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Capone sees INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL at a midnight screening!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
By now you've probably read more than your share of reviews of the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series. And unlike other films people either love or hate, IJATKOFCS seems to be inspiring a legion of lukewarm reactions. Because of my ridiculous travel schedule in the month of May, I missed the Chicago press screening of the film. As a result, this may be the only review you read that comes from a critic who saw the Spielberg-Lucas-Ford collaboration with a paying audience at midnight, early on a dark Thursday morning. These were the grizzled die-hards, sporting fedoras, fake bullwhips and rubber snakes. It was a slightly older crowd than the normal fare you might see at a midnight opening day screening; I'm including myself in that mix. This was an audience primed and ready to love this movie, and from the after-screening reactions, it seems like most of them did with some reservations. As for me, I thought IJATKOFCS was good, or at least good enough, but it's not the kind of movie experience that fills me with so much love that repeated viewings are required. I'll wait for the DVD before taking this one in for a second time.
Most of the 2- or 2.5-star reviews of IJATKOFCS have been right on the money. I might even bump it up to three when I watch it again. The film feels like a transition work. It reminded me more of the spirit of the "Young Indiana Jones" series, which is a very good thing. I liked the way that show placed Henry Jones Jr. in the context of the history he was a part of. There's a bit of that going on here. This story of CRYSTAL SKULL is set in 1957, during the height of the Cold War and the Atomic Scare. Although it's not specifically said, Indiana is blacklisted by the government. The music, hairstyles and clothes of his students are more "Happy Days" than anything else. His new sidekick, Mutt (Shia LeBeouf) has a black leather jacket and Brando-style white riding cap as he cruises around on his motorcycle. Jones lives in a 1950s that the government wanted us to be afraid of; here, all of the Red Scare paranoia is justified. A group Russians (led by Cate Blanchett's Irina Spalko) breaks into a familiar-looking enormous warehouse searching for something that may or may not be the key to not just a new weapon, but a new kind of weapon that only a communist could truly appreciate, those soul-sucking, mind-controlling bastards.
I know some people have come down on Blanchett's truly bizarre performance, but she adds the best kind of new blood and energy to the franchise. She's unbelievable beautiful, and the fetishist in me loves the jack boots, severe bob and shiny rapier. But she's also sometimes the only one who seems to react the way a normal person would react to the inconceivable events she's witnessing. And there is some crazy shit going down in this movie. I've grown to expect a certain level of Christian and other types of mysticism in this series, but what goes on in this movie would probably seem more at home in an episode of "The X Files" than a movie about an archeologist. I'm not complaining; it just requires an adjustment period. I'm undecided on my thoughts about LaBeouf in this movie. He certainly has the physical stamina to carry the series on if that's what Lucas decides he wants to do, and I've always enjoyed watching him work. He's maybe a little too much of a smart ass for my tastes here and needlessly rebellious, but if they can tone him down a bit, he'll rock as the heir apparent.
Indy has other sidekicks, played by John Hurt and Ray Winstone, both fine actors, both utterly wasted in this movie. Winstone's constant changing of sides (which he calls being a double agent) annoyed me; but his worse crime is the fault of the screenplay (one of many): he's a terrible foil for Harrison Ford. As for Hurt, playing the lost explorer who guides the group through the Amazon to their grand treasure, he's even worse. He's supposed to be crazy, but he's only as crazy as he needs to be in each scene. If they need him to be a babbling idiot, he is; if they need him to make sense for a scene, he straightens up a bit. A fine actor, Hurt is reduced to a totally inconsistent plot device rather than a real character. And what about the much-lauded Karen Allen's return as Marion Ravenwood? She's another one that must assume the role of plot device. And unlike her magnificent and heroic turn in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, here she's more or less a helpless victim.
I could pick apart the screenplay for days, but the core story is fairly solid. The set pieces are great, but if I had to criticize one thing, it's that there's too much CGI in this movie. Compared to other summer movies, there probably isn't that much, but for an Indiana Jones movie, it's everywhere and it's extremely easy to spot to the point of distraction. Aside from that, the structure and the pacing of the film are good if not great. Ford is still enough of a presence to carry this puppy home; there's a sequence involving ants that will give me nightmares for weeks; and the opening scenes in the warehouse are clever and exciting. At this point (or perhaps even before this point), you need to stop reading reviews and decide for yourself.
Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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I couldn't have said it better... first, second or third....
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May 23, 2008 1:23:09 AM CDT
It's Official: Cate Blanchett Is A MiLF!!! But, This Film Needed
by media messiah
It is sad to say it, but this is not a good film. The first 20 minutes show great promise...but shortly after that, the film falls apart. There are too many characters in the film...specifically too many good guys. John Hurt's character was not needed and Karen Allen could have easily been used to deliver the story exposition that Hurt's character, I suspect, a fill in for Sean Connery, attempts to deposit. Amid a low point in the mayhem, we hear a tale about lost Spanish Soldiers who's fate is discovered by Hurt's character, a lost archeologist...unimportant story details which cause the film to drag, and should have been cut from the movie. And then there is the double agent--I won't identify him for those who haven't seen the movie, but he gets in the way--once was fine, but by about the 6th time it was entirely too much!!!
As for the story, McGuffin after McGuffin...it was all over the place. This should have been a great film about someone stealing the Ark of The Covenant from the Americans and Indy having to find it again...in order to use it against a great evil. But no, we just got a movie that repeatedly referenced the best moments of Raiders...and the worst moments of it's sequels...and time after time, these scenes were copied...but not approved upon...no, they were greatly diminished!!!
Next, CGI effects were used to animate photo-realistic Ground Hogs and Monkies...for comedy slap-stick antics which played like cartoons. The tone of the film was off...as scenes like that, and Shia Labeouf's Tarzan vine swinging sequence seemed out of place, something better suited for a immature child themed film...and don't make me mention the awful waterfall sequence.
Karen Allen was under used here, and strangely Cate Blanchett was the only shinning moment in the film...in fact, she stole every scene that she was in, and I am not even a fan of her's, or at least, I wasn't until I saw this movie. The camera loves her. She is smart and over sexy at every turn...and that is a good, and even great, thing. I think I fell in love with her. Talk about being gorgeous, charismatic and dominating!!! A love triangle between Blanchett's character and that of Indy and his lady love as played by Allen, would have raised the proceedings, but alas, that was not to be.
Unfortunately, one could sense that numerous writers pieced the film's script together as it was often disjointed, sloppy and embarrassing to watch. There was almost zero character development and no real emotionally engaging points for the characters. The audience knew everyone would survive, leaving the impression that the characters were never in any real danger. There were no real high stakes for the characters and that is the film's main failing. -
... I'll wait for the DVD one night when I'm bored. I still regret giving lucas my $7.50 for Phantom Menace, and each subsequent prequel only proved I was right to stay away. Fuck these old farts. I'll just go see Iron Man again.
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It was still better than Last Crusade, or Star Wars prequels that don't have Liam Neeson in them. It's true, it's true!
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Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if the baddies had found a way to half-melt Marion's brain with the skull instead? That would just shoot the stakes for Indy through the roof.
Still, I liked the movie overall, and would love to see another Indy flick, one with Allen opposite Ford start to finish. -
Marion: How about you? Didn't you have anyone else?
Indy: Well, Pop and I tag-teamed this Nazi bitch once. -
Marion: How about you? Didn't you have anyone else?
Indy: Well, Pop and I tag-teamed this Nazi bitch once. -
The problem with the "decide for yourself" philosophy is that it means the moviemakers have already got your money - you've paid them off for simply having a well-publicized movie. If people want to see the quality of movie scripts improve, they have to be willing to NOT GO.
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I thought,
That Bob Dylan sure is a versatile actor. -
..they went through the entire adventure and it turned out that they got to the city and realized the whole crystal skull thing was just bullshit. The alien ending was lame in X-Files: Fight The Future, and it was even lamer in Indiana Jones and the CGI team from National Treasure and The Mummy Returns...
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I haven't seen the new one last night but i watched raiders for the first time yesterday and was thoroughly underwhelmed. a best picture nominee, really? then i watched the first half of temple of doom before i shut it off. unimpressed. same old shit. williams' incessant score was making my ears bleed.
i know this is blasphemy round these parts but this series is just not for me. not my cup of tea. i just can't suspend my disbelief. it's too much of a silly cartoon for my liking. i can't get into it and connect with this hero. i do not plan on seeing the new one, which is a shame because i really do love Spielberg and Shia but I wasn't psyched up before and I was actually surprised by how negative my reaction was to the first half of the original trilogy.
i realize i am about to get fileted here but i had to be honest. there have to be other people like me out there. (cue the jokes) i haven't seen any of the harry potter movies. i thought the best bond movie was the last one. i resisted seeing the first two LOTR movies in theaters but really enjoyed them when I gave them a chance on the DVD and I thought Return of the King was great. The only Star Wars movie I've seen in the theater is Revenge of the Sith, which I liked despite not having seen Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones or really being a fan of the original Star Wars. I hated the first Pirates movie and boycotted the other two.
The adventure genre is kind of a tough sell for me. When it works it's great, like Jurassic Park (see, I DO love SS) but when it fails for me, it fails miserably. Everything I'd heard about Raiders made me think it was going to be the best movie of the 80's but I hated how corny the humor was and how it was grounded in reality the whole time (to an extent, considering its utter preposterousness) but then at the end there's like spirits and shit flying around and melting people's faces off (in a PG-rated movie, no less).
Part of me really wishes I could appreciate all these geek masterpieces and be 100% devoted to fanboydom but part of me is glad I'm not. I mean, I know I'm sort of a fanboy too, but does that mean I have to go along with every single thing fanboys are supposed to like? there's a poll coming to a website near you and it's going to ask which is your favorite Harrison Ford movie and the choices are going to approximately be the Indiana Jones trilogy, the Star Wars trilogy, Blade Runner, The Fugitive and a movie to be named later. Now I think it's safe to say most people in this TB would vote for either Star Wars or Indiana Jones (after all, that is who this thread is dedicated to) but I wouldn't hesitate for an instant before saying The Fugitive. Fuck Indy and Han Solo, Dr. Richard Kimball is a fucking badass.
I'm going to go finish Temple of Doom because no matter how dates it feels, I owe Spielberg the benefit of the doubt, and then I'm going to watch Last Crusade because well, I like Sean Connery (even as Bond, I suppose). I'm going to wrap this rant up now but while the name Connery lingers on my fingers, here's an example of what kind of moviefan I am. I would take Michael Bay's The Rock over Spielberg's Raiders any day, and if you think I'm alone in that sentiment, ask Criterion which one they chose to release on DVD. And how many other action films do you see on that label? I'd take future classics like Speed and The Professional over Star Wars any day. Maybe that makes me crazy or maybe that's just who I am. -
Takes all kinds. Heck, a friend of mine actually to defend Transformers the other day....
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too much cgi, but if it would have played realistically instead of on-stage-too-much-green-screen it would have been better
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How odd is it that I agree more with Harry than Capone? This just doesn't make sense...
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So the quick review?
Raiders is still my favorite, but all FOUR films are fantastic.
Now, the long review...
I was 13 when Harrison Ford last donned the fedora. That kind of wait between films is a lot of movie water under the celluloid bridge. Film making itself has changed, and a new generation of film makers, and film goers, exist now that didn't then. It's a changed world...A cynical time.
And this is why it feels so appropriate to allow Indiana Jones to also have aged; to let the character broadcast Harrison Ford's actual maturity, to show him as he'd be in 1957 after the same 19 years we've waited to see him again, and to show him feeling the weight of those changes.
I will not discount there are some problems with the movie. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will not be winning any Oscars like Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is a pure popcorn adventure yarn. But to say the film has no heart is to misplace all concentration on the movie's titular plot device.
Harrison Ford's acting ability has always been sold through his facial expressions. There's a scene when Indy is at home, seated at his desk, and you can see his age in his face, and he recounts to a colleague what he's lost in his life as his eyes dart from framed photo to framed photo.
He's surrounded by antiquities, decorating his home and office, and pays them no mind; what he treasures most is not the boons of his adventures, but those he experienced them with. Fortune and glory no more; it's friends and family. You see, Indiana Jones has grown up.
The start of the film includes a rather outlandish sequence that borrows from an alternate version of the original Back to the Future shooting script. It feels startlingly appropriate in its use here as a metaphor for Indiana Jones trying, and failing, to shield himself from this new Atomic Age.
There are images in the film that echo Jones' past adventures. I absolutely adore the opening introduction shot of Indy; the hat grab, the shadow, the turn to the camera as the theme soars. I also love his silhouette atop the crates as the Russians work below. Pure homage to Raiders.
I also greatly appreciated the nod to Raiders' giant rolling boulder; now there are a million tiny rolling balls of metal, and rather than Indy running from them, he's following them to the prize. It's a pretty smart wink at the audience that I'm not sure everyone picked up on.
Cate Blanchette's Irina Spalko feels like a Bond villain more than an Indiana Jones one, but I prefer her to both Mala Ram from Temple of Doom and Donovan from Last Crusade. She reminded me of Toht and Belloq from Raiders, making her my favorite Indy sequel villain of all.
What's lacking are the sidekicks; there's no Sullah, no Brody, no Henry Sr. Instead we have Ray Winstone's Mac, who, in all honesty, is Nedry from Jurassic Park and Benny from The Mummy rolled into one...Although I did laugh hard at his repeated warning, "You don't know him!"
And despite Spielberg and Lucas' specific explanations that this Indy film would contain little CGI and be shot just like the original films, Kaminiski's photography is still full of over-lit color-devoid glares, and there's enough CGI to make The Mummy Returns look like The Godfather.
There are also scenes and sequences that don't fall flat, but feel out of place or built on rather flimsy foundations to begin with. It's true, one of our heroes literally depends on an army of CGI monkeys to assist him in his battle with the Russians. Lucas and his Ewoks be damned!
Additionally, the climax of the film and the fate of the villain are no where near the quality of the closing moments of Raiders, though this is clearly the film this portion tries desperately to emulate...Though there is one sci-fi image from this finale that I can't get out of my head.
So after all these complaints, why is it I emerged from the theater with glistening eyes and a broad smile on my face? My friends, unlike the Star Wars prequels, this film delivers on the promise of Indiana Jones and does not tarnish, only augments, what came before.
The moment Karen Allen arrives on screen as Marion Ravenwood, and she and Jones begin to bicker, it literally felt like seeing family or good friends for the first time in years; you want to rush up and hug them. The nostalgia factor is that enormously strong.
The bonding between Harrison and Shia sells. It's heavily reminiscent of Connery calling Harrison 'Junior,' and at one point Indy says "This is intolerable!" to Mutt's hijinks, which reminded me of Doc Brown and Marty McFly switching their "Great scott!" and "This is heavy" lines in BTTF 3.
When Jones suddenly decides to take action and get the skull to Akator first, it's magic. It's the rush of knowing Indy is about to go crazy doing Indy things. That moment in the trailer with the rocket propelled grenade? That's the START of the sequence.
And much like the previous films, there are some lines that shine. As much as I love "It tells me that goose stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them," I'd have to say Oxley's query "How much time of human life is wasted on waiting" is awesome.
Between that line and the movie's very opening scene, a clever dissolve of the Paramount logo into something much smaller, it shows that Lucas and Spielberg are both very aware it took them entirely too long to bring back Indiana Jones, and shouldn't let their fear of a crappy MacGuffin prevent them from keeping him around.
In fact, the "MacGuffin," the artifact, as this movie shows, is not what's important...
It's the discovery, the search, the journey, the adventure, the KNOWLEDGE, that counts.
Lesson learned, Professor Jones.
And thank you for a most wonderful birthday present...I was 13 again, on the day I turned 32. -
I recall an interview with Gary Kurtz a few years back where he said that Lucas began using the marker, 'good enough', in relation to putting Return of the Jedi together. This was a phrase that Roger Corman used to use all of the time when knocking out his exploitation peices - that there was no point in trying too hard or pushing the boundaries here as Corman had reasoned very early on that the audience will basically accept mediocrity if it is pushed out with enough energy. To me this movie embodied that phrase. It was simply 'good enough', as good as it needed to be. Lazy, competent and a constant reminder that Raiders was once fresh, vital and gave us a spin on a tired old formula that we hadn't seen before. Thus, as Kurtz would have us believe the very definition of Lucas's: 'good enough'. No more, no less.
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A very nicely written review, and it sums up almost all my feelings about the movie. Well done.
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We all liked the movie, we did have issues, mostly that watching as a 9 year old kid i wouldn't have known what it was about until about an hour into the movie, roughlyy when Indy is tied to that chair and they explain it all. I don't get the problem with Mutt, "needlessly rebelios", that's the point, there's no need for him to be so rebellious, but he is. Remember character wise he's like the 1st ever teenager. Teenagers basically didn't exist util this time. Even the other kid their age (in the cafe fight, technically also teenaged but NOT teenagers)don't get them / like them. After accepting the powers of the Jewish, Hindu and Christian faiths all have power (I know the ark is also a Christian symbol but it's very Jewish in raiders, so you know what I mean), I'm lost as to why people are having such an issue with the "plot point" of this film.
As for Marion I seem to remember In this movie she escapes (albeit wih the knowledge of her capors) drives the vehicles and leads then to the river. In raiders she gets captured about 4 times, and Indy save her life how many times? She's not a "hlpless" victim in Raiders, but I'd hardly say she is here either?
Oh and the biggest weakness of all the indy films is none of the Villains has ever really been a true match for / Equal to Indy even beloq (spelling?), Her Spalko was actually the best villain, especially with her heavy sidekick. -
Seems a shame to have so much C.G in what was a landmark series for good old fashioned stunts. Truthfully though it could never live up to Ark and Crusade got fairly silly, specially at the end. So I'll take another enjoyable if not amazing sub Ark follow on than nothing at all.
P.S. Mutt... what WERE they thinking ?!?!? -
Roger Corman, King of Shit. An Indiana Jones movie is not just "good enough".
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LOOK, PLAIN AND SIMPLE, THIS MOVIE WAS VERY DISAPOINTING ON SO MANY LEVELS.
PLEASE ERASE IT FROM YOUR MEMORIES IF YOU HAVE SEEN IT, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T, DON'T BOTHER. IT SUCKS.
PUT SIMPLY, IT IS A MERE SHADOW OF WHAT THE OTHER FILMS REPRESENT, AND HAS ABSOLUTELY NO COHESION.
IF THIS WERE THE 4TH LITTLE PIGS HOUSE, IT WOULD BE MADE OF TOILET PAPER AND THE BIG BAD WOLF WOULD WIPE HIS ASS WITH IT AND NOT EVEN BOTHER TO FLUSH IT DOWN THE FREAKIN' TOILET!
QUICK SYNOPSIS... WASTE OF MARION RAVENWOOD, STUPID PLOT, RUSSIANS GET INTO AREA 51 IN THE LATE 1950'S? OH COME ON! DO YOU KNOW HOW HEAVILLY FORTIFIED THAT PLACE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN 1956?
SHIA LABOOF! PLEASE. THE NEW IT BOY OF HOLLYWOOD SUCKS SHIT IN THIS FILM.
LUCAS COMPLETELY BUTCHERED FRANK DARABONTS GOOD SCRIPT. YOU GUYS SHOULD REALLY READ IT SOMEDAY AND COMPARE.
GIANT RED ANT SCENE WAS COMPLETELY CARTOON REDICULOUS!
WATERFALL SCENE WAS DONE BETTER IN TEMPLE OF DOOM. WHY FUCK WITH SOMETHING THAT WORKED?
CAN'T THESE BOZO'S THINK OF SOMETHING NEW?
LOVE SCENES FELT FORCED AND FAKE. A.K.A. THE PHANTOM MENACE AND ATTACK OF THE CLONES.
hARRISON FORD WAS A PUSSY IN THIS FILM COMPARED TO THE LAST THREE.
BAD WRITING LUCAS! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR RIPPING OFF THE PUBLIC. IS THIS REALLY THE BEST YOU CAN DO?
IF IT IS... PLEASE RETIRE. QUIT WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A SHRED OF DIGNITY LEFT TO YOUR NAME.
I'M GOING TO SEE IRON MAN AGAIN.
GOD DAMN' IT! MOST MOVIES TODAY REALLY DO SUCK SHIT! SO SAD.
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The movie does not even deserve 1 star. It was as fucking terrible as I thought it would be. I wasn't disappointed because my expectations were so low that they were met as the movie is total and utter shit. I am a child of the 80s so I saw all the originals in the theater and loved each one. This one has no place but unlike the Star Wars prequels this movie at least for me has not destroyed the other 3 Indy flicks. I just won't ever watch this one again. Fuck George Lucas.
And that guy that Spielberg continues to use to film his movies was not the right for this film. The look of the film was terrible. Too dark.
Go see Speed Racer that's a movie worth spending your money on. -
You wouldn't know where we could find the Darabont script, would you?
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Let's not forget that George Lucas had the say on this one. I think, besides all the right things that Capone mentioned, it is the film of the four, that has the most angles to critique... The first half hour was brilliant. Why does someone like Spielberg use a obvious model of a village (like in 1941) and then have a cgi flying-saucer. I didn't like Shia and most of the supporting cast. But loved Cate.
I would want to see a no.5, but with much less expectation. -
It was familar but with modern elements. It did however need someone in the production brave enough to point out that it should have about 4 minutes chopped out.
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May 23, 2008 4:53:52 AM CDT
Rotten tomatoes shows 80%-79% average from all critics
by theycallmemrglass
So DONT give general concensus from whatever few reviews read. Rotten Tomatoes collates ALL (Or close to all) critics reviews/ratings. 80% maybe the lowest rating for an Indy movie on the Rottentomatoes but it sure as hell is still a high rating. so 80% is lukewarm reception? I think not
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May 23, 2008 5:04:19 AM CDT
Enough Of This Garbage!!! It's Friday...Where Is Script Girl???
by media messiah
Script Girl's reports are single handedly more entertaining than this new Indy movie!!!
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So there you have it. So dont generalise what a small minority says and make it out as if they are the majority opinion. It makes me sick when reviewers do that. I havent seen the movie yet, I may not even like it (fat chance) myself but my point is, dont go mis-quoting the majority opinions.
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Damn you to hell!
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Indiana Jones and the Close Encounter of the Third Kind was an interesting experiment in crossing over two Spielberg hits. Looking forward to further experiments in this style such as
Indiana Jones and Schindler's List
Indiana Jones and the Color Purple -
Too much (TOO MUCH!) CGI. Aliens is a Spielberg thing (more if they´re CGI), not so much Indy. Marion is suicidal. The falls are awful. Too many videogame indian jumpers. Too much running, not so much dialog.
The best was Ford, Shia (the adventures of Mutt Jones!? WTF), Kate, the ants, the explosion (not so much the fridge), Denholm and some great dialog.
By the way: Where was the `it´s not the milage honey, it´s the age?
Koepp Fails (this time). -
That sounds cool actually.
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"Japs...I HATE these guys!"
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Damn You Michael Bay
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Perfect? No. You'll need to suspend some disbelief here and there, both in regards to things you can live through and how fast you can resolve long-standing personal conflicts. And there's a bit of a sag in the action between the two instances of characters traveling via red line on a map.
But it was great to see Indy in action again, tumbling through wild crazy crap while giving and taking punch after punch. His references to what he'd been up to in the intervening years made me wish there were movies about those times too. As the earlier Indy movies revamped the old 30's adventure serials, this was a slick new take on 50's sci-fi flicks, and the 50's in general. They mostly kept the goof factor toned down -- and Shia LaBeouf, who I used to hate until I realized it was futile, did an okay job.
I'd say better than Temple of Doom, as good or a bit better than Last Crusade.
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You are correct, I am Marion's. She fluffs me up every night.
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I find their ads to be highly irritating and stupid as hell.
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I think a lot of people are piling on, needlessly, but the script really is a mass at times. I'd love to see what Darabaunt(sp?) did with this.
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I have to laugh when Capone like many others find it hard to "adjust" as they say to this movie's "unbelievable" or "scifi" elements and yet TOTALLY accept the "religious" elements of the other Indy films.
Puh-lease! Where do I even begin to express how this argument is so retarded? Are these reviewers so blinded by religion that they accept it as FACT??? And yet find the events in Crystal Skulls too far fetched?
Yeah right. The arch melting peoples faces? The Thugees ripping hearts out of peoples chests and then the wound closes up and the victim is still alive? Or 1000 year old knights sitting in a cave guarding the holy grail?
THAT you can suspend belief on??? And yet ANYTHING involving or alluding to aliens or the undead you CAN'T???
LOL. GImme a break. You guys remind me of when the great Comedian George Carlin talks about Christianity and says if they believe in Angels, why not Goblins? Or Zombies?
LOL.
Maybe this crowd of reviewers have become old jaded bitter men who have lost the child in them. I dunno, and I don't care.
I enjoyed the shit out of this movie and was transported willingly to it's world.
I kinda feel sorry for the people who have lost the ability to suspend disbelief when watching an Indy film. :-) -
One of my problems with KINGDOM is that, as Capone observed, the storyline belongs more to the X-Files than Indiana Jones. Hell, the whole saucer-rising-up-from-underground climactic ending is right out of the first X-Files movie.
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I'm sorry, but this is a geek-driven, movie-buff website. If you didn't like Raiders, you're in the wrong place. Go watch some IFC.
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I know a lot of people have said they like this movie and a lot have disliked it. I haven't seen this yet. Can anybody tell me honestly - is this prequel bad or not? Many have said that this feels like an Indy film, and I think the reason so many people are saying that is because we all know how much the prequels did not feel like Star War films. I mean, I would think this would be better with Harrison in it, but I'm just not sure anymore. Many people said ROTS felt like an OT Star Wars and I got my hopes up for it, only to be disappointed by it the most of all the prequels. I've heard talk of scenes that are goofy and seem out of place. Now are they like the jokes in Phantom Menace, that completely fell flat on their face bad or are they not that bad? Did you leave this movie feeling conflicted? I still have faith in Speilberg but Lucas's involvment raises many doubts for me. So is this an Indiana Jones sequel or just another prequel?
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Starring the late, great Charleton Heston and Elenor Parker.Also, a Paramount film.By-the-way, if you ever see a film that Chuck did called "Secret of the Incas," check out Chuck's character, "Harry Steel." Its the forerunner to "Indiana Jones."
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While I agree with many of the criticisms (and compliments) of this film, many have missed the point. It is an homage to matinée serials, comic books, and the old-timey pulps. Come on, you all know this. It's very old news.
If the cheese factor and unrealistic events depicted aren't your cup-of-tea, fine; but maybe you should never have bought a ticket.
To be sure, this movie did have problems and was not perfect. It should be examined critically. Some elements definitely did not work. However, up against similar films it rocks. It's better than The Mummy Returns (remake), it's better than POC:Deadman's Chest, it's better than all three recent Star Wars films, it's definitely better than IJ&The Last Crusade.
I'm not sure what everbody's expectations were for this flick, or what context they wanted the movie to fit; but IJ&TKOCS was exactly the movie it was supposed to be. -
But nice try.
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. . . land of the people who are amazed by bright shiny objects.
Ooooh, preeettttyyyy colorsssss. -
The hell...?
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bill murray hates those little buggers.
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I mean I think all the trailers have looked cool, but then again I thought the prequel trailers looked good to. I'm not trying to steer anybody in the way of hate, I just honestly want the truth. I want this to be good. I loved the original Indiana Jones movies and the OT Star Wars. Believe it or not I'm not a hater just because I say I didn't like the prequels. I mean I'm not one of these people who bitches about the Last Crusade, I actually liked it better than the Temple of Doom.
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May 23, 2008 10:44:05 AM CDT
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE ASSISTED LIVING!
by the marquis de side 3
Ford looks REALLY tired in this one. not too much energy from him. yes, I know, they're trying to let Shia take the torch as the intrepid explorer-archaeologist but I just don't see it.
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May 23, 2008 10:44:44 AM CDT
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEST OF THE BLOODY DICK!
by the marquis de side 3
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May 23, 2008 10:46:56 AM CDT
INDIANA JONES AND THE QUEST FOR FLOGGING A DEAD HORSE!
by the marquis de side 3
film had fun moments, but pretty tiresome overall. could Shia really take over the franchise? not sure...
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They are actually both good movies, but I think Speed Racer will actually have the longer shelf-life, even though Indiana Jones will trounce it at the box office.
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You should like the movie. There's certainly not the gap between trailer-and-movie there was for the Phantom Menace.
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So what are the new movies going to be called? Mutt Williams and the Giant Radioactive Ants? Mutt Williams and the 50 Foot Woman? Mutt Williams and the Black Lagoon? Mutt Williams just doesn't have the "Indiana Jones" feel.
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And Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator was in there. But the scene was a lot of fun, and easily as believable as anything in Air Force One or Firewall . . . the an ancient artifact can melt faces and kill Nazis, then Indiana Jones can survive a nuclear explosion in a lead-lined refrigerator. Without an injury! Awesome.
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And the clothing seemed questionable. Something more like what she wore at the beginning of Raiders would have seemed more appropos for venturing down to Peru to look for Oxley. And there should have been more of her. But she was plenty fiesty, and a great decision to bring her back, even if not fanboy perfection in execution.
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Typical Lucas over-the-top silliness, but I can live with it. Loved Cate Blanchet's Natasha Fatale accent. The warehouse battle was great (And the ark peaking through a broken crate . . . how it takes us back).
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An Acronym that looks more like IJDAOEKEFOAFLFF is a bit unneccessary, just call it Indiana Jones or something. That IJDFLKSDFPOIDSJODSIFJDSOFJDSOIFJ crap is a bit much. Don't abbreviate something into an acronym if you can't even pronounce it real life. Haven't had the oppurtunity to see it yet, but from what I hear IJINO sounds like an approrpriate abbreviation. I'm hoping I'll like the movie better than that though when I finally get to see it. -
May 23, 2008 11:21:04 AM CDT
The plot summary at Wikipedia makes this sound really awful
by abcdefz7
I kinda figured it was a rental.
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edited a lot of ***spoilers out of my review, but some are still in there***. Bottom line: the new movie is a cartoon, a comic, not a pulp story. and it kinda blows.
like I said, the old Indy's were pulp fiction. this new one is a cartoon. So much stuff happens that is just ridiculous. There are scenes that are so unrealistic and crazy that it is just glaring. The old Indys were kind of realistic and believable, with some religious magic. EVEN LC wasnt bad. This new one makes NO SENSE at all. ALL of sudden its alien this and that, BAD russian accents, recurrent COMPLETELY impossible occurences, and the ending blows. People were laughing in my theater and I didnt blame them. Indy doesnt figure ANYTHING out, thing happen to him the whole movie, rather than him being the initiation. Everyone just happens to somehow end up near this temple after fighting in the jungle (where the Russians took them anyways, Indy couldnt get himself there), Indys "friend" double crosses him like three times and he still tries to save him. Indy has no problem helping the russians and explaining maps. There are no traps in the temple. The answer to EVERY SINGLE conundrum is...the skull. About 30 minutes into the movie its obvious the skull is alien. Then in the last 30 minutes that is "revealed" in a scene like its a big surprise. I was thinking "how dumb do they think I am?". The ONLY redeeming part of the movie is the Indy-Marion dialogue, and Shia (seriously). Cate Blanchett is not scary or evil, just weird, and has so many BAD lines ("he vas writing! so abvious!...((no shit))..a hive mind! ((how the fuck do YOU know?))
Indy should stuck to Nazis and religious artifacts. Aliens suck. He could have searched for ANY other item. This was pretty lame and the aliens were WAY overplayed. I didnt like it, neither did my friend. If you loved the old Indys, every part of them, dont see this. If you just like Indiana Jones, or have kids, you might as well see him on the screen again. It seems like they planned the Disney ride then made a movie out of it.
here is an example of things that make no sense ***WARNING SUPER SPOILER**
when the skull is returned they grant Cate Blanchett one wish. She asks "to know everything". Then the benign aliens who taught mayans to farm burn her up. Why?
oh yeah I was also laughing at the part where Indy said "the gods taught them advanced technology...farming...irrigation.." Steve. George. Come on. You couldnt think of ANY more advanced technology ? what about how to build GIANT PYRAMIDS!!?!?! or ROADS or accurate CALEDNARS? -
keep in mind I am not talking about what I actually believe here, just a movie. here is the feeling of the old movies: Religious artifacts are more believable because thats what Indy is all about...finding artifacts, and holy cow, there actually was something to the old cultures he studies! they ARE real! the myths/religions really are true!
here is the new one
Aliens are real and their bones can do ANYTHING.
also, arcahelogists and treasure hunters usually look for religious artifacts and treasure (in movies at least), NOT alien skulls. So it fits more. The skull/alien thing is just overplayed and should have been saved for the VERY end..I wanted to leave the theatere thinking "was the magic skull really alien?". Instead after two minutes I was thinking "what does an alien skull have to do with Indy?". They put the cart before the horse when it came to linking Indy to aliens and skipped/did a bad job with the whole "its really an artifact thing.
its like how you can suspend your belief for Predator...but then what if Arnold used the power of god to defeat Predator? See what I mean? -
In the 30s it was "Adventure/Jungle serials".
Spielberg and Lucas agreed that in the 50s it needed to be sci-fi.
Don't say "IJ is that" and "IJ is not that". That's bull. -
Especially the beginning and the end sequences. I admit to yawning a bit in the middle. Too much exposition, George.
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And just got a two hour popcorn adventure. Which is all it was supposed to be, and all it was ever going to be. Shortly into the film, I realised that to enjoy it fully, I needed to turn my brain off. Once I'd done that, I had the absolute best time.
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And just got a two hour popcorn adventure. Which is all it was supposed to be, and all it was ever going to be. Shortly into the film, I realised that to enjoy it fully, I needed to turn my brain off. Once I'd done that, I had the absolute best time.
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It's what Lucas did with the Phantom Menace, deliberately not caring about the adults that would be dragging their tykes along with them, instead cynically (and condescendingly) aiming at little kids. Thinkint that this will guarantee a new generation hooked into the Indy backlist of movies and TV-series DVDs. All these reports of cute monkeys, no sense of danger, prairie dogs ... it's the Jar-Jar idea all over again.
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hah hah I see everyone complaining. Too much CGI??? How come nobody rants about the previous three movie's TERRIBLE blue screen effects? Guys I LOVE the 3 previous films but we tend to overrate them. Crystal Skull is a great Indiana Jones adventure. It was true to the originals unlike the Star Wars prequels. Its funny how everyone is looking for excuses, now It is Lucas fault and not using Darabont's script. Now I ask you WHY THE FUCK all you guys ranted about THE MIST and It's ending then??? Go dig a hole and die.
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Can't touch Raiders.
But then again, what could? -
...and I'm already expecting to hate it. As soon as people have to make concessions about the things they *did* like... that's the red flag that guarantees that, tonight, I will be purchasing a one-way ticket to Fuckgeorgelucasville.
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i am disapointed in spielberg, john williams and lucas. I went in positive and open. i was ready to let some things slide. but really, this film failed for me. it tried much too hard. it should have been a cheap production and a soft sell. it doesn't fit with the rest of the indy films. that said, it was a bit of treat seeing indy on the big screen. but the script and direction was just so poor
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You CANNOT shoot an Indy movie on bluescreen. You need to take him outside, get him a sunburn, get him dirty, and scratch up the jacket and hat.
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easily the best review of Indy I have read so far, and not just because I agreed with you almost entirely.
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Look...I'm a big IJ fan. I've seen ROTLA at least a hundred times. I liked TOD and LC. The latest movie stunk. Everything in their reviews are true, except the part were this movie is good. Some scenes are riduculous. "Jump the shark" riduculous. I was very disapointed. They should have stopped with the "Last Crusade". This movie shows you what happens when you push it too far. Thanks for killing my fond memories of Indiana Jones Paramount,Lucas and Spielberg. You guys have seriously lost touch with your audience.
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gotham night stop defending shit, you know it is shit but youre still defending it because people say its like TLC, look TLC is a masterpiece of epic proportions to this one. lets not fight anymore
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all those years in development hell, the rewrites, the start-overs - at the end of the day, they still didn't get it right...
I know there are a lot of haters out there, and I'm not one of them, so don't take this as an insult - but this film was on par with the National Treasure movies and I'm still not sure if I'd call it better than Sahara -
i can't wait to see this.. thanks for the review!
hey if you love movie humor to to this great new blog on blogspot. it's called thebitterproducer -
People are complaining about the sci-fi elements but you have to take into consideration the time period this movie takes place in and then reference that to the pop culture of the time. The first three films take place in the mid to late 30's and reflect the stories and movies that inspired the Indy films from that very time period. We're talking King Soloman's Mines, Edgar Rice Burroughs novels about lost civilizations, etc. With this new film, we're in 1957 and the subject matter reflects this. Now, we're in the period of Invasion of the Saucer Men, Science Fiction Theater and Edgar Cayce and sci-fi pulp comics. It makes sense to me and I appreciated the slight tonal shift that the first 20 minutes of the film seemed to be designed to set up. It's also reflected in the cinematography to me. The first three films we're filled with earth tones: lots of browns and beige and more hard lighting on the actors. Now everything seems slightly more colorful and bright, reflecting the over optimistic 50's. Think Back to the Future as a cultural reference point (and remember how McFly is mistaken for a space alien when he first arrives). However, that's not to say I didn't have problems with it like most of you. I would have liked more characterization and a little less exposition. And yeah, way too much CGI. Part of the appeal of these films is the "hand crafted" look which CGI takes away from. Also, I think what it lacks most was a certain gravitas and epic feel to the McGuffin which seems like a missed opportunity considering the subject matter. It's probably best to think of this film more as a "coda" to the series than a true sequel. Thinking of it that way makes it sit better in my mind. But i must say, overall I liked it.
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i like a lot of movies, but a lot of the ones coming out nowadays are reaally shit. no point in defending shit right?
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some movies people usually sleight that i like are return of the jedi (equal to with wars 77 for me), the phantom menace, superman III, robocop 2, 80% of the movies on mst3k i legitimately like by themselves...
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It was terrible. George Lucas needs to not make films anymore, and Stevern Spielberg should never work with him again.
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It was just things happening. I know all movies are just things happening! But not in the way i mean.....this was just incoherant boring pap. Oh theyre there now, good for them. Oh theyre in a tomb thing now, thats great. Oh crazy! Theyre sinking in quick sand! The 2 words that kept springing to mind were 'so what?'. It was a good job i had just bought the trilogy in the morning so i could immediately pop Raiders on to see an Indy film with bite and soul. And is it just me that thinks even Ford wasnt that good?!?!
And for gods sakes, CGI car sequences arent interesting because we KNOW that theyre not really near a cliff edge, but what we do is look down and wonder why a joypad isnt in our hands as we watch.
At best its average. I cant believe people are actually liking this. What has the world come to? Were accepting anything plopped before us. Bill Hicks would be turning in his grave. When so much shit is pumped out this seems good to people. Its not even about silly bits in the film, its about it being basically an advert for future films with Lebeof or however you spell his name. Lazy, uninteresting rubbish. If the Hulk isnt any good i think im gonna find a new pastime.....or start writing films myself -
Were the skulls magnetic or not? Why did the skull locked in the box have so much power that it made bullets fly to it but inside of a sack they could flip it around with swords between cars?
How did the skull end up in the tomb for Indy to find? The Russians had it, went to south america and somehow Ox got away, hid the skull and then went back to being held captive? Ahbuh huh?
How the hell did the 5 Russians get past the hundreds of "undead" guards at the temple? Indy's group only did it because of the skull but apparently the head hunters took a coffee break or something.
I went into this movie optimistic but I was sorely disappointed.
Where was the tomb raiding? Where was the puzzle solving? Where was the sex?
This movie is 5 chase scenes connected by jokes.
meh
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