saw INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM when you were in High School. Then you saw INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE as you went off to College. And now… You’re like me. You’ve found your profession, perhaps you found someone to share life with – your siblings have grown up – they have kids – maybe you do. And the 365 days of grinding out an existence, problems of the world, medical issues… your grandparents are beginning to die… perhaps your parents.
You still have a passion for life though. You love it. And as people started talking about a 4th INDIANA JONES – you might have shrugged… you might have gotten a tinge of excitement… but deep down, perhaps you thought they should leave well enough alone. Perhaps there wasn’t a reason to revisit those wondrous days of yesteryear – with an actor that, frankly, just hasn’t been himself in perhaps… almost 20 years. You saw the earring, a number of bad films… but deep in your heart – of living actors… he’s your favorite. He’s the guy that defines being a MAN – or what you look for in a Man. He’s Harrison Ford… Indiana Jones… and my god, I missed him.
It was a strange feeling sitting in the theater waiting to see this latest installment. Strange because I desperately wanted to “like” the film – and I seriously felt I had no hope to love it. Could Spielberg, Lucas, Ford and Williams truly pull it off? And exactly what was it that they were trying to pull off.
We’ve all heard that there’s apparently Psychic Commie Agents… Crystal Alien Skulls… And yet… How’s that any sillier than obsessive Nazi Occult collectors out to assemble the weapons of God, with which they would enslave the world? Strange thing is – the former Soviet Union did develop Psychic agents, perhaps with questionable results… and as for Crystal Alien Skulls – an astrophysicist friend was picking at that the other day wondering aloud that why in the universe would a body structure be built on its most fragile of substances. I won’t answer that specifically – but to say… perhaps… perhaps it’s not merely just alien. And perhaps you’re thinking to hard.
See – that’s a key element. Thinking. I won’t go to that old trite vain argument that this movie isn’t something to think about… quite the contrary – I think there’s quite a bit to think about, discuss and play with.
However, I feel the Indiana Jones movies are films – that as you watch… you’re supposed to FEEL the movie. It has a rocking heart beat powered by John Williams’ electrifying score and Michael Kahn’s superb editing. This film is a rocket sled, just like the one you see Indy ride. And yes, there is a slow part to the middle – but frankly – that’s for us to gather our bearings, catch up with the characters and to simply enjoy the fun of this all.
I also believe that each of the Indiana Jones films are about different things at their core. Raiders is about BELIEVING. Temple Of Doom is about TRUST. Last Crusade is about abandoning obsessions and choosing to live. And that leads us to The Crystal Skulls… What is it about? Well, that I’m literally just 40 minutes from having seen it at this point – I’m going to say I feel the film is about letting go of the past and choosing a happy future. It’s LIFE.
It’s also… like the Indy’s before it… A SHITLOAD OF FUCKING FUN! There’s silly shit here – but it’s FUN SHIT. But it’s loaded with classic bits.
The first comes early in the film as Indiana is at his desk and looks at a picture of his dad and of Brody. He’s had a bad day and he’s with an old friend and colleague at the University. He state’s that it has been a tough year. First Dad and then Brody. And then, I can’t recall if Indy says it or Broadbent, but he says, “You reach a point in your life where life stops giving you things and starts taking them away.” And that was the first moment of honest sincerity of the film.
Then there’s Indy’s reaction to seeing Marion for the first time. I couldn’t describe it to save my life. It’s about 40 different emotions all at once. And only Harrison Ford’s face could deliver that… effortlessly. And at the same time – there’s Marion’s reaction – and ya know… It’s a combination of relief & joy. When you’ve been captured by evil agents of the Soviet Empire and are threatened at Gunpoint… You want your life in the hands of someone that loves you like Indiana Jones.
Honestly at that moment – that second of connection between the two of them. I honestly haven’t had the emotional impact anything like it in years. That look shared between them… suddenly it wasn’t just the entirety of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK – but suddenly it was a flood of what probably happened between that film and LAST CRUSADE. And you could tell that they fought… my god, it’s Indy and Marion. It’d be a sad world in which they didn’t fight. They’re Lions in Human form – courageous, passionate and tough as hell.
I never got to see Bogart and Ingrid Bergman again, but god bless it… I hope that if I did – it would feel as note perfect as this.
There’s a classic Marion / Indy / Mutt bit of verbal quarrelling in the back of a Commie Truck… and when as a combined unit they escape that (not really a spoiler… it’s Indiana Jones – of course they escape) Marion says to Indy that she assumes he had plenty of ladies since they last met… and As INDY has cut a hole in the cloth of the truck – and sunlight blazes through it… he shoots her a look… that look… that goddamn INDIANA JONES look and he says in that voice… that world weary, seen everything, been everywhere INDIANA JONES voice and he says, “Yeah, but they all had the same problem.” She says, “Yeah, what’s that?” And on his way to do shit that only Indiana Jones could do – he says, “They weren’t you baby!” – and I started clapping and tears of fucking joy ran down my face.
Ain’t that the truth.
There’s a lot of magic in this film. A lot of it. I don’t think you have to be a chapter and verse fan of Indiana Jones to love it. Yes, LOVE IT. I think you just have to let go, believe and be willing to have another adventure with INDIANA JONES… because nobody, anywhere does it like Indy.
As for Harrison’s age. The punishment we see him survive. You know. If Indiana Jones was one of us. A pampered video game playing drone that’s idea of an adventure is driving a Mach 5 on a Wii – or a few hours of networked HALO play… you’re right. He couldn’t survive any of this shit.
But it’s Indiana Jones… A member of the “Greatest Generation” – He fought the Nazis and Evil Cults… and I’ll be goddamned if a bunch of fucking Commies can even dent his fender.
What about Mutt? Shia? He’s one likable son of a Marion Ravenwood. When Shia was first rumored to be a part of this film – he was here in Austin having the world premiere of DISTURBIA hosted by AICN and presented at SXSW – and after the film – a large after party had formed at the storied Driskill Hotel. And he and I were talking – and he asked what I thought of him playing Indy’s kid – and I said – absolutely truthfully. “If you were Willie Scott’s kid with Indy… God save your soul, but if George and Steven have you be the son of Marion and Indy… We’ll love you. Because the one thing all Indy fans believe is that Indy and Marion were simply meant to be. Nobody tries that hard to save someone that’s a fling. You ride subs, crawl under trucks and take on Nazi hordes – and you’re humble in the breath of God with the woman you love. And we love Marion.”
I didn’t have a clue how strong that connection would be. But after the film – while trying to explain to Yoko why I was absolutely shaking and trembling and crying with joy – I just couldn’t shake it. I wasn’t 36, 2 days from an operation that’ll be part of changing my life forever… I was 9 – I lived with Mom and Dad – Mom’s gone now – and we were in South America on Mayan temples talking about Aliens and the Maya – and God Bless Steven and George and Harrison and everyone that made this film. Because I don’t know what else but a great fun summer movie can restore that awesome sense of childhood… that breathless happy infinite feeling of summer fun – that I haven’t seen in a Summer… well since I was a kid.
And you may disagree – but that’s fine. Indiana Jones is about nostalgia, that’s what it was conceived from. It’s suppose to be the joy of all that stuff from George and Steven’s childhoods. Their heroes reborn in the most awesome hero of their age – given adventures that only the 21st Century’s whiz-banggery could produce.
This was an Indiana Jones movie. THANK GOD!
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Can't wait for Wednesday at Midnight and i'm glad it sounds like it's everything it should be to you and us. Screw the negative reviews...INDY LIVES!!!
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dont wanna be spoiled but i just wanna say, i did see a bit and i can see that harry loved this and thats awesome, it looks great to me. but i just wanted to say its too bad because this talkback is bound to fill with people whining and bitching over the movie and his opinion of it.
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Harry is all gung-ho about any movie that references his childhood. Even if it it crap. Will wait for rotten tomatoes on this one.
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So I guess this probably means Shia will take over the franchise with the next film.
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Can't wait.
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He pretty much gushes over 9/10 films he reviews, but god damn do I want him to be right this time! Please, Indiana Jones is like my religion... if it's 50% as good as Harry says I'll be happy.
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Harry will suck at the teet of any major producer/director that he thinks will get him in their good graces and provide him access. This movie is shit...as one of the few who have actually seen it, I can honestly say it's probably the weakest in the series (though I was never a fan of Last Crusade). It looks fine, and has the expected jokes; but it lacks the energy of the first two. That sense of adventure that existed is gone; instead you have an Indiana Jones who can survive a seemingly incredible and lethal amount of radiation, merely by hiding in a fridge. It felt half-baked..but no matter how much this sucked, Harry was going to give it a positive review...he simply is terrified to upset a big director who may not give him 'the scoop' on future projects.
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that's all I need to know.
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cant wait. what else is there to say?
indys line to marion sounds awesome -
Actually - I tend to only write about the films that I feel I can write about passionately - because that's what I want to write about. I just feel that usually 3 or 4 of a given weekend's movies are boring, tedium and not worth my time writing about.
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Right - that's why we posted the first negative reviews of Indiana Jones - because we love to curry favor.
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Harry - I'm not going to read your whole review (avoiding spoilers). But if your first sentence is any indicaton as to what this film may hold, then it truly is a good sign for Indy fandom.
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Did you like the movie or not? ;)
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Seriously, don't explain yourself. These are the guys that call you out every single fucking time about you being a fanboy when them coming to this site at all is a direct result of their fanboy-dom...if I can just invent a word there. Fucking hypocrites....just continue to be passionate because that's the way we all should be...we should never forget where we came from, our childhood, and should allow films to turn us into gushing little kids at every step. Everybody needs to cut the cynicism and stop being so fucking pretentious.
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the moment Indy's onscreen and Williams march sounds... That will be worth the admission.
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If that's the life changing surgery you're about to undergo, best of luck to you. Hope it works out. Can't wait to see this. The crappy prequels have tempered my enthusiasm though, so hopefully this will be good.
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I avoided a good deal of the review because I don't want too many spoilers, but it felt absolutely refreshing to read the first few paragraphs. I can't wait for this movie. Thanks.
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I don't care if Harrsion is old or if the effects are ropey and all that shit. I am a proper child of the 80's. One of my earliest memories is walking past the film posters at the tiny movie theater I used to spend summers in to see Temple of Doom, too young to really understand half of what was going on but not caring as it was Indy and that meant adventure. I saw Last Crusade as the first movie I paid for with my own pocket money and sat in the same seats I had since a kid. I might be in my twenties now, but goddamn, I will buy the same food, find a small screen with some 80's nostalgia fans, kick back and cheer at every goddamn line and whip crack.
You call him Dr Jones. -
I'd like to hear your opinion about the negative reviews, adressing all the bad talk about the movie, such as pointless acting, bad screenwriting and fake-looking fx. I'm saying this, because as Mulder would put it, I WANT TO BELIEVE!
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just gave it 3.5/4 Stars! YES! THIS MOVIE OFFICIALLY ROCKS!!!
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...and it's currently 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Looks like INDY is back in fine form. Awesome.
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I'll show up now.
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When I read a review about a movie and the review is about how the movie is suppose to make me FEEL... You know, make me feel like a child again. Well, the last movie people said I would enjoy if I tried to watch it as a 10 year old was Superman Returns, and we all know how that turned out. I don't want to be a child again. I'm still going to see it but this is dissapointing. I don't need an explaination as how to feel while watching an Indiana Jones movie. It should be obvious.
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Shouldn't the FX be a little fake looking? I mean, they go to the trouble of using 80's stock, lighting and editing. Why not hark back to those amazing but damn fake looking matte paintings of yore. I only hope The Berg uses the same fake looking snakes as raiders.
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...are mirthless whelps. I'll never understand the need to project ulterior motives or personal animosity towards what other people like and enjoy.
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Geesh! Just kidding Harry! I'm not hatin'! Glad to hear it's not a Star Wars episode 1. I can't get my heart broke twice like that in my lifetime.
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Are mixed but generally good. I expect "Temple of Doom" level Indy, which is still darn good entertainment.
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I appreciate that you liked the movie and it gives me hope...but you make an art of laying it on thick. Crying and trembling?
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I don't think Harry was saying you had to watch it through the eyes of a 10 year old, he was simply saying that, first and foremost, INDIANA JONES is supposed to be a visceral experience.
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Is a total movie geek like us. Respect, yo.
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between posting nearly negative reviews and posting your own review. Last week you said "I'm excited...I feel that easily I'm giddy for the new film". How could you not give this a gushing review? Harry will definitely fawn over any movie that references his childhood regardless of how good it actually turns out to be. Although I suppose we should all realize this by now.
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HeadGeek - was that a serious reply? You think that posting a negative review by a source other than Harry negates the truth of my statement? The fact that you shot back so quickly only proves it's veracity. It's ok - sometimes it's fine to just be honest and admit a 'blockbuster' was a lazy effort. And the new Indiana Jones is that - lazy. Familiar jokes, familiar sequences, familiar characters largely. But it's just LESS than it has been before. Hence the term 'lazy effort'. Me thinks you doth protest too much.
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Seriously. It's a thrill ride. The FX don't mean shit. Really. Good or bad. The only way this film could fail would be to totally dull and/or utterly change the character of Indy to somethign unrecognisable. I don't care if Lucas is just out to make a Shia adventure series, if the team made an adventure piece of genuine entertainment with a little sparky dialogue, some humour, some great fights, some over the top stunt rides, it's a fucking win with me.
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We all know this will not be "Raiders version 2.0", but everything I have read from Harry, Rotten Tomatoes, and other sources says this will be great. Enjoy it!
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I'll tell you what the negative reviews are. They're people that watch movies with notepads - making notes during movies about their fave moments and the points that they disengaged... besides the points where they're writing notes and not actually WITH the movie. I can't really speak for everyone - but there's people that will see a sequence like the Shia/Monkey sequence.... or the Prairie Dogs.... or even the Ants... and they'll disengage - say that's not realistic, that's just plain silly - and then they'll listen to the dialogue and think... that's corny, people don't talk like that - and while they're looking and disengaging from all those moments - they're missing the entire fucking point. INDIANA JONES isn't real - he's a concoction - he's a creation of cinema magic. He says the perfect thing, does the perfect thing - gets banged up, knocked around but at the end of it all.... He's the most amazing man the world never gave birth to. He could survive an atomic blast through ingenuity. He knew EVERYONE in the history in which he lived. And he's like a bad penny, he'll always turn up. It's about a dream of an adventurer, not the reality. The fx and sets are never quite real - because none of it is real. It's a fanciful painting of our dreams - after being drunk on the movies of the 30's, 40's & 50's... but doing that now... with all the fun and joy of the toys we have today. It's about Harryhausen and Demille... about Hawks and Ford... it's about every genre and the very celebration of movie making, watching and fandom. It's about being taken away - and there's some people that just refuse to get on board. They can't shake the cynicism of their own self-importance - and they go home... disappointed - because ultimately they've no room for being a kid anymore... even briefly.
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Harry is right on this, as I am really looking forward to it despite the bad word of mouth spread by the haters on here. Oh, and for all you who whine and bitch when Harry likes a movie...SHUT THE FUCK UP and leave him alone, we are all entitled to our own opinions, and especially you haters who defend your right to your opinion.
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Oh God, like a sinner at a tent revival, I WANT TO BELIEVE! Harry, I love you man... but I need Moriarty to weigh in on this too.
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Nuff said.
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Wow. Well put!
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let's see that's defined as, "an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally."
I was literally having tears of joy rolling down my face as I was trembling trying to explain exactly why I was getting so emotional loving a movie that I honestly felt was going to let me down. Hyperbole would be, "So Amazing That I Came & Made Pants Babies!" - Because I didn't actually cum and impregnate my pants. -
Im psyched for the tiki party before the Indy viewing this weekend! Im psyched Harry liked it but not too surprised.
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May 18, 2008 6:15:42 PM CDT
Harry's enthusiasm for geekdom is the heart of this site.
by anti-fanboy
His ebullient love for cherished properties from most of our collective childhoods' is what makes site the great place it's been for the last 12 years. I don't expect much objectivity from his reviews. That's not how he watches movies. He subjectively LIVES them. I think that's great, and I enjoy his reviews from that standpoint.
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I want to see this fucker NOW! Ya think Karen Allen has saggy boobies now? That's right, I said it!
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he's writing it now.
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Did they actually use 80's film stock? Cinematography back then looked so much more epic than the crisp, bright colors we use today. If what you say is true, that's another pro to my list of 'Why I'm Optimistic About Indy-isms."
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Sit back and enjoy the ride."You must believe, boy. You must... BELIEVE."
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And then tell me it's not just a thrill ride. If you didn't like the original three, whatever that means, you aren't going to like this one. But seriously, for all the flaws present, and yes, there are flaws everywhere, intended and unintended, they are the stuff of cinema magic and legend and if this can ignite even a little of that vanished factor in movie watching, I really couldn't care less about motive. There is no rival to Indy left. I'll watch it with my eyes wide open and cheering to the end.
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for la times
"Lucas might have failed with the Star Wars sequels, but with the help of Spielberg and Ford, he makes up for it here. Once again, Adventure has a name and that name is Indiana Jones."
that should be enough right there but thanks Harry for writing what we all had hoped -
May 18, 2008 6:20:05 PM CDT
"Bogart and Ingrid Bergman..it would feel as perfect as this."
by dancingforever
Look, I'll give you a pass for crying at an Indiana Jones movie, but I can't give you a pass comparing Ford to Bogart or even worse Allen to Bergman. That's unforgivable. All the hyperbole aside, sometimes you go to far sir. Is if that wasn't enough, acting as if Shia was a perfect fit for this, or even necessary is questionable after you make statements like, "he and I were talking – and he asked what I thought of him playing Indy’s kid." Your objectiveness is unverifiable.
I'm sorry to hear about your operation, I hope things go well. Afterward perhaps you might consider extensive therapy and entering the adult world with the rest of us. I smoke dope too Harry, but you just go to far. -
I'm going to a preview tomorrow night, dressed in my Indiana Jones Halloween costume from a few years ago. Anyone who doesn't like it can kiss my bullwhip.
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May 18, 2008 6:22:08 PM CDT
Indy is the last of the fun films, as movies are more cynical no
by romanocc
Maybe it was something about the 80's that made everything black and white, and post 9/11, everything has a shade of grey, or the new generation are just more cynical. But damn it, they just don't make fun films anymore, where the good guys are CLEARLY good and the bad guys are clearly bad THAT ARE NOT MADE FOR KIDDIES!!!! Lucas & Spielberg, Zemeckis, Donnor conjured up an era of great films that were made for teenagers/adults THAT kids could enjoy, not vice versa, and we had films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Superman, ET, and those movies still hold up today. I am so glad I grew up during those times, cause in a way, they are Generation X's movies, they are our property, and I can identify with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Marty McFly, and Indiana Jones. As much as I am not a fan of the Prequels, and this Indy installment will probably fall short, it has really made me appreciate how fucken great those films from around 77-85 were when I was growing up.
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There's no way he saw this. This movie doesn't come out 'til thursday.
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Speed Racer didn't make a second weekend come back like I hoped. So, I'm JONESIN'! Sadly, I am not a child of the eighties, just an 80s baby born in 84. Raiders and Temple, as much as I love them, are not part of my childhood nostalgia. But Crusade is. So I'm really hoping for a cool turnaround here, making Jones have to confront he may have been a bad daddy too, and what he does about it. God, I'm going to love this.
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I am full of hope that IV will be a fun, fun ride. Like Harry says, Indy is and always was about nostalgia. If you cant enjoy the ride, dont buy a ticket.
No time for love Dr. Jones! -
I'm sure the Berg does plenty of things wrong and simply for profit but I am very much aware that he made a big deal of using as much of the 80's grade stock, techniques, lighting rigs etc that were available for the shoot. Sure the FX is not old school by any means but the FX for Indy has always been whatever was current at the time. It was bound to have some CG element this time. Just look at the colour grade and lighting of this film. Nothing is made this way anymore. Whether the story turns everyone off or not, just that glow and feel of a proper Spielberg big screen adventure will be worth having hope for.
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implying that any reviewer is truly objective is silly ass.
We all appaorach movies with our own biases, experiences, preconcieved notions, etc.
The fact this movie entertained Harry is perhaps too much for some people.
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Even if this film doesn't have the same effect on me, I'm glad to read this review from Harry. He understands that the experience of cinema can be so much more than just "watchin' a flick," that a franchise like Indy carries with it so many memories - it's the joy of nostalgia, but also the pain that we've all endured and the growing we'd had to do since Indy last ran off into the sunset. This isn't just a movie, Indy 4 is an event...it's a capstone. I really hope that it rocks my world too.
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would you say this one is better than crusade? or doom? or does that shit not matter to you?
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The Shia hate is because he was in Transformers, (which no matter what you thought of the final product, was hated long before it opened) and then the rumor went around that Spielberg loved him so much he put him in Indy. the hate has nothing to do with Shia's acting. It's just cause he was in an unpopular project then earned a coveted place in indy. secretly, we're all a little jealous.
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I love Spielberg, Love Ford even Love Koepp in his own quirky way. If this film can keep me entertained, and excited and wanting to just embrace the character than i'm sold. We all know the lightning in the bottle, and it's impossible to do it with three sequels. Empire Strikes back and Godfather part 2 are the true exceptions, but anyone who critcizes this movie for not being an exact clone of Raiders which is what people feel it has to be can suck it.
That was always my problem with people on the prequel Star Wars films they want something that is almost impossible to achieve that of the lightning in the bottle film. -
actually I rarely do - haven't in about a year
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Being in my early 30's and having just recently watched this I totally agree with most of what you have said. Although you do sound slightly more psychophantic about everything that you like than I ever could, but it gave me that feeling that I got when I watched Tron, Et, TESB, ROTJ, Goonies etc etc when I was young un at the cinema
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I never post on a TB where you are reading but the best of luck with the op.
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So, I can accept the Prequel trilogy. Though, Lucas should have made "A New Hope" episode 3, because he really only had material for 2 prequel films. Ep 3 shoulda been 2 and we coulda compressed 1 and 2 into just one film.
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Your review was heartfelt. I'm officially stoked to see the movie now.
Good luck with your operation. You should well document your progress in a special section of the website.
For the record, I also walked out of Superman Returns happy like a child again. It makes me confident I'll feel the way you did after seeing Indy 4! -
Because it is an absolute fact of the universe that cannot reasonably be questioned, like gravity or something. Marion > Willie and that's just the way it is. Even Spielberg can acknowledge this.
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I know it's silly to compare and contrast but I think Indy has had a better start with the Berg choosing to try and reuse the formula that made the originals a hit, while updating the details, unlike the SW prequels which Lucas seemed determined to make as if they were newer and better and dwarfed the original trilogy. But I guess that's a whole different conversation...
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Shia was the best thing about TF as far as I was concerned. If Optimus Prime had had a little bit more screen time though, it would have been him.
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May 18, 2008 6:37:02 PM CDT
Harry Do You Regret Running That Early Negative Review Now?
by genrefanboy
Good luck with your op man. Hope it all works out for you Tuesday.
Do you now regret running that negative review which generated a lot of headlines especially now that you love the movie. Perhaps in future AICN could be a little more careful and balanced in this respect as a few weeks ago the negative reviews appeared to be a little unfair towards Indy. -
Is that they're way too emotional and self serving. Is that realyl a problem? Well if you're trying to be independent, then it really is. I don't trust Harry's reviews anymore, they're still nice to have and everything but they can't be trusted as to whether a movie is actually good or bad. I know he will give something he likes or is excited about a 10/10 when it really deserves a 7/10. There is never any criticism about the movies he likes. I read reviews to see if seeing a movie might be worth my time and money, and I can never count on Harry's reviews to help decide.
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May 18, 2008 6:38:08 PM CDT
I think the different look and feel of the prequels is intention
by greenstyle92
is intentional. We had to see how grand and opulent things were in the Republic days to understand why things were so shitty during the Empire/Rebellion era.
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This appears to be a sincere, heartfelt reaction to the film. Raiders and Time BAndits were my two favorite films as a kid. I have good memories of seeing them with my father (R.I.P.). A good bonding experience. They were the first films I saw twice in the theater.I serious hope the review is spot on.
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I'm glad you liked this one better than I did (I'm the first reviewer..) but I just couldn't get into it like you did. Frankly, my negative review probably inspired you to like it all the more. And for the record, I was and am a HUGE Indy fan (for the first three anyway) and I really wanted to include #4 in my passion list too.
The one complaint that I didn't put in my review is this: Indy was always the coolest guy out there. From the shooting of the sword spinner, to pretty much everything else he did. But there was always a part of the movie that even the coolest man on earth got scared or was out of ideas. That was where the tension was. This one, he just plays cool customer the entire way through; you can figure out the solution before it's onscreen. And Marion was worse with that. She never really needed to be saved at all.
Anyway, I hope people go in with the lowered expectations that Lucas advises, and Harry, Godspeed with your operation. We're all praying for you... -
Pages refreshed for some reason.
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Yeah, I'm fine with the prequels showing a very different universe but I just mean Lucas wanted such CGI and HD overload that it was so divorced from the original films he left this sort of void to some people. But I think this Indy film will benefit from the lack of trying to make a modern, hard edited bleak action film and instead opt for a much more imitative 80s look.
It's really just an asthetic point, I'm not trying to rip the prequels for it. Just as an artistic decision, I feel IndyIV is the right way to connect a film to a beloved piece of movie nostalgia. -
I'm driving 400 miles next week to see this movie with my dad. It sounds like I won't be disappointed.
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the shooting of the sword spinner scene has never been duplicated.
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Dammit. I know you use longer words than Harry but c'mon some of us need to sleep...
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I am now frankly going nuts with excitement. Good luck with your OP too.
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I completely agree. I look to reviews to help me decide whether a movie is good in itself and worth forking over 10 bucks, not some rambling stream of consciousness for people to circle jerk over childhood nostalgia.
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May 18, 2008 6:50:25 PM CDT
Harry, I need a Neill Cumpston review of this one.
by stereotypical evil archer
It's been a while and I need to laugh at his hyperbole. Because he's funny!
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this ones gonna rip me to shreds! Speilberg stop playin with my heart strings!
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I will wait for his review. He is the beacon.
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Come on, Thursday!
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may well be the greatest post ever. Well done.
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Harry's reviews have always been thoughtful and engaging. One of the better movie critics. I am looking forward to Indy 4.
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no one likes a quiter harry
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...it's Indiana goddamn Jones people! This isn't The Mummy or Tomb Raider or some other wannabe. This is it! The man himself! This is the last chance to see Indy in a new adventure on the big screen and I'm not passing it up. Seems they blended the buffoonery of Crusade and the action of Raiders into a neat package for this one. Color me excited...
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Even so Ill still hate Shia Lebuff for eternity and Hollywood NEEDS to quite ramming that no talent-fast talking-obnoxious-New Milleniums Cory Haim down out throats.
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May 18, 2008 6:58:06 PM CDT
so Harry, after seeing this, are you hungry for another Indy fil
by theycallmemrglass
Or are you content with this being the last. Spielberg just announced that he would contemplate another depending on if the fans enjoy this.
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You and I are about the same age and I have the EXACT same feeling about Indy. Good review. Now I'm excited to see it. My birthday is on Wednesday and this comes out the next day. I get to feel like a kid again for a little while in that theater.
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i don't believe in favourite movies, but if i did, Raiders would be it.
in the midst of all the reuters and press association piling on left and right, it's good to read a review from a true fan. -
Thanks for the review. I've been having doubts going in but this review has me souped. I can't wait. I NEED this film to deliver. And Harry- God be with you this week with your procedure. My prayers go out to you. Peace.
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Indiana Jones is like Star Wars. Good or bad, everyone will watch it at least once. I am excited to see it mainly because Steven Spielberg is one the greatest directors that ever lived. The man is a visionary and master of the film arts. Granted , he has a few turds out there but when he sets out to make a movie, 90% of the time it is an amazing cinematic experience. Besides, how can you hate on Indiana Jones?
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Harry's love of this film is about YOU.
"Frankly, my negative review probably inspired you to like it all the more."
lol -
'nuff said
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May 18, 2008 7:01:42 PM CDT
Didn't he give The Phantom Menace a positive review?
by troutmaskreplicant
Oh I don't care anymore. I don't wallow in my childhood so it doesn't bother me...I actually expect this film to be not that bad, but appalling to certain people who worship the original...
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kinda LOOOOOVED
Revenge Of The Sith (and maybe the two other prequels....don't remember that)!?!??!?
So much to that !!!! -
...and I agree with every word in Harry's review.
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But I guess you're one of those raped babies that use to rant about everything on these talkbacks.
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Everything is about me ;-)
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I'm totally with him when it comes to the idea of setting aside unrealistic stuff and just experiencing a film. I get the tears of joy and childlike bliss and nostalgia. When I first saw the trailer and the shadow of the hat, and heard the first strains of the theme, I admit I got goosebumps. I'm only a bit older than Harry, so I was pretty much at the same ages when I saw the movies. I remember getting the Raiders comic book that had just come out right after I saw the movie in a local mall in Ohio. So I get the love. I'm just not sure that this movie will work for me, especially the rumors of all the cg. That would just kill it for me. Indy's world should NOT have cg. But I'm willing to see for myself.
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Just what I wanted. A fucking Indiana Jones movie! Harry, I usually take your reviews with a grain of salt. You seem to give more glowing reviews than anyone else, but you're right to only review what you can write passionately about. This review more than any other I have read for this film, has solidified my faith that this film will be everything I dreamed it would be.
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Well said, Harry. Definitely well said. It's not that I doubted the value of the movie which of course is bound to be very good even in a worst-case scenario, but you know, I feared what I felt when I read those reviews. Just having second thoughts before taking the Leap of Faith, but without questioning mu faith. Needless to say, I would have attended at least two showings whatever your review would say. Thanks for being there, Harry.
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Great article, I vividly recall going to the first movie many years ago, it comes with a great deal of nostalgia. Good luck with the operation as well, hope everything goes well for you :)
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Only 36 signatures so far, I think our campaign failed. :)
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I'd say this:
78% - Last Crusade
18% - Star Wars Episode II
4% - Raiders of the Lost Ark
I really had fun with it, but then again, I really loved Last Crusade. But it's definitely on the family adventure side, instead of the darker adventure side (of the first two movies), which I think is going to upset a lot of the fan community. -
But I do admit that you know what you're talking about.
Great review! -
Dear God, say it ain't so!
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May 18, 2008 7:23:54 PM CDT
Stop bashing the prequels you auto-felating cynical dickheads!
by keeper of chimps
It no longer makes you look cool to bash the Star Wars prequels. It just makes you look pathetic and sad. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot how George Lucas "ruined your childhood". Fuck you! People like you are too stupid to kill yourselves.
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was storyboarded and edited by a coked up spidermonkey on caffeine.
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Star Wars:THE PHANTOM MENACE
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Messa think that teese Russians are very bad.
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"Star Wars:THE PHANTOM MENACEW.
Which goes to show...two dongs don't make a right. heh!
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Most of us would LOVE to LOVE this film. And that's the problem, especially after Phantom Menace and Superman Returns. We'll walk in daring the film to be great, but thinking this is going to be Die Hard 4 all over again. We need to forget the nostalgia of Indy (and I was one of those 80s children) and the perfection of Raiders. We need to remember that, as movies, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade were inferior films, but we could enjoy them for what they were. They weren't as special then, just another sequel rolling out every couple of years like James Bond or Star Wars or Friday the 13th. The idea that we'd wait so long for this (longer, I might add, than we waited for Phantom Menace), that we'd one day see what is likely the last Indy adventure... that was pressure they didn't have. The best way to see this, I think, is to forget all that. Imagine if you knew this Memorial Day was the last day you would spend with your father - kind of hard to enjoy. Even if you can get past the finality, the pressure to make that day fantastic would just be too much. Better to just treat this as another day with a good friend, no different from any other. Just go in and don't worry about anything other than having some fun. The odds of being disappointed will drop dramatically.
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Can't fucking wait!!!!!! Fucking Commie Shithead Slavs!! Fuck them to hell!!!!! Can't wait to see Indy punching badguys!!!Kill a Commie for your mommie!!
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Everyone is till proclaiming this film as Episode 1, but all the reviews I've read, even the negative ones, say it is classic Jones. And most reviews are positive! There is no way I won't love it!
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You have about as much credibility when it comes to reviewing films as my 12 year old sister.
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That is all.
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I'm going to see this film like everyone else in the world. Whether or not I like it will be in question. Harry seems to feel that critics who don't like the movie aren't willing to be like kids anymore. To me the thing is that reviews aren't written for kids, their written for adults by adults and probably taking into consideration adult sensibilities. I would assume that the previous three Indy movies got good to great reviews because they were good movies, not because we have to regress to our childhood to enjoy them. Whether I like it or not, this may not be a great movie. The MSN reviewer at Cannes said the audience for the movie was subdued at best throughout the film and he was forgetting the movie very quickly. Granted, that's cannes, and they are film snobs, I probably wouldn't enjoy half the movies that win the Palm D'ore (or whatever) but there is something to be said about that, Xmen last stand and Da Vinci code got similar reactions at Cannes and I think most people agree those were average at best. As for Shia, I'm not jealous of him, I just don't think he's of the stature or talent to be garnering the huge attention/work he's getting. I think he can play a smart ass, and that's what I expect his character to be. But certainly, I don't think he could continue the Indy franchise on his own. When you see the media hype machine pick someone to love at a young age, its not uncommon and over the years you see em come and go. Also I don't think his brando get up in the movie is supposed to compare his abilities to brando but I could see people/critics make that connection and be taken aback.
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I will forever hold it, and X-Men three, as the biggest disappoint in my film-loving life. It was absolutely dreadful. But I'm glad Harry liked the new Indy; that gets my hopes up.
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The snake scene was HILARITY.... great movie!
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I remember the excitment surrounding The Temple of Doom. Raiders had such a huge impact on me as a kid, when i heard of the second one my mind fucking exploded... I picked up the full color book (anyone else remember those books) that showed some behind the scenes shots and told about the story etc... opening day got picked up at school and immediately went to the theater... i could care fucking less what anyone thought of the movie. It was Indiana Jones. There was no "internet buzz" to fuck with my desire to see it. I just knew it was going to be great... man how times have changed. I cant believe there is another Indiana Jones movie... but why am i so nervous? I dont know. Thank you Harry for your write up. It has redeemed my hope. Its the movies, its fantasy, make believe... Its Indiana Jones, whether he is 30 or 60 i dont care. I cant wait to see... i am going to go right after work and for a few short hours i wanna be a kid again... I have a feeling i will... thank you Lucas, Spielberg and Ford for bringing the greatest adventurer ever back to the screen. Not all of us internet fans are so negative.
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May 18, 2008 7:45:23 PM CDT
How can I not like Harry's Review.I wanna like this film so bad
by orionsangels
As someone from Harry's genertation. It's easy to get lost in Harry's review and to hope and dream it's everything he says it is, but it may also depend where you are in life at this point. Harry recently found love, had a life changing operation. He's obviously seeing his life reflected back at him in Indy4. What I'm saying is not everyone will have the same reaction, but duh we knew that. One thing though, I am nostalgic. So there's a good bet I'll like it. Anyway after some negative Indy4 reviews. This got me excited again.
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The Phantom Menace was the only good Star Wars prequel. It was the only on that kept the fun spirit, not-too-serious atmosphere that made the original trilogy so lovable. I'm not putting on par with the original trilogy, just saying it wasn't the pretentious, overtly effects-oriented piece of shit the second and third prequals came out to be.
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Getting pumped up about this.
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*prequels
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Most of us were. We were more forgiving then. I can understand Harry liking JarJar. When you love something so much. You can convince yourself that it can't do no wrong.
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I don't hate any SW film. I love them like my own children, but my son Phantom Menace disappointed me.
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But I hope he's right on this one.
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May 18, 2008 8:04:32 PM CDT
Don't you Star Wars haters have another showing of Speed Racer t
by keeper of chimps
If Phantom Menace had come out in 1985, all of you would have loved it.
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Damn right! Glad to know someone is having a good time. And may Speed Racer continue to swallow a fucking turd.
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At least it will be awesome to anyone who doesn't think their B+ in film history means they are now professional critics.
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People feed on negativity and AICN ran the first negative review for this movie... and now every negative ninny on the Internet is ready to pounce on this movie. So, thank AICN when someone calls you stupid for thinking Indy 4 was good. The negative ninnies only follow trends.
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Harry,
Long time reader, first time talking back. I am so looking forward to Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skull, I will be going Wednesday night. I am so excited about seeing Indy again on the big screen. I hate to say it, but I get caught up on reading up on film reviews from people, via internet, newspapers, television and what I come to find is that when I look at a film, I react differently to it than many others. I think there are many factors in ones life that determine, how people react to a movie. I remember early in my child hood when times were good, watching movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones and how much they meant to me, the magic that was there. I don't think people will ever experience that type of film making magic again. As a kid, I always wanted more Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I wanted there adventures to continue forever...But you can't always get what you want...Many years past until, Lucas decided to release Star Wars again...After losing my father, I felt that he would look over and make this new trilogy a good experience for me, so i can move on from the pain of losing my dad...When the New Trilogy came out I can't say I was disappointed, but I came out of saying to myself, This is whole new story and the experience you had as a young kid, Is not the same experience you will have at 24. I often thought the New Trilogy was Star Wars, but not my Star Wars Trilogy. I felt that the New Trilogy helped me get though a bad time in my life and I do enjoy the new Trilogy and still think it serves its place in the Star Wars Universe, I also thanked my Dad for looking over the Trilogy and making it a good experience for me. Which finally brings me to my point. I am going to see Indiana Jones this Wed and I do not expect it to be like when I first saw Raiders, Temple or the Last Crusade. This will be a totally different experience, one that I will enjoy, to get an opportunity to see another Indiana Jones adventure. I read your review and to me it sounds that you had a magical experience. Many critics can say, well its not Raiders or it is not the best Indiana movie. You are viewing it like me, a totally new Indiana Jones Movie, that we the people deserve that we haven't had in a long time, is may not be perfect, but it reminds of the old times when magical experiences happened on film. I thank you for your review and I have hope that this will be another good Indiana Jones film that will make me smile.
thanks
beau -
Raiders in elementary school and then Temple of Doom 3 years later in high school? Dude, you're a year younger than I and I was in 6th or 7th grade when Temple came out. I skipped most of your review because I want to be surprised when I see it on Friday night but damn I hope you're right.
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Roger Ebert and Richard Corliss gave it good marks, with Peter Travers dissenting to say it's old and tired. So I'm guardedly optimistic.
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AICN is not responsible. And what negativity anyway?
If there is any negativity, it is from our culture that feeds off of the build em up to tear em down crap. -
Of all the characters in all the films, he had the best chemistry with Indy.
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but one movie was enough
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Are you even capable of writing a review that isn't just a complete or utter hyperbolic mess? I thought after I read your review of Transformers that you may have actually decided to give a shit about film again but I can see now that it's just a total fuck wash.
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I hope you are okay?
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I'm more enthusiastic about this. Raiders is still by far the best. The other two have their moments, but as a whole they're both meh comared to Raiders which is the ne plus ultra of Indiana Jones related products and services.
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and I look forward to this one (I won't say how old I am now). Thanks for the review Harry!
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The end scared the crap out of me.
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Yeah, you gotta take Harry's reviews with a grain of salt, but if he wasn't such a starry-eyed geek dreamer, he wouldn't have put the work into making a website like this in the first place. Cynics simply don't produce as much as dreamers. (Okay, that sounded damn corny, but you get my point.) With Mori, Quint, Capone, Massa and Vern alongside Harry, the reader gets a chance to see different perspectives (a rather bizarre range, actually). I'm glad Harry's is one of the viewpoints, even though I have disagreed with his tastes sometimes. I rarely get as worked up about a movie as he does, but for those instances in which I do, I can identify with his excitement.
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Now if only he had realized that earlier, he might have DRAFTED his reviews. Then we would have been saved the necessity of wading through his nonsensical prose and sloppy punctuation to learn what he thought about the movie. And then, of course, we all had to learn the Knowles scale. Either a movie was really, really good (read: it sucked), a great and fantastic experience (read: it was okay), or very possibly the best movie ever made since the Big Bang (read: hey, maybe it actually IS good!). But it's good that you know now how important thinking is, Harry. So I assume we'll be seeing future reviews written in some language that bears at least a family resemblance to modern English? Right? Please?
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And I would never take the creation of this website away from him. but I often think his passion for film is passion for passions sake rather than coming from a place of appreciating film. his reviews are so over the top and so often inaccurate and so full of horseshit psychology that don't apply to anyone but himself that if he's really just gonna gush like this I would rather he just leave it up to the people who actually give a shit about what makes a film great or not. I wouldn't even really give a shit if people didn't take it seriously, I mean I see the guys quotes turning up on DVD boxes and how can you blame them when someone is so over the top. The general public doesn't understand that without question he's the worst reviewer on this website, barring only massawyrm possibly.
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I wrote it while I was on the phone but Im sure you can gleam what I was trying to say....kinda like this review.
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It's been over 3 hours since Harry's post saying yours is on the way. It sounds like you loved it as well, so I'm really anxious to read all about it. Hurry up already....
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that was a little embarrassing. I mean, it's cool and all but...a little goofy. Harry JUST got through seeing it and was all wound up. I wish reviewers would at least wait a day before writing their thoughts because that day would help them think a little more clearly before writing something so over the top as "tears of fucking joy" as well as make them realize that their original feelings were exaggerated because of all the excitement. Then to say he was trembling and shit...LOL! Oh brother Harry. Calm down.
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Is there an actual review in there? After the first four paragraphs I stopped looking for one.
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He hadn't been pulling this shit for years and years and years. Combine it with the fact that its for an Indiana Jones movie and George Lucas is involved and you have a situations that necessitates something a bit more tempered. I think just throwing a pass at this thing is abhorrent. If he needed a film to vent his misguided predilections on he should have used it on Prince fucking Caspian.
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Along with all the Star Wars Prequels and Roland Emmerichs Godzilla. Free passes are his Modus Operandi. It's what he fucking DOES.
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I want to just say THANK YOU on the eve of this surgery you're having. I don't know exactly what it is, I guess I haven't been scanning the site overall that closely lately, though I'm assuming it perhaps has something to do with your weight. I wish you the best of luck, here's hoping you're healthy and happy and thanks again for providing an excellent site for us geeks all these years. :)
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May 18, 2008 10:02:42 PM CDT
YOU ARE ALL SHEEP MANIPULATED BY THE MEDIA MACHINE!!!!
by bringingsexyback
With that said, I'm relying on your feedback, Yack, as always. When do you plan on seeing it? I just caught Iron Man last night - it was the purest of superhero movie awesomenity.
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I loved it.
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I think if you sincerely love and have a passion for something then at some point you would have bothered to gain a sense of discernment for it. And moreover you would hate when someone does it cynically and poorly, this is clearly not the case with Harry. I think it's more of a hobby for Harry than anything else. An obsessive hobby I'll admit, but a hobby nonetheless. of course I don't know the guy and your guess is as good as mine but while we're taking stabs at it..... And hell, our analysis of someones psychology will at the very least have more depth than Harry's.
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May 18, 2008 10:10:33 PM CDT
And Yackbacker just to prove I don't hate everything...
by industrykiller!
I'm right there with you and BSB on Iron Man. Maybe the best portrayal of a superhero by an actor ever put to screen. And yeah the third act fell apart when they tried to shoehorn Iron Monger in there but at least it wasn't a more reputable villain.
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The entire film works on a mostly realistic level, no hocus pocus or abracadabra, just a good old fashioned adventure yarn told real well by Spielberg and his penchant for directing great action scenes and picking the perfect camera angles. There was a real sense of discovery along the way. Then, when they open the Ark at the end, it's good-bye realistic adventure yarn and hello Biblical Wrath of God and special effects that blew audiences away in those days.
The sequels didn't repeat that structure as Temple of Doom gave us strangeness from the get go, and Last Crusade kind of tried to repeat the Raiders formula, but it was spoiled by all the Buster Keatonish slapstick that peppered the entire movie, and both lacked "Raider's" sense of genuine discovery. Very interested to see how Crystal Skull's story will unfold. -
For an origin movie, Iron Man went beyond expectations. Downey Jr. owned the movie and more. I've nothing more to add than all the love that's already been poured on that gem, just can't wait for the sequel. Let's just hope Favreau keeps his wits about him and we do not see emo/dancing Stark in Iron Man 3. As for Indy, believe me - I can hold out a hell of a lot longer than 3 weeks. Like I've said, if it weren't for Mutt, I'd be more excited. But I value your opinion as always so I look forward to getting your feedback dude.
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I'm older than Harry by well over a decade, so I saw the original films as an already in-the-workplace adult (okay, in an area of the entertainment workplace, so I was leading a Peter Pan-ish life anyway and my wife and son wouldn't come along until this decade). But I suspect I'm gonna like this, maybe love it. I'm show my boy, a little shy of six, the first three films and Indy is all he talks about now, all he wants to play, though he did love Iron Man and even more, Speed Racer(and all you juvenile-whiny-pussy talkback fanboys in the basement can go find ways to give yourself anal probes, Speed Racer is just fine for the 10 and under set). And like many, I'm still waiting to see Crystal Skull and then make the call for myself, no matter what the reviews rave on about or tear down.
And one more thing. Any of you who thought Cloverfield was good, i don't care if you're 15, 25, 25, 45 or 55 - you're a moron.
Good night and good luck. -
"As for Harrison’s age. The punishment we see him survive. You know. If Indiana Jones was one of us."I love ya big guy, but, um...what?
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May 18, 2008 10:31:13 PM CDT
See, that's my problem with most modern action movies, Harry.
by jae683
I don't want to watch a fake, cartoon version of a character. I want suspension of disbelief. That used to be as important to movies is it was to books. That doesn't really apply anymore.
I liked Raiders because the Indiana Jones in that movie wasn't a cartoon yet. He was a guy that got hurt, got banged up, and didn't always make the right choice.
I guess it's like comparing the earlier Bond movies to the later movies, which are really cartoon versions of the early ones.
I haven't seen this new movie, but I hope it's more Speilberg and less Lucas. -
...those two guys would complain about getting oral from Scarlett Johannson. I dont think Devin or Jeremy enjoy anything...
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I'm glad he hasn't posted it yet. That means he's taking his time and will give us a fair and balanced opinion devoid of bias, hyperbole, and pretentious posturing.
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and saw TLC in the theater. One Of my most fondest memories.
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I can feel ya Harry. I am gonna be an emotional little bitch when I finally get to see this on thursday.
If the fuckin trailer makes me emotional and your review is representative of how I might feel when watching it then I will be seeing this one several times. -
Seriously, that Jeremy Smith fucker is on my to-do list. What a joyless prick...
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May 18, 2008 10:54:11 PM CDT
Although I may or may not be biased based on my handle...
by short round
...No time for love Dr. Jones!
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...and couldn't think of a better time to start than now. I've waited 19 years to see another Indiana Jones adventure. These movies are a throwback to a different era of movie-making and I know that. I'm prepared for it. I'm old enough to know not to expect "Raiders" all over again, but I'm also not cynical enough to not allow myself to be a kid sometimes.
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Fuck yeah!
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Is that what the fuck I just read??? TheQueef, monkeys, and prairie dogs and your saying people shouldn't disengage from a fucking idiotic scene like that??? I hope to christ this is NOT as bad as that sounded.
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in some kind of sick twisted fucked up play to get him a spin-off people wouldn't be complaining about his fucking mess so much. As bad as you may think TOD or LC was, those movies still didn't have TheQueef in them so they had that going for them.
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I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.
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Yes, I told myself I wasn't saying anything until the whole ass raping monkeys and killer prairie dog situation came up. It was too much! Now what we need is a scene where he runs from tribbles and we'd be in business.
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We can all bash the writers on here about what kind of write up they give towards this film or that film. But they’re genuine film lovers, like us. Unlike those pseudo intellectuals over at CHUD who I normally agree with from October-December, I can actually agree with most of the writers here. Except for Merrick… Merrick always gives me this feeling that he’s Devin’s twin or something.
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Teehee, I'm kidding, man. I can't fucking wait til Thursday!!!!!!!
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Ended up seeing Last Crusade before I saw Temple. Never forgave him for that one. Then he took his grandchildren to Pirates of the Caribbean and didn't invite me. I don't speak to him anymore.
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he rammed his huge Indiana Jones man-hammer into its mouth to shut her up the way he should've in TOD. Then he could high-five TheQueef while one of the monkeys did him ape man style. I don't know about anyone else but I'd give that 3.5 stars outta 4.
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Thats pretty sad... But don't worry, Harry - My ex cried during the TRAILER for Brother Bear - Needless to say, he's now my ex...
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Damn you to hell!
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Well, I hope it is as good as he says but I've been burned so many times before by his enthusiasm...
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I just don't have time for lazy filmmaking from one of my heroes. I felt let down watching this film, and grew furious the more I thought about it. If there's a cynical party here, it's Spielberg.
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Return of the Jedi is right after Sith in my book. Empire, Hope, Rvenge, Return, Attack, Phantom. for the big ending to a huge series, dancing ewoks is pretty weak. Revenge was the only prequel that actually met expectations for me.
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Who in the fuck is Indiana Jones?
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More like a fucking Dear john letter. Nice call genius.
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Nice review, Harry! As a 36 year old, I totally dig your vibe about Indiana Jones. Those first cinema experiences of seeing the original movies at cinemas throughout my childhood, have never been matched, and I REALLY hope that I get some of that rush with this new film. Good luck with the operation, mate!
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In Vern i trust.
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... it's not the Times Literary Supplement, ya know.
And cheers for The Op. -
Dude, you are the worst high-profile writer on the internet. Get a fucking clue for christ's sake.
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Jedi did a happy ending better than Sith did a non-happy one. I liked the ending because what else did you want? A huge ceremony like at the end of Wars? Well we had that already. Them in the woodland showed they were just good ol' humans and aliens among nature and all that.
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Episode 1. was it good or bad or what? that will tell me more about how i feel about this review.
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dude loved jar jar. LOVED HIM.
he says stuff like "Maul served his purpose, he’s here to tell us.... “Dude, the clone wars are gonna be cool!”" clone wars harry? no clone wars in THAT trilogy.
what bothers me tho is yea, he REALLY liked that film. the review seems a bit more detatched tho, this one seems actually REAL... but still.....for the last ten years now...harrys reviews have been full of shit. thats a long fucking time. -
There is some good and bad sounding stuff in there.
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I've never felt so embarrassed while reading a movie review. Quit blubbering for fuck sake.
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May 19, 2008 4:04:12 AM CDT
I will see this with the lowest of expectations.
by allpowerfulwizardofoz
The trailers look like total ass. I am not caught up in Indy hype and Harry I was born in 1971. So Yeah I saw Indy on the big screen as a kid and all the Star Wars films as they came out. My reason for not being excited comes down to one person, George Fucking Lucas. He has not made or written a decent movie in years. Sorry it's true. The last being The Last Crusade. That's the last project wit his name on it that I felt was decent. The prequels were terrible. The McGuffin in this latest Indy installment was rejected by both Ford AND Speilberg years ago. Had to be a reason.
I would like to be excited Harry as you obviously are after seeing it but I just can't muster those feelings up anymore. Lucas has paved his legacy with shit not gold in the later years of his writing and film making. It's really hard to believe this one is solid and like I said I am going to see it. I hope I am wrong and hope the movie is not total shit. If I enjoy it I will come back on here the way I did with Speed Racer and praise it. as that was a movie I had low expectations for and it turned out to be one of the best movie experiences I've had in a long long time. -
Damn You Michael Bay
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say f**k you Harry and your overwhelming love for all movies ! from armageddon to what-ever-a*s-wipe you are let in w/ no charge. stop brown nosing and start acting like real journalist, or quit the site.
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You see films like no other; you live and breath this stuff like no other; you are a geek and proud of it and still have a big heart which means you feel so much more than the cynics and the haters, and more. You see cinema for what it truly is and what it ultimately offers: escapism. I salute you.
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Just don't read them!
Because it's not like he's going to sack himself from his own site, because some numbskull has spotted stylistic infelicities in his literary technique.
You're in the Harryverse, where "state's" gets a precautionary apostrophe and where grown-up film geeks weep manly tears. -
Thank you.
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Nice review, Harry. Hope I agree. Although, honestly, I don't think a film should rely on nostalgia alone. That's probably why those pesky Star Wars prequels were so disappointing. Hell, even the original trilogy would be nothing today if it wasn't for the nostalgia factor. Most of our love for those films rely on the fact that we were kids when we saw them. And that's fine. I just don't like living in denial. Flaws (and I know most people disagree on what should be viewed as flaws) shouldn't be ignored. So what am I really saying? I don't know. I just wanted to post something.
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May 19, 2008 5:11:58 AM CDT
RE: Retlaw Kciuq's "pseudo intellectuals over at CHUD"..
by mission code z
Amen. I'm tired of reviewers who put themselves before the review.
Seriously, CHUD staff reviewers, get over your elitist sensibilities and realize that a review is not always about delivering zingers and bullet points.
And Harry's reply to Gd00 says it all. Really.
Good luck with your surgery Harry!
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Sounds to me like the praise the film gets is for "being Indiana Jones".Which is fine, but it's going to take more than that to get a relative newcomer to the series (like myself) to really get pumped up for this film.
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have no time to be kids anymore are spot on. That's why a lot of good movies get shit on now days by people who have become to old and jaded in their hearts and minds to go for a ride and escape.
I don't mind getting older but I refuse to get old in spirit and 'grow up' to the point that all these wonderous things don't work for me anymore.
Nice review. -
I shall quote:by deliciouscowbell May 19th, 2008
01:25:33 AM: "episode 3 kicked ass, 1 was boring. 2 was exciting with good action"by gotham_night May 19th, 2008
01:29:35 AM : "2 and 3 of the prequels, I really like and I can't wait to see the Clone Wars movie."
Are you English or retarded? -
nostalgia over quality. If the CHUD review doesn't tell us all that then nothing will.
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I think it used to be that 1 in 100 people who had it done died. I am glad they have much improved those odds. 1 in 100 is just whack. Still it is surgery and therefore uncertain. Good Luck Old Friend.
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Raiders is the only great Indy movie. The other two are okay, but largely disposable. I assume that this one will gravitate more towards the disposable fun side of the spectrum.
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May 19, 2008 6:33:33 AM CDT
May I Suggest An Alternative To Dangerous, Costly, Surgery?
by laserpants
Eat less, exercise more.
This method takes longer, sure, but you'll be better for it in the long run, AND you will have learned something in the process -- something about willpower, pain, and sacrifice; the very hallmarks of this quality we often refer to as wisdom. Just going in for the surgery won't teach you anything or help change your habits (its like the Sith -- "quicker, easier, more seductive"); you won't value it and will, most likely (if odds about these things are believed), continue your bad habits (backslide, if you will) and gain the weight back again. Be a SUPERHERO, Harry! EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE! -
All I can say is Harry's reviews are officially and clearly tainted...tears of joy? Be serious. I only hope he is just relying on nostalgia to enjoy lazy sub-par films; if not, then the reviews are merely a means to pander to the directors and producers so he doesn't lose access. It's not cynicism or negativity - there's a reason so many called him out on this one.
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I can't read anymore reviews. We "regular people" have to wait three more days. I don't want to know anything more than I already do. Good or bad, I'm not having any other articles tip me off after waiting almost 20 years.
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After Harry's Cloverfield dribblings and then sitting through the ensuing embarassing drivel you could easily be forgiven for doubting. He's got an awful track record of foaming at the mouth - mostly because he's got freebies or a special screening or something. It must put gild a sympathetic on a 'half decent, but shit film' I would think..anyhow..this one I'll go see for myself...
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The reviews I've read have all said things like "effects-laden", "charmless", "lacking romance". It sounds very much like the Star Wars prequels. I hope we get to see Darabont's script eventually, though I doubt it. I'm almost 100% sure I'll never watch this movie. There are better things to do in life than be crushed by a bad conclusion to a transcendent, miraculous series of films.
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So the audience at Cannes seemed to like it. There are some pictures of the premiere here (http://tinyurl.com/6rjv7e) and tell me: 1) Natalie Portman doesn't look better than ever and, 2) Adrian Brody isn't one lucky guy. Lucas also looks to have dropped a few pounds.And let's all agree we don't read Harry's reviews for insight, we read them to be entertained.
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Harry's description of Indy & Marion meeting again nearly brought tears to my eyes...that's why you watch an Indy film. Who cares if it's not the next coming of filmdom, it's made to be a fun summer movie...and it's Indiana Jones back in the saddle again with Spielberg, Lucas, Ford, and Allen picking up their respective roles again! Color me happy. Lastly, I'm not sure what Harry's surgery is about, but good luck!!!
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But only because I realized that "Beouf" is pronounced compleately different in my language (more like "Bluff"), so the rhyme doesn't work anymore. :P
BTW, I don't hate him, I'm just pretty annoyed by that fact that he gets all these roles in huge movies, without doing anything special. -
will suck. only the "children of the 80's" will see it. i saw temple of doom on tv as a kid and thought it was lame then. i remember thinking the guy was totally ripping off kermit the frog on muppet babies. every time something like this comes out harry cremes himself over it because of the nostalgia. it's like he can't properly review a movie because if he is only seeking that geeky high. i don't know why i should see this film. my girlfriend loved the first indy movies so i'll end up seeing it, but she liked van helsing, brothers grimm, and the first hulk movie. so her opinion doesn't really count. i just don't think this film has anything to offer anyone born after 1980 that can't remember or didn't see the first couple of films.
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Your initial positive review of the first Star Wars Prequel precludes me from factoring in your reviews for films that might evoke your nostalgia. I think you let it cloud your judgment. I'm hoping that Mori's review is spot on and we get a solid, not necessarily great, but a solid entry in the Indy series. That's the most you can hope for when George "poop jokes" Lucas is involved.
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overdose on CGI. Yet all the little bits-n-pieces I'm reading says it's full of CGI (and bad CGI, too, from what I saw in the trailer). That right there is disappointing. And Ebert raised the good point of logic that it's absurd to think that someone thought to build TWO roads, parallel to each other, in a rainforest, so that there could be a side-by-side jeep chase.
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I think they need to re-shoot Fanboys with you, Herb and me on a roadtrip to convince Busted Tees girl to be bottomless. Let's see Harvey turn down that idea.
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May 19, 2008 10:43:13 AM CDT
"I was absolutely shaking and trembling and crying with joy"
by trazadone
Jesus, dude, you're so histrionic. Save that response for important things, like when your child is born. I can't wait for this film but I guarantee I won't respond in this manner because no film would have me respond in this manner. You're very dramatic over essentially meaningless things.
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unless you're committed to an overhaul of your entire lifestyle. It will work if you routinely exercise and eat properly (no more popcorn). I work with this population and I can't tell you how many people fail because they do not appreciate this fact. The bypass will jump-start weight loss, but you can defeat the surgery over time if you don't do the opposite of everything you're doing now that caused your morbid obesity. The good news is that all of your health issues will go away if you stick to it. Good luck, man.
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Danny: Ok, Mr. Weinstein, here's our idea. A group of horny, degenerate guys are driving across the country to convince Busted Tees girl to go bottom-Harvey: Here's your check, make it happen.That's a bold statement about Ebert, dude. I don't idolize the guy like some do, but damn, that's full force, square on the beanbag.
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Wow, finally a movie where America is not the root of all evil. . . .
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George Lucas on the cover of EW that he'll be on this summer (he has to be on it once between this and clone wars). Wearing a T-shirt that just says, "I raped your childhood." That would be amazing. Though I don't know how you would put letters on flannel?
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Series 7, he would also have to wear a "Han Shot First" T-shirt, with a special photo op with the Star Wars Kid
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Never forget.
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LOTS of fun.
If you did NOT have fun, then there is NOT a problem with this movie. There is a problem with YOU.
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On Harvey Weinstein's sexual fetishes. That'll come in real handy to get all those projects greenlit.
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belongs on a movie review site about as much as Richard Simmons belongs on a professional football team. Just sayin'.
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I personally would not have noticed the "parallel jungle roads" thing. Heck, I saw it in the trailer and it didn't bother me. But since Ebert raised the question, I was like, oh yeah. But good ole Roger did give the film 3.5 stars. He liked it, parallel roads and all. But he's a critic, it's his job to nitpick like that. Me, I'm guessing I'll have more trouble with the "Shia doing Tarzan on a vine, with monkey army" scene I keep reading about. NICE TRY LAO CHE!!
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I'm preping myself to feel young again...John Williams for President
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BOBA FETT LIVES
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I get what you're saying, and correct me if I'm wrong (I haven't seen it yet)but the list of things you say "Add to the palette" have all been done before in the series. Motorcycle chase? Yep, in Last Crusade. Indy reunited with Marion? Yep--their meeting in Raiders WAS a reunion. Truck chase? Sure, that was a major sequence in Raiders. The tank fight in Crusade also drew heavily from it. So I'm hoping there's more stuff that just that, more new stuff. I'm not a partypooper; I too have high hopes and pre-bought tix for two showings.
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It was the best put together movie of all of them. It was the most political. It made the most provocative point. It related to society issues now. The hate it gets depends on if you are a republican or democrat. It makes it's point much too harshly and basicaly told about half the people in the country that they
were on the wrong side. It wasn't a movie made to please people. It was made to cut through. -
The one thing George Lucas did not rape my childhood with in the new trilogy.
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Really felt that review. Hope I feel the same as you when I watch it in a few days.
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Anyone else catch George's GF in the pics from Cannes posted above? Never knew he had Jungle Fever.
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Need to punched in the nets (per cartman) =)
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The flaws of the prequels can just as easily be directed at the original SW films so in my mind most of the prequel hate is so much bandwagon nonsense. Sure the dialogue had some clunky moments and the acting was uneven but those were passing issues that faded once the action and mythos kicked into full gear. I can understand why some people like the original films more but personally, I loved the mythology of the prequels and I think most of the lightsaber combat and action scenes were far superior. However, the space battles in all of the prequels seemed somewhat gratuitous although the opening battle in ROTS was pretty intense. I think people simply like to focus on the negatives, which is ironic given some of the other flawed films that get endless praise around here. Indy 4 looks awesome and condolences to those already predisposed to hating it.
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May 19, 2008 2:16:05 PM CDT
No Indy movie has ever been released without an 8 in the year.
by orionsangels
1981, 1985, 1989, 2008. So the next Indy should be in 2018.
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Yep, that's all I'm really looking for out of it--for Indy to make me feel 10 (or 13 or 18) again. Hopefully 9.
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Funny you should mention that, because no Indy movie has been released without a stiffy in my pants!
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The reviewer, who saw it at Cannes, said it was good, so, take that as you will. Usually NPR reviewers are pretty good; so if they say this is good, it probably is. I'll want to see it, but I'm not ecstatic. I'm actually more excited about The Clone Wars which looks pretty cool to me!
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I imagine jerkoffs will get on here and make fun of it, the way you gush over the film, and I'm not that "child of the eighties" that you described - the first and only Indiana Jones film I saw in the theater was "Last Crusade," and only then did I become a fan and see the others. Having said that, I don't think I'll read a better review of this film than yours, and that's given I disagree with a lot of your opinions on the site and before having seen it (of course). This review reminds me of why I keep coming to AICN. I don't much like the politics that creeps in sometimes, but you guys do the BEST representing how fans truly feel about franchises like this, those which transcend the "franchise" label and just sort of become part of the fabric of our lives. Well, I'll quit trying to be as elegant as your review - just thanks. Really.
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Anyone who tells me Fantastic Four is better than Batman Begins barely deserves oxygen! Absolute tosspots!
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And that was last night to read the scathing reviews that everyone mentioned here. I doubt I'll ever go back. And you guys say their talkbacks are less like talking and more like venom and spit coming from the monitor, so I'll pass.There's plenty of anger and insults here but you guys are good about it.
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In defense of Devin - THE WACKNESS is pretty great. But in terms of watchability, repeatability and sheer creation of joy and happiness - it isn't a pimple on Crystal Skull
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and nothing else!
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But, believe me, if you're wrong about this movie I'm going to cram a truck full of smoke monsters armed with grenades and drive it up your ass.Hmmm, that sounded a little gay didn't it?
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Seriously Harry, that was very well done and you've got me not only happy that they've made a new one, but extremely excited for it!
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1985 was back to the future's year anyway. good guess, though.
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really don't know how to enjoy a movie anymore. All they can do is over-analyze everything, and bitch if it doesn't meet their fanboy-laden expectations. Oh, and someone should fire Jeremy, that pompous ass: (referring to Spielberg) "Goes with the movie, which is his worst. Everyone who's written a positive review of this movie will regret it in a year."
So, '1941', 'Hook', and 'The Terminal' were better films than the new Indiana Jones flick? Fuck you, Jeremy. Fuck you right in the ear. There is no way in hell this film could have met the lofty expectations that were set for it. Kudos to Harry and Drew for enjoying the film and being unabashedly honest about doing so. -
The next film in the series is supposed to be, "Indiana Jones and The Fountain of Youth." Indy finds the Fountain of Youth but due to Alzheimer's forgets where it is. He gets so frustrated, he whips himself to death.
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im getting real tired with this movement which started in the 90s where its cool to be cynical. FUCK THAT FUTHERMUCKERS
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HOOK WAS THE SHIT
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Harry, great review! Can't wait to get that tingly sensation when the Williams score starts up!
Also, I hate to get on the "CHUD Hate Train" but, it just seemed like their reviews of the film were purposefuly inflammatory. Nothing wrong with having an opinion, but being total dicks about it seems a bit much. -
Which one of the CHUD heads was behind that cinematic abortion?
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he's still got it after all these years. firewall proved that.
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U'm Errr....Mr. Head Geek, you mean Lucas has finally done something right? BTW,, the dope give you munchies,,, which you do not need right now.... After a year or 2 it shoul'd be easy to resist... I'm going on 8+ years without.
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This series practically invented the "look and feel" that Disney and Universal studios borrowed to create their them parks. I know someone who works on these Attraction designs and he tells me they study these films. They do everything they can to make you fell like you stepped into the movies. Can't you just hear that John Williams music as you step through the gates at MGM or even Animal Kingdom. Orlando parks had a very different feel before Indy came along. And the movies, like the theme parks, they give us the Tomb the way we imagine it (not as it actually is) or the safe, exhilarating jungle(not the real dirty dangerous jungle). We know it's all fake but we enthusiastically take it all in and love it. People often refer to these movies as thrill rides but it's the thrill rides that have their genesis in these films.
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THEY'RE CALLED HIP HOP NIGHTCLUBS YOU RACIST BASTARD AND THEY WELCOME ALL CREEDS AND COLORS
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ah fuck it...Fail
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Lucas didn't screw up after all... keep forgeting that Spielberg seemed to be in charge.....my bad
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and I share Harry's enthusiasm. But I also remember a certain Attack of the Clones review. Never Forget. Never Forget. Never Forget.
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May 20, 2008 9:17:14 AM CDT
Not that excited...but the wife and I are seeing it this week.
by jdanielp
I expect it to be better than SPEED RACER. (heh,heh)
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For fuck's sake. They've named their site after C.H.U.D. "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers".
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Hook *was* shit. I will admit that it had its moments...however, the multiple cries of "Bang-a-rang" were not among them.
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To each his own, eh? I tried reading their well-written reviews but it just comes across as way too cynical. All the nostalgia bashing makes it seem like they were all beat up by their 80's-lovin', gen X big brothers. I'm just content now knowing that I'm old and can live without the drama that entails from too much cynicism. I've tried to put myself in their mindset and I tried to remember back when I was younger and how I hated something dragged back from a previous generation and couldn't think of anything...pulling Connery back in as Bond was close, disturbing, but not anger-inducing. I guess with the internet, movie technology, gen X aging it's all being dragged along into their world now. I just hope they don't make me watch Cabin Fever or any of the SAW movies while I'm alone in my retirement home.
I'll admit to a "free pass" for this episode. I'm going for the fun of it with my son and I'm not going to check to see it this one will around come awards time. I take my son to most movies and I'm hoping that he gets the same suspension of belief and excitement I got when I was his age.
Anyway, between the two sites, correct me if I'm wrong please, AICN is geared more towards the kids of the 80s and Chud is geared more toward's kids of 80s kids. Like they know that "dad loves that series so I'm gonna piss him off rightly by ripping Indy's heart out from the getgo."
Fine. But it goes both ways I guess. They still have to live with our nostalgia and we still have to live with their angst. Leaning too far either way before walking into a theater is just going to jade whatever experience was being offered. I'm going in on Thursday, with my son, with the excitement of the days that I actually cut high school to see Indy TOD. Do kids even collect movies posters anymore? -
I am the fool you fools are following
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Tell em ya want to keep it fermented in a jar
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I like what you commented on about the sci-fi nature of the film WP. I do believe that's the element that Lucas didn't want to let go and Spielberg and Ford were unsure about. I agree that this movie has a lot more to offer than just the roller-coaster ride it seems to be. There are many layers that people like Harry - are just touching on here. I for one can't wait to see the movie again.
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I've just got back from a screening of this film and the only positive I can say about it is that it makes you reappraise Phantom Menace as the watchword for fan disappointment. Indiana Jones as a character becomes for most of the time "Henry" Jones king of the exposition. The action is lifeless and the excitement has gone.... Say what you like about Phantom Menace (no arguments from me) about it lacking story, having fucking Jar Jar in it, rubbish trade disputes and an ever changing Ewan McGreggor who went from Fat Albert to Keira Knightly Beanpole from scene to scene, it still had moments that "felt" like star wars, mainly the Jedi showdown. But in comparison, this simply doesn't feel like an Indy film, most of the action (like a scene where Indy takes control of a russian truck by climbing through the roof of the trailer and kicks the bad guys out of the cab) is all done off screen. Occasionally he gets physical but its so badly cut you almost feel theres a bunch of para medics and an oxygen tent waiting out of shot.
Forget the "Lucas Raped My Childhood" line... Lets just be honest and say that Lucas not only raped my childhood, he shipped it off to a basement in Austria for 24 years!
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Wow... kinda sad when you blame a "film maker" for your own personal "short comings". I think the guy from Temple Of Doom pulled out your heart. Cause you seem to have a lack of one.
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I have seen the film, I watched it at the Odeon West End at 6:30 yesterday. The film was introduced by John Hurt who stood on the stage for about 30 seconds and said that he hoped we have as much fun watching the film as they had making it.
If theres any details about the film you would like to know (from comedy gophers making the Paramount logo, to finding a vacuum preserved mummified conquestador in the catacombs of Akator) you just let me know and I'll validate the lot...
Denial is not just a river in Egypt my friend. -
Look I'm sure other people will come out of this film just like Harry did, but at the end of the day its not my "short comings" that's at fault here.... Its a lacklustre film. I'm not going to apologise for not liking something, just because everyone wants to believe its good...
The simple truth is go and see it and make up your own mind; I was voicing my opinion. If that damages your optimistic world view I'm sorry for that. -
Read my review to find out why. www.stephenalix.com
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It's been 19 years since LAST CRUSADE and unfortunately for Harrison Ford, it shows. If this film had been made ten years earlier, it might have worked, but too much time has passed and psychic and aliens certainly don't help the tone any. Spieluca$ just tick off boxes of things they wanted to show with little sense of flow and charm that resonated through the original films.
On the upside, just like TRANSFORMERS, you don't want to hate Shia Lebooboo so good news for him at least.
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Is that he says he only writes about films he feels passionately about, but that's not quite true.I've been in love with the movies all of my life and there are TERRIBLE films that I feel passionately about, so much so that I HAVE TO write about them to get it off my chest and see if there are others who agree with me. I too have also lost faith in Harry as a legit critic or film reviewer solely based on the fact that he, for the most part, covers summer blockbusters and big event films. What I find commonality with Harry on is his unbridled love for film, and the idea and truth that a great film can act as a time machine, bringing you back to your childhood, or reminding you why you fell in love with film to begin with.
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http://www.theendisnear.co.uk
Dang. -
Nope. None of your problems with the movie damages my "more enjoyable experience" at all. I don't feel I've ever been raped by a film maker (which I have to say pretty much sums up how look at life in general). It's like the bum on the street blaming Bill Gates that he's taken all the money that he could have had and that's why he's poor. I quote - "Lucas not only raped my childhood, he shipped it off to a basement in Austria for 24 years!" Is that funny? Making reference to a serious situation that you compare to your own life? Wow... how can anyone really take what you have to say seriously? I'm not an apologist by any means. Although I liked storylines behind the Prequels... I admit the dialogue and execution of those three movies were lackluster. I don't revisit them like I do the OT. And yes... there are hints of weakness in the new Indy film. There are also problems with the other prequels. But it's supposed to be a fun escapist genre movie. Fun like TOD and TLC. There are some great moments in this film... and I'll be happy to pay and see it again this weekend. Cause it's rare that we actually get to have a well made fun genre film like this these days.
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long post. . . . Okay, tastes change. I was once a kid, and I thought Commando was the best movie I have ever seen. I wasn't wrong, either. For that time, place, and experience. . . it WAS the best film for me. I'm cetainly not going to go back and start ripping on the stupid one liners or over-the-top action or say "what was I thinking" or "man, was I a stupid kid." Commando was MY movie and I was proud to love it at the time. On the other hand, there's no reason to try and recast a 2008 movie in the light of that childhod perspctive either. If a Commando-like movie comes out now (most likely straight to video, BTW), I'd think it would suck, suck, suck. . . and no amount of childhood nostalgia would help. I've moved on, I've grown, I've experienced more of the world since then. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a movie that I loved as a kid, and if it came out today, I'd love even more. The strength of that film is not that it continues to capture the kid I was, or remind me of a simpler time of a child. That would be me bringing in shit from outside the movie, making associations that have nothing to do withit as a film. No, for me, RotLA stands on its own merit in 2008, pleasing the adult Wereplatypus by my own standards for a good movie today. I sincerely hope the new Indiana Jones is awesome for the adult in me, but that'll have to happen without relying on a lense that strip away that adult in favor of a nine year old kid from 25 years ago. All that said, my super sincere, movie lovin' adult self, who will never be a kid again ever and refuses to trade away all of my knowledge and experience for a 9 year old perspective (one of the reasons that I think Speed Racer sucks), says with all heart and love . . . Go Indy!! I want you to be a great movie. Kick ass for the adult in me, and leave the kid behind!
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May 21, 2008 12:33:50 PM CDT
Poor Editing? I think you might have the wrong person there W.P
by mako
Funny that you should bring that up... cause I am actually a film editor. I love the editing in the first three movies. And I do feel Mr. Kahn tried his best to pace this movie much like the first three. The thing that did stand out for me with Indy 4 is that it felt slower paced because of this. We are so used to films being cut so much quicker these days. And when a film like Indy 4 comes out and makes us stay on shots longer than people are now used to... I can see why many people may feel the movie drags or doesn't raise the tension level. Editors and directors use quick cutting to hide problems. To raise the tension or to mask the idea that not a lot of actual stunt work was done. I like both styles. It all depends on how each is handled. For Indy 4 - I liked watching the stuntwork take place rather than cutting away to something else really quick. I had some transitional problems with Indy 4 and how some of the mystery of the story unfolds. There were a couple areas that felt a little clunky to me at times. And in some instances... maybe Michael just didn't have the coverage for some of these particular scenes. I can tell they did ADR in some of the expositional scenes which hints that maybe the film makers were playing around with dialogue 'til the very end and that it might have been even more clunky when they first shot it. Who knows? Only the people that worked on it really know. But I do feel Kahn managed to keep the rhythm of the first three films in tact with this new one. It's hard for me to enjoy films as much as I'd like to these days - as these things tend to jump out at me. But in the end... I did enjoy Indy 4. Still no where near the status of RAIDERS for me - but it fits in nicely with the other sequels.
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Okay, moving aside the fact that I made a ill advised choice of describing how the movie made me feel, for which I apologise. Lets put my feelings of the movie in to better context.
I love Raiders, utterly love it... I find it one of the films I can watch when ever I catch it on the TV or if I feel the need for a bit of escapism on DVD. Temple of Doom I was not the greatest fan of, I get that others like it and I will still watch it and enjoy it but not to the degree of Raiders. Last Crusade, was fun, flawed but fun. I find it quotable and enjoyable, again for every fault you can lay at its feet I find it very hard not to go along with the exuberance of the film. Its silly, its fun, its not Raiders but nothing will be. Additionally I also understand that Raiders has a bit of a Sacred cow vibe which means that its fairly untouchable... I'm not blind to the "rose tinted fan specs" in that respect, I went in to Crystal Skull with what realistic expectations.
I'm with you on the Star Wars prequels too; I find them utterly flawed in most respects but watchable fun, the George Lucas Raped my childhood line used earlier, really boils down to the fact that it gets used here with monotonous regularity, almost as much as the pointless call of PLANT every time someone posts a positive or negative review that jibes with the consensus view.
Right now back to Crystal Skull.
Simply put, it feels (to me at least), like a film hamstrung by a lacklustre story and some poorly constructed set pieces. Additionally, the film is too eager to put Shia in the spotlight leaving Indy bumbling around for most of the time spouting exposition. The Indy in this film is not the character we loved in the previous films, [SPOILER ALERT] He would have never colluded with the Nazis to find the Ark or The Grail and yet in Crystal Skull he spends nigh on the whole film giving clues and info to the Russians who he hangs about with and hardly attempts to escape.
The action sequences don't feel that urgent or interesting as the previous films; Take for example the moment when Indy, Marion and Mutt are in the back of a Russian truck with a single guard in a convoy of Russians... A set up for a big fight right? Wrong, Indy and Mutt kick the guy a couple of times and then Indy takes over the truck off camera. Had this been Raiders or even Last Crusade, you would have seen Indy do the walk down the side of the truck, punch seven shades out of the drivers, perhaps even have a stunt or two in the process, but not this time, a couple of Ben Burt car door slamming sound FX and a shake of the truck and Indy's done the job.
Its all a bit lifeless, and at best its simply plain average and bland, which given the years this film has spent in development hell, and considering the talent involved is just unforgivable.
At the moment I understand that people want it to be good, and I'm sure that much like the Phantom Menace when it first appeared everyone would convince themselves that it was good, but its simply not, in my opinion.
It coasts when it should soar, it plods when the film should be racing, it should be an action film packed wall to wall with action. But instead what we have is a film about Indy where for a large proportion of the time Indy is either a non participating member, a pillar of exposition or very occasionally a lacklustre action man.
Elsewhere within the film are plot moments that are under exploited (McCarthy politics causing Indy to be implicated as a communist, Indy as a war hero, the beginning of the atomic age) and the finale is so far removed from Indy's usual raison d'etre that it removes his need to be there. He has no knowledge of the thing he's looking for nor its power, unlike say the Ark of the Covenant, so come the FX heavy conclusion, you just feel all that Indy did was turn up to watch the show and then run away.
The Crystal Skull maguffin has super strong magnetism that can be shielded against by a canvas bag, and ultimately the reason for getting it to Eldorado / The lost city of gold is fobbed off with a line about the skull telling Indy to do it...
I'm sure if you go in looking to like it you can convince yourself that its good and that's fine, go right ahead, but for my money this film based on a series that kicked off the likes of The Mummy, National Treasure, Sahara, Tomb Raider etc. etc. and has simply failed to compete with its own progeny that it helped spawn.
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For Indy fans, there's a party tonight at the Blockbuster at McNeil and Parmer from 6-7 p.m. Radio station KXBT will be there to give away prizes including two cards for a full year of BB movie rentals, plus some "Blockbuster Nights" cards which give the winner two movies, a tub of popcorn, and two drinks.
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was great. HeadShill's review was still a bought-and-paid-for absolute piece of shit.
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Seriously... thanks for taking the time to jot down your thoughts on the movie rather than the previous attacks you had for it. I enjoy reading that more (even if it's a negative review). It at least gives me some insight as to why the movie doesn't do much for you. And I do understand some of where you are coming from. Other reviewers have stated they feel the movie is "phoning it in". Now... RAIDERS is my all time favorite movie ever. I knew going into this that no sequel was going to match my expectations. I tried to watch this movie - not trying to compare it to the others (which is almost impossible to do for anyone). I have kids. I have people around me that have passed away. So I emotional got something from this movie I had no idea I was going to get. For me... when Indy has that line where he says "You reach a point in your life where life stops giving you things and starts taking them away" it struck a huge cord with me. The movie hooked me with that theme that to me... is the whole point of the movie. It deals with Indy's age. Indy's loss of his friend Marcus and dad. Then moves into introducing new people. And I bought it all. The relationship with Shia. The spit fire banter between Indy and Marion (I wanted more of her by the way). And the ending. I loved it all and could relate BIG TIME. That's what I took from the movie. Now the other things... like the Crystal Skull. I had no problem with the alien storyline. In fact... Lucas/Spielberg set it up as if the Mayan culture treated them like religious Gods - and so there was still a very religious tone to the movie. I loved the 1950's feel of the movie. Elvis. Ice Cream Shop. Atmoic Bombs. Suburbs. Even the Sci-Fi alien approach all worked for me very well. Most of the action scenes and especially the ANTS were spot on for me. Now... what didn't work. The unraveling of the mystery of the Skull and the ending felt phoned in. It didn't feel organic. I had a harder time following how the mystery unfolded, and it frustrated me at times. Ray Winestone's character seemed a bit wasted. I understand he represented the theme of "greed" in the movie - but I didn't see much value in his character. Cate and the Russians. Probably my biggest complaint of all. I thought they were the weakest antagonists of the series. Not that I didn't mind the psycho babble of it all... it's just that the weight of the villains being truly dangerous for our good guys didn't seem as strong as the other films. I 100% agree with you about Indy being implicated as a communist. They dropped the ball on this. It was set up very well, and left for dead. I have a strong feeling that they shot an ending that somewhat resolved some of this - and cut it out in post to get us to the happy ending a little quicker. Who knows. Anyways... again thanks for the objective review. I get what you are saying - I just happened to have a different experience that made me enjoy the movie more so than you obviously did.
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I saw this Monday at a press screening but, unlike other reviewers, I've respected the embargo. When I saw it, I enjoyed it, agreed that Ford was having fun again but I was a bit irked by the CGI-heavy finale and, honestly, the Crystal Skulls are a pretty dull Macguffin.
But here's the thing--as I've thought back on the movie over two days...I find that the things that bugged me still bugged me. But the things I liked began to seriously outweight them. The great visual pun with the Paramount logo (Spielberg's jab at geeks who will likely pick the movie apart bit by bit and literally make a mountain out of a molehill?). The great sight gag in the warehouse that is handled with just the right precision and timing to work. The poignancy about Indy growing older. Indy and Marion's reunion. The way every action sequence grows more and more ludicrous as the movie progresses (before anyone says they're cheesy, let's remember that every Indy film--even "Raiders"--balances solid comedy with its action). What doesn't work is a mere flaw. What does work puts chills down my spine and turns me into a kid again.
But here's one thing I'm surprised Harry didn't say. They remark several times about Indy's adventures during WWII and how he spied on the Ruskies. Harry, don't you almost wish we had seen a sequel in the past 20 years showing us Indy's adventures during War time?
By the way, is the Pancho Villa comment in the movie a nod to the Young Indy Chronicles?
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so far. Really this one is bad, really bad. Felt like "the Mummy 4", a whole lot of crappy CGI, bland characters and a ridiculous script. Sorry, Indy + Aliens + telpathic Russians + Stargates + UFO´s = horrible mess. Thanks Lucas for crushing another great franchise and Spielberg, man...you sold out! I should have known, a script that is 20 years in the making and patched together by a dozen of writers can´t do this movie any good!
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Since when did you change your name from Sithdan?
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Do the writers at CHUD feel that posting their opinions here under pseudonyms is necessary?
Oh, I forgot. they're total @$$holes -
Saw it last night on Leicester Square at the press screening and really enjoyed it. Not brilliant, but solid, a bit too slapstick in places and a bit slow, but when it rocked it rocked hard. Certainly there needs to be a 5th movie, the ending is just begging for that - only hope Lucas can find a suitable Maguffin before 2028...
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May 21, 2008 6:37:06 PM CDT
Billis3811 - Time to put the Xfiles book of conspiracies away ma
by lightwave7871
I don't know what you're talking about at all... If you want to think I'm someone else to give you a reason to doubt my opinion of the movie then good on you, but if it helps I live in Kent, just South East of London in the UK. I haven't the first foggiest idea who SithDan is and I have no association with Chud.com whatsoever... oh perhaps with the exception of when I use to post on the forums a few years back under the username Lee (which I guess has to date about 50 posts to its name)
But like I said, if you feel threatened by a negative review I think you need to take a walk outside and get used to the fact that not everyone sees the world the way you do. -
Talking of dismissing pseudonyms do you really have 3811 in your name? If so your parents really had a sense of humour.
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to start accusing people for writing under many different account names, especially lately. It's also one of many threads that have started to automatically accuse people of reviewing trailers, as opposed to seeing the movie. What's that about?
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to start accusing people for writing under many different account names, especially lately. It's also one of many threads that have started to automatically accuse people of reviewing trailers, as opposed to seeing the movie. What's that about?
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"I'm gonna go get the papers . . . get the papers."
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This whole, "You haven't seen the film", "You're someone else", "PLANT!" Attitude round here seems to stem from pure denial or a resentment of someone daring to go against the consensus view as far as I can tell. Everyone wants this film to be good and fair play to them, but when they haven't seen it and someone else has, and that person responds in a way not accepted by the vocal majority, then they are accused of everything to undermine the poster and in turn the message they have brought to the table. This is so that people don't have to face the reality or at the very least the possibility, that they might be wrong....
Also in that list of accusatory terms also add "Apologist"
Hey ho... in a few weeks time everyone will be back to "fuck you Lucas" and this'll all be forgotten, in much the same way that the Voltron theorists were in the Cloverfield talkbacks -
When it comes down to who has seen the movie and who hasn't... well... no one. There's been enough written about the movie already that people can BS their way around pretending to review it. I work in Hollywood, and have the fortunate ability to see many movies before they are released to the public. Some get to see previews as studios take their films across the world. Some screenings are meant for marketing distributors, theater execs etc etc etc. And I hate to break it to all the film geeks that post here (me included by the way) but we are not the general movie going public. I think we as an audience are a lot fonder (and also) harder on film makers. We expect more. We love the medium and want to look up to our peers. And then again... there are those that just want attention and are cynical no matter what they watch. I "liked and enjoyed" KOTCS. It's a well made and fun INDIANA JONES sequel. But I also don't jump on the wand-wagon of "fuck you Lucas" as if my life has been ruined by one man. I have an actual life that is more important than a 2 hour movie. I can take a step back and enjoy it for what it was always meant to be. "Entertainment Escapism". And that my friends... is what the general audience will get come May 22.
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Just saw it as well and I simply don’t know what to make of it. Now I went in there with no expectations simply because outside of Raiders, Indy movies do nothing for me and irritate me more than anything.
This stepped so faaaaaaaaar over the line it wasn’t even funny, the monkey scene? The refrigerator? Was that an homage to Road Runner or something? Everything was by the book here and you knew exactly how it was going to turn out.
The acting for the most part was poor, Harrison Ford was terrible most of the time, muttering lines that were obviously made to have people cheer in the theater but fell completely flat.
I chuckled a few times and I think most did but there was only one, count them, one guy in the whole theater that laughed out loud, but he came dressed in a leather jacked and a fedora so…
It seems that they were trying too hard, so hard in fact that you sort of felt sorry for them and wanted to pat them on the head and smile. Tunnels for tunnels sakes and flood of insects just because all the other films had them. The snake scene was just stupid and was clearly crammed in there so we could laugh at Indy because he’s afraid of snakes.
It took all logic and threw it out the window for sakes of cheap laughs and giant set pieces.
Raiders captured the feel of the pulp novel and adventure serials perfectly without making every scene a computer game level idea or an amusement ride attraction. Bah! Humbug!
But I did get a kick out of seeing Andrew Divoff as one of the Russian thugs in the beginning and Pavel Lychnikoff, Blazanov on Deadwood, as one of the last surviving russians. -
But sometimes, even I still cry plant. Generally, it's when a review comes in really early, and it refers to the movie as a "light-hearted romp I can take my mother to" or Danny Glover, whose film credits also include the oscar nominated "The Color Purple" . . . and so on.
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May 21, 2008 9:52:05 PM CDT
how can a person who saw raiders in elementary school have seen
by levidtinker
um raiders came out in 1981 i saw it elementary school (3rdgrade) temple of doom in 1984 thats 3 years latter i was in 6th grade thats elementary school not high school. and when i saw last crusade in 89 i was a junior in high school. your time table seems a bit off or did you skip alot of grades
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May 22, 2008 1:27:34 AM CDT
you are a fucking bitch if you were trembling at this pile
by ironic_name
of perverted puppy poo.
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must have been a nice fat check with a Paramount watermark in your mailbox... no other way this pile of Cash-grabbing SHIT made you cry tears of "joy"... This will be what people throw at you instead of loving "Armageddon"... say goodbye to your credibility. You sold out big guy... for shame.
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must have been a nice fat check with a Paramount watermark in your mailbox... no other way this pile of Cash-grabbing SHIT made you cry tears of "joy"... This will be what people throw at you instead of loving "Armageddon"... say goodbye to your credibility. You sold out big guy... for shame.
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Wow. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.
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I'm finally seeing it in a couple of hours. The last time I was this excited to see a movie, it was at a midnight showing of The Phantom Menace (that was a looong, tired drive home BTW).
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May 22, 2008 11:01:21 AM CDT
I wanted short round to appear as a jilted lover/abandoned son
by ironic_name
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I love you, man, but sometimes, your sentimentality overrides your objectivity. That's one of the reasons that your nostalgia pieces are so stirring.
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Is it Raiders? Ah hell no. There will never be another Raiders. Raiders is a freakin' masterpiece.
However, Indy IV very much fits nicely in the canon. I read the rumors about pyschic commies and thought George was preparing to torch another franchise, but it wasn't nearly as over the top as all of the early reviewers said. Harrison had his mojo, Marion was back and Shia was just fine.
I'm soo going back to see this again. -
It was a Stepford wife. "You are so cute, Henry, with your silly antics and what not."
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I liked Superman Returns the second time I saw it, but not the first. I didn't like Crystal Skull, try as I might. I wanted to, and I felt bad for not liking it, but try as I might, I just...couldn't...do it.
Seeing Marion Ravenwood again was a blast, though. She ages gracefully, and looks pretty good for an older nug.
I guess I just couldn't get past the refrigerator and the monkeys and the villain not being a particularly villainous villainess. (Yeah, I said that on porpoise.)
Anyhoo, I'm a child of the 80s (saw Raiders at 9, Doom at 14, and Crusade at 20). Still, try hard as I might, I can't get this one into my heart. I even liked parts of Phantom Menace and almost all of Revenge of the Sith, but this one just didn't ring true for me. Maybe it was the crappy CGI instead of puppet critters (you know what I mean...I still haven't forgiven Spielberg for using CGI in the E.T. DVD re-release), and a lack of cohesion in the musical score. Temple of Doom had that great March of the Slave Children, and Crusade had the great motorcycle chase music, but this one had...a remixed version of the March at the end of the credits??!! Blasphemy!!!
I agree that seeing Indy and Marion together again was fantastic, though. Almost worth the Frigidaire ride. -
...I might like this one on second viewing. I really, really tried to like it, though.
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deal with it.
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...but this time is different! I may have problems. I may have complaints. But I didn't make this film for my own enjoyment, it was made by one of the greatest filmmakers of our time for the entertainment of all of us and that man succeeded. Though I cannot write the love letter that you seem so inclined to give to practically every movie you see, I can agree that if you have gone to the movies this summer for the purpose of having a good time, then NOBODY DOES IT LIKE INDY!!!
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I've been coming to AICN since the beginning of the site and I have NEVER been more at odds with Harry and the rest of the reviewers on this site. For no one to call this travisty against the Indy franchise out for the garbage that it is...unforgivable. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull could pass as a sequel to 'The Mummy Returns' but Indiana Jones? Are you all out of your minds? Lucas, Spielberg, Ford...your best work is so clearly behind you...retire. David Keopp...you jacked up Spiderman, The Lost World and now Indy 4. You're a hack...a rich hack, but a hack nonetheless. As for Harry, I would usually agree to disagree with some of your reviews of clearly bad films but you have to be a defender of the great legacy of the films that shaped the very existance of AICN...not an apologist for lazy, uninspired and damn near unwatchable crap like 'Phantom Menace' and 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. And for none of your cohorts to counter balance your view of this crap is the final nail. KOTCS does to Indy what Spidey 3 did to Spiderman and Phantom Menace did to Star Wars...they detract and diminish their preceeding films and the characters themselves. They betray the universe in which the characters are created and in turn, betray the fans that lifted them to iconic status. For AICN to give the seal of approval to such obvious insults to people who hold these stories near and dear to their imaginations and hearts is also a betrayal to those of us who support 'cool news'. In all the years I've visited this site I haven't really posted that much to the talkbacks...I showed up for the cool news and typically balanced reviews, it took the terrible KOTCS to be the last straw. I now disappear to the cyberspace "between the space". Fin.
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People who weren't spraying their shorts during the film have no sense of childhood? You bitch about their sense of self-importance? Pull your head out of your fat ass, you fucking hypocrite.
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certainly for credible reviews. The proof is Harry's overbloated reviews.
I'm with deanamtronix and others above. Get over yourself. "You don't love life if you don't like this"? Fuck. YOU! -
I guess I went in just wanting another Indiana Jones flick. Which is what I got. I didnt expect them to make a masterpiece. Can you count on your fingers the number of remakes or return to classic franchises that were??? Folks are being way to critical of this one I think.
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went in expecting to see, but an Indiana Jones moviwe is what I went in for and what I got. Course its not as good as Raiders but it's pretty damned close to Crusade, and I'll say it, I liked it better than Temple.
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if Raiders had just come out today, how many people would come up with a reason to hate that, and it's a classic.
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It was just as good as a 20 years later Indy movie could be. Nothing more, nothing less. For once, I think your review was perfect--good job Harry.
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...but it pleased the hell out of me. I had FUN. A lot of fun. I kind of feel bad for those who seem so mad at it. I'd like to think that that level of seriousness and anger should be directed at a failed foreign policy or corruption on both sides of the political aisle, not a popcorn movie.
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Not sure we saw the same movie. I loved the first 3, especially Last Crusade, but this movie was just rediculous! And the script was piss poor. This really is the worst movie I'm seen this year. Sorry, Lucas and Steven don't get a free pass because it's nastalgic.
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I'm sad for the people that couldn't just sit back, relax, and enjoy this film.
The young folks are spoiled by today's great special effects and can't use their imagination. I loved that you could tell the graveyard in Peru was a model. And of course you can survive 3 insanely steep waterfalls and not get cut by the broken windshield or drown or break any bones. Why not?
My favourite moment hearing Indy say "I have a bad feeling about this." The closest I will get to a new Han Solo moment.
And Shia Labouche was great, can't wait to see Eagle Eye. -
No negatives? Nothing? absolutely not one shit bit in there so bad it popped you out of the movie to go WTF??? Marions acting was shit! The monkey/Mutt sequence was cringe worthy! The Nuclear bomb Fridge Escape was beyond acceptable from a right minded human being unless it was in the context of a roadrunner cartoon and the alien angle was fine until actual aliens somehow came back to life and flew off ending the film by scraping together some old bullshit about them being Space antiquity collectors! Cate Blanchet fared the best until they just melted her head like the end of Raiders because they didn't know how to properly end this thing and Mutt was actually really good. Thankfully Indy was solidly Indy but come on man! I'm not just hating on this because I'm an angry internet troll who already decided to tear into it before i'd even seen it! All the reviews except i think Quints were gushing so I thought the hate was probably unjustified but I cannot apologise for the beyond rediculous stuff in this Just because it's an Indy film! I can't stop my brain registering that Marion Ravenwood is a very ropey character in this or the CG monkey scene Just didn't work at all unles you are 4 years There was a heck of a lot to enjoy here but you can't give a serious review without stating the bits that didn't work. Nostalgia aint a free pass or saying ''come on what do you expect it's an Indy movie'' but for god sake they're not Incredible indistructables! Tanks and jeeps roll over them, theyr'e all (including an old man carrying a huge crystal skull) tossed over multiple HUGE fucking waterfalls like ragdolls or blown up by Actual gigantic Nuclear bombs and just get up and dust themselves off!The ants bit was great! was in context of the plot and location and creepy bugs are an Indy staple, no probs there. The start was great! Warehouse, rocketsled, brilliant! Motorbike through college really good, fun and exciting ride. But You can't deny Ray Winston and John Hurt were sorely underused!The passion movies generates in you Harry is obvious to see but that seems to competely throw rational objective criticism out the window favour of 100% gushing and that aint a movie review unless it actually is a perfect movie which this aint!
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Couldn't disagree with Harry more. I love the first film, liked the second and was impressed with third. KOTC, while succeeding as entertainment, fails as an Indiana Jones film on many levels. Much like the Star Wars prequels were weak, CGI infested attempts to capture the magic of Episodes IV, V and VI, KOTC fails to capture the look, feel and imagination of the earlier three. It's not a bad movie, it's just not a good Indiana Jones movie. Unfortunately, thumbs down.
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Seriously. One of the many things I loved abot the Indy franchise were the awesome themes. Where was the Crystal Skull theme?? We got a rehash of the Ark and Grail theme but no new theme. Williams dropped the ball big on this one.
And I'm sorry Harry, but Marion came off as wooden and dimwitted in this one. She was no way near like the little spitfire we love from Raiders. -
it had its "eye-rollers" but i loved it thru and thru.
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If you look for it to live up to the Jurassic Park movies, you will not be disappointed. It does not live up to the previous outings. I still loved it, it was just different. The UFO stuff was awesome. The jeep chase/waterfall scene was terrible. Still will see again, and can't wait for the Blu-Ray since the theaters are sucking more and more in quality these days!
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I feel sorry for those that seem capable of nothing but venom. Still, I'd be curious to ask those 300-some detractors above -- what was the last movie you saw that woke up the child within you, that filled you with innocent joy? Because I'd like to see that film as well.
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Pauline Kael was a famous ass-monkey critic that was famous for ripping cool movies a new asshole.
It didn't matter how popular the movie was, she felt it was her duty to shit on it.
She wrote a review of star wars that made it sound so bad, that no one could/would/should see it.
Had I paid attention to such self-serving bullshit, I would not have enjoyed any movie.
Any dimwit can go to a movie with a glass half empty attitude and shit on it. But the average moviegoer looking for escapist fare is going to Indiana Jones for the specific purpose of enjoying it, not attempting to hate it in every possible way like Kael.
Right now Kael is writing scathing reviews of hell. -
I never thought I'd say this...But it's just a movie. Good, bad, whatever - why are so many people SO vicious about Harry liking it? I'm not talking about disagreeing with him; I'm talking about the vitriolic personal attacks his review seems to have brought out. Harry's got a well-known website, you don't...get over it. If anything, it's all the more subversive that he'll gush over a movie that has generally been trashed.
For the record, I like the movie. I don't know if I love it - I wanted it to bring me back to my youth the way it did Harry, and it didn't quite. But I sat there with my Dad, with whom I saw Raiders in the theater when I was a kid, and my 4 year old, and really, as flawed as the movie might be, I'm not sure it could have been more perfect an experience. And that's more than anyone has a right to expect for $7.50. -
Hate to say it, but I just wasn't impressed. To be fair, I loved the first 3/4 of the movie. Sat there with a stupid grin on my face and, as a forgiving fanboy, even brushed aside minor quibbles like Shia's Tarzan scene, that ant pyramid and some shoddy CGI. Steven, please, for the love of God, you have to get over this alien thing. It was cool back when you gave us Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. But when those advanced robots in A.I. started resembling Martians, I was worried. When the aliens in War of the Worlds made me groan and laugh at the same time, I was very worried. But now, in my opinion, you've officially crossed that line you shouldn't have. Will we find aliens in the next Jurassic Park as well? Some reviews I've read have suggested that Spielberg has lost all his skill as a director. I can't agree with that. He still constructs an action sequence better than anyone else out there. What he has lost, however, is his fuckin mind. Maybe Lucas is to blame. It's more than likely, judging by his attempts to have Shia replace Indy. I hope it never happens. Harrison Ford is still the one big highlight of the film, and the entire series. All in all, it's not a terrible experience. I just can't agree with their choices. And I can't help thinking that the people who love it are in serious denial. It's The Phantom Menace all over again. But hey, that's just my take.
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Hate to say it, but I just wasn't impressed. To be fair, I loved the first 3/4 of the movie. Sat there with a stupid grin on my face and, as a forgiving fanboy, even brushed aside minor quibbles like Shia's Tarzan scene, that ant pyramid and some shoddy CGI. But then came that finale. They tried to prepare us for it throughout the movie, but seriously, what the fuck? I love that all the previous Indy movies had a touch of the supernatural. The Lost Ark. The Holy Grail. Ancient mysteries that we've all been fascinated with. But aliens from another dimension? What the fuck were they thinking? Even worse, it's probably the most ridiculous pseudo-profound man-meets-alien scene since Mission to Mars. Steven, please, for the love of God, you have to get over this alien thing. It was cool back when you gave us Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. But when those advanced robots in A.I. started resembling martians, I was worried. And when the aliens from War of the Worlds had me laughing and groaning at the same time, I was very worried. But now, in my opinion, you've officially crossed that line you shouldn't have. Will we find aliens in the next Jurassic Park as well? Some reviews I've read have suggested that Spielberg has lost all his skill as a director. I can't agree with that. He still constructs an action sequence better than anyone else out there. What he has lost, however, is his fuckin mind. Maybe Lucas is to blame. It's more than likely, judging by his attempts to have Shia replace Indy. I hope it never happens. Harrison Ford is still the one big highlight of the film, and the entire series. All in all, it's not a terrible experience. I just can't agree with their choices. And I can't help thinking that the people who love it are in serious denial. It's The Phantom Menace all over again. But hey, that's just my take.
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There have been a lot of reviews, some saying how wonderful it is and other saying it really poor, thats fine by me, because I don't like those movies that leave you feeling did i like it or not. But this a Indy I love all the Indy movies and will love this one as don't compare them to the predecessors, I just take it for what it is, Saturday afernoon popcorn movie.
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You don't have the guts to say that this film is a poor entry in the Indy franchise. And all that crying and emotion you're feeling is your lost childhood -- not the result of a great film.
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I have been coming to your site for a long time. I think I will finally accept the fact that your taste is in your ass. This movie fucking sucked.
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Sure, if you are under 30 you didn't sit in the theaters during the first run of Raiders of the lost ark. Therefore, with no sense of history you will likely not "get" what this movie is after.
The whole series was meant from the start to be an amped-up version of 1940's RKO serial cliffhangers. Tounge-in-cheek at times with improbable conflicts, last minute escape and pulp story lines.
At the very least the movie was nostalgic fun. It was a thrill ride popcorn movie. No, it's not on par with raiders or TOD. But it fits in well, and judging from the audience laughter and cheers, the general public seems to have enjoyed it to the tune of over $250M domestically.
Sure, it could have been better, but it hit all the right notes for those of us that remember the original. Many of these moments are totally lost on those that didn't experience the original. Much like the Led Zeppelin or Police reunion. If you weren't a fan originally, you may find 100 reasons to bitch about them.
I can think of 100 movies that fan-boys recommended to me as some kind of life-changing event that would be the greatest movies of all time. Matrix 2 and 3? Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3? GMAFB. Vapid, empty eye-candy that got *way* too much praise for nothing films. -
This is a terrible movies and the only time you find yourself liking this film, it steps on it shortly there after with even more stupidity.
Spielberg and Lucas should not be allowed to make films together anymore, and George Lucas should just stop all together. -
You do have a point. Nostalgia and context do play a huge part. Twenty years from now people in their thirties will remember the Pirates movies as childhood classics while we older coots still whine and bitch about them. All part of that personal experience. Actually, I like the Pirates movies. Again, I have no real point to make.
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Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but those god damn fucking CG gophers about ruined it. I mean, who the hell thought that fit in an Indy film? Lucas! That's who, I bet ya anything that was his idea. Anyway, if the gophers almost ruined it, Cate Blanchett saved it, her character rocked, and was a classic Indy villain.
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I can just imagine some kid now seeing "tron" for the first time. They would be totally non plussed. There would be nothing cool to them.
That is because when Tron was released, it was immensely ground breaking for integrating the new "CGI" live action and animation. There was no internet, and people were not tech/savvy or computer literate as the population is now.
It may seem naive, dumb or whatever troll language they want to use. But it rocked the computer/movie geek world. There is no way for someone to experience that now that wasn't there.
Crystal Skull had it's flaws, it could have been better. But as far as I am concerned, Matrix 3 put me to sleep despite the rabid fanbase the series had. Crystal skull was well worth the price of admission, and I am considering seeing it again today. -
Reading some negative reviews, it reminds me that you always get what you bring to it. Thank God that kid whose eyes I once saw the world through still carries a bright enough torch to burn through that dark cave of cynicism so many friends wander through. I felt like Marion did when she looks up at Jones when he tells her, "they weren't you, baby." Her face expressed a joy that I felt all through this movie. Thanks guys for bringing it all back this summer. And thanks, Harry, for capturing perfectly the very same feelings that overflowed through me as I watched my own daughters thrill to this new adventure. Cheers!
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i wish the film had been that good. wow...thats some hyperbole. i liked the prariedogs even..but this was a weak weak film.
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"I'll tell you what the negative reviews are. They're people that watch movies with notepads" that is utter bullshit harry....i love all 3 indys and this was not even close to being a great indy film...it had nothing to do with me taking "notes"..it had everything to do with the movie entertaining me for a bit, then boring me, then confusing me...and ultimately dissapointing me. this was lazy lazy lazy filmmakeing and was a mess of a script...this was a huge wasted opportunity..so many good things in it...i liked the 50's setting, i likes the nuke, i liked the warehouse, i even liked the prairiedogs! but there was a real magic missing here..no drama, no danger.... a hollow fucking film...compared to the other 3...how can you miss that harry??
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and then he took the gun right out of Indy's hand. Indiana Jones is not cute. He is a hard man who is willing to do more than punch you in the face. He will shoot you. He will fuck you up. Here we have a neutered version of a classic hero. Is it the times we live in or does Spielberg just save his balls for his adult-oriented films? I wasn't expecting anything above a decent film and the movie didn't even deliver on that. It was an passable film. A cheesy, silly, flip, boring, cheeky, frothy, loopy, cuddly, gay little film. And what is this obssession with winking at the audience? It seems like the plot hinges not on a compelling story but an excuse to nudge the audience in the ribs like a douchebag. "Remember Marion? HUH? Do ya? Mutt cuz Indy's named after a dog. Get it? Whoopsies! There's the Ark! Remember that movie? Hey Marcus's head! Tee-hee! Looks like he's giving that guy head! Hoho!" And why did the action have to be so ridiculously goofy? I mean, the settings of the action and the amount of punishment Indy could take were always insane but aside from Temple of Doom, everything situation he got in was somewhat realistic. Nothing in the films asked you believe he was in a world not our or superhuman. Here we have surviving nuclear blasts in a fridge and falling down three huge waterfalls after the intial fall from land to water via a bendy tree. That doesn't make any sense either because if they are going to fall down that many huge waterfalls and we're going to accept it, why wouldn't we just accept him falling down a cliff into water? Anyway, all in all a very whacky movie that's a hoot and a half...if you've only seen the Mummy movies before this one.
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Hate to say it, but I absolutely knew this movie was going to suck as soon as I saw the "lucasfilm" logo on the screen before the movie even began. It's so sad that this logo is a precursor of all things that suck now. *sigh*
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Indiana Jones takes all of us 80s kids back to a golden era of movies. An era whose cash cows have nearly all dried up (rip rambo,beverly hills cop, rocky, ghostbusters etc... An era that for better or worse just felt right and comfortable. And like songs, movies and recognizable icons like indiana jones and to a most recently a lesser extent star wars, bring us back to basements, backyards and neighborhood theatres, that cemented a love for and 80's action genre, that has not been seen in popular movies in a while baring cutesy action flicks like the mummy, sahara, american treasure that desperately try to tap in but are ultimately lacking the perfect recipe for staying power.
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the movie was amazing and nostalgic...i saw "the last crusade" in theatres when i was just 19 yrs old....this movie looked like it was made not too long after the last one , which made it more special for me.....i love how the losers in here are saying "shoddy cgi"....it really makes it easy to notice the "kiddies" that never saw the original movies, they dont understand that it was meant to look like it fit in with the originals...and they make themselves stand out by complaining about "people couldnt possibly survive that" DUH !!!!! and "its corny, bad script" ....everyone that said anything resembling any f these comments should STFU, break out the old movies and actually watch them....this was a classic indy movie that isnt classic, its brand new....i really think lots of these loser comments are a handful of people with multiple screen names that log in over and over....300 mil worldwide and counting ...thats called a rousing success!!!
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this is harrys site, not your site....hes entitled to say whatever he wants about any movie, no matter how mushy or embarrasing it is for u losers to read, just as sure as hes entitled to BLOCK all u condescending insulting homosexual waste of sperm....the only movie he was wrong in liking was "superman returns" .....i got a couple of websites for all u whiny lil fucks like industrykiller.......its called "howtokillurselfquickly.com" and "castration4dummies.com" both websites are helpful to keep losers like all u whiny bitches from ever breeding..
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Well people, we all know HARRY PAYS his bills with this site so what do you expect?... he's going to kick the balls of 2 of his GODs, but to the people like us whom we are not shackled to Hollywood paychecks we can all use out brains for a bit...(i am in the entertainment industry and heard many rumors and fears that have become true of this movie...)
The movie is by FAR the worst of all IJ adventures... we can all live with tiny guffas that mr. LUCAS likes to put in Ford and everyone else does what they can with the WEAK script and that is the problem... the script!
Many people say it's no RAIDERS... and I can tell you why... Lawrence Kasdan did write a nice Indy 4 film but guess who rejected it ... yes Mr. Lucas...now we all know George has lost the plot - many,many times... but for Spielberg to just be walked upon and make one of the greatest action icons seem like a Spongebob Squarepants adventure should SAHME him to the end of his days.. Now I am not a LK fan and don't even know how good the movie was but when Spielberg and Ford finally agree on an INDY script after 10 years that was written by Kasdan and have Lucas say no to it.. says a lot...
The indy formula is simple... paint by numbers but they totally ignored it... what a shame.. and what a waist. What happened to a nice believable actions secuence?... what happend to a killer scene with the WHIP??? what about the INDY score at least in the final CHARGE to save the day...
Very poor lazy planing...
Mr. Lucas your pills and lunch are ready.. and don't forget to take your nap
Spielberg and Ford are not quite ready for the retirement house ...
If they make a INDY V with Mr. Shia PLEASE , PLEASE don't let LUCAS near the SCRIPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. Steve and lay off a bit on the Aliens :) -
For the spelling errors, was on the phone when I wrote it and forgot to read it before I posted i... I meant SHAME - to the end of his days...
well considering my errors I could actually work for Lucasfilm.... : ) -
My jaw dropped as I watched. It's almost in the 'so bad it's good' category. ** SPOILERS** 1. The hero helps the bad guys in the OPENING SCENE for no obvious reason-- they don't even need to torture him and he's helping them find this thing as quickly as possible! 2. Escaping a nuclear bomb in a fridge? 3. In the 'fake town' the taps don't work... but the sprinklers do? 4. CGI monkeys and Shia 'Tarzan' LeBeef are able to swing through the trees faster than cars can drive?? 5. The hero has NO impact in the third act/climax of the movie-- he just watches it all happen-- in fact, he's standing at the bottom of the screen at the end like the guys from Mystery Science Theater 6. When Cate B gets away from the killer ants by pulling up into a tree... the ants make a little tower to get to her??? 7. LeBeef can't find a vine to save Indy in quick sand in the jungle, but he can easily lay hands on a boa constrictor 8. The heroine weighs about 50 pounds more than when we last saw her 9. The hero does nothing but retrace the steps of someone else in the whole film-- and for the last third has that person with them!! 10. the end of the villain, who explodes when they look at somemthing supernatural, was stolen from a movie called "Raiders of the lost ark" 11. zero character development 12. zero innovative action of any kind 13. zero memorable lines ('triple agent', maybe, but that was it) 14. the hero has barely enough energy to talk -- in the opening scene! 15. things keep happening that do nothign to advance the plot-- why does indy need to have his son follow him on a motorbike on the train? why do the teenagers need to drag race with the russians? 16. they go over three waterfalls -- why? you know it's CGI, it's not a real stunt, and after they make ti over the first one they'll make it over the other two no problem...
And on and on. In addition to being pointless, this movie breaks almost every rule in the screenwriting/storytelling book -- the best action comes early on, the hero has no progression, etc etc.
These guys have coasted for far too long on the backs of six incredibly good classic movies-- Close Encounters, Jaws, ET for Spielberg, American Graffiti, Star Wars, Empire for Lucas. I can't understand how they could get those so right, and then spend the next 25 years making this kind of crap. -
forgive me , im still trying to figure out your name , but im guessing its an immature, prepubuscent reference to ur penis..i say that because ur paragraph reads like the rant of a preteen that is upset that his testicles never descended...i wont touch on every one of your 16 or more problems with the "movie"....i put that in quotations because apparently u thought u were watching a documentary...lets touch on # 1...i think being held at gunpoint by dozens of russian soldiers and a sword to the throat is a pretty "obvious reason" to help them...#5, there was a little movie called "raiders of the lost ark" where the "hero" has "no impact in the third act/climax of the movie-- he just watches it happen" in fact, in raiders he was a good 200 or more feet away from the action, not just at the bottom of the screen.... and i think having to run away from a temple being sucked out from under your feet is being involved somehow...#13 "zero memorable lines"?? maybe u missed "im sorry, i meant drop dead comrade" "damn, i thought that was closer" "he doesnt plan that far ahead" etc etc....#14 i think being in a trunk of a car for who knows how long would pretty much make u out of breath and have no energy...#15...not everything in a movie is meant to advance the plot....but indys son showing up late to the train station would explain why he would have to follow him.....i could comment on every silly point u made...like the snake thing, the fact that it wasnt quicksand(if u were paying attention to the movie instead of critiquing it, u would have heard that)the swinging faster than cars can drive, the ants thing, waterfalls, its a movie, an indiana jones movie.... if u had any knowlege of previous indy movies u wouldnt even be questioning it...as for the "stealing" from raiders...again if u were paying attention instead of critiquing, the movie in many ways was a homage to the first movie....u had the warehouse, marion, we saw the ark, we learn brody and indys father passed away, that indy has a son from marion....the movie is a full circle type of movie and a perfect swan song(if its true) for a classic character..calling shia LEBEEF just shows how immature u are .. ..people like you are sad in the fact that u cant enjoy movies without critiquing them to death....the movie was awesome , from beginning to end, just like the 3 prior indy movies....
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This was absolutely horrible, thankfully I went to a mat and only paid 6.50, if paid a penny more I woulda been pissed. Biginjapants got it absolutely right, there are so many plot holes in this thing it stinks to holy hell... here's one that really had me scratching my head, Indy's father is dead! and they dont even explain it, just breifly mention that he died... and I'm thinking to myself, "didnt he drink from the holy grail!!!! and doesnt Indy and Henry have eternal life!!!! WTF????
But I was able to let that go and really try to let the movie take me but then came Shia LePuke, this kid makes this movie absolutely terrible!!! he is such a cardboard cut out wannabe of a rebel it made me laugh out loud, and theres a scene where he's sword fight with the main villain, Kate Blanket, the worst villain I have ever seen on screen!!! All the characters are new and I could not give 2 shits about and even Harrison is out of his element in this that it is so hard to watch at times, and then they decide to end this with Indy getting married!!!!????? this movie gave me an upset stomach, and then there's the rumor that Shia might take over for Harrison!!!??? this is sooooo fucking upsetting to me and makes me hate Hollywood and Lucas and Speilberg are have become total D-bags for making this crap and crapping all over one of my favorite trilogies, much like Lucas did with StarWars, the only thing missing from this piece of shit was JarJarBinks!!!! -
I forgot to mention this but this was all about making money and selling this to that audience watches crap and cares nothing about real storytelling and moviemaking, this is the perfect movie for Transformer fans!!! and slkboxrman, if you seriously liked this movie you are either 12 or have no idea what a good movie is or what it takes to make one and you shouldnt even be allowed to right a review becuase youre opinion is that of sheep, you should take a film class and maybe then you might understand.
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I noticed the very same people that dislike this movie with all the fervor of a 14 year old crack addict are also those that state their opinions as fact. Some of the same folks that happened to like a movie, state their opinions as fact that "x" was the best movie of the year.
All this negativity and bile makes me want to go see the movie again. -
May 27, 2008 9:01:11 PM CDT
I don't claim to be the ultimate nerd about anything on this sit
by pumpymcass
but this is the one subject I can definitely lay claim to. Raiders of the Lost Ark is what started my love of movies as a kid. I was five and I saw a commercial on ABC for Raiders and begged my parents to tape it for me because I wasn't allowed to stay up past seven o' clock. The next week Temple of Doom was on and they begrudgingly taped that for me as well. A couple months later Crusade came out in theaters and my dad took me to that one too. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I had a stuffed dog named Rags that my grandma made a Indiana Jones costume for along with a matching one for myself. Looking back at old photos I looked like the gayest kid in town but at the time you know I thought that I was the shit. I realized that one couldn't BE Indiana Jones in real life so I seeked out films that would allow me to have some sort of similar experience. This was my initial goal as a budding film geek: to find a movie as exciting and magical as the Indiana Jones films. Eventually this lead to other goals and phases in nerd life that were almost as good (discovering the great American films of the seventies in middle school, figuring out Hitchcock and Ford in elementary school, obssessing over Herzog and Fassbinder in college) but no matter how sophisticated I may have thought I was at any time in my life, there was never any denying Indiana Jones's power over me. I think for a lot of people my age and a little older, Indiana Jones is the man we wanted to be when we were kids. He's handsome but not in a douche-y, riciculous way, he's moral but will kill motherfuckers if motherfuckers are trying to kill him, he's educated but not a dick about it, and above all: he gets to fight Nazis and find lost cities and amazing treasure. And now I hear people saying that if I don't accept the latest entry in the series as worthy that I don't "understand" what Indiana Jones is all about? Bullshit. The Indiana Jones films were not silly comedies with some action thrown in. They were action films with slightly silly comedy thrown in. The closest this latest film comes to one of the old films is Temple of Doom: it is a minor story with way more goofiness than the others, but no where near as dark. That is ultimately what this gun-less Indiana Jones film lacks: the darkness. The reason all the fanboys wax poetic about eighties movies is that they were just kid-friendly enough and just "adult" enough. Today no one would have the balls to release a movie like the Goonies because it is too creepy and sick. In E.T. Elliout calls his brother penis-breath, something that would NEVER fly today. Then there were the R-rated movies that were still kid-oriented like the John Carpenter movies, the original Indy trilogy, Conan the Barbarian, the Terminator - they were all movies that were kind of for little kids but also way too violent and insane for studio heads to admit that that's who they were for. They were movies basically for young boys but that any adult with a sense of fun could enjoy if they still had their younger selves somewhere within their hearts. The latest Indiana Jones film is kid stuff. Plain and simple. It is fun for the whole family. A family that consists of an Oprah watching mother, an unimaginative CPA father, and two nine-year-old twins who are forced to wear helmets when they leave the house. This movie is not what the eighties fanboy movies are about. It is not what Indiana Jones is about. It is not what I - an almost twenty year fan of Indiana Jones - am about. It is not the end of the world that it is mediorcre. It did not rape my inner child - hell, it ensured that my inner child slept peacefully for two hours without being stirred. I love Indiana Jones. I did not love this film.
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yeah, I really want you to go see the movie again too PowerRing, you should definetly see the movie again, prove me wrong. And for the record I didnt state my opinion as fact, but I dont expect you to understand the difference so its okay if you think so. Here's a question for you, can you name your top 5 movie of all time? Just so I can get a refference of where youre coming from.
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No Indy movie was ever R-rated and the Subject line was supposed to say "site" not "sit."
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That would accomplish a lot. It would either say we agree or disagree. If you disliked the film, fine but damn. I have read too much over the top bile on this movie. 1. gahh! The cast sucked 2. Gahh! The script sucked 3. gahh The cgi sucked 4. gahh! The popcorn and candy at my theater sucked! 5. gahh My seats were too hard! 6. Gahh! gas cost me too much to drive 1 block to the theater! 7. gahh! The makers of this film might as well have raped my cat and played tether-ball with my dog! 8. The very thought of this film makes me sterile and want to drop-kick babies! 9. Gahh! After seeing this I need anti-venom! My blood is coagulating in my neck!!! 10. Gahh!!! A movie this bad should be shown at Guantanimo bay to torture detainees instead of waterboarding!! It was the ultimate waste of my otherwise productive online gaming time!!! The other 71 virgins playing warcraft will never forgive me for skipping a guild meeting for this!!!! If I see this movie again, there will be more aftershocks in China!!!! GAHHHHHHHHH!! That about sums it up.
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you know that right?
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The Miserable Annals of the Earth: Indiana Jones, in 1-D!
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I was trying to post a link to my review of the movie on my blog. Try this --
http://miserableannalsoftheearth.blogspot.com/2008/05/indiana-jones-in-1-d.html -
I've decided to stop reading the dreck HeadShill tries to pass off as movie reviews. It was a good film, though. Definitely better than the Temple of Doom garbage.
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When we didn't have to debate if the film was good or not; we were rather focused on HOW good it was, which was the best PART. This culture of believing once-great artists must be always great (Paul McCartney fans have the same problem) started, in my view, with Temple of Doom or ROTJ --this was where the Lucas/Spielberg creative juices began to run dry. And then Willow... the Last Crusade... then The Phantom Menace... that's when the ability to wax lyrical over how great these bad movies were became a virtue, when 'popcorn movie' began to mean 'don't expect originality or plot or characterization'. I cried after seeing TPM. I couldn't believe my hero (Lucas) had fallen so low. The silver lining is that there are and will be more greats. Just as Nolan has saved Batman, and Purvis/Wade/Haggis saved Bond from years of terrible writing. Right now, as you read this, someone out there is trying to come with something new and great... and when we see it we aren't going to have debate it.
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OK, I've read the reviews from you guys and I'm thinking, all of you are on the take!!! After watching IJ4 I realize that I'm gonna have to be the one to say it since you guys have no balls: the movie felt old as the three old guys behind it, Lucas, Spielberg and Ford. The pacing was slow and old. Even within the scenes Ford lacked the energy and snappy improv banter that made us love him in the 80's. the plot was old and corny ass all hell....ALiens???? for godsakes, how many times have we seen this plot before???? Poor Shie Lebouf, he could have really saved this movie had the old guys let him loose!!!! and how bout the fact that his character ended up being Indiana's son??? was this suppose to be a plot twist?? you see it coming miles and miles away!!! LUcas and Spielberg should have turned this movie over to a young gun to direct and produce. I grew up on these films, I too was waiting like a little child, just hoping that this movie would kick off my summer movie season like so many before. IJ4 should be the curtain call for our 3 legends.
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reacion. but with a box of 1.5 billion. What the hell do i know.
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Harrison Ford hated the Screenplay but the berg over ruled him. Ford seemingly didnt like the idea of a overly nostalgic screenplay. The berg in this movie ticks all the boxes of his youth. Is this film a vanity project? The Ufo segment is lifted from chariots of the gods. Shia Lebouef's character is really a young Marlon brando from on the waterfront. even the name mutt is from the 1950's. The whole concept of a film set in the cold war era is kind of boring. as we all know now that The allies used russia to defeat nazi germany. That era is over.
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Saw the Crystal Skull this past weekend. Disapointing. Like Harry and many others that have posted, I am a child of the 80's. Loved the 1st and 3rd Indi movies. I go into a movie like this with some suspension of disbelief. It's fantasy, I get that. In the 1st 3 Indi movies part of the appeal was that Indi seemed almost like a regular guy in terms of his abilities. Granted, sometimes Indiana did things that were just beyond the realm of possibility, but only just. In this 4th film I don't understand why Berg and Lucas didn't put a cape on the backs of Indi, Marion, Shia. Only superheros survive that kind of stuff. Surviving nuclear blasts, huge waterfalls, Marion laughing about surviving it...give me a break. There were parts of the movie that were good but as whole it just seemed ludicrous. This film should have never been made. My guess is that Berg and Lucas wanted to get a Indi film made before Ford got too old. In their attempt to get a movie out now, they made an inferior product.
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was true. Did anyone else notice at the Cannes Launch that ford looked very uneasy, when asked about the mixed reviews. Team indy must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when the box office figures were announced. it opened with 25 mill on the after preview day but that soared to 300 million. world wide that weekend. I too am a child of the eighties and think, i can see where ford is coming from. The first and the thirdfilms were set during the nazi era. The first film a great sense of adventure about it and was funny, wasnt too overly romantic. I hated the 2nd one. yuck. The teaming up of Ford and connery in last crusade was inspired. Its's poignant too. River phoenix. what a waste. I want to see the 4th one. I hope to see it this weekend. my friend pulled a muscle in his shoulder. So we will see. I think many have seen that Skull is a money grabbing excersise by a group of people, ford included, whose best days are behind them. Someone said here that it was film ever made. I have no intention of Seeing Sex in the City. Tara brady from Hot press called it a film which was nothing more than shopping porn. Hot press is an indie music magazine in Ireland. www.hotpress.ie for those who are intrested.
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Its not so much the operation. It is the diet afterwards. People like poppar and winona peddle that stuff about the gastic band being a miracle. But they can afford super expansive dietians. the pre-op diet you have to follow rigidly. its a will power thing. The pre op diet is very hard and some who dont have the stamina to follow dump the diet and go back to eating and have to have their stomachs tightened. it all gets to a point where. they have thier stomachs tightened to a point where if they eat too much their stomachs explode.
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May 31, 2008 8:18:52 AM CDT
I just hope that Ford tells the berg and lucas where to go
by emeraldboy
if they are planning anymore indy movies. An indy movie set in the sixties. wont work or an indy which has the feel of an x-files ep. no thanks. Saw the trailer for the happening. on tv. interesting. It opens in Ireland the same week as the hulk.
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...the experience was not improved the second time around.
I really missed Douglas Slocombe's style of cinematography. He made the previous Indy films look like a sort of Norman Rockwell world. KOTCS just looked like it was the Minority Report / War of the Worlds filming style tacked on to an Indiana Jones setting.
Also, I thought the action sequences were too tongue-in-cheek. What helps Raiders retain the crown as the best Indy film, is they took the story and the action a bit more seriously. KOTCS kind of overused the "Shia gets hit in the nuts" gag, during the rainforest chase; and Indy flying across the desert in a refrigerator was funny, but really far fetched for my taste.
Overall, I put this film as 3rd best in the series; just ahead of TOD and the whole silly "eye-ball soup" scene. -
May 31, 2008 2:45:54 PM CDT
Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull a review by e
by emeraldboy
From the moment this movie opens it starts badly and goes down hill. swiftly. Bereft of Williams iconic Raiders march opting instead for Hound dog by elvis, flatfoots the audience. It gets worse when the berg screws with american history. Its 1957 and the Russians have prepared a trap for the dr jones on american soil in nevada. That part alone defies all sorts of logic. The idea of the Russians on American soil especially in McCarthyite America makes no sense. It is here we are introduced to Cate Blanchett as well as Ray Winstone. The plot is ripped out Eric Van Danniken Nonsensical Book Chariot of the gods. I feel sorry for John Hurt. a great actor reduced a gibbering, stick wielding idiot. The return of marion ravenswood is sloppy and the movies big secret feels like it was shoe-horned in just for closure. It is a relief that kate capshaw is no where to be as it would have rendered the movie almost un watchable. this is the most lethargic screenplay i have seen in years. There is a moment in this film that had me shaking my head in disbelief. I have no idea what made any of the actors sign on for this. but I can see why Ford at least hated this screenplay. and looked so nervous at the cannes launch, last week. The movies big climax and Hurts last line are amongst the most stupid things i have heard in a while. God knows what a darabont screenplay what a looked like, possible a lot better than the junk that Lucas wrote. There should be no more indy movies. Nostalgic movies can work if the character is looking back over his life. Problem is of course in taking there time to make this others got there before them. National treasure and The mummy movies all have a little indy touches here and there. Skull has none of the wit and the creativity and the magic of one and three. It looked great of course. In trying to drum up the nostalgia of the past, lucas and speilberg have wrecked their own franchise. beyond repair.
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Shia's character is "a young Marlon Brando from On The Waterfront"? Huh? You must mean The Wild One. And no, he just looked like him because he was on a bike, wearing that leather jacket and cap.
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then the books you read as a teenager or the music you listened yo or the movies you saw would be fine if the screenplay was not a lethargic as Skull was or as blunderous or dunderheaded but this is Lucas. we are talking about here. Why did the berg over rule Ford? hmmm....
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This movie would have worked better with indy in old age and on his deathbed. It would have given the film an air of finality. which it didnt have.
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Jun 01, 2008 5:36:54 AM CDT
In fact the more i think about the idea of making an indy film a
by emeraldboy
Is totally ridiculous and renders this film null and void.
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Jun 01, 2008 5:50:34 AM CDT
The more I think about the idea of making an indy film after one
by emeraldboy
Is totally ridiculous and renders this film null and void. Lucas, ford and Speilberg said that they wouldnt do another one and its not like they all the need the money!
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This film has no purpose at all as far as I can see except to make money. Which is what film companies do. The whole enterprise is tired and stale. no more indys!
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They should've left it alone - HF looks too old.
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The acting is painful(particularly at the start), the fridge scene is ridiculous, the special effects are laughable (too much crap CGI), the storyline is terrible, the skull looks stupid, Hurt and Blanchett are wasted... This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Harry, how can you honestly say that you enjoyed this?!?
P.S Like Star Wars, the original trilogy is superb. -
Harry, your astrophysicist friend obviously knows nothing about crystals. They are in fact not fragile at all. Diamond, the hardest known natural substance is a crystal. In fact all minerals are crystalline.
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I can't believe what a bunch of whiney twats you all are. Raiders was never as great as it has been made in the retelling. Both previous sequels had flaws. What the fuck did you all expect? Spielberg and Lucas could not have made a film to please you. Was Indy 4 great? By no means. Was it anywhere near the train wreck that most of you describe it as? Of course not.
You self-described "children of the 80's" are no longer kids. Grow the fuck up. Stop fetishizing everything from your childhood. None of it was as good as you remember it. You all sound like a bunch of bitter old farts. "In my day (insert anything real or imagined) was better." Is 35 the new 85 or what? -
Indy IV was a big, fun, entertaining popcorn movie. Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite film, but there is no way Crystal Skull "ruined" the memory of that film. The sequels all have their problems, and Crystal Skull was not perfect. I liked it and I will see it again.
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From the moment your review opens it starts badly and goes down hill.
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that last third of the film is just embarrassing... Lucas should be ashamed of himself and never allowed to write again... my god, that was awful.
Iron Man was a much better effort I thought...
Honestly, I still can't believe it.. Aliens?? REALLY???
ugh. -
In fact, the setting (1950's) and the topic (Aliens) were perfectly fine. It's the execution in spots, the unbelievable nuke the fridge, supporting cast that was pretty useless, and I still don't know which movie Karen was acting in.
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The aliens do fit in with the period and the pulp tone. That's what I keep telling myself in order to make peace with it all, but I still don't like the idea. Indy always had a touch of the supernatural, not sci-fi. I would have liked it to stay that way. Also, just pillow talk is right. The execution was way off.
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I would smoke some more Salvia Divinorum.
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Spot on. I felt the same exact way about this movie as you did. Glad to see Indy back!!
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What's that all about? I didn't like it. You did. We may discuss our differences, but chances are we won't change each other's minds. Let's move on with our lives. Seriously. P.S. Fuck Ghost Rider! Seriously.
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Who prasied Matrix 2 & 3 and POTC 2 & 3? I thought they were all dreadful and so did a lot of critics. Unfortunately the film-going public had to pay to find out that the fun first instalments had led to bloated, self-indulgent sequels.
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Jun 04, 2008 4:07:39 PM CDT
Monkeys, Gophers, Ants, and Aliens...OH MY!....FUCK U LUCAS, giv
by riddleman1674
I think ole George has seen Batman & Robin one to many times. Harry I respect your opinion but to give this pile of steaming shit any kind of real credit is like putting nipples on Jones's leather jacket. As the new saying is going around, they really did Nuke The Fridge on this one! One ridiculous unbelievable eye rolling groaning scene after the next! And we waited 20 years for this circle jerk? Those three need to retire. Oh but wait, I'm sorry,....it's a "fun popcorn" movie. Please. I was waiting for Jar Jar Binks to pop up somewhere towards the end! Maybe in Lucas's easter egg filled director's cut DVD? Oooooh goodie! Cant wait!
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I was citing those movies not just due to AICN. Certain movies are hyped through the roof. This is usually by genre fanboys. I got more relentless hype over the movies I mentioned than Crystal skull.
Now that being said, hype can set expectations. People get pissy about crystal skull because they don't "get" it or they were expecting something different from the hype. The buildup for skull isn't as much as I experienced with the other movies. Hell, I was expecting matrix 2 to change my life from what I heard and read. Needless to say, it was an excruciating thing for me to sit through, and I even nodded out about an hour in. It was IMO, a horrible excuse to sell video games, not a movie. 3 was even worse. Yet it didn't suffer the bashing crystal skull has gotten. No matter what people hate about CS, I can find movies that were hyped more, and sucked beyond belief. -
It was good to see Indy again.Only Indy would use a fridge to escape atomic disaster :).A nice afternoon at the cinema for me.
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Hell, i enjoyed this movie too. Its a a great rollercoaster ride......bUT! if you analyse it with any kind of intelligent thought.. it just doesn't stand up. In fact its very poor!
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Yup, loved it again. Packed theater on a Saturday afternoon, applause (from everyone around me) at the end, laughter and shrieks all through. One of the most rewatchable films I've ever come across.
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It's about believability (as William Goldman would say). And with Indy 4, I just didn't buy it.
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And it's getting to the point where it's utterly annoying. His films are so artificial that there's green screen backlight on everyone. There's light coming from places where lights aren't even seen - in the frame! I really noticed it during the mid-90s. It's all soft and blown out all over the place, not well focussed sometimes also. Sad that so many people think he's so great.
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And I truly loved it. In my mind it was better than TOD and TLC. Second to ROTLA. Everything was great. It was a pure Indiana Jones movie. It stayed true to the original three films perfectly. I do not get the hate. The movie was spot on with what was going on in that time period. Harrison Ford is back. He looked great in the movie but it took me a while to get used to his voice. It seemed more aged in the beginning of the movie. But the movie rocked! I was humming the theme all day long. 2-2 this Summer for me with Iron Man and Indy4.
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2 4 2 indeed,I only saw Iron Man yyesterday (push the bloody button Pepper :0) and thought it was very good too.I'm going to be more upfront and watch Hulk at the 1st showing on Saturday morning all being well :>.The only downer with Indy for me was that we haven't had more Indy films since 89(shudder),I missed that guy, all the best.
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What's next? "The sound editing and mixing was not on par with the mix levels performed on the Raiders and Last Crusade. I specifically remember hearing various forms of foot steps...." People need to get a life!!!!! Indy4 was a great Indy movie. Period. It had all of the right elements. It was a hit!!!
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In emeraldboy's review: "From the moment this movie opens it starts badly and goes down hill. swiftly. Bereft of Williams iconic Raiders march opting instead for Hound dog by elvis, flatfoots the audience."
None of the previous Indiana Jones movies start with the Raiders March. Find something else to nitpick. -
Jun 09, 2008 1:28:49 PM CDT
Indian Jones and Anakins Search for the Missing Storm Trooper
by filmdigz.com
This movie ruined, absolutely ruined everything that came before it. I went in to the theatre telling my son all about how great this series was when I was a child, and what I saw on screen was a weird hybrid between Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the X-Files. Horrible. Too much CGI. I have posted a full review in the forums at http://www.filmdigz.com
You can go there to read more if you if you feel like expressing your love or hate of the film.
However, on a side note, while I hate it, my little mini-me, loved it! The youth of today, I swear. -
Get a life and stop it with advertising your own lame site.
At least your son has a better taste in films than you do.
Nice try to get people to visit your site...NOT!!! -
If RAIDERS was made today, wouldn't Spielberg/Lucas implement the visual effects of this time period? CGI?
For a 2008 summer film, Skull had a small amount of visual effects. I read an article (will try to track it down) stating there were only about 500 VFX shots. -
Well, in my opinion, anything that takes you out of the reality of the movie, anything that fucks with your suspension-of-disbelief, is a bad thing. Some people are more inclined to notice these things, especially if you are educated and trained in a certain field. I hate the lighting in Smallville. I hate CGI in Westerns. These are pet hates. Ours to have, but most likely not shared by others.
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To some extent I agree, he adapted this generation special effect approach. However, it just didn't look or feel right. There are many films where the movie's CGI blends seamlessly into the film. That was not the case here, AKA - anything in the jungle. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY wanted to like this film, but in the end I just couldn't
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With that said, I will still happily add it to my film collection, as I did (cringing while saying it) "enjoy" it, and I have seen a lot less enjoyable piles of garbage over my years. I just don't think it held up. I kinda guy that if any part of the series is good, I will own the whole thing just for completion. Except, Ocean's 13...and 12...but hey 11 was good. :)
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I also like The Phantom. And Superman Returns. And canned beef. No, not really. Not canned beef.
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Fair enough. I'll just say that the jungle scenes didn't bother me, or take me out of the action, but different people will see things differently.
I'll say one thing: Indiana Jones after 19 years was better than Star Wars after 16 years ( I did like the prequels, but not love them). But that's a whole 'nother can ofw worms :) -
LOL, I think you did. Maybe that's why it sounded so good (and familiar). Damn! I thought I was witty. I'm only a copycat!
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I have to say that since my exclamation, "What the fuck is going on here?", which I asked outloud near the end of the movie, got more of an enthusiastic response than any of this terrible movie, no one in Boston thought it was particularly good. I care for less sentimentality in my reviews, thank you, and more thought and assessment.
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I think Harry gets too caught up in the nastalgia and doesn't look at the film itself. If this didn't have the name Indiana Jones on it... but instead said Tomb Raider III.... or Sahara II, everyone would shit all over it. I wanted to like this movie as much as anyone, but I am too overwhelmed by disappointment.
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Speilberg and Lucas really have no interest in you as a movie fan if your older than 13. If they're movies are not R rated you will be hosed with bad writing, very unbelievable situations and poor storytelling... but if you ask anyone under 13 - "THEY LOVED IT" of course it was meant for them!!!... kids buy stupid stuff more than adults... can you say merchandising??????? and if you wish to this to change DON'T BUY THE DVD... as far as I'm concerned I have the Indiana Jones FULL Collection.. Raiders, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade.. those are the ONLY Indiana Jones movies.... so need to buy a poor mishmash made for the "younglings" (Btw who comes up with these words.. o yeah Lucas )
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I saw Indy 4 last night and was sad to see the demise of the classic fantasy adventure era brought to us by two filmmakers...sadly though there time has come and the Indy 4 film has done them and their legacy a disservice. It felt like a film fan boys would make to try and taste the freshness and exuberance of the original stories. I feel like I have been shown the magicians tricks...the magic has been spoiled. I am not angry or upset just saddened that a great era has come to an end.
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I wish I could have had the experience you had Harry. I really wish it had worked for me. It just didn't though-the whole thing felt flat, felt like it moved from one set to another for yet another action scene.
No question it's great to see Indiana Jones again. The whole description of him being the definition of a MAN is just dead on. There's no one like Harrison Ford, and no one like Indy.
I want another movie...like in two years, not 20. I just want a better script this time prior to shooting! -
I started to have doubts at the first first scene when the prairie dog appeared. It was moment's like these that left me scratching my head and thinking "what was the point of that?". It was then followed by the ants and the monkeys. I really wanted to like the movie since my favorite has always been TOD. So I thought this one was going to be easy to like. Alas, I left the theater very disappointed. Maybe a second viewing will help.
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What's wrong with the prairie dog at the beginning? It sets up the movie perfectly. The paramount logo, fading to a dirt mound, and it's the last thing you'd expect. Then the 2nd to last thing you would expect happens, a 50's roadster flying across the nevada desert to the tune of "Hound Dog". And that prairie dog doesn't look CGI. I just don't understand the Prairie dog hate. LOL. I thought it was a fun way to open the movie.
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...is to sit one's arse on a karzie, heave and squeeze until at last one's anus has enlarged sufficiently to allow one's torpedo of an excrement to pass through successfully, albeit painfully with a tinge of a sting
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Jun 20, 2008 11:36:46 AM CDT
I'm aware Lucas and Spielberg have to eat, but
by council estate scumbag
...why, guys, why? This was shit and I WANT my 2 hours and 5 squid back. Very vexed. If you hate your audience so much, yeah, just take out an ad in 'The Sun' or some shit and say "To all our fans, fuck you, we have nothing but contempt for you. You all suck". THAT would be easier to take. The Sun costs, wot, 40p? My film ticket cost 5 squid! DONT churn out shit like this film! I payed money to go and see this and I'm not happy. Not happy one bit. Rant over.
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I was extremely nervous about this film as I grew up with the originals, although not old enough to see the first at the cinema, but they were just a staple part of my childhood. Watchin this film made me feel like a kid again. It was awesome and if you don't like it you clearly need psychiatric help ;)
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before the movie everyone was worried if Harrison was too old and now there are complaints that he didn't do enough. Because he looked like he could've done more. Shooting, whipping, fighting. But then again, everyone could've done more. I smell sequel. Nothing's stand alone anymore. Eh?
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are off to go rifle hunting. But we won't shoot any living thing for real. I'm a vegetarian and he's full. So.
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The atomic blast was silly. They could have though of something other than riding a kitchen appliance out of a nuclear explosion. Other than that the first half was fine. The motorcycle chase was amazing. The second half just got more and more ridiculous as it went on. The jungle chase was quite lengthy and fake looking. I cant even talk about the monkeys and the ants. The aliens?! Come on. Indiana Jones has always dealt with supernatural themed challenges, but this was WAY TOO MUCH. As a boy who chose this hero for a Halloween costume two years in a row (1990-1991) I am truly heartbroken.
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I cant really explain it but as soon as they got to South America the film looked different the lighting was all soft and when I say fake Im talking about the background and the superimposed faces during action sequences
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The second one will always pack the most punch for me. The terror, the suspense, the humor from Short Round and Willie. The true fear of the guy getting ready to have his heart ripped out.
Shia in the sequels: Sounds a little scary to me. I like him to a degree, but enough already. He needs to take some time off or face getting overexposed. -
i definitely need psychiatric help then b/c I thought this was an insult to the Indiana Jones trilogy. How can you excuse some of the shite that went on in this movie. I know you are supposed to suspend belief with these films but c'mon...just terrible. If what I've heard is true they should have never let George Lucas near this. Tarzan swing, CG monkeys, wasting John Hurt's talents by making him a witless fool. Marion looked like the Cheshire Cat the whole time....yeesh. And Shia's a good actor but he is way out of place here. Cate Blanchett's character, ridiculous. Now I'm ranting, sorry. I'm sick over this mess
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Many of the above comments have criticised this movie at various levels (CGI, script, prairie dogs, atom bombs, Karen Allen), but I think a much larger point has been missed entirely (including on other boards I've seen).
(NOTE: even though this is a long post, this topic could probably have several books written about it, so apologies if I don't do my own argument justice here)
ROTLA and TLC both dealt with recognisable Christian iconography in the Ark and the Grail, as well as the lesser Cross of Coronado in TLC's prologue. As for TOD, while Shankara Stones are more obscure and obviously not Christian, they represent an older, more mystic religion (see also ROTLA's prologue). From the start, Indy's battle has always been either against or on behalf of religious forces and his world has been one where religion (Christianity or otherwise) is a matter of fact and not belief.
In KOTCS, we suddenly shift to an almost pure Von Daniken world of alien visitations in ancient history. For those that have not read Von Daniken (Chariots of the Gods etc), his view is that ALL religions (including Christianity) are essentially false, and that their myths, legends and fables are actually based on the accounts of alien visitations in the distant past.
These two concepts are as close to mutually exlusive as you can get. God exists in the original trilogy, melting faces and making knights immortal, yet in the new film (following the idea through to its conclusion), he doesn't.
I should state at this point that I am NOT NOT NOT NOT arguing from a religious viewpoint. In fact, I am quite anti-religious in everyday life and furthermore believe firmly in the idea of alien visitations in ancient history. Therefore KOTCS is the only Indy film to actually fall in line with my own beliefs.
However, I don't want an Indy film in line with my beliefs. I want an Indy film that stays within the cinematic universe that the other Indy films have created for themselves. It is the same effect as if Die Hard 4.0 had featured John McClane battling werewolves. Werewolves are great cinema, but do not belong in the Die Hard universe.
Ultimately this is what Speilberg, Lucas, Ford and co have done. They have created a good summer action movie featuring the character of Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr, but the movie has not actually been set in the Indiana Jones universe. For this reason, despite the in-jokes, nostalgia and nostalgic casting, this will never feel like an Indy movie -
It was great, it was fun and really people stop getting soooo deep! Just enjoy it.
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The movie does make a kind of weird sense on repeated viewings. Don't tell anyone I saw it more than once though.
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This was my thoughts on this movie when I first saw it. Surprised you liked it.
This is dire. Saw it at the pictures and it was like having my childlike self ripped apart. The equivalent of finding Santa on xmas morning wanking onto your mince pies you left him. The story was shit. There was no suspense or mystery. The action was laughable and full of cgi.
The acting was atrocious even Harrison Ford couldn't pull it off he's too old for the role. To be fair it maintained itself with a certain sense of disbelief all the way to the Amazon scenes and the film just gave up. So many bad scenes in a row. Mutt swinging from vine to vine like Tarzan. The giant (cgi) ants. Three waterfalls. Kill me now.
The worst is left to the end of the movie. Spielberg do you really think we'll buy this shit with the aliens as lightheated fun. Raiders worked because it was mythological but aliens shouldn't be in this type of movie. Especially in a close encounters style. Oh Indy I still like you in the trilogy without jowls. -
Orcus namely :)
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