Support NeoGAF

[lsslave]

The original three were supposed to have the same feel as Republic serials. This new one is supposed to have the feel of 1950s B movies. Some of you are elevating the Indy movies to something they never were. If you want a more serious Indy you're actually going to have to look towards the Young Indiana Jones tv series.

Yeah, I seem to recall they are quite proud of the cheesiness, nostalgia is getting to people...

Star Wars was the epic, Indy was for fun

 

[woodchuck]

one thing i loved about raiders was the cohesiveness of the plot. this movie jumped from scene to scene, and i was like what the fuck. how did they get here.

for example, they go to Ox's prison cell. indy realizes ox is mentioning the spanish explorer's resting place.

then they cut to some random cemetery. how did he figure out where the grave site was if he didnt even know the guy got out of the amazon? who were those random native guys that attacked them at the grave site?

and wtf was the point of the nuclear explosion?

all this has probably been mentioned before, but i havent been keeping up with the thread

 

[Game-Biz]

I thought it was is was decent for an action flick, but for an Indy flim? Damn. I was expecting more.

I cringed when Marion flew off a cliff and a fucking tree saved everyone. Ef you, Lucas. EF YOU.

Shia was the best thing about this flim. Yeah, I said it.

And I REALLY, REALLY want to see the scripts that Lucas denied, claiming that they weren't to his damn satisfaction. Either they were pretty fucking terrible, or they were great, but they didn't have the over-the-top bullshit that only gives Mr. Georgie L the good belly laughs.

I did like it, though...I just had high expectations.

 

[Game-Biz]

That gif makes me want to buy the whole Young Indy series. Seriously.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

That movie had some serious fuckin issues. Here's a review I found that sums up my feeling pretty well.

I said I'd hold my judgment until after a second viewing. I saw it again yesterday afternoon. Here's what I think

First of all, I enjoyed it more the second time, but this is a deeply, DEEPLY flawed movie. And the funny thing is, I'm not even sure that Lucas is the one to blame for it. I know that blaming Lucas is both popular and understandable in light of the prequels fiasco (though, for me, Attack of the Clones is by far the biggest offender of the bunch for too many reasons to mention here), but trying to foist the problems of this movie entirely onto the shoulders of Lucas simply isn't fair or accurate.

The main problem with this movie is the script ... and that is a hell of a problem to have on a movie, when you think about it, because it is ultimately the root of EVERYTHING you see on screen. It might be reasonable to blame Lucas for forcing this particular Macguffin and storyline on the latest installment, but it really not the primary problem. Instead of just glossing over that claim, let me try to explain why.

First of all, for everyone who is saying Aliens don't have a place in the Indy universe, I understand. I'm not going to argue about their plausibility in comparison to the Macguffins of previous films. The fact of the matter is that, as someone else has pointed out, all three previous films revolved around supernatural mysteries rather than paranormal ones. That is why the Shankara stones have never bothered me beside the Ark and the Grail. The paranormal "mystery" of this one doesn't fit into the same category as the originals.

That having been said, there is no rule that says Indy's universe can't support both the supernatural AND the paranormal. It might take some getting used to, but I could accept that addition to the Indy mythos. The alien storyline is not the real problem here. Nor is it the real difference between this movie and the others.

In my opinion, here is the crux of the matter: In all three previous films, the Macguffin was imbued with supernatural power at some point in the ancient past and it has carried that power down to the modern day. The objects conjured in the viewers mind a link to an unseen source of immeasurable power that we can't even understand. If someone can imbue a golden chest with the power to wipe a small army off the face of the earth thousands of years after it was created, or imbue a stone with the power to give life and prosperity to an entire village, or a cup to heal all wounds and sustain life eternally, how much greater in power must the source of the object be than the object itself? It gave everything a sense of weightiness and, oddly, a simultaneous sense of both immediacy and antiquity.

And this brings us to one of the major flaws of the new movie. Not that the artifact is alien in nature, but that the Aliens show up. Imagine if, after Indy drank from the grail and found that he had "chosen wisely", Jesus showed up. It would have totally changed the tone and quality of the film. That intangible off-screen power that subtly makes the adventure greater and grander than the sum of its parts just appears on-screen, becomes tangible, and makes the adventure exactly the sum of its parts. The original films all carry an intangible sense of wonder and mystery in one way or another. This movie had that same opportunity but opted instead for the "show-em-everything" approach ... and that simply is not what happens in an Indiana Jones movie. That alone is enough to change the entire tone and resonance of the film and pull it right out of the universe created by the rest of the series.

This choice is possibly the biggest sin in the entire script, but it certainly isn't the only one. So I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about what else this script got unforgivably wrong.

First of all, the Jeep chase had the opportunity to be one of the best action sequences of the series, but it killed itself almost before it got started. As someone already mentioned, the choice to blow up that giant tree-cutting monstrosity was nearly unbelievable. That thing alone could have sustained an entire action sequence that would have surpassed the finished product we currently have in the film. By that isn't the worst of it. The Jeep sequence still had mountains of potential ... and for a while, it seemed like that potential was going to be realized.

When I saw that shot from the trailer, where the Jeep full of Russians is riding alongside Indy's amphibious vehicle and they're shooting at him, I started to get excited. Here, finally, we had classic Spielberg style. And, more importantly, we had classic Indiana Jones style. When Indy jumped from one vehicle the other and started pounded on the Russians I got a big ol' smile on my face. Here, finally, was Indy ... and this was going to be great.

And then something strange happened. After wailing on the Russians for a few seconds, Indy jumps into the front seat and start driving the Jeep. And then he drives some more. And then he drives some more. And then he looks on proudly as Mutt fights some people. And then looks on proudly again as Mutt has a sword fight with Spalko across the distance between two vehicles. And then he looks on proudly as Mutt continues the sword fight with Spalko as a series of CGI plants continue to hit him in the nuts. And that's pretty much all Indy has to do during the entire chase sequence except for those first few promising seconds.

WHAT. THE. HELL?

Finally the cars come to a stop and the ant sequence starts. Indy's running and gets tackled by the big guy standing in for Pat Roach. The big fight is about to start ... and here come the man-eating ants! The movie is about to combine two trademark Indy elements: A fight scene with a much bigger opponent and arguably the most dangerous of little nasty creatures so far. This has excitement and jeopardy written all over it. And then what happens? They effectively nullify the threat of the ants with a crystal skull forcefield causing the ants to give them a wide berth. What were they thinking?!

That setup had the opportunity for greatness, with a massive fight scene moving around the set, constantly trying to avoid the ants, each one constantly being on the edge of falling into them. And a great way to end the fight that would have been in character for Indy would be to have the Big Bad Russian on the verge of falling into the ants and having Indy instinctively trying to save him but ultimately failing.

As it was, the fight itself was decent, but it was barely a shadow of what it could have been. I would understand and accept if this was the result of Ford being in poor shape or physically limited by his age, but I don't buy that excuse for a second. Ford looked to be in top shape and his physical work in this movie is every bit the equivalent of his work in the others. If he could pull off what he DID do in this movie - which he did without me even once questioning it because of his age - he could have easily pulled off the physicality of a much better sequence.

Next problem: The Dialog. I honestly can't recall the last time I saw a movie with so many examples of completely unnatural and out-of-character dialog. I completely agree with the people who say that Harrison Ford really showed up for this movie, ready to play Indy again. The problem is that when he showed up he was handed a script by someone who didn't know how to write Indy ... or Marion ... or meaningful dialog for anyone else really.

Almost more than anything else, this weakness pulled me right out of the movie several times. When speaking to Jim Broadbent at his home, Indy says, "I never should have doubted you my friend". The addition of "my friend" on the end of that statement just screamed "I'm reading a line". Take off those two words and it would have been fine. Leave them in and you're suddenly forced to remember that you're watching a movie of people saying stuff that was written for them beforehand.

Another example. When Indy first finds the crystal skull in the tomb of the conquistador he looks at it and says, "un...believable". You can almost hear "wait for it" in the pregnant space that is unnaturally inserted into the word. It slapped me in the face and took me out of the movie again.

But the thing is, there is another problematic line just seconds earlier when he he looks in the body wrapping bag, discovers it's the conquistador and says, "It's him. It's (insert name I forget) himself." The inclusion of "himself" seems unnecessary and incredibly unnatural. Now, it's difficult to say if this is entirely the script's fault or Ford's reading of the line as well, but it is certainly Spielberg's fault for not getting another take. Ultimately, I suspect all three are at fault.

Another problem is with the pacing of the dialog. There is more than once that someone unnaturally pauses their dialog to allow for some visual cue to catch up with them.

Two examples off the top of my head are very close together in the Restaurant Exposition scene which leads into the Motorcycle Chase scene. First Indy points out some Russian agents to Mutt in the Restaurant, the agents come over, say something threatening, Mutt pulls his switchblade, and Indy says, "Nice try kid, but I think you just brought a knife to a gun fight". There's nothing wrong with the line itself. The problem is that it actually goes, "Nice try kid, but I think you just brought a knife ...." (Indy looks up at agents, camera switches to agents with hands under coats, agents show guns) "... to a gun fight." The pause is so forced and unnecessary that it's hard to believe it got past Spielberg during the initial shooting, much less during the editing process.

Then, just a few minutes later, the same type of thing happens again. When the motorcycle chase goes through the library and Mutt and Indy fall and slide along the floor, a student asks Indy a question as he's climbing back onto the bike. He answers and then says, "If you want to be a good archaeologist, you need to get out of the library." Except it actually goes, "If you want to be a good archaeologist ...." (Indy a Mutt ride out of camera, camera angle changes, Mutt and Indy ride into camera as the drive away) ".... you need to get out of the library." It's ridiculous. Nobody does that. Having people interrupt their lines between camera setups just screams "fake" and your suspension-of-disbelief is shattered.

The other problem are the ridiculous and apparently meaningless contrivances. At one point Indy says that he has to return the skull to the temple but that nobody else has to come. When asked why, he says, "because it told me to." What? Because it told you to? Apparently he's telling everyone else they don't have to come because he thinks it's going to be dangerous, possibly fatal, but the only reason he needs to get this job done is because the object "told him to". This isn't the black sleep of Kali. He does have control over his own mind and actions. The script doesn't give us any credible reason why he needs to return the skull to the temple.

Shortly thereafter, they all enter the hidden opening that leads to the temple and Mutt points out that the torches on the wall are fresh and have just been used. Why? Why does he tell us that? The script never addresses why it is that they should have been fresh and just used. I doesn't seem that it could have been Oxley who just used them, since the story seems to imply that it's a been a little while since he was here. And if it is to imply that Oxley had just used them, I again ask, why? We've already been explicitly told that Oxley has been here, what's the point of subtly hinting at it? It's a meaningless statement and detail that goes nowhere.

Another example of poor writing, in my opinion, is the piece with the retracting stairs. Good idea. Well executed up until the end ... where it falls totally flat. The scene makes a big deal of the fact that they got stuck on the stairs as they retract, unable to get all the way down. It focuses on their feet as the last few inches of stair retracts into the wall and they scramble not to fall, scared of what's about to happen, and the stair is gone and they fall ... 4 or 5 feet into the water below. Why on earth were they so scared to fall 5 feet into water as though death was imminent? The script could have had them make a narrow hair-raising escape from a long fall, or actually given them a long, uncertain fall into the water below. They could have even used this to kill off Mac with one of the spears in the water on which you say other impaled bodies instead of his empty, derivative and throw-away death later. But no, the script chooses the path with the lease possible emotional impact. No hair-raising escape. No uncertain fall. No shocking death for one of the characters. Just a low-impact, 5-foot fall into a kiddie pool.

I think I've dealt enough with the failings of the script, so I'll just briefly mention the other major problems with this movie, which I think have been touched on by others.

There is a horrendous overuse of indoor sets standing in for outdoor locations. It gives an unreal feel to the whole thing. There is so little use of natural light in this movie that you never get the gritty, globe-trotting feel of the other movies. The cinematographer did this film a great disservice by giving it all a soft glow that kills the realistic, real-world, gritty feel of the rest of the series. The opening scene with the race is just about the only one in the whole film that looks like it was shot by Slocombe. That's probably because it was just about the only one shot in real sunlight. As soon as they get to the warehouse, everything has an unreal feeling to it, with artificial lighting and stylized backgrounds. This overuse of sets contributed to some horrible direction and camera work that consisted of far too many close-ups, giving you a sense that the characters were never really in the locations where they were supposed to be in the story. All in all, it made this movie feel like Spielberg and Lucas challenged themselves to make this movie on an indie movie budget, but without any of the inventiveness and ingenuity of good indie filmmakers. And they weren't helped any by a script that always seemed to opt for the most unoriginal and derivative way to handle and given scenario.

This movie may eventually grow on me with several viewings, and I may learn to overlook its numerous faults, but it will never be on par with any of the originals. There are just too many inexcusable and incompetent choices that should not have gotten past the brainstorming stage. The best we can hope for is that they Spielberg and Lucas will read fan responses, accept the reasonable criticisms, learn from their mistakes this time around, and give Indy one more proper and fitting send off. I really want to like this movie, but they have made it very hard. It's not that it's a bad movie by normal standards. It's just that it's not a good movie by Indy standards. I'm not that I'm looking for the second coming of movies. I'm just looking for something cohesive that retains the FEEL of the originals, the integrity of the characters, makes sense and has natural sounding dialog. Surely that's not too much to ask.

Sorry for the extreme length."

 

[border]

Can somebody tell me the name of an old 50's serial that has anything as ridiculous as the Tarzan sequence (complete with monkeys attacking the villain for no reason) or the nuclear escape?

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

See I disagree. I think re-unification of the crystal skull in the chamber just sets off fantastical events like the opening of the Ark does. I think either a lot of people are confused, or either I'm very mistaken. When we see the heads around the room doubling up and eventually taking the shape of the living, breathing alien; that isn't actually happening - that is simply what Spalko is being forced to see as a result of her gazing into the skull. The fantastic event similar to the opening of the Ark is that the UFO takes off. There are no actual aliens, it's just an event that was set to happen under pre-determined circumstances - no different than if the grail were to be removed from the temple or that people would take a trip to michael jackson town if the Ark were opened.

 

[Vgamer]

I just got back from seeing it. Overall I really enjoyed it. It was nice seeing an Indiana Jones movie on the Big Screen again. Sure some of it was over the top but overall I think it was worth the money for the ticket.

 

[Sanjuro]

Can somebody tell me the name of an old 50's serial that has anything as ridiculous as the Tarzan sequence (complete with monkeys attacking the villain for no reason) or the nuclear escape?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewez12VyqQ

 

[Spectral Glider]

Just saw it, and overall, meh. Didn't like the beginning, didn't like the ending and there was only a few good things in between. And I really hated the doofus that kept yelling, "Jonesy!" Indiana Jones and the Keeper of the X-Files.....blah.

 

[woodchuck]

i would bump up my rating of the movie from bad to meh if sallah was at the wedding

 

[Gary Whitta]

That movie had some serious fuckin issues. Here's a review I found that sums up my feeling pretty well.

That's a great review, and it still only hits about half of the things that were broken about this movie.

 

[mint]

i literally laughed my head off when the aliens popped up near the end, especially the ufo beaming away. seriously. this movie..the producers were freaking stoned while making this.

 

[AniHawk]

I haven't taken the time to actually keep up with this thread, but somebody a while back did point out that Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and it won 4 other Oscars. Raiders was a VERY good film in its own right, regardless of what the inspiration for the character was.

It's hard comparing any film within the series to Raiders, part of the reason Temple of Doom was initially hated and is still considered the black sheep of the series. Last Crusade's a lighter version of Raiders. Crystal Skull is a sort of combination of Last Crusade and Temple of Doom.

Siskel and Ebert did a review for Return of the Jedi (in 1983) and said something pretty interesting, that the movies told a simple story, but they were stories that never had the level of production that was put into Star Wars (part of the reason the prequels failed so hard was that they tried to be series and explain everything that didn't need to be explained).

Raiders is like the original Star Wars series. It's a pretty simple story with a high production value, and it deserves all the praise it gets. There still isn't anything in the genre it created that stands up to it except maybe the films in its own series. It's a great, great film, and it sets out what Spielberg and Lucas set out to do.

The original three were supposed to have the same feel as Republic serials. This new one is supposed to have the feel of 1950s B movies. Some of you are elevating the Indy movies to something they never were.

Yeah, pretty much. I think a lot of people were expecting another Raiders-alike (like Last Crusade) or something. I'd read enough background stuff about the movie to know what to expect.

Spoiler

I can't believe people didn't like the ants. The deaths there were so awesome, and it made the fight with the big burly Soviet guy a lot more suspenseful.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Just thinking about the supporting characters in the Indy universe and how they've all changed when given a chance to come back a second time...

Sallah got turned into a bumbling fool in Crusade as compared with his affable, intelligent, and well-connected excavator in Raiders. This kinda annoyed me a lot when I saw Crusade the first time, actually.

Also in Crusade, Brody got turned into Dudley Moore in Arthur...a drunken mess that had no resemblance to his previously just-retired and more distinguished-feeling rival & friend to Indy in Raiders. (Yeah, I know he wasn't that way in the very early present day scenes, but he wasn't ever back to normal once he left America to meet with Sallah.) How the fuck did Brody ever go on these dangerous adventures in the first place? He was totally out of control though he did provide a few laughs in the tank fight scene.

Marion got simplified to almost nothing in Skull, as compared to Raiders where she could really lay into Indy with attitude. Age mellowed her out that effectively after having not seen each other in years and years?

The cool and intelligent group of characters that Indy surrounds himself with just don't exist anymore.

Also, why did Indy think a newly lucid Ox was able to find help out in the middle of a jungle despite having just gotten away from the Russians minutes earlier?

Actually, I just remembered that Brody does start to sober up at the very end of Crusade...so scratch that although it was a hell of a change for the character to go from what he was to pure comic relief. I suppose it was the stress of being captured by the Nazis and betrayed by longtime museum donor Donovan.

 

[Spectral Glider]

Marion got simplified to almost nothing in Skull, as compared to Raiders where she could really lay into Indy with attitude. Age mellowed her out that effectively after having not seen each other in years and years?

Hey, come on now, nobody drives and drives and drives and runs a truck off a cliff into a giant tree like the great Marion. And of course she's going to mellow, because Indy said none of the other girls were her. And she gets that stupid look on her face that says, "Oh, Indy, he's so dreamy, I think I'll write about him in my diary tonight!" Really, Marion, is that you?

I have to stop there, because this will just set me up for ranting and raving about everything I did not like about this movie and I think a bunch of it has already been said.

 

[shuri]

The Nuclear escape has topped the cgi ninja fights from Blade 2 and Pierce Brosman surfing in Tomorrow Never Dies as some of the most movie-watching experience breaking moments of my life.

 

[Archer]

Last Crusade > Crystal Skull

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Yeah, the off the cliff and onto the tree bit was just out of nowhere. She must've gotten some psychic premonition that they'd be perfectly safe if she would just keep going straight off of a fucking sheer cliff. She practically lead-foots it over without any indication of fear or apprehension. In fact, I seem to recall her wearing a dazed and goofy smile.

Anyway, I still liked the movie even if it's crazy random. :lol Koepp was just stitching all of these disparate set-pieces into one barely cohesive thing. I get this image in my head of Lucas demanding a stream of changes to each draft, eliminating anything that might maintain some semblance of unifying logic from scene to scene.

 

[AniHawk]

Last Crusade > Crystal Skull

Duh

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I always imagine Lucas' orders to those serving under him as coming across like Lrrr from Futurama.

Stop! Drop down! Increase speed! REVERSE DIRECTION! Prepare for landing...

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Last Crusade > Crystal Skull

Let's get this thread moving in the right direction.

The Mummy > Crystal Skull
National Treasure > Crystal Skull

 

[Phoenix]

Let's get this thread moving in the right direction.

The Mummy > Crystal Skull
National Treasure > Crystal Skull

Sadly IAWTP..... I can't believe how far the franchise fell with CS.

 

[Archer]

Let's get this thread moving in the right direction.

National Treasure > Crystal Skull

:lol

It's true.

On the other hand, Harrison ages very, very well.

 

[laserbeam]

LOS ANGELES - Indiana Jones unearthed box office gold at domestic theaters with a performance that puts the film on track to become the second biggest Memorial Day movie opening ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Including Thursday's receipts, "Indiana Jones" was expected to collect $151 million over five days, slightly behind "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" which took in $153 million with a partial Thursday included.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Let's get this thread moving in the right direction.

The Mummy > Crystal Skull
National Treasure > Crystal Skull

 

[NotWii]

The Nuclear escape has topped the cgi ninja fights from Blade 2 and Pierce Brosman surfing in Tomorrow Never Dies as some of the most movie-watching experience breaking moments of my life.

That was Die Another Day.

Tomorrow Never Dies was actually good!

 

[Flynn]

The Nuclear escape has topped the cgi ninja fights from Blade 2 and Pierce Brosman surfing in Tomorrow Never Dies as some of the most movie-watching experience breaking moments of my life.

Don't you talk shit about Blade 2.

 

[AniHawk]

That was Die Another Day.

Tomorrow Never Dies was actually good!

It's so sad how the Brosnan Bond movies declined so dramatically from GoldenEye to Die Another Day. The only positive in each one was Brosnan himself.

 

[Spectral Glider]

Let's get this thread moving in the right direction.

The Mummy > Crystal Skull
National Treasure > Crystal Skull

I dunno if I believe this or not, but how about Stargate > Crystal Skull?

 

[SickBoy]

I didn't care for the Mummy. Don't know if I'd place it above the Crystal Skull.... I thought the movie was OK... I feel bad for all the people who were sooo hyped up for it, though. I felt pretty uneasy about it after watching the trailers, so I went in with really low expectations.

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I went in with really low expectations.

Same. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it.

 

[Christopher]

The Mummy movies were really good fun movies! I was expecting the Indiana Jones movies to be like The Mummy Movies only way better - and I ordered the box set from amazon wooo!

 

[ProfessorLobo]

The Mummy movies were really good fun movies! I was expecting the Indiana Jones movies to be like The Mummy Movies only way better - and I ordered the box set from amazon wooo!

Are you saying you've never seen an Indiana Jones movie?

 

[Illuminati]

That movie has raped my childhood. Once again Lucas does it again and ruins his franchise. My head is about to explode in anger right now.

 

[Spectral Glider]

The Mummy tried like heck to be all three of the original Indy movies rolled into one with adventure, horror and comedy. It was OK, but I remember initially being disappointed when I first saw it. I'd have to give it a serious watching again (it's been awhile) before I can claim it's better than Skull.

 

[AniHawk]

That movie has raped my childhood.

:lol

 

[Illuminati]

Seriously, how did Speilburg approve of this shit? Did he do this movie just to get Lucas off his case of handing him scripts over and over again so he didn't have to keep rejecting them?

I was crying by the end of the film. Not tears of joy, but tears of infinite sadness.

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Isn't The Mummy 3 coming out this summer too?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

IAs a personal matter, I'm really getting furious with Hollywood's move to completely replace real sets and stuntwork with green screens and computer hackery. I have no problem with CG as an art form, but Indiana Jones is precisely the type of series it should NOT be abused in. Here, we see just what this latest movement can destroy.

One of my biggest beefs. The car/cycle chase near the beginning was great, but the jungle chase left me cold, because the CGI was very obvious. I've always been somewhat sensitive to it-- it stands out to me when other people don't even notice-- but it was particularly bad in the jungle.

While the movie was somewhat fun, this, the flat performances and the sloppy script all made it a solid B- movie for me. It did at least live up to my hope that it be better than Temple of Doom.

 

[BorkBork]

Watched it last night, thought it was below average. Slept on it, movie's even worse in my mind now. There was just nothing positive that made it memorable for me. At all.

I gotta go back and watch the previous three to see if my standards have changed or if it was just nostalgia that made me think they were good from beginning.

 

[Flynn]

Great review from David Denby.

Ford, now sixty-five, is still playing Indy, but he can’t be described as a man relaxing into middle age. He’s in great shape physically, but he doesn’t seem happy. He’s tense and glaring, and he speaks his lines with more emphasis than is necessary, like a drunk who wants to appear sober. In the earlier movies, Indy was often surly, but his scowl turned into a rakish smile—he dared you to think he was afraid to do something, and then, before you had quite registered the dare, he raced away and did it. Ford combined swagger with charm, and he was quick; he moved as if he had steel springs in his legs. He rolls and jumps well enough in “Crystal Skull,” but his hostile unease in some of the dialogue passages is a real killjoy.

And, despite the greater flexibility of digital, Spielberg isn’t able to create the awed anticipation and tensions of the earlier films: the entrance-to-the-tomb scenes are pedestrian and unscary. Karen Allen turns up again, but her reunion with Ford is a sexless dud—a disappointment for older fans and probably a puzzler for people who have never seen the earlier movies. Blanchett should be the sexual aggressor here. You expect her to make a pass at LaBeouf (a trial that would test any young man), but it never happens. Reckless daring is what’s missing from “Crystal Skull.” The movie leaves a faint aura of depression, because you don’t want to think of daring as the exclusive property of youth. There must be a way for middle-aged men to take chances and leap over chasms, but repeating themselves with less conviction isn’t it.

Some highlights for those allergic to reading.

 

[border]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewez12VyqQ

Sean Connery did Tarzan serials? Cool.

But anyway, it makes sense for Tarzan to swing on vines and have his monkey buddies attack foes. But Mutt has no jungle navigation experience nor any monkey friends.....so the Crystal Skull sequence is still far more absurd.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CPzDjaA03ts

Holy shit, for those of you who hate the film and hell, even those who love it - you have to watch this video. It had me crying when

Spoiler

George starts singing to Spielberg over the phone that he has notes about the dailies

.



:lol :lol :lol

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I dunno...I'm certainly not envious of the folks who hate this movie. I'm as big an Indy fan as anyone, but somehow managed to come into the film with lowered expectations and despite my disappointment with the film even then, I still like it. It's like Raiders is this fluke and everything afterward has been a relatively failed attempt to recreate that magic. Kind of like spinning plates, the Indy films could easily lose control over the different things they're trying to juggle. Doom lost a few to the floor, and Crusade maybe lost one or two during the exchange from left to right and back again. Even in the aftermath of Skull dropping all but one plate, somehow the consistency of its failures makes for a kind of entertainment that I can derive enjoyment from.

 

[Illuminati]

There must be a way for middle-aged men to take chances and leap over chasms, but repeating themselves with less conviction isn’t it....

It's called getting Sylvester Stallone, which is now apparent , who can write better scripts then Lucas and not ruin franchises from the past. Oh that was sad to write down.

 

[DaMan121]

He’s tense and glaring, and he speaks his lines with more emphasis than is necessary, like a drunk who wants to appear sober.

Eh, I agree the first meeting with Spalko Ford was very painfull, overacting WAYY too much.. I was very worried at that point, after that, it was all spot on imo.

Karen Allen turns up again, but her reunion with Ford is a sexless dud

Agreed, but then again I dont want to think about nearly 70 years olds having sex. While Indy was still Indy, Marion was toned down agreed, but it made sense as she was a mum for the last two decades.

Blanchett should be the sexual aggressor here. You expect her to make a pass at LaBeouf (a trial that would test any young man), but it never happens.

Urgh. Blanchet is hot, but Spalko is pretty horrid characture, and totally lifeless. I think one of the corpses they discover in the temple had more of a chance with Mutt than Spalko.

Mummy > Crystal

The bike chase sequence >> The Mummy.. and I liked The Mummy.

Edit:

Spoiler

Speaking of the bike sequence, I loved the bit where Mutt is smiling, pleased with himself, looks back at Indy not impressed that the baddies just decapitated Brody's statue - echoing a similar scene in Crusade.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Here's an interview with Frank Darabont where he talks a little about his script for Indy 4.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8dakdQP6DTU&feature=related

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

For all my problems with the movie, I liked the Tarzan thing in concept (terrible CGI though).

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I dunno...I'm certainly not envious of the folks who hate this movie. I'm as big an Indy fan as anyone, but somehow managed to come into the film with lowered expectations and despite my disappointment with the film even then, I still like it. It's like Raiders is this fluke and everything afterward has been a relatively failed attempt to recreate that magic. Kind of like spinning plates, the Indy films could easily lose control over the different things they're trying to juggle. Doom lost a few to the floor, and Crusade maybe lost one or two during the exchange from left to right and back again. Even in the aftermath of Skull dropping all but one plate, somehow the consistency of its failures makes for a kind of entertainment that I can derive enjoyment from.

Man, I love Last Crusade. I think it's the best Indy film.