History YMMV / IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: A common complaint of its disappointed viewers. Some long-term fans feel the shift away from supernatural/fantasy elements towards sci-fi and aliens was a move too far, as the 1950's sci-fi films being homaged in this film have aged ''very'' poorly in comparison to the two-fisted adventure serials referenced by the classic trilogy.
* VindicatedByHistory: When it was first released, ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' was reviled by many audiences for its deviation from the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, with its introduction of aliens and the infamous "Nuke the Fridge" scene singled out as being especially egregious. Over time however, the film has seen its reception improve substantially. This is due in part to the higher understanding of the film's stylistic choices as homage to classic '50s Sci-Fi genre films. Such elements, once seen as disrespectful to the original trilogy, are now understood as being intentional especially since ''Temple of Doom'' was also deviating from the other movies in terms of tone, plot and claustrophobic location. Complaints about the overuse of CGI have also been nullified as this is a common practice in modern day films pointing out the hypocrisy. People have also begun to appreciate the elements of the film that were positive in the first place, such as the reunion of the cast and crew of the original trilogy, notably Marion as well as Indy's growth and development with his newfound family. ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' has truly become better received with times and is now seen by many as an entertaining entry in the franchise. The divisive nature of '' Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'' certainly helps making people appreciate this movie for ending on a happier note.
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* OneTruePairing: There is one aspect of this movie about which pretty much everyone can agree, and that is that Karen Allen's return (and spot-on performance) as Marion Ravenwood is ''AWESOME''. [[spoiler: And is made even better by having her and Indy married at the end, especially given they were by far the most popular pairing of the franchise]].
* OvershadowedByControversy: While most discussions on the film among fans center on the fridge and alien scenes, the film is hard to bring up in latino communities without the wild inaccuracies being brought up into conversation too, as the film became controversial in those regions for the widely dated and ignorant depictions of Perú being too many to ignore for a movie made as recent as 2006.

* CommonKnowledge: Contrary to popular belief, the beings in this movie are not aliens; they are inter-dimensional beings. This distinction is reinforced by Harold Oxley crucially mentioning the "space between spaces," highlighting their existence beyond conventional dimensions.

* HarsherInHindsight: However you feel about Mutt's character, his presence at least brought his parents, the most popular pairing in the franchise, back together. ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'', taking place 12 years later, reveals [[spoiler: Mutt has since died in Vietnam, causing his parents endless grief that eventually lead to their separation.]]

* HesJustHiding: A theory about Henry that grew that the time was that [[spoiler:the next movie would reveal he was never dead]] and an article also said they were trying to convince [[spoiler:Sean Connery to return for the fifth one as well and that Henry would indeed have been FakingTheDead if he did agree to return]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Connery's passing in 2020 at age 90]] now has everyone thinking the character did indeed die here after all.

* {{Narm}}: The scene where Indy survives a nuke by hiding in a fridge. Needless to say, ''a lot of fans'' weren't willing to suspend their disbelief ''that'' much.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: While many were miffed at the whole reveal that the MacGuffin was more sci-fi than supernatural and feeling it was a pull away from the original films, some criticism levied against the movie was that it was ''too'' similar and pretty much follow the same beats as ''Raiders...'' and ''The Last Crusade'' (even ''Fate of Atlantis'') i.e.: Indy and his small group against a bigger military organization, the race to get to the target place before the bad guys and the bad guys being done in by what they were seeking. Yes it's traditional and likely a throwback, but many felt like it was just a copy and paste of those stories, only moving the timeline to the 50s and dealing with Soviets, with really the only original thing being Indy learning he has a son and reuniting with Marion. Heck, some reviews even ''praised'' the sci-fi twist because it at least tried to shake up the formula, and only argued there wasn't much explanation about the creatures and the sudden reveal being the reason why it leaves such a bad taste in a lot of fan's mouths, whereas in the previous films we get to learn about the [=MacGuffins=] in question during the adventure.

* OneTruePairing: There is one aspect of this movie about which pretty much everyone can agree, and that is that Karen Allen's return (and spot-on performance) as Marion Ravenwood is ''AWESOME''.

** The crystal skull and the story about returning all 13 of them to some place for... something. They even mention Mitchell-Hedges. What they don't mention is that the four well-known RealLife skulls are now proven hoaxes, as is the story of the 13 skulls. Though the first examination to prove this happened in 1967, a decade after the film's setting.

** The crystal skull and the story about returning all 13 of them to some place for... something. They even mention Mitchell-Hedges. What they don't mention is that the three known skulls are now proven hoaxes, as is the story of the 13 skulls. Though the first examination to prove this happened in 1967, a decade after the film's setting.

* CommonKnowledge: Contrary to popular belief, the beings in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" are not aliens; they are inter-dimensional beings. This distinction is reinforced by Harold Oxley crucially mentioning the "space between spaces," highlighting their existence beyond conventional dimensions.

* VindicatedByHistory: When it was first released, ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' was reviled by many audiences for its deviation from the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, with its introduction of aliens and the infamous "Nuke the Fridge" scene singled out as being especially egregious. Over time however, the film has seen its reception improve substantially. This is due in part to the higher understanding of the film's stylistic choices as homage to classic '50s Sci-Fi genre films. Such elements, once seen as disrespectful to the original trilogy, are now understood as being intentional especially since ''Temple of Doom'' was also deviating from the other movies in terms of tone, plot and claustrophobic location. Complaints about the overuse of CGI have also been nullified as this is a common practice in modern day films pointing out the hypocrisy. People have also begun to appreciate the elements of the film that were positive in the first place, such as the reunion of the cast and crew of the original trilogy, notably Marion as well as Indy's growth and development with his newfound family. ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' has truly become better received with times and is now seen by many as an entertaining entry in the franchise.

* MagnificentBitch: [[TheBaroness Dr. Irina Spalko]] is a KGB agent and colonel of the Soviet Union, seeking the CrystalSkull and Temple housing it. Kidnapping Indiana Jones, she forces him to help locate a crate in Area51, which he does but manages to escape. To lure Jones back, she kidnaps Mary and Ox, then allows Mary's son Mutt to deliver the message to Jones. After the duo find the Crystal Skull, she recaptures them and has him assist in deciphering [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Ox]]'s riddles, before the heroes escape once more. Battling Jones' team through the dangerous Amazon, Spalko avoids the fate of several of her men killed by the jungle dangers, before finally catching up to Jones and returning the Skull to its rightful place where she is given the knowledge that she sought. Cunning and deadly but extremely respectful to her adversary, Spalko is among the most formidable of villains that Jones has ever faced.

** The original script for ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' from 1982 featured Marty [=McFly=] surviving a nuclear blast in a fridge-time machine, in order to return to the present. This was scrapped because it was too expensive to pull off, and there were concerns that kids who watched the movie might climb into abandoned refrigerators to "play Marty." If that sounds at all familiar, it's because Spielberg was also executive producer of that film, and also used the idea in an earlier version of the script in the earlier years of the franchise that was later adapted into this movie.

* VindicatedByHistory: When it was first released, ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' was reviled by many audiences for its deviation from the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, with its introduction of aliens and the infamous "Nuke the Fridge" scene singled out as being especially egregious. Over time however, the film has seen its reception improve substantially. This is due in part to the higher understanding of the film's stylistic choices as homage to classic '50s Sci-Fi genre films. Such elements, once seen as disrespectful to the original trilogy, are now understood as being intentional especially since ''Temple of Doom'' was also deviating from the other movies in terms of tone, plot and claustrophobic location. Complaints about the overuse of CGI have also been nullified as this is a common practice in modern day films pointing out the hypocrisy. People have also begun to appreciate the elements of the film that were positive in the first place, such as the reunion of the cast and crew of the original trilogy, notably Marion as well as Indy's growth and development with his newfound family. ''Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' has truly become better received with times and is now seen by many as an [[SoOkayItsAverage entertaining entry]] in the franchise.