Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by ernie

Saw it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

While the last 15 minutes were unfolding I was thinking to myself that it was a little over the top in terms of story. But while watching the credits I sort of thought "well was Raiders and The Last Crusade anymore believable? Any less far fetched?" Well not really...it's just that those story lines had the beginnings from Christianity and I think we are more accepting of those stories because of our exposure to those stories.

I was going to post my review and then Ernie read my mind and posted exactly what I was going to post.

I liked the movie and I will probably buy this one as well.

[Antithesis]

Loved it. Can't believe there are people saying that it's too far-fetched; how are the other ones not far-fetched then? Either they all are, or they all aren't.

Have to admit to not being thrilled with the Crystal Skull as plot device ... I mean I know they exist and all that, but it just didn't catch my attention - didn't seem to be as "grand" a quest as the other ones.

I actually out loud went "No!" when the thing at the end with Shia happened ... thank God it didn't go the way it looked like it was going to ...

[Got Miikka?]

Enjoyable movie for a hungover rainy Sunday afternoon. Praying to god they don't extend the franchise with LeOeuf taking the reigns.

Question: what in the blazes are "the spaces in between the spaces?"

[Sample00]

saw the show last night.

during the first 15 minutes, I leaned over to my wife and said, "I sure hope this gets better". I thought the acting was not all that great.

The movie proceeded to get better until Labeouf showed up. Tough kid/Labeouf is sooo not working. personally I would hope there is a better choice for someone taking over the Indy role.

I thought the movie got better but the story line was a bit weak.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

Enjoyable movie for a hungover rainy Sunday afternoon. Praying to god they don't extend the franchise with LeOeuf taking the reigns.

Question: what in the blazes are "the spaces in between the spaces?"

Other dimensions... duh.

Spoilers...

I wasn't terribly impressed... I didn't think they'd be able to match the first 3 (largely due to Ford's advanced age). There were a few plot holes I wasn't a fan of... they kind of went nowhere with that psychic-warfare ability the Russian chick was supposed to have. She shorted out an electrical box once and that was the last we saw of her powers (as far as I could tell) within the first 10 minutes of the movie. It also felt like the whole movie took place either on a college campus or in the jungle... usually in Indiana Jones there's a few more locales to give you a 'globe-trotting' feeling.

Also thought aliens was a poor way to go... should have stuck with religious themes. I give it a 7.5/10. LeBouf was actually better than I thought he'd be.

[driveway]

spolier alert.

What a steaming, wet, festering pile of cow dung this film is. Jesus H. tapdancing Christ it was bad. Bad from top to bottom. Mediocre acting, lame-tacular plot, inapropriate special effects.

I mean, what the hell is Indiana Jones doing surviving a nuclear blast? In a fridge? Are you kidding me? And aliens! What the damn hell George Lucas? George Lucas has become one of the horsemen of the apocalypse - probably pestilence, the one that turns anything it touches into a festering pile of, well ... I'm digressing.

Plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, a near total lack of Indiana Jones treasure-hunting and clue-solving, Shia LeBouf as the weakest, girliest tough kid I've ever seen, and frigging aliens. ALIENS!

Yes Raiders and Crusade had far-fetched plots, but at least they were loosely grounded in actual legend and myth. Indiana is at his best when going after objects of great religious significance, not frigging Atlantis-in-the-jungle. And what the hell was with the tribe waiting in the ruins? Like, they just hang out in those little hidden wall-compartments in the off-chance that someone stumbles onto a secret city that has been lost for five-thousand years? You'd think they'd maybe move on to doing something else with their time, wouldn't you?

Oh well, at least Temple of Doom isn't the worst Indiana Jones anymore.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

^^^^ so you didn't like it??

[driveway]

Nah dude, loved it.

[JD]

Originally Posted by driveway

Oh well, at least Temple of Doom isn't the worst Indiana Jones anymore.

It never was!

But while I enjoyed the movie, the alien plot bothered me too. The ark melting faces and high priests of ancient cults ripping out hearts always seemed somehow plausible, but the aliens flying off just begged of a huge eye-rolling.

[Russic]

Saw it last night. Gets a big old 'meh' out of me.

I'm not religious in the slightest bit, but I kind of liked the religious tones to the other movies. I can appreciate them and get behind them. The rest of my comments in spoiler white:

Aliens? are you f'n serious? When we were leaving my wife turned to me and said "crazier things have happened in an indiana jones movie" ... i'm not totally sure they have. The UFO at the end was just too much for me. It also didn't help that the skull being carted around for 2 hours looked like cheap plastic.

Fun stuff, but I can't say it fits anywhere near my list of favorite action movies (even over the last couple years).

[J pold]

So I am in this strange place…**Spoilers**

I went on this on the weekend but I haven’t seen any of the other three so I don’t know how to judge this movie

If all the other films are as fantastical than it was an alright movie, but even I thought the Alien thing was a bit much

It was a pretty good movie up the point of Shia LeBouf swinging from vines that’s kind of when things started to go south for me

But my one friend who is a huge Indiana Jones fan said it was the second best one, right behind Raiders

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by J pold

It was a pretty good movie up the point of Shia LeBouf swinging from vines that’s kind of when things started to go south for me

***SPOILER***

That and the waterfall scene kind of ruined it a bit for me. You can go down three consecutive waterfalls and come out nary a broken bone? C'mon!

[Igottago]

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I'm not tripping over myself to get to the theatre judging by some of the clips I've seen, and reviews.

I don't think suspension of disbelief has anything to do with quality of film, as some of you suggest. A poor film is a poor film, there are plenty of unrealstic movies that are quite well made and enjoyable. Then, there is just crap. Sounds like this movie falls in the latter category. Doesn't suprise me, anything associated with Lucas has become quite a joke now.

[Coach]

I just saw it last night. I thought it was pretty good. It was entertaining. What I think people lose sight of in these types of movies is theyre just supposed to be good fun. No one said anything about them putting together a completely beleivable story. But for the most part it was. Yes the waterfalls and Leboeuf swinging through the trees was pretty ridiculous. But cmon. I'm not expecting a Citizen Kane story when I pay my 12 bucks for a movie like this.

[driveway]

Originally Posted by MattyC

What I think people lose sight of in these types of movies is theyre just supposed to be good fun. No one said anything about them putting together a completely beleivable story.

Spoiler alert.
You're right, I don't expect a completely believable story. What I do expect is a story that holds together in the world that story creates. Once-established conventions need to be followed, or the film falls apart.
Places that Crystal Skull falls apart include:
KGB agents running loose in a paranoid 50's America. An america that is SO paranoid that Indy loses his proffesorship and his college campus is having an "anti-red" rally (thatKGB agents chase him and Shia Lebouf through).
A highly magnetized crystal alien skull that sucks gunpowder through the air and drags even non-magnetic metals along the ground behind it - yet can be thrown from metal car to metal car with ease.
A Highly magnetized crystal alien skull - 'nuff said.
A triple-crossing MI6/CIA/KGB tracking-device dropping treasure-hunting boob who, somehow, knows he's "going to be okay" when he gets sucked into the dimensional-portal-space-ship. If he's such a self-interested capitalist, why isn't he trying to get the hell out of there?
A dimensional-portal-space-ship.Indiana Jones survivng a nuclear test-blast in a lead-lined refrigerator (minor cuts and bruising)
Opportunistic locals NOT scavenging Shia's motorcycle for parts.
Computer-animated gophers.
etc. etc. etc.
Entertaining films can be good films, they can even be great films (Lord of the Rings, Batman, Ghostbusters, The Matrix), expecting a film to be both entertaining and competently made is not "asking too much" of a movie. Settling for a film that is merely entertaining is just that, settling. Staggeringly bad film. Can't say enough bad things about it. Avoid. Save your money. Don't give the studios money for this garbage. We deserve better as a movie-watching public.

[CMPunk]

Huh, I guess I enjoyed it cause it was entertainment. I try not to worry about minor plot points and enjoy the movie as a whole

[alltherage]

***SPOILERS IN WHITE HIGHLIGHT TO READ***

Wow... I don't know what to say. I enjoyed the movie, but religious icons are way cooler than friggin aliens. I know Lucas and Speilberg are both obsessed with space and aliens and stuff, but this was uncalled for in an Indiana Jones flick in my opinion.

[rubecube]

***SPOILERS****

On another not about the giant plotholes, if you needed the skull to get into the temple, how the hell did the conquistadors get in there in the first place, and how did they just manage to take a head off of an alien in a room full of 13 highly-evolved aliens and make it out alive?

[OutOfTheCube]

Honestly, I thought the 'National Treasure' movies were better.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Honestly, I thought the 'National Treasure' movies were better.

Nicolas Cage is...he's just awful.