And that makes me feel bummed out.

Seriously, there were moments of pure fucking joy: the nuclear test site, that 50's fight, motorcycle chase, even the ridiculous tarzan sequence was great (well, everything around the tarzan sequence).

Minor complaints: Silly jokes, so little violence and darkness (all other three movies seem R rated by comparisson), weak ending (there wasn't a single HOLY SHIT moment for me in the ending, whereas even DOOM had plenty) and... Well that's it.

I completely loved the rest of the movie, and I had a steel smile on my face for 80% of the footage shown. That's more than enough for me and I plan to see this at least three more times in a movie theater.

We have a real INDIANA FUCKING JONES movie playing RIGHT FUCKING NOW. And for that, I thank both beards and everyone else involved. Cheers.

glad you liked the new one though, I'm seeing it tomorrow.

So, fuck you, George. Again, you've ruined a great franchise. DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!

We watched Raiders, and followed it with Skull, and...wow. What a perfect pair. Mutt is genius, so much better than I thought he'd be. I'll be there for a Mutt sequel in a SECOND.

I'll admit that I was let down by the climax, I actually liked Stuart's climax (hell, I kind of like Stuart's script better in general, aside from really loving Mutt, and the opening--OH, THE OPENING!). But, really, being let down by the climax is par for the course for an Indy movie. What was Raiders? Oh, the Ark killed the Nazis, the end. Big freaking whoop. What's awesome is the rest of the film, and this was.

Awesome before Mutt showed up, awesome after Mutt showed up, awesome right up until the spoiler pops onto the spoiler and then the spoiler starts spoilering and then the spoiler gets spoiled into spoil and the huge spoiler starts spoiling out from the spoiler....

But let me repeat. Great film.

but if you have indy survive a nuke by getting in a fridge..

well, 15 minutes in and I told my brain to not bother caring.. obviously the roadrunner was going to appear not long after.. in fact we get a dramatic gopher who looks like she just dropped her washing.

but hey, the last crusade is a good ending for me.

Was I the only person jumping up in their seat when Ford said 'What, saucer men from Mars?' Man, I really loved that script....

Plus I hated the double/triple agent bullshit.

Someone earlier said this'll be like TPM: you like it at first, but then six months later, you finally admit it was crap. Well, dude, do me a favor. Go back and watch TPM with an open mind. That was a GREAT film. Which is exactly what you'll realize about Crystal Skull in a few years.

Those who says otherwise, just forgotten how to enjoy Indiana Jones film like they used to. And really just nitpicking.

Watching it again tomorrow, and the day after. Bring on the Blu-ray!

The good news is that for a majority of the film Ford was able to climb out of the coma he's been in for the last 19 years and resurrect Indy.

1. Iron Man

2. Indy 4

3. Speed Racer

All Time (Selected): 1. Star Wars

2. Raiders

3. Spider-Man

4. LotR: FotR

5. Iron Man

6. X-Men

7. X-Men 2

8. Indy 4

9. Spider-Man

10. Batman Begins

I like that the artifact is still RELIGOUS, as it should be. Religious from the psuedo-Mayans and religious by modern New Age UFO type people.

I don't know if that makes much sense to anyone else. Dont get me wrong it was great to see the movie. It looked great. As a matter of fact I thought everything was pretty good except the story. It was just like a two note chorus in a pop song.

All that said I would recomend it if you're a fan for sure.

The franchise has now been relaunched. Hire a good writer, make a good Mutt/Indy film, and let's have fun with this every couple years.

But please, keep Koepp and his patchworking away. The good parts of the film were those grabbed from better scripts, and I hope Lucas realizes this.

High art? Like Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN.

Actually it resembles a B-Movie saturday serial version of THE FOUNTAIN. Similar themes told in very different styles.

With the same religious mumbo jumbo. Interesting escapist stuff. That's all INDIANA JONES ever was. And it's good stuff.

Maybe that is what happened to me with Kingdom (I guess that's how we abbrievate this one right?). I gotta say plot-wise it was lacking....and yeah I am on the side of the "I want my Indy looking only for religous artifacts" but other than the Maguffin it was lacking...something....BUT hell if I didnt enjoy myself a TON watching it! It gave me a kick! It was strange...during the movie I was hooping and hollering and oohing and aahing and laughing and ...well hooping when Indy was punching out Russkies, hollering when the exploded forest crusher came hurling parts at them, oohing when Indy was trapped at ground zero of a nuclear test site with 10 seconds and counting, aahing when he came up with a great last second solution to survive said nuclear blast (and it was believeable what happened, those old fridges were steel (one thing that doesnt disintegrate or melt in nuclear blast and sealed enough that it could take the bouncing about without hurting the one inside plus protecting from radiation....ahhhh lead they just dont make enough out of it these days), laughing at the wonderful part where only a snake can save Indy from the quicksand pit and Harrison's insanely terrified reaction.

The whole chase scene...both motorcycle and jungle....were better than Raiders....the fight with the near indestructible Russian colonel was not as good but a terrific homage to the mechanic fight from Raiders. Chemistry between Ford and Allen as though this film was made back to back with Raiders. Shia (who I have found a great actor in every movie he's in....Greatest Game Ever Played anyone? Dunno where this hate comes from) was great as Mutt...not overplayed at all and though I dont want him take over INdy movies...I welcome him as a son/sidekick anytime. Blanchett's villain was a little too cerebral for me....and the way she bought it felt kinda like....even if Indy didntdo anything and just let the Russians follow their plan they would have died anyway...taken out by the aliens. But then I realized that is exactly how Raiders was. Indy started on an adventure to find something..but ended up just wanting to rescue Marion...and he lost to the bad guys and the bad guys got what they wanted...and God killed them with the Ark. So that exact same thing happened here. Cant complain there...Indy even alluded to it..perhaps remembering back on the Ark incident when he says to Strenko " Be careful. You just might get what you want."

Very mixed bag for me....gotta definitely see it again now that I know and accept the plot a la Temple....and see if with repeat viewings the plot overshadows the good or like with Temple the laughs, fun, rollicking action, character moments (love the exchange between INdy and his boss about Marcus and his dad's passing) overshadow the plot's shortcomings..... Tomorrow I'll see hahaha

Bottom line though...whether Kingdom ends up 4th behind Temple or 3rd ahead of Temple for me ALL 4 of the Indy films (and hopefully 5) FAR OUTSHINE any other action/adventure films Hollywood has given us in the last 10 years or more....and yes...INDY is back. Moreover, Harrison Ford is back! God, PLEASE let him carry this inspiration to choose better roles that he can actually not phone it in anymore.

plus my kid is gonna have a blast!

Hmm...wait a minute...this could be a trend. Maybe George decided he wanted to protect his own record and now go 2-0 on letting franchise fans down after a gigantic wait. Man, I'm going tomorrow, but I figured I'd take a peek at the Talkback. And I am NOT feeling my enthusiasm working itself up now seeing SO MANY "meh" reviews and comments...

I don't know, it's kind of funny that I felt positive about the movie, even though the alien bullshit is totally lame. Maybe I'm just giving it extra points thanks to no Sean Connery. Don't know that I've really seen Shia in anything, but he wasn't bad. Liked the character enough, even if the twist with him being Indy's son was more predictable than a Hulk Hogan legdrop.

I don't know, I guess it's the third coolest thing I've seen this week, behind Iron Man and that five minute clip of Rambo. Think I might've liked it better if it was more about Indy doing things, and less about Indy talking about doing things...and if I didn't have Mummy flashbacks, and didn't have to watch Shia as Tarzan...

Believe it or not, the majority of people don't come to the internet and immerse themselves in - and research - all aspects of a film from development to release; they still get their info from TV Spots, Press, and pre-film trailers in cinemas; people don't have your elitist "I'm in the Business Sixth Sense" mind powers of pre-judgement or snobbish attitude. Lots of people out there still decide on whether or not to watch a film based on opinion of trailers and word of mouth; to suggest people are like dogs who will 'eat anything' put before them shows immense arrogance.

Most people will see this film based on their OWN opinion of the first 3 films without being told what to think by jaded snobs such as yourself.

Oh, and remember if you really DO "work in the industry" (operating a projector or serving popcorn in a cinema don't count), then "The General Public" pay your wages.

I for one loved the shot of the flying saucer, and the Area 51 bit. But the second act dragged so much that it really annoyed me. Ray Winstone and John Hurt are totally useless in that flick, either too shallow or just annoying and unfunny.

Harrison was great. Karen Allen was great. Shia was ok. So was Cate B. The Beard's direction was ok. BUT the script was an unfocused mess and took way too many unnecessary twists and turns. Felt like a loose George Lucas cut, not Spielby's usual tight editing. But overall it was ok, not on par with Raiders, Temple or even Crusade... but a fun ride nonetheless. And the ending was moving. Bring on a fifth one with Indy Jr, pops Indy in a supporting part and a tighter script.

In the long-lost golden days of cinema (i.e. pre-computer graphics), there was always a palpable sense of threat to the heroes, which is now utterly gone, because people know they are watching CGI. You might as well just make an Indiana Jones feature cartoon.

Heavy use of CGI was probably the largest part of what was wrong with the Star Wars Prequels too (Yoda, Gungans etc etc), and audiences just simply stopped caring.

Speed Racer is the only big summer 2008 movie released so far that could even qualify as a masterpiece right now. Indy 4 just gives me bad vibes. I'll be seeing it tonight, and let you know if it really does suck or doesn't.

I saw Indy at a midnight show in the Cleveland area. And I can tell you that it was a lot of fun and that I enjoyed it. But I can also say that it's quite possibly my least favorite in the series, or that it ties for last place. The earlier reviews that bemoaned how much the first half seems like an old Indy movie, but then falls apart for the second act, were pretty much dead on. The opening exploits at "Hangar 51" (I thought it was supposed to be Hangar 18 or Area 51) and the "noo-cue-lar" test site are the stuff of Indy legend. Spielberg reintroduces our hero by dropping him right into the middle of the action--he's already been kidnapped by Ruskies who want Jones' help finding an artifact with secret powers. Within ten minutes or so, Jones is cracking his whip and punching bad guys, and literally racing both a timer and an oral countdown to avert certain death. I felt my heart quicken watching him race across the warehouse rafters, dodging bullets, and swinging through control room windows. Just great fun. Even the prairie dogs didn't bother me. And you get a glimpse of a familiar macguffin from the first Indy movie.

But then the movie seems to commit the same mortal sin Spidey 3 was guilty of. Spielberg starts giving us too many characters, and one too many ponderous sit-downs so they can discuss conquistadors and lost cities. I was okay with this, I love a good yarn--but these segments aren't gonna hold up on repeated viewings. Some of it is inventive, like when Indy and Mutt start up a classic 50s brawl in a diner between greasers and "soches." The ensuing motorcycle chase through the Marshall College campus was terrific.

But as Indy and new tagalong Mutt venture to Peru to search for Oxley, conquistador graves, and crystal skulls, things start to unravel--and not in a good way. I could go along with the "hypnosis" scene where Spalka forces Indy to glimpse at the skull so it can "speak" to him. We've seen stuff like this before in the other movies, like when Mola Ram made him drink the "blood of Kali." But Oxley's shenanigans got to be too much for me. And I was hoping for some booby traps in those grave-caves. We get scorpions, but they're benign. Some "living dead" indian protectors are introduced, but not much is made of them save for a cool reverse-blowdart moment from Indy.

The jungle truck chase was a LOT of fun, but Mutt's Tarzan impersonation drew loud guffaws from my theater audience. One guy behind me loudly moaned "Oh no" seeing Shia and the monkeys inexplicably swing their way to Indy's rescue. I was able to suspend my disbelief thus far, but that's when my "vine" snapped, so to speak, and I plummetted. Same for the Mutt-straddles-jeeps-for-sword fight sequence. It's funny at first, but goes on a bit too long. Kinda like when Short Round was stretched between two mine cars. The waterfall stuff was fun, some verbal interplay between Indy and lost love Marion was good, and very charming.

But the last act did so much to ruin everything else that came before. Here, we're presented with Akatar, a Teothichlan-esque (sp?) temple that transforms like a Michael Bay robot after Indy and Co. return the missing skull. The alien skeletons seem to reanimate, or at least one of 'em does, and a bit of extraterrestrial, or at least inter-dimensional, mayhem ensues. I guess the real problem is, you're not quite sure what the fuck is going on. Oxley suggests that the aliens have opened a portal to another dimension, but have done so as some kind of "gift" in thanks for returning the skull. Indy clearly doesn't care, and doesn't trust what's going on. He isn't given anything to say to express his trepidation; he simply motions for Mutt and Marion to get the hell out of there, and they do, as Mr. Alien Guy zaps Spalka full of knowledge, which seems to burn her up from the inside out. Again, you're not really sure.

That whole finale just seemed so otherwordly to me, even after a movie series that featured 700 year old knights, stones that glow when you bring 'em together, and an ark that zaps bad guys. I mean, here you have a temple that transforms an entire valley into some kind of giant, uh...mothership-meets-giant clock...and the thing ascends into the heavens, and not a single bit of debris strikes our heroes in the maelstrom. Indy simply takes it all in from the corner of the screen, having little else to do. SPOILER Mac dies, but you never really seem him die. And I found the double / triple agent thing annoying--Mac was an unlikeable guy the second they yanked him out of the truck. That's why it was fun to see Indy punch him two or three times during the jeep chase. Asshole had it coming.

The key to the earlier movies is, what happens at the end depends a lot on how Indy either interprets, or believes, in what is transpiring. Here, it doesn't seem to matter. It all could have happened with Oxley alone, or anyone else, meaning, indy didn't NEED to be there for much of it. Which is only driven home by the fact that he IS there, yet is given precious little to do. No darts spitting from the walls, no rolling boulders. You get some more "living dead" Indians with bolos, who chase Indy and the gang from one temple to another. These indians literally appear from the nooks and crannies of the temple walls, like Aliens. No explanation of how they cocooned themselves in there, or how long they'd been there, or what. No matter, cuz the bad guys show up and mow 'em down with machine guns, so you can chalk up a couple dozen more fatalities in that category headed "Number of Enthic / Non-White / Inconsequential Native People Deaths."

I liked the wedding at the end. Very cute and touching. Although I did feel like Marion's reintroduction was abrupt, and that she and indy reconnected a little too quickly. I mean, it's been twenty years since they were together, yet Indy takes up calling her "hon" again right away and treating her like, well, like Mrs. Indiana Jones. Marion is less a character here than a plot device used to tie Indy to Mutt. She is hardly the fiesty hellcat she was in the first movie. But I'm glad they brought her back.

I'm rambling now, but I think I said what I needed to. This was a fun, FUN movie, but not great cinema like Raiders, which I know is a near-impossible bar to surpass. Out of five stars, I give it 2.5. Or like, 60-65% out of 100. Because for the aforementioned reasons, Indy 4 really is the Spidey 3 of the saga. The Attack of the Clones of the Indy world. And that's not good!

However, Koepp's Screenplay is flat and lifeless, heavy on turgid exposition, light on common sense. The CGI sticks out like a sore thumb and it's not good cgi. The Tarzan/monkey bit (Fuck Off Lucas, seriously). The Fridge bit (Even fantasy has to have some reality to work)and a meh ending.

Fun, but uninspired.

Sillier than an inflatable raft/parachute? Sillier than a motorboat slowly getting chopped up by the propeller blades of a tanker? Sillier than a mine cart track jump? Sillier than shooting the tail of your own plane with a machine gun?

Not even close.

Oh, and the movie was a blast. 2 hours of awesome old school Indy-licious fun. Fuck all you dumb schmucks that don't agree. Good day.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't think anything can be more silly than Short Round kicking guys five times his size and Willie coming across all of those animals at once in the Indian jungle and then mistaking a snake for an elephant. It's pulp storytelling. It has a license to be silly.

"Before my daddy left this shitty world." That's classic stuff.

The UFO stuff worries me. For those who have seen it, should I slam back some brews before the movie?

Oh, and what the hell was up with that tacked-on wedding scene at the end? Marion keeps Indy from knowing about his son for twenty years and after a few goofy grins at one another, it's suddenly time to get hitched after 58 years of being a bachelor? I'd be pretty fucking pissed if I missed out on the first two decades of my son's life just because Marion couldn't be bothered to call or send a letter.

I'm hurtin' here fellas. I'm really hurtin'.

One note: Whoever thought Shia swinging through the trees with a troop of monkeys was a good idea needs a solid punch in the balls. Talking to a person like that will not do the trick. Only a solid punch in the balls will suffice.

In short, if you're an Indy fan and you have a forgiving nature, you'll get a kick out of the film. Angry nerds, line up here, because this one will give you plenty to nitpick and whatnot.

I don't get it. Other than the superficial change from a supernatural maguffin to an alien/interdimensional one, what's the big difference?

Also, go and clean up your room.

NOW, after reading a bunch of positive and negative reviews, the common complaint is the script. What a mess it is, and it seems to be random scenes patched together. Granted I'll be watching this this weekend ( adding to the record opening I'm sure ), I'll just expect major goodness from Spielberg & Co. not major greatness.

What a strange insult, scotsman75. "FRANKLIN FUCK UP U LITTLE BITCH" It doesn't even make any sense. Your anger has made you moronic. Or more moronic, maybe. All that rage is not good for your heart. At the very least, you're going to hurt your little fingers bashing away at the keyboard like that.

You said last week that you had seen a copy of this at home and were complaining about the FUCKING UFO, and how shit the movie was.

But you went to see it last night and paid for it?

You were talking pish weren't you?

You obviously had an agenda before you saw the fucking film

OH

And if you cant learn to write without caps lock off, this is probably why you dont know that there is not 27 years between 1936 and 1957, stupid cunt.

I am ashamed you are Scottish

I have not see it yet (Saturday, and I may also hate it, I dont know, but you clearly wnated to hate this from the spoilers, you are a lying fuck nut.

p.s. Yer maws goat baws and yer da's a poof

Get those caps to fuck as well, you total Ned

You are probably drinking you afternoon half bottle of bucky while you sit at your PC in a council estate and shout at yer Maw for no mkaing your dinner at the normal time.

Oxygen thief

Please do us all a favour and get in it.

Badly spelt, but I was angry, he gets the point, he is a lyer, end of...

People comparing it to the prequels, however, are over-reacting wildy. It is far better than any of those.

So I will probably like it ok

I didnt think the prequels were all that bad, just bits were crap and direction was awful, but I forgove it because its GL's own thing, its the same story he had in mind when he wrote the originals, but if he had got soemone else to write the dilaogue and direct I reckon they would have been classics, as it stands I still enjoy Sith quite a lot, I can forgive TPM in places and I fucking hate Clones, other than when Obi Wan is on screen.

Oh and Plissken, please no Haggis jokes, I am also Scottish, I am allowed to slag him off, but Scots rarely ever eat haggis, its exactly ike England but with more country side in places, same TV, same shops, same everything and Englans is very much like the States.

Thanks

I am no expert, though, and I did not stay through the credits to see if there was a listing for gopher/prairie dog/groundhog animator and/or wrangler.

Aliens and UFOs, while paranormal, are based in science-fiction, not supernatural mysticism, and thematically should have been out of bounds for an Indiana Jones story. Otherwise, why not have films like THE EXORCIST VS. PREDATOR or THE OMEN VS. ALIEN?

What more can I say, I just dont get you at all, and my posts keep cutting off half way through for no reason, so you ahve luckily missed out on half the abuse I have sent your way

Where are you anyway, I think I did offer to meet up with you in Scotland somewhere to discuss this in an Indy Jones fashion, my fist your teeth.

Fanny

But don't worry, this new Indy adventure isn't that bad. It's implausible and messy in places (kind of like the Pirates films) but still worth a watch. Ford is back on form, Shia does pretty well, and it was nice to see Karen Allen back. It could definitely have been better, but it could have been soooooooo much worse.

too those who say "you don't know how to enjoy a movie"

iron man.

fun.

now get fucked.

The monkeys were CGI, though. Unfunny CGI.

As for the movie, I think the bottom line is the script was bad, end of story. everything else, except for a few stupid gags were great, and I blame those little problems on the script. I don't even have a problem with the aliens, it's just how they used the aliens. I could go for just about anything in an Indiana Jones movie if it were done right.

Is there any chance you look like Rob Lowe?

It's also nice not to have to deal with constant quick cuts and shaky cam in action scenes.

Last time I checked, it had a fresh rating of 80 on RT. While I wouldn't give it quite that high a rating, I am not among those who flat-out say it SUCKED, because that's not true either. Yackbacker summed up a lot of thoughts in his earlier post.

It got me thinking actually...about Han Solo....I'd love to see Ford do a movie about Han...NOT a sequel trilogy with Luke and the gang, just a once off, with Han, Lando and Chewie, going off to help an old friend or something.

Maybe have a cameo from Carrie Fisher at the start. But have the focus of the movie be on an older Han...an older Han Solo spin off. And Chewie still alive dammit.

Indy IV has convinced me that it could work Granted it would never happen, and if it did, Lucas would have to step back and let someone else write and direct...but it could be awesome

Maybe when 2008 comes to a close, and they have some distance, some of the better reviewers here will admit that this movie did NOT deliver.

I'm not going to do that. Instead I will say that the previous three Indy films are old school adventure movies. They have humour, suspense, drama, romance, action, mystery, a few scares and overall, are just fun movies. Kind of like Star Wars actually. And Indy 4 is no different. I have to say though, I both love and hate temple of Doom...that movie gave me nightmares as a kid. But it's freaky awesome.

But enough about the previous films, you want to know how bad Shia sucked and what scenes Lucas ruined, right?

Well there are two downright silly scenes in the movie, one involving an explosion and the other involving monkeys. Trust me, you'll know them when you see them. But you can't blame Lucas for that, sorry. He came up with the idea for the film, but it was Koepp who wrote the script and Spielberg who directed. But don't blame anyone, just watch, have a laugh and move on to the next scene.

As for Shia...sorry to disappoint you, but he was good in this movie. My problem with Shia is that he always tends to play the hyperactive teenager who is constantly making jokes and acting jittery. He is the live action Jar Jar.

But in this film, he is great...and I mean that. The guy can act, he's funny without being over the top and he's a great addition to the "mythology" along with Short Round, Marion and of course, Henry Sr.

Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood has some great lines with Ford and she still has that smile that would make you fall in love with her while knowing if you cross her, she'll punch you in the face. My only problem was that there wasn't more of Marion at her spunky best.

The rest of the cast fill their roles well, Blanchett is a little weird but that's ok. This is a film set during the Cold War, at the height of paranoia...her character fits well into that idea. Winstone's character was wasted a little, I felt more could be done with him, and Hurt does a good job with his role even if he is out of it for most of the movie.

and then there's Ford....Harrison "you can type this s*** but you can't say it" Ford. He's older, and Indy is older and when you watch the movie, you know he's had a life in the last 20 years. He's had ups and downs, he's fought in wars, he's loved and lost and loved again. We might not have seen Indy for a while, but he's been around. And frankly, when you see Ford for the first time, he is Indiana Jones. Perhaps it would have been good to go into a little more depth with Indy's advancing years, but this isn't Rocky Balboa. It's not a swan song. It's not Indy saying goodbye. It's Indy doing what he's always done. Getting into trouble and getting out of it again.

He probably doesn't get hurt as much as he used to, which is a shame...even if he is an old man But a crack of the whip is all you need to be transported back...the an can still do it when he cares enough.

In fact, it would never happen, but I'd love to see him as an older Han Solo...not a Star Wars sequel trilogy, just a once off movie about Han.

Indy 4 is a throwback to the B movies of the 50s and you certainly feel that more towards the end. There are certain things that had me geeking out as a fan of certain subject covered in the film. Which reminds me...there's a lot of archeology talk in this one. Moreso than even Last Crusade. It's not a bad thing, but it might annoy the Church Of Bay...the ones who don't follow plots as they find them boring and take up valuable time that could be used for needless action.

The movie is also a throwback to the 80's, and specifically, Spielberg's early career. There's a Close Encounters feel to some of it, a Jaws feel in some parts, Duel in others and of course, an Indy movie feel to it. It's nice to see actions shots that are more than half a second long and don't involve close up shaky cam.

Spielberg shows you the action, he lets you soak it in and thank God for that, because there is some great action in this film. The likes of Bay and Greengrass need to watch this film...this is how you shoot action. Not with camera tricks, shaky cam and quick cuts ever half second...you just set the camera up and shoot. It's simple, it works and it's great.

The climax of the film will go over the heads of those who weren't paying attention and the subject matter may divide fans...but it's no less plausible than the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant (look out for that by the way). But I love that kind of stuff...so there :P

As I said at the beginning, Indy movies are fun adventure stories. People have said that Crystal Skull is similar in tone to Last Crusade...it certainly has a lot of humour, but there are elements of Temple of Doom and Raiders there as well.

It looks like an Indy movie...it acts like an Indy movie...it feels like an Indy movie...and dammit it is an Indy movie. And a damn good one

It's not perfect. there are two outrageous scenes and a lot of people won't like the last 20 minutes, although I did. There were a couple of loose ends left over, probably scenes that were cut for pace. I also think it's a movie you will have to see twice. There are things you will miss the first time around.

As a sidenote, it's nice to have some references and continuity with the Young Indy series...you may not register them, but they are there.

Now I suppose I have to give this movie a score...this is going to be a problem. I gave Iron Man an 8 out of 10....on second viewing I think it's a 7...and to be honest, I liked Indy IV more.

You'll notice that I haven't talked about the plot throughout the review...that's because I don't need to. And you don't need to know what it is. all you need to know is that it's Indiana Jones...now go have fun. Oh and the score from Williams is great as always.

In fact, I want another Indy movie...I want another trilogy in fact. More Indiana Jones adventures.

8/10

Not perfect...but it's a great FUN movie.

Indy 4 was a total money grab.

Look at all the poorly-rated films that have raked in disproportionate amounts at the box-office; are you seriously telling us to believe that this is because 'the public' has no taste? Or is it more likely that people went to see something on the strength of a trailer and thought, "That looks good - I'll go and see that with my girlfriend", or someone else told them it was really good and they should see it? How about kids persuading their parents to take them to see ultimately shit films? How about the casual moviegoer who just decides to catch a film on a whim? To suggest that people are one monolithic brainwashed mass who will just go any watch any old shite IS arrogance.

Let me put it like this; if I order something from a menu on a whim, based solely on a picture of the dish and I don't like the meal, does this mean I lack 'taste'? The restaurant still gets my money - does this make me worthy of scorn? Because I took a gamble and tried something new, or didn't research the Restaurant thouroughly for six months prior to going?

Argument refuted.

What'd you chumps all sign up this morning? Or maybe you're all just Merryman Lyon?

Stupid fucks. Clearly the Sex in the City movie is more your speed.

Good day.

Which was frustrating, because the personal, small moments worked and were genuinely funny and touching in places. But they were never allowed to breathe in the mad rush to get to the next scene.

They made a credible Indy film, which is a pretty big achievement in some ways, but it felt to me like less than the sum of its parts.

God, those big special effects were stupid. I'm so tired of Lucas' big waterfalls (we saw enough of those in the prequels) and the annoying, soft-focus-y green-screen halos around everyone.

My feeling at the end: now that we have this great cast assembled, let's take them on a plausible adventure without the mountain of CGI junk!

I was 7 or 8 when "Raiders" was released, but my parents didn't take me to see it. Guess they weren't interested, or whatever. Despite being a big "Star Wars" nerd, I totally missed out on the Indy experience. Never saw any of the sequels, and only had a vague idea of what the series was about.

I grew up into a cinemaphile, but the Indy series continued to elude me until a few years. At the age of 31, I rented all three movies and watched them back to back. At the end of each one, I shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Okay, well, that was cute, I guess."

I understand that I missed the cultural moment, but those of you who are complaining about the new movie being ridiculous, poorly written, soulless, and cartoony seriously need to take a step back and re-examine those original flicks. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was so cartoonish and silly that I half-expected Elmer Fudd to come tip-toeing onscreen and say, "Shhh... I'm hunting awcheowogical awtifacts."

Just off the top of my head, the basket-chase scene with Marion being carried off and Indy chasing her--it's like something from a Popeye cartoon. Or how about Indy outrunning a two-million-ton boulder? (And can anyone answer why he didn't just take a step backwards when he first saw the boulder coming down and let it roll *in front* of him?)

I could go on and on with this stuff, but you guys see what I'm getting at. I understand that the silliness is part of the charm, but the characters are extremely thin, the plot points are impossibly coincidental, the romance is cheesy, and the "action" is practically slapstick in its execution. In short, without the nostalgia to fall back on, these movies are pretty goofy.

All that is to say, it's just idiotic to expect some sort of spiritual, ecstatic experience from the new flick. These were throwaway films to begin with; they just happened to strike at the right time, and became iconic through no particularly outstanding merits of their own.

I hope the new film does well. I likely won't see it until it hits DVD, but I love Harrison Ford, and it would be nice if Spielberg were encouraged to do more fun movies. But get a grip, people. Enjoy it for what it is.

Rocklover, don't tell your father anything. Let him walk into the movie cold. It's not YOUR fault that a film is what it is--or isn't. There's enough of a "family theme" in the movie to make your dad happy to be seeing it with his daughters. In a way, the movie could be called "Indiana Jones and His Instant Family," and you'll see why. The little bit of charm that this movie does have comes from that aspect of it. All the sci-fi shit is gonna continue to divide fans. You'll either love or hate that element of it. The rest, especially the beginning act, is "true" Indiana Jones.

Don't tell dad anything! While the film is not the "Great Cinema" that was "Raiders," this new-era atomic age Indy IS A FUN RIDE, and internet haters shouldn't cause you or anyone else to fret without seeing it yourself first. Because it IS WORTHY of your paying to seeit at the show. Enjoy it for what it is!

No Matter. I'm seeing it again tonight with the kid, AND I'M LOOKING forward to doing so. I'm immune to the hate! NICE TRY, LAO CHE!!

I got pretty slammed for my review when I first posted it, but it seems that it represents the consensus here. Praise and apologies to me ;-)

It's full of hate and vitriol, but the haters also seem to be significantly challenged by grammar, spelling, courtesy, and overall apparent intelligence (I'll give 'scotsman75' and '0101' as examples). Therefore, I think I still have a shot at liking it.

My points still stand. It was the Indy movie you were dreading. It should have been a billion times better than that.

WHY WAS THE KID SWINGING THROUGH THE JUNGLE?

Uhhhh Indiana Jones is Immortal... or did we forget the last movie ever happened?

I totally agree that the movie was simply a "get the gang back together movie." There were WAY too many salutes to the other movies.

What was the point of the crazy guy?? He was HORRIBLE! Seemed like a Homage to Herman Toothrot if you ask me. BTW Shia would be a great Guybrush Threepwood... but a TERRIBLE INDY REPLACEMENT!!

The problem here is that the anticlimactic climax leaves a bad taste in people's mouths, and they remember the film being worse than it was. Go see it again, and you'll be expecting the ending, and you'll appreciate the rest of it MUCH more, I promise you.

All in all, I am at peace with this film joining the Indy canon.

When I walked out of "Serenity" (similar type of adventure film), knowing nothing about Whedon or Firefly, I was buzzing. That is because the film I had just experienced was exciting, funny, well-directed and -written with a great hero and a great villain. I had similar experiences with "IJ & the Last Crusade," granted through kids lenses.

My point is, you know in your gut whether a film really works for you and it doesn't help to try to intellectualize it and talk yourself into appreciating it, if it didn't give you that gut feeling right off the bat. I'm not sure KOTCS has those kind of chops.

http://tinyurl.com/6ntoyl

Darabont's script had Indy's brother in it. I remember the last time a major franchise introduced a character's brother in a sequel. It was Star Trek V and I wanted to die. To my knowledge, Darabont's script has never leaked, but I wouldn't read it if it did.

Kasdan, Hyuck and Boam all knew and helped define and strengthen Indy's character. Keopp didn't have the skill to stay completely true to this character. In fact, Keopp completely breaks character more than a few times (eg, during the FBI interrogation; when he almost wet himself at seeing Marion for the first time; or defining the difference between quicksand and a mudhole as he sunk). Indy would go back and forth from telling-off the Russians to aiding & abetting them. There was also much left unexplained and confused: why the cemetery guardians were there; Ox's happiness towards Indy marrying his wife; the murderous and God-complex-wearing trans-dimensional archaeologist aliens; how Indy got back in the good graces of Marshall College, etc., etc.

The screenplay was extremely bloated, inconsistent and uninspired.

I'm wishing they had rebooted the franchise with Nathan Fillion and stayed in the 1920s or 30's serials.

And po'warriorII is now po'warriorIII?

LOLZERS!!!