History Fridge / IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull

* The fact is, after 50+ years of having adventures around the world searching for relics of different cultures, getting involved in espionage in two world wars and witnessing first-hand the power of three[[note:though one of the items is in two of the religions]] major religions, the only thing that could possibly surprise Indiana Jones by this point in his life would '''have''' to be aliens (and having a son he never knew about).

* The fact is, after 50+ years of having adventures around the world searching for relics of different cultures, getting involved in espionage in two world wars and witnessing first-hand the power of three major religions, the only thing that could possibly surprise Indiana Jones by this point in his life would '''have''' to be aliens (and having a son he never knew about).

* It took me a bit to reconcile the fact that Indy was going after aliens rather than religious artifacts. But then I remembered that The Indiana Jones series was meant to be a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930's. Pulp stories from that era was often based on magical artifacts and ancient legend. The 1950's saw a new fascination in outer space. So this story, set in the 50's, is reflective of 50's pop culture -- with a focus on the Space Age and visitors from other worlds. It also shows a clear contrast with the villains in the previous films - the Nazis collected religious artefacts because they believed God was among their side. The Soviets were, in theory, an atheist society. They'd be less inclined towards religious artifacts and more on scientific and psychic phenomenon.

* It took me a bit to reconcile the fact that Indy was going after aliens rather than religious artifacts. But then I remembered that The Indiana Jones series was meant to be a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930's. Pulp stories from that era was often based on magical artifacts and ancient legend. The 1950's saw a new fascination in outer space. So this story, set in the 50's, is reflective of 50's pop culture - with a focus on the Space Age and visitors from other worlds. It also shows a clear contrast with the villains in the previous films - the Nazis collected religious artefacts because they believed God was among their side. The Soviets were, in theory, an atheist society. They'd be less inclined towards religious artifacts and more on scientific and psychic phenomenon.

* The opening of KOTCS opens with a MatchCut as the Paramount logo transitions to a mole hill. This is a reference to the saying "Make a mountain out of a mole hill", which means making a huge issue over a minor point". And that's ''just'' what happened! Fans got worked up over this tiny detail, in a manner not unlike the scorn the StarWars prequels have had.

* To many, Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast is a Wall Banger already being known as "Nuking the Fridge". To me, if he had merely gotten in and survived, I would have thought the same. The fact that the fridge was flung through the air, while everything else was disintegrated, and that he came out with barely even a bruise, just tells me that this is RefugeInAudacity.

** Also, he's a living embodiment of what Indy scolded the whole crowd for: an archeology student who spent so much time in the library, he didn't even register the weirdness of a bizarre real-world event because he had his head buried in books.

* After watching the last crusade for the first time, I immediately noticed that Indy drank from the holy grail, an act that can heal fatal wounds as shown with his father. Even if such an act does not grant immortality to Indy once he left the temple/cavern/thing, I would have been disapointed if Indy did not have an upgrade, and KOTCS actually shows us an Indy over 50 years old who is not only still in good shape, but can also shrug wounds, even if said wounds are radiations: it is not an AssPull, it is a ChekhovsSkill from the previous episode.

*** Which is Fridge Brilliance for the film itself. Indy is very much a pulp action hero, and pulp action heroes pretty much died out after World War II, replaced with metaphors for this new horror humanity had unleashed upon itself (in B-movies and television serials). Ancient gods and magical artifacts went out of fashion after humans split the atom. Indiana Jones, in this film, is a man who has outlived the era he was made for. Indiana Jones silhouetted against a mushroom cloud is viscerally showing that the world has moved on without him, and he and the kinds of stories he works in don't fit anymore, which is the film itself. . . it's all an ill fit, entirely by design.
** The opening of KOTCS opens with a MatchCut as the Paramount logo transitions to a mole hill. This is a reference to the saying "Make a mountain out of a mole hill", which means making a huge issue over a minor point". And that's ''just'' what happened! Fans got worked up over this tiny detail, in a manner not unlike the scorn the StarWars prequels have had.
*** Actually, every Indiana Jones movie has started that way, with the Paramount logo turning into something else.
*** But using a mole hill for the match cut must have been some sort of a reference to that saying. Almost like Lucas and Spielberg were egging on the haters.
** On the other hand, isn't Indy immortal because he drank from the Holy Grail?
*** No. Both Sir Richard (the knight that left his pal to guard the Holy Grail, and was entombed in Venice) and Henry Jones Sr also drank from it, but they still died. My guess is that drinking from the Holy Grail just heals you quite fast and keeps you healthy for some time, as well as extending your life.
*** Half true. All three crossed the seal, so they lost their immortality.
*** He's probably still trading stories at the retirement home with Paul Edgecomb from ''Film/TheGreenMile'' to this day, though.
* It took me a bit to reconcile the fact that Indy was going after aliens rather than religious artifacts. But then I remembered that The Indiana Jones series was meant to be a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930's. Pulp stories from that era was often based on magical artifacts and ancient legend. The 1950's saw a new fascination in outer space. So this story, set in the 50's, is reflective of 50's pop culture - with a focus on the Space Age and visitors from other worlds.
** It also shows a clear contrast with the villains in the previous films - the Nazis collected religious artefacts because they believed God was among their side. The Soviets were, in theory, an atheist society. They'd be less inclined towards religious artifacts and more on scientific and psychic phenomenon.

** ...My mind. You have just blown it.

** Although, in Last Crusade, Indy had acknowledged the contradictory nature of his teaching vs. practice, as the passage to the tomb of Sir Richard was marked by a giant "X", despite his insistence that [[RealityIsUnrealistic "X never, ever, marks the spot.".]]
*** An "X", moreover, which he discovered ''in the floor of a library''.
** In KOTCS, the gold coins in Orellana's tomb is shown to be magnetic, something that gold is absolutely ''not''. However, it's entirely possible that those coins weren't actually ''pure'' gold, since mixing copper into "gold" coins was common in 16th century. Copper ''is'' magnetic, so it's likely those impurities that allowed the skull to attract them.
*** Mutt does mention that gold is not magnetic, which is something that clues Indy and Mutt to the fact that the crystal skull is far more strange than what they thought.
*** And copper is not magnetic.

** Or maybe anthropologists?

** The Ark only goes after those (good or bad) that look into it. Since no one had the time to it as they were so busy chasing the new MacGuffin, the worse that could happen would be the warehouse burning down in Holy Fire.

* After watching the last crusade for the first time, I immediately noticed that Indy drank from the holy grail, an act that can heal fatal wounds as shown with his father. Even if such an act does not grant immortality to Indy once he left the temple/cavern/thing, I would have been disapointed if Indy did not have an upgrade, and KOTCS actually shows us an Indy over 50 years old who is not only still in good shape, but can also shrug wounds, even if said wounds are radiations: it is not an AssPull, it is a ChekhovsSkill from the previous episode. -- Nixou

*** Which is Fridge Brilliance for the film itself. Indy is very much a pulp action hero, and pulp action heroes pretty much died out after World War II, replaced with metaphors for this new horror humanity had unleashed upon itself (in B-movies and television serials). Ancient gods and magical artifacts went out of fashion after humans split the atom. Indiana Jones, in this film, is a man who has outlived the era he was made for. Indian Jones silhouetted against a mushroom cloud is viscerally showing that the world has moved on without him, and he and the kinds of stories he works in don't fit anymore, which is the film itself. . . it's all an ill fit, entirely by design.