Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull Discussion Thread (Spoilers)

[nash]

Just got back from this movie....Eh, I have mixed reactions...

I just thought this movie was random as hell.....aliens? wtf? where did they go at the end? what was the point of having to return the damn skull if nothing even happened? Seems no one HAD to return the skull, let the damn KBG take it, nothing would have happened. what did they exactly gain control over? lol

And maybe it's been a long long time since ive seen any of the previous Indy movies, but why was this movie based in the 50s?

Iron Man still reigns supreme this summer.

 

[IrishJedi]

why was this movie based in the 50s?

The simple answer: Harrison Ford's age. (The original films took place in the mid-late 30s)

But Lucas also had a hair up his ass to do an INDY film with the sci-fi B-movie template and Spielberg was obviously very into the whole Cold War aspect, too.

 

[darthviper107]

I just saw it today and I thought it was pretty good. They managed the age thing very well. I think the finale could have been better though, it was just really weird, even compared to the others. It needed more violence. That was something that was awesome about the others, melting, taking their hearts out, rapid decomposition, this didn't really have that type of thing.

 

[theropod]

Hopefully you didn't mean to imply that there are aliens in A.I. There are absolutely no aliens in A.I.

5-6 years later and people still miss this.

I know that the very alien looking beings at the end of AI are meant to be highly evolved robots, but after the Blue Fairy in AI I was asking myself what the hell is going on? I felt like I was snowboarding fresh powder and all of a sudden was riding on sand.

I felt the same way once the crystal alien began to move and even more so when they fused together and gave Spalko's eyes the Grievous treatment.

For me it would have made more sense if the skull was a beacon that summoned a UFO or something to that extent, but not necessarily the fusion of a reincarnated being.
-theropod

 

[nash]

The simple answer: Harrison Ford's age. (The original films took place in the mid-late 30s)

But Lucas also had a hair up his ass to do an INDY film with the sci-fi B-movie template and Spielberg was obviously very into the whole Cold War aspect, too.

I guess I didnt realize, or had forgotten that the previous movies were based in that era. I thought they were in the 60's for some reason.

 

[IrishJedi]

I felt the same way once the crystal alien began to move and even more so when they fused together and gave Spalko's eyes the Grievous treatment.

For me it would have made more sense if the skull was a beacon that summoned a UFO or something to that extent, but not necessarily the fusion of a reincarnated being.

What's funny about that scene is that I went from "Dammit, now I want 13 of those damn mail-away Crystal Skeleton on Throne figures!!" to "Eh, one is enough."

 

[kl241]

Congratulations Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Ford and Mr. Lucas, you not only created one of the most iconic characters and films in 26 years, you also managed to destory it within 2 hrs and 20 mins.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

I guess I didnt realize, or had forgotten that the previous movies were based in that era. I thought they were in the 60's for some reason.

Why would Indiana Jones be fighting Nazis in the 60's?

How could Indy meet Hitler in Last Crusade if it took place in the 60's?

Sorry, Nash, not to jump on your back but these movies all have dates on the them at the beginning of the film stating they took place between 1935 and 1938.

 

[Darth Caedus]

One word TERRIBLE. I'll list what I hated about the movie.

Music- I think John Williams phoned this one in. With every Indy movie, we get an overall theme for the movie and it might have been me, but I didn't hear it. No moment where Indy's looking out with an awesome, glaring theme in the background.

Sidekick- with RotLA, ToD and TLC, Indy has had interesting and fun sidekicks (Marion, Willie/Shorty, Elsa/Papa Jones), but his idiot KID, who was delivering horrible written lines in between coming his hair and the guy who betrayed him (don't even remember his name) just didn't cut it.

Just the overall story didn't flow very well. A buddy asked me what the story was about, and besides the skull being alien, I really couldn't explain the movie step by step, which is a sign that it wasn't flowing well.

It seems with most movies, the "better" the special effects are, the corners that can be cut with making the movies. Previous Indy movies were on actual sets with no green screen. Don't know about you guys, but I could tell the moment they went from prop set to green screen back to prop set.

The humor was okay for most of the movie. The part with his kid getting hit in the nards by the trees and then swinging like Tarzan WITH the monkeys to catch the car....that just didn't belong in an Indy movie. I can TOTALLY tell that the swinging and nards shot was Lucas telling Spielberg to put in.....

MARION. wtf was up with MARION. She goes from a feisty in your face woman, to a woman in Skull who spent her time staring at Indy smiling. The part where she tells Indy that Mutt is his son was horrible, couldn't think of a better way to tell him? How about how a "life and death" moment halfway through the movie (which you know she isn't going to die) in order to create a moment to tell him. Oh wait, that's what they did.

I thought it was going to be a good movie. My buddy's were telling me that it was going to suck, but I told them to just watch the film and you will see that it was going to be good. I think that after watching it, I hated it more then they did.

I know I missed a lot of stuff that I didn't like, but it's late and I'm tired. I'm going to go watch raiders again before I go to sleep to see what an Indy movie should be like.

I think that Lucas and Spielberg should be forced to turn in their DGA Cards and retire after making this film.

OH YEA, forgot about what my favorite part was. Seeing the Ark in the warehouse, which is sad that that was my favorite part

 

[photoshopmagician]

I saw it for the 2nd time and it was even better than the 1st time. I don't know why everyone is hating it so much. It's exactly what Lucas predicted because he knew all of you were expecting a revelation; an Indy film to top them all. I knew going in the 1st three films were going to be better. I think most people went in expecting a lot more than they got.

It was a fun movie that continued the adventure of Indiana Jones. Plain and simple. Enjoy it for what it is!!!!!

 

[abadguy]

I enjoyed it even though it is flawed.

I had a feeling since this film is 20 years later, they'd also base it off film-making in the 50's. I figured the skull was alien, I just was NOT expecting that as the finale. I figured once I saw the natives in the trailer and on the poster they were going to be a major part. Instead they just ran past them and that's all we see of those natives at the temple.

The biggest complaints I have are the gophers at the beginning and that the movie looked way too bright. The other Indy movies had a lot of darkness and this wasn't spooky at all. I didn't have a problem with Shia or any of the comedy. The chase scenes were great and equal to the other three.

Maybe I need to see it again but I'm giving it a B for now (thhe other movies were definite A's.)

 

[SOLIDSNAKE]

I just saw it and it was good for me. I dint go to the theater expecting to get BLOW AWAY out of my seat.
All the Indy movies are fun movies. chessy humour,great punching sound effects seaking treasure adventure.

8/10 for me.

Now when the DARK KNIGHT comes out It better blow me out of my seat like IRON MAN did.

 

[KrisSolo]

Looks like I'm in a minority here, but I LOVED this movie. Why all the criticism? What did anyone want, Riaders 2? The opening with the wharehouse gave me Indy chills, but I was glad this wasn't merely an excuse to backslap formwer glories. Loved the atombomb moment too - yeah, unrealitic but FUN!

As for the NO REASON/NO POINT arguements, were you asleep at certain points or just choose to ignore the whole 'the skull will allow us to brainwash America and rule the world' part? Obviously a slight to overblown fears of the hidden Commie enemy so prevalent at the time, but also surely a good enough reason to stop the KGB getting it? If you think about it, save for the Map Room scene, Indy basically does nothing but play catch up the whole way through Raiders - German's want Ark, German's get Ark, German's open Ark and die. He does NOTHING to alter their scheme. Didn't make THAT a bad movie...

The action sequences were dramatic and, again, fun. I actually LOKED Shia's character, especially the sword fight on the cars.

As for the Aliens, I take the Joey from Friends approach - Aliens good, Indy good, what's not to like? If they'd have blasted off in some saucer shaped ship at the end maybe that would have been a step too far, but disappearing into another dimension... I liked!

I could go on... killer ants, motorbike chases, funny gopher's... but I'm truly confused at the hate. Sure there are fauts - I also thought Marion was underused, and the wedding scene WAS a scene too far IMO - but overall a great, exciting, and fun ride just like the Spielberg of old. MUCH better than the Comic Book Hero By Numbers movie that is Ironman - I mean, c'mon! Now THAT's a flawed, shallow, bog-standard piece of crap if ever I've seen one. Sure, man in suit shoots things. Wow. No CGI there...

 

[nash]

Why would Indiana Jones be fighting Nazis in the 60's?

How could Indy meet Hitler in Last Crusade if it took place in the 60's?

Sorry, Nash, not to jump on your back but these movies all have dates on the them at the beginning of the film stating they took place between 1935 and 1938.

Like I said, I havent seen any indy movie in a long time. i cant even remember when. For some reason I thought they were a little more modern than they actually were. my bad.

 

[darthviper107]

Oh, one thing I forgot.


Why is the skull so light? I mean really, it's supposed to be crystal and they're throwing it around like it's styrofoam. It really should take at least two hands to lift it. Is quartz really that light?

Nevertheless, it'd be pretty cool to have a replica of that on your desk.

 

[plasmid303]

Ehhh, it was ok. Worthy of the Indy legacy, I guess.

Marion was a wasted opportunity. She wasn't given very much to do except follow Indy around. She had one awesome moment and even then it was ridiculous.

I was surprised how much I liked Shia's character. Mutt isn't the worst sidekick in the Indy series, at the very least.

CGI OVERLOAD. But to their credit, whenever the CGI became obvious, they went for it and took it over the top, stylistically - So it was still fun even though the thought of "That is soooo obviously CGI" ran through my head.

KotCS felt like an Indy movie in which the story was bigger than the character himself, which was it's biggest mistake.

On top of that, the villain weren't very threatening. I never felt the protagonists were in any real danger (just watch the ridiculous waterfalls scene and the part where Marion drives the car off the cliff onto the ^^^^ing tree).

Good time in the theater, won't be the best of the summer.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

Like I said, I havent seen any indy movie in a long time. i cant even remember when. For some reason I thought they were a little more modern than they actually were. my bad.

I see, go out get that boxset if you don't already own it. If Crystal Skull left you a little disappointed there is nothing like the originals to bring up your spirits.

 

[nash]

I see, go out get that boxset if you don't already own it. If Crystal Skull left you a little disappointed there is nothing like the originals to bring up your spirits.

That's for sure dude. I love the originals, even last crusade. Crystal Skull however, is forgettable imo.

 

[IrishJedi]

Congratulations Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Ford and Mr. Lucas, you not only created one of the most iconic characters and films in 26 years, you also managed to destory it within 2 hrs and 20 mins.

Such angry Hyperbole.

 

[DarthNeil]

Such angry Hyperbole.

I'm still waiting for the-- Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg raped my childhood comments.