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Official Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Rottenwatch/Reviews

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A

AniHawk

Member
Ignatz Mouse said:
Man, I love Last Crusade. I think it's the best Indy film.
Click to expand...

I thought so for a long time too. I was a kid when I first watched all three. When I watched all three a week ago, there's no doubt Raiders is superior in my mind. Last Crusade's definitely the funniest one in the series though, and probably the most family-friendly.

Raiders: 10/10
Last Crusade: 9/10
Crystal Skull: 8/10
Temple of Doom: 7/10

goes my ranking.
 
B

BobFromPikeCreek

Member
AniHawk said:
Why? The movie takes place in South America. The only films he appeared in were when Indy was in the Middle East.
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They could have worked him in there somehow. He's one of the best characters of the series, and they couldn't fit him in somewhere?
 
F

Flynn

Member
AniHawk said:
Why? The movie takes place in South America. The only films he appeared in were when Indy was in the Middle East.
Click to expand...

He could have flown in on an A-bomb powered refrigerator. The gophers would have broken his fall.
 
I

Illuminati

Member
Foreign Jackass said:
There's absolutely nothing in that interview that suggests his script would have been interesting.
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Anything would have been more interesting. An Indiana Jones fan-fict with cats, gay sexual innuendo, and Jack Bauer written by GAF would have been more interesting.

Ugh, I am so emotionally distraught right now.
 
I

Illuminati

Member
AniHawk said:
:lol

Your avatar makes this perfect.
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I'm serious. It's like the Phantom Menace all over again, I seriously cannot comprehend how many things could have possibly gone so wrong. It's like every worse case scenario has come to fruition. I knew I should have left the movie theater 2 minutes into the movie when the first CG gopher popped out of the ground. It was a warning sign of things to come and I ignored it.

My feelings right now are best summed up by The Big Lebowski:
The Dude: Look, nothing is fucked, here, man.
The Big Lebowski: Nothing is fucked?
[shouting]
The Big Lebowski: The god damn plane has crashed into the mountain!
Click to expand...
 
M

MightyHedgehog

Member
Really, you feel that way? It's not a prequel in the canon that fundamentally changes everything going forward in the series, at least chronologically. This is just old Indy not being as good as young Indy...at least, that's the way I view it. No fucking midochlorians here.
 
W

woodchuck

Member
my dad is one of those people who doesn't really have an opinion about movies. he just watches movies to pass the time, not to critique it or anything. i saw the first 3 movies with him when i was kid so we decided to watch this one as a father-son bonding thing.

the first thing he said when the credits rolled was, "that was a terrible movie".

it's not even things like the aliens and stuff. i dont give a shit about that. it's just all of the unnecessary scenes that were included and also the scenes that should have been included. and the dialog was on par with SW Episodes 1-3. nothing seemed natural. from the acting to the dialog to the plot, everything just seemed rushed.
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
I thought this movie would be shit until I read Roger Ebert's review. My views align with his a lot of the time, and from the non-spoiled parts of his review, I was convinced it'd be a worthy entry into the series. Then he wrote a blog post and called out all the critics who didn't like it -- to hate Indiana Jones you would have to be a cold-hearted person!

Well, I didn't hate it, but I was very disappointed in it. Thanks, Roger :(.

Raiders: 10/10
Temple of Doom: 8.5/10
Last Crusade: 8/10
Crystal Skull: 7/10
 
H

Herpes Reasons

Banned
i just saw it at the Americana earlier today. I compare Crystal skulls to Collosus at Magic Mountain. A great fun, and nostalgic ride. But not comparable to today's rollercoasters.
 
J

joshlee

Member
MightyHedgehog said:
Huh?
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I was trying to get across the point that if you wanna see a movie this weekend then this is the movie to go see.

but if you only see one movie this summer, this isnt the one. I agree the wording is kinda muddy. i'll try and fix it.
 
J

joshlee

Member
Speevy said:
Wow, you had to link to that?

You should have created an entire website based upon that gigantic review.
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I'm actually just starting the blog. and the whole purpose of the blog is to provide short reviews that contain no spoilers.
 
L

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
viakado said:
i just saw it at the Americana earlier today. I compare Crystal skulls to Collosus at Magic Mountain. A great fun, and nostalgic ride. But not comparable to today's rollercoasters.
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But which of today's rollercoasters is better than this? Mummy Returns, Sahara, Fool's Gold, National Treasure 1&2?

Truth of the matter is, that despite some problems, this is the best adventure movie of it's kind since the last Indy movie, 15 years ago, and by some good margin. First Mummy and Romancing the Stone were probably the only other two decent movies in this genre, that have been made in the meantime.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
neight said:
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.
Click to expand...

Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the better movies ever made. Not that it was all that serious, but it was not some giant parody either. It has nothing to do with the series being serious. The feel of a 1950s B movie is not something any 100 million dollar budget film should ever aspire to, and if it accomplished that goal then it deserves a fair amount of ridicule.

I am a bit conflicted with the movie right now. It is battling with Temple of Doom for being the worst in the series, but it managed to have some of the best sequences in the entire series. It also managed to have a few of those gymnastic raptor battle moments that made you lose a bit of respect for the entire series. It was nice to see Harrison put in a great performance for the first time in several years.

At the moment of the
Nuke explosion
any concept of a believable universe was lost on me with this film. Then you have the
monkey sequence
where I just threw my hands up. Not to mention the
library interaction with the student
. The series has never been realistic, and there has always been comic relief moments that pushed the limits of probability, but those three moments in particular pushed it so far that the universe went beyond fantasy and into the realm of something you would see in a Naked Gun movie. And there were 3 or 4 other moments that also went beyond the more goofy aspects of any other Indiana Jones film. It is a lot like the Lost World in that it diminished the entire franchise with its existence. Unlike the Lost World though, it is still an enjoyable film.
 
S

SCULLIBUNDO

Banned
MutFox said:
Just saw the movie...

The best movies are the odd numbered ones.
So Indy 5 will be awesome, if it's ever made.
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What?

I think you'll find that more often than not it's the third chapter in any series that is the worst.
 
M

MutFox

Banned
Scullibundo said:
What?

I think you'll find that more often than not it's the third chapter in any series that is the worst.
Click to expand...

So you're saying Indy 2 and 4 are better than 1 and 3?

Also and 1 and 3 had Nazi's. :D
 
dem

dem

Member
Watched it tonight... hadnt followed the movie or its reviews at all.

It was.. ok.

Better than Temple of Doom at least :p
 
F

Futureman

Member
The part where the alien ship takes off is by far I think the most impressive CGI I've ever seen. That was a really beautiful shot with Indy and the gang standing there and the sun was setting.

Some really, really great parts, and some very mediocre parts as well. Enjoyed it overall.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Futureman said:
The part where the alien ship takes off is by far I think the most impressive CGI I've ever seen. That was a really beautiful shot with Indy and the gang standing there and the sun was setting.

Some really, really great parts, and some very mediocre parts as well. Enjoyed it overall.
Click to expand...


That was a great shot.
 
L

laserbeam

Banned
I Enjoyed the movie. The only gripe I have versus the other movies is the artifact and not even what it is. Leaving the hteater I felt perplexed to really what was the purpose of the skull.

All the other movies the artifact be it the Ark or the Holy Grail it was very well laid out why the bad guys wanted it and it in fact could do what they wanted.

The Skull is
said to be some super weapon as far as mental ability goes
but at the end it seems really that it couldnt do what the Russians wanted it for.

I just felt the Skull really wasnt laid out as well as the other artifacts. The Nazis wanted the Ark simply because legend said no Army lost that had the ark with it.

The Holy Grail imparted Immortality on those who drank from it.

The Skull did pretty much nothing in the end other then let us see a
UFO
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
A bit of a tangent question. Perhaps this was a false story, but I thought I'd heard at some point that the reason Spielberg wasn't involved in any Star Wars in a major way (particularly in not directing Return of the Jedi) was because it would be a problem for him due to Lucas's conflicts with the Director's Guild. Yet this didn't stop them from repeatedly forming the same collaboration under the same company in the Indiana Jones films. Was "director's name at the beginning of the movie" the only thing holding Spielberg away from ROTJ?

mrkgoo said:
except not once did they say that the darts were double dipped. That's an assumption made by the audience. What makes people think they are double dipped? I'm pretty sure a non poison dart in the back of the throat is not healthy regardless.
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It's not like the back of the throat contains something vital like the heart or brain, though. If there was no poison involved I'd think the appropriate reaction would be to react with great pain and try to pull it out.
Squeak said:
Only in trashy sensationalist pop archeology are the two connected:
Click to expand...
20080526tspa.jpg

Scullibundo said:
I found it funny in the Cannes Q&A where he mentioned that people had only been asking for sequels to Indy, and not to A.I or Hook. :lol

Is it wrong that I would be there day 1 for a Hook sequel?
Click to expand...
Heh, I could go for that. You saw Peter Pan with 30 extra years under his belt... now how about 30 more!?
MaverickX9 said:
Maybe they'll make it a prequel? Set it in 1953 or something.
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Ha, things would be getting a bit ridiculous, no?

Raiders: Ford plays an Indy ~1 year younger than he is.
Doom: Ford plays an Indy ~4 years younger than he is.
Crusade: Ford plays an Indy ~5 years younger than he is.
Skull: Ford plays an Indy ~7 years younger than he is.
"Indy '53": Ford plays an Indy 14 years younger than he is?

MightyHedgehog said:
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.
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She'd already driven by and given an approving look, so she had planned it out. Though actually planning on that to work so well is a bit crazy itself.
Spectral Glider said:
I dunno if I believe this or not, but how about Stargate > Crystal Skull?
Click to expand...
danielskull.jpg
 
Scarecrow

Scarecrow

Member
I don't think I've ever heard the word "mcguffen"(sp) used more times than in discussions about this movie. It's like everyone discovered a new vocabulary word. :lol

How do the Young Jones adventures stack up to the movies? I might want to check them out.
 
B

BrodiemanTTR

Member
Scullibundo said:
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
Click to expand...

Well how about that, GAF. I come in here for the first time to ask about the chances of ever reading the long-lost Darabont script and boom, it's already being discussed. Hey maybe that can be the artifact for Indy 5, the movie's own script. Experimental cinema.

EDIT: "It's not the mileage, it's the years" would have been GREAT. D:
 
M

Mdk7

Member
Got to see it at the very first show on the 23rd and man i have been disappointed eventually.
The script is kinda lame and worst of all IMHO the movie is VERY lacking from the adventure point of view: where the fuck are all the (booby) traps, the ancient tricks, the risk factor and and so on?
Uber-MEH.
 
K

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
Gary Whitta said:
That's a great review, and it still only hits about half of the things that were broken about this movie.
Click to expand...

What you said.

I...man I just don't dig this movie. It's easily the worst in the series for me.

This is another case of "be careful what you ask for..." Some things should just be left alone. Just leave them the fuck alone. =(

On the bright side, on the pre-movie thing, there was a short preview for Quantum of Solace, which make the trip worth it before the movie even started! :D
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
Scarecrow said:
I don't think I've ever heard the word "mcguffen"(sp) used more times than in discussions about this movie. It's like everyone discovered a new vocabulary word. :lol
Click to expand...
Yeah. I've heard the term before, but never in such density! I'm not sure if the crystal skull is unimportant enough to be what I'd have previously thought of as a MacGuffin, though. As Wikipedia says,
The element that distinguishes a MacGuffin from other types of plot devices is that it is not important what the object specifically is. Anything that serves as a motivation will do. The MacGuffin might even be ambiguous. Its importance is accepted by the story's characters, but it does not actually have any effect on the story. It can be generic or left open to interpretation.

The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is all but forgotten by the end of the film.
Click to expand...
While the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail actually did end up having important effects of their own, that wasn't the case for the first 90% of the movie. The skull, however, was actually used as an important tool a few times.

20080526macguffin.jpg

How do the Young Jones adventures stack up to the movies? I might want to check them out.
Click to expand...
A related question. I know that the form they're commonly available in now is changed from the hour-long format they were originally in. It seems that coupling together unrelated hours of television into "feature film length" would seem really forced, especially done to an entire series. Is that the case?
 
S

Squeak

Member
JoshuaJSlone said:
20080526tspa.jpg
Click to expand...
:lol
Ok, I guess I was asking for that, what I meant was tabloid trashy. At least the Indy series tries to start off with facts and then elaborate from there. For example, the brief view of Indy's classes, where he is actually teaching real archeology (Neolithicum in the first movie).

The aliens in KotCS is just pure X files. That kind of Aliens fad passed 10 years ago, which is reportedly where the idea for the movie was first sparked.
 
U

UpperCaseN

Member
Major letdown. A week ago I was giddy as could be, but after seeing this, I'd rather that they didn't even make the 4th one and had left it alone.
 
H

hteng

Banned
there is too much CG, they've overused it seriously, the old films doesn't have CG but instead rely on clever camera angles and technics, it felt more realistic and fun, especially the last crusade, the part about the cliff, i was so blown away when i first saw it and it still amazes me till this day.
 
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