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Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

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lurkingheretic Since: Dec, 1969
#1: Nov 24th 2010 at 10:04:17 PM

Please forgive the newbie if this has been done before. I'm one of those folks who hated the film—actually 'hated' is a strong word here. It just irritates me that it played like a fanfic writer wrote it. Indy and Marion get back together! Indy has an estranged son—a hot young mini-me who can carry on the adventures without Indy having to settle down! There's the warehouse where they keep the Ark, remember the Ark?! Snakes...didn't see that coming! A chase with cars and motorcycles—more cars, more motorcycles! Indy in the 50's—transporting a favorite hero into an entirely alien setting! Booby-trapped temple, with scarier booby traps! The whole family, together again!

I didn't expect something groundbreaking, but the whole thing seemed terribly predictable to me. I realize 'Fanservice' has a different meaning here but...what is the correct word for obvious pandering to a reader's/viewers most basic and obvious fantasies? My beef with Crystal Skull is that it had way too many of these, making it that strange beast—a reassuring adventure movie.

Tromes Lord British Since: Aug, 2010
Lord British
#2: Nov 24th 2010 at 11:33:50 PM

I wasn't so pleased with this film, probably because I don't remember it being as creative or innovative (and I had only seen parts of Temple of Doom prior to watching this film).

The most you get for creativity is the fridge scene. :U

SPEED UP | MISSILE | DOUBLE | LASER | MULTIPLE | ?
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#3: Nov 25th 2010 at 1:20:36 AM

IMO, at least half the hate is Hype Backlash. I watched it, and while it wasn't up to the standards of, say, Raiders...it was at least as good as Temple of Doom. I caught more than a few moments where it was obvious everyone was trying too hard to duplicate the magic of the first three films, but in the end I mostly enjoyed myself.

Note: the aliens were something we can all blame George Lucas for. The rest of the original creative team (Steven Spielberg and Larry Kasdan) fought him tooth and nail on this point.

That said, I liked the concept of updating the world 20 years; it was certainly better than putting Harrison Ford in pancake makeup and asking us all to believe he hadn't aged a day since 1989. Subbing in "commies" for "Nazis" was a nice touch, and bringing back Marion Ravenwood (who I think all can agree was the best Indy love interest) wasn't a bad decision.

The script suffered, and the infamous "fridge scene"...well, we could have done without that. Again, I think everyone involved was trying too hard. But it wasn't the terrible movie a lot of people say it was.

edited 25th Nov '10 1:21:17 AM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#4: Nov 25th 2010 at 4:10:45 AM

^ Hey, the fridge scene was hilarious.

eX 94. Grandmaster of Shark Since: Jan, 2001
94. Grandmaster of Shark
#5: Nov 25th 2010 at 9:13:35 AM

Yes, I don't know why, of all the scene in Indiana Jones, this one gets some much flak.

That said, I do like this movie a lot less than the other ones, but I can't really give a good reason why. May it's because I am older now and it didn't had the same effect on me than the first threee, but I just didn't felt the same "Indy feeling" with this one.

Counterclock Since: Feb, 2013
#6: Nov 25th 2010 at 9:29:38 AM

I'd like to say another one of it's drawbacks, in my opinion, was the use of the supernatural. That is not to say that the other Indy movies don't have supernatural elements present in them, but usually It's played late in the game.

One of the first re-introducing things is "here's magical alien voodoo, isn't it nice?" which spoiled the rest of the story.

Seamus Another Perfect Day from the Quantum Savanna Since: Jul, 2009
Another Perfect Day
#7: Nov 25th 2010 at 10:17:10 AM

One of the first re-introducing things is "here's magical alien voodoo, isn't it nice?" which spoiled the rest of the story.
In general, I liked the movie, but I have to agree on this point. If the alien concept had been more of a slow burn, I think more people would have liked it.

I've got two guns pointed west and a broken compass.
EddieValiant,Jr. Not Quite Batman from under your bed. Since: Jan, 2010
Not Quite Batman
#8: Nov 25th 2010 at 10:27:36 AM

Haters gonna hate. It's an excellent film, as good as its predecessors and better in some regards.

"Religion isn't the cause of wars, it's the excuse." —Mycroft Next
SomeSortOfTroper Since: Jan, 2001
#9: Nov 25th 2010 at 11:33:24 AM

Here's the breakdown of Eddie Valient's views on maligned films:

People go into a summer action flick wanting something fun and enjoyable.

It isn't fun and enjoyable.

Eddie says that everybody just failed to go in there looking for something fun and enjoyable.

Aondeug Oh My from Our Dreams Since: Jun, 2009
Oh My
#10: Nov 25th 2010 at 1:11:17 PM

I rather liked this film and remain confused at people who complain about there being aliens. Extremely confused. I liked the aliens and the crystal skulls (thought to be made by aliens). They don't really seem any less interesting or any more goofy than the ark or Holy Grail or those stones from Temple of Doom or their use of an evil cult dedicated to Kali.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah
HopelessSituationWarrior Naïve Newcomer from Canada. The middle part. Since: Sep, 2010
#11: Nov 25th 2010 at 1:44:20 PM

I enjoyed it, but it's nowhere near as good Raiders or Crusade. I put it at Temple level, though.

"Weird doors open. People fall into things."
ccoa Ravenous Sophovore from the Sleeping Giant Since: Jan, 2001
Ravenous Sophovore
#12: Nov 26th 2010 at 12:10:59 PM

The biggest reason people are disappointed in this movie: Nostalgia Filter. I freely admit that because the original trilogy was a part of my childhood, this movie really had no chance of living up to the rose-colored memories of the originals, even Temple of Doom. There's just no way I can objectively rate it.

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.
EddieValiant,Jr. Not Quite Batman from under your bed. Since: Jan, 2010
Not Quite Batman
#13: Nov 26th 2010 at 12:31:42 PM

[up][up][up][up] You forgot the part where Crystal Skull is the very definition of fun and enjoyable.

"Religion isn't the cause of wars, it's the excuse." —Mycroft Next
SomeSortOfTroper Since: Jan, 2001
#14: Nov 26th 2010 at 12:47:01 PM

Yeah, it's in the list of antonyms or perhaps they used it in a sentence: "Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull was too overlaboured to be fun and enjoyable".

It felt like the script had beaten slowly beaten into shape over the years until they got to a point where it was acceptable so that they could say they were made Indiana Jones IV.

edited 26th Nov '10 12:47:36 PM by SomeSortOfTroper

EddieValiant,Jr. Not Quite Batman from under your bed. Since: Jan, 2010
Not Quite Batman
#15: Nov 26th 2010 at 1:45:33 PM

I didn't think so at all. Had myself one of those "rollicking good times" I keep hearing about.

"Religion isn't the cause of wars, it's the excuse." —Mycroft Next
Canidaemon I found porn! Since: Aug, 2010
I found porn!
#16: Nov 26th 2010 at 2:00:56 PM

I thought it was way cheesier than the other ones, but I did have a good time. Rifftrax make it even better. evil grin

Say what you will, though, I liked the psychic russkies and the aliens. The 40's pulp might have been about Nazis and the Occult, but the 50's were all Sci-fi and Reds.

Psychic Commie Galadriel was the best character of the film. Seeing Shia La Beouf in physical pain wasn't half bad, either.

WOOF!
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#17: Nov 27th 2010 at 1:15:11 AM

After having thought about it awhile, my main beef was with the cinematography. it was waaaaay to reminiscent of the new Star Wars flicks, and I hated the camera work in those; George Lucas has gotten entirely too fond of the CGI-driven "Sweeping Dramatic Camera Pan" effect that shows whatever coolness his ILM team has cranked out this week. Lucas may have been a genius in his day, but that day has most certainly come and gone.

That, and the script was...well, sub-par. The one-liners were facepalm inducing rather than funny, and while the "psychic commies" touch was cool and the aliens were neat at the beginning the end just lost me.

and like I've said before, it just felt like they were trying too hard. The sense of carefree fun that permeated the first three movies just wasn't there. It was like they were entirely too aware of the big hype that would inevitably surround the movie and worked too damn hard to make it "OMG SO AWESOME!!!"

The franchise was better when the developers gave less of a shit.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
Medicus Sierra 117 from Australia Since: Sep, 2009
Sierra 117
#18: Nov 27th 2010 at 9:01:26 PM

Oh yeah, way too much CGI. What's the point of having Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett really duelling with swords if you put it behind a green-screen CGI rainforest?

I actually really liked Crystal Skull, much more so on second viewing. It's probably because I didn't grow up with the films, and I'd just seen Raiders and Last Crusade again.

Mutt wasn't awful, really. He was more like River Jones from Crusade, who was something of an annoying prat, if a well-meaning one. By the end of the film he's on the road to recovery.

It's not over. Not yet.
Sporkaganza I'm glasses. Since: May, 2009
I'm glasses.
#19: Nov 27th 2010 at 9:02:16 PM

I liked this movie too! I think people way overreacted to it.

And for the record, the aliens ending was brilliant. But maybe that's just 'cause I love sci-fi.

Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember them, you are not alone.
Medicus Sierra 117 from Australia Since: Sep, 2009
Sierra 117
#20: Nov 27th 2010 at 9:10:52 PM

I wasn't crazy about the aliens, but Indiana Jones exists in a universe where All Myths Are True. At some point I expect Indy or Mutt to run across Chinese Communists searching for Thor's hammer Mjolnir.

It's not over. Not yet.
lurkingheretic Since: Dec, 1969
#21: Nov 27th 2010 at 10:13:02 PM

HSW and Counterclock—srsly cool icons!

I liked the aliens, the psychicness, the Commies. There was Hype Backlash, but it felt like the writers tried too hard to overcorrect for Nostalgia Filter. Good to see someone else can put that better than I can. And Shia Le Beouf is no Sean Patrick Flanery. (Wow, had to imdb that.)

Aondeug Oh My from Our Dreams Since: Jun, 2009
Oh My
#22: Nov 27th 2010 at 10:40:08 PM

I grew up with the films and loved them to death when I was younger. They were a big part of my childhood and yet I wasn't disappointed by Crystal Skull save for some of the CGI. Loved the Star Wars prequels too. I'm just an oddity.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah
OkamiFox Genre-Savvy Fox from Halo Installation 07 Since: Nov, 2010
Genre-Savvy Fox
#23: Dec 2nd 2010 at 12:03:38 PM

I was somewhat hoping for something a little bit more along the lines of the other films. What REALLY bugged me was the fact that the film centered around flying saucers and aliens ripped right out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and not on standard mythology and the supernatural sad.

edited 2nd Dec '10 12:25:18 PM by OkamiFox

Being Genre-Savvy in a world of the unsavvy is like being stuck in a theater being forced to watch Twilight while listening to Justin Bieber
Maridee from surfside Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#24: Dec 2nd 2010 at 5:14:48 PM

So if, say, the aliens had been in Egyptian pyramids, that would've been better?

ophelia, you're breaking my heart
OkamiFox Genre-Savvy Fox from Halo Installation 07 Since: Nov, 2010
Genre-Savvy Fox
#25: Dec 2nd 2010 at 5:28:22 PM

Maridee, I'm afraid that's not what I meant. What I was trying to get at was that I did not like the Genre-Shift, what was so enjoyable about the previous films was that the supernatural events were never explained on how they happened bit by bit, and It gave a real aura of mystery to the series. It's not like Indy would say to a fellow conrad "Well, that Ark of The Covenant we just encountered? It's an Disco Music Box from the far future sent to our time by our grandchildren that releases holograms that burn people because of nuclear radiation from bad wiring of the power-source". tongue I mean, ALIENS?! To add insult to injury they were the Little Grey Men type who fly in UFO's!

Being Genre-Savvy in a world of the unsavvy is like being stuck in a theater being forced to watch Twilight while listening to Justin Bieber

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