Spoilers in this thread/Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

[davidpw97]

I just walked in the door from seeing it.

Wow...George Lucas needs to just stop.

This movie was NOT good. (IMO). I have a feeling that most of the "good" reviews for this movie are based on the nostalgia of the characters coming back to the big screen. We all want Indy...we want to go on his adventures...we want to enjoy them...but this time, no way.
Boo.

BTW, the Ant Scene was basically ripped right from the Mummy movies. Aliens??? Come on. :shrug:
I wish I went to see Prince Caspian

I just got in from the movie and would have to agree with everything you said. It was just one big moment after another from the explosion at the beginning to the weird ninja Indians attacking them at the area when they first found the skull to the monkeys and the ants and the freaking ALIENS? I have read that they passed on a bunch of different scripts before they settled on this one and I have to wonder what was it about this script that the others didn't have? I guess the other scripts didn't have enough monkeys or aliens in them or something. I think one of the reasons that Raiders and Last Crusade worked so well was because Nazis always have and always will make good villains and those movies actually took place in the real world and had real world implications. But this was just lame, a skull that activates a spaceship, really??????
I also wonder how Indy got the FBI off his back and ended up being assistant dean when he got back home? Did he just explain to them that the Russian chick they were after was broiled by aliens and turned into dust just before their spaceship flew off and that everything is ok now?
Also in Last Crusade wasn't one of the reasons the Nazis were after the Holy Grail because whoever drank from it was given the gift of eternal life? If so then how come at the end of that move Indy's dad drank from the grail but in this movie he's dead?
This was exactly the movie I feared we'd get except I didn't hate Shia Leboeuf as much as I thought I would, almost as much but not quite.
There is a way to blend special effects and CGI together and make them look realisitic and it seems as though Lucas won out over Spielberg when it came to effects in this movie because they all looked like video games. How is it Spielberg can make dinosaurs look like they could jump right off the screen and tear your head off in Jurassic Park but can't make a harmless little monkey or prairie dog not look like it belongs in a video game?
I can't write anymore because its just making me angry all over again, but needless to say I did not like this movie.

 

[Number_6]

First let me say that I really enjoyed this movie. While not a good storywise as Raiders and not quite as fun as Crusade, it was still, I thought, a good movie. It was nice seeing Indy back in action. I agree on the mushroom cloud imagery being incredible. Yes, the prairie dogs and monkeys were definitely not even close to good looking, but I'm not going to let something like that ruin a movie for me. I liked Shia LeBouf's character more than I thought I would. Loved his sword fight with Cate Blanchett.

Considering that George Lucas originally wanted this movie to be called "Indiana Jones and the Flying Saucer Men," to which Speilberg and Ford responded to get back to them when the drugs had worn off, I didn't think this script ended up being bad at all. They were trying for Indiana Jones dropped into a 50s sci-fi movie and I think that's exactly what they ended up with. You can't have Nazis be the badguys in 1957 and actually make it seem like a threat. The biggest threat as the Americans saw it at the time was the Red Scare. And since both sides engaged in psychic research as a possible weapon to use spying on the other. Here's an article about a more recent project that references the earlier research: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/030127/27stargate.htm
Given the Soviet research and wanting to gain any edge they could, I saw no problem with having the Russians as the baddies in this one.
As for Indy aging and Prof Jones Sr being no longer with us, the only reason the knight was still alive in Last Crusade was that he had been drinking from the Grail all this time. With the Grail somewhat out of reach now, it's likely if Indy went back to the temple, the knight would be dead too. Remember, the two other knights that left the temple to leave the markers for future seekers of the Grail to find both died also because they were no longer drinking from the Grail. It's not a one-and-done thing.

Having aliens in this one made it feel more like Indy meets Stargate to me, which since I love Stargate I had no problem with. There have been theories for years about "Aliens built the pyramids in Egypt," just as there have been the same kind of theories about the Nazca Lines. Or that the Nazca lines are landing markers for UFOs. It's not like they came up with this out of thin air, they used established stories and theories.

Anyway, this movie is not flawless and I will never say it is. But I will say it's fun and has the action that you come to expect with and Indiana Jones adventure. And yeah, I agree with a few other people on here who said that it's not quite to the level of Raiders or Crusade, but better than Temple of Doom.

Oh, and... "Tell me to 'Grab the rope!'" :lol:

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Oh yeah, and what kind of snake was that? That lil had some pretty strong bones holding it together to pull a 200lb+ man out of sand while he was buried up to his chest.

I know the reasoning for it...to show his fear of snakes...and it was a funny scene (and one of the most memorable for me) but couldn't it have been a little realistic?

(While Shia's out grabbing a vine or something...have the snake slither near him and show his fear and add the comedy with his interaction with it.)

 

[Flower'sChild]

BTW, the Ant Scene was basically ripped right from the Mummy movies.

Now I remember that any scene in the Mummy. The ant scene in the Mummy was creepy, but I thought the ant scene in Indiana Jones was more creepy, because there were like everywhere and running after them

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Seeing it tommorow!

I can't wait!:sohappy:

*hums theme song*

 

[Flower'sChild]

As for the Aliens in this film

I went ahead and edited my thread title so people who have not seen the movie and who wish to be surprise will have the choice not to open this thread before they see the film.

Anyways, I have mixed feelings about the Aliens in this movie. I do like Science fiction movies and UFO's and everything, but does this fit in an Indiana Jones movie ? The first 3 movies had powers not of this earth in there, but they did not seem Science fiction. We have the power of the Ark and Well of Souls in the first one. Another movie talked about the cup of Christ and we see that Indy's father is healed from that cup and Donovan is destroyed by drinking from the wrong cup. In Temple of Doom we have the Spirit Goddess Kali turning Indiana Jones and the Maharaja Zalin Singh to her side threw her dark supernatural powers and Short Round had to burn them to wake them up and turn them back to the good side. When you compared the Alien and the UFO to the supernatural forces of the first 3 films and just feels so different.

In a way you could say that the supernatural forces of the first 3 films are Aliens since they are not of this world. But when I say not of this world I mean in another dimension if you will or not of the physical world. Though it did seem like the Aliens also lived in that other dimension and where not like Aliens from some other planet in this galaxy or another galaxy. So I guess it depends on the person. After all Aliens were popular back in the 50's like another poster said. Some may have believed that they came from another planet light years away and other may have believed that they just lived in another dimension like a supernatural dimension.

As for myself I would have been more happy to see spirits at the end of the 4th Indiana Jones movies. Spirits kinda like the ones we saw in Raiders of the Lost Ark at the end of that movie. I don't mean just alike, I mean kinda alike. I guess it's becasue I am just so used to the nature of the first 3 films. But some people did enjoy the fact of Aliens and a UFO in this film.

P.S. By the way I know that the Kali in the movie may very well be different from the Kali in real life. I don't know much about Kali other than that she is a Goddess in India that some believe and a few other things. So when I say Kali is evil I just mean in the Temple of Doom movie, I don't mean in real life.

 

[imagineer boy]

Quick thought: did the other Indy movies have the famous "I have a bad feeling about this" line? I caught it when I went to see KotCS and can't be bothered to wade through another few hours of film at the moment.

I noticed that too! I don't think Indy said it in any of the other movies, but he does say it in the Indiana Jones Adventure in DL.

I just got in from the movie and would have to agree with everything you said. It was just one big moment after another from the explosion at the beginning to the weird ninja Indians attacking them at the area when they first found the skull to the monkeys and the ants and the freaking ALIENS?

Like someone else said, the Crystal Skull is often associated with alien and UFO lore. And Lucas stated that since the film took place in the 50s, they would give it a bit of a sci-fi B-movie feel unlike the last 3 which took place in the 30s and 40s where they had an old adventure serial feel to them.

I think one of the reasons that Raiders and Last Crusade worked so well was because Nazis always have and always will make good villains and those movies actually took place in the real world and had real world implications.

I completely disagree. I'm happy they went with the soviets because for one thing, I'm sick of the Nazis constantly being villains in virtually every movie you see now days. Not that I'm pro-Nazi or anything, but its just become way too clich'ed and overused. Besides, the soviets commited far more attrocities against humanity than Hitler and I can definately see the Soviets being villains in the possible next Indy movies.

Also in Last Crusade wasn't one of the reasons the Nazis were after the Holy Grail because whoever drank from it was given the gift of eternal life? If so then how come at the end of that move Indy's dad drank from the grail but in this movie he's dead?

The knight states that the grail and the price of immortality cannot pass the seal. That includes those who drank from it ( meaning they wouldn't be immortal anymore after passing the seal ).

 

[Flower'sChild]

The knight states that the grail and the price of immortality cannot pass the seal. That includes those who drank from it ( meaning they wouldn't be immortal anymore after passing the seal ).

Yes I was going to say that myself. I remember that part in the film. Indy also would have lived forever if he did not pass the seal.

 

[davidpw97]

I honestly can't remember the last movie that had either Nazi's or Soviets as the bad guys so this was a nice change of pace, but I still prefer Nazis. Although, I would agree that the Soviets make great villains, I didn't find their brand of evil as menacing as the "bad guys" from the previous films. In most movies where the Soviets are the bad guys they are after nuclear weapons or trying to start a war of some sort, in this movie they were after an extraterrestrial psyschic skull that as it turns out probably wouldn't have helped them in any way. The Soviets in this movie didn't offer the same sense of danger or dread that the Nazis provided in previous films, in my opinion. If there's going to be another Indy movie, i'd like to see it go backwards in time and fill in the gap between Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, maybe show some of Indy's military service with some treasure hunting/archaeology thrown in on the side. Sounds like he's been on many adventures since we saw him last and i'd find that more interesting than a movie that started where this one left off. I'd be fine with a younger actor playing Indy as long as they got the spirit of the previous films right and had a story based in reality.


Also, the "I have a bad feeling about this" line comes from Han Solo in Star Wars and as far as I can remember it wasn't in the previous Indiana Jones films.

 

[clarksfan95]

I've seen this movie twice now and the first time I like it, but wasnt' so sure about it....the second time I liked it more. I had more time to reflect on certain aspects...especially the aliens. You almost have to consider the time frame of the movie. This is around the time of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell, NM and that alien in the body bag is probably supposed to be that alien. It took some getting used to and it's still a little difficult to accept that the story went in that direction, but I think it's partially viable. Each of the movies has has their fair share of unbelievable moments...the Ark killing all the Nazis, the crazy powers of the thingy in Temple of Doom...the really, really, really, really, old guy guarding the grail (come on, how's a man that old gonna protect that cup?).

Anyhow, it wasn't a terrible movie (see: Shoot Em Up if you want a terrible movie).

Worst part of the movie....not the gophers....not the surviving a nuclear blast inside a refridgerator, not the aliens.....the Tarzan like scene. That's right...I literally "Ugh'd" in the theatre when I saw that. Horrible and whoever came up with that shouldn't be allowed to script movies ever again.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Worst part of the movie....not the gophers....not the surviving a nuclear blast inside a refridgerator, not the aliens.....the Tarzan like scene. That's right...I literally "Ugh'd" in the theatre when I saw that. Horrible and whoever came up with that shouldn't be allowed to script movies ever again.

I think I'm one of the few that didn't like the film and actually didn't mind seeing Indy hop in the fridge. (Aside from the fact that it stayed perfectly intact and he didn't even have a bump on him when it crash landed...it still showed that Indy had the know-how to actually seal himself off from the radiation).

 

[Mikester71]

Also, the "I have a bad feeling about this" line comes from Han Solo in Star Wars and as far as I can remember it wasn't in the previous Indiana Jones films.

Yeah, Han says it in Empire I think. Or was it New Hope. :shrug:

 

[Number_6]

If there's going to be another Indy movie, i'd like to see it go backwards in time and fill in the gap between Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, maybe show some of Indy's military service with some treasure hunting/archaeology thrown in on the side. Sounds like he's been on many adventures since we saw him last and i'd find that more interesting than a movie that started where this one left off. I'd be fine with a younger actor playing Indy as long as they got the spirit of the previous films right and had a story based in reality.

According to some of the interviews during Cannes, Harrison Ford stated that if they do another movie, he's still Indy and still the main man for the movie. I think it was George Lucas that said the introduction of Shia LeBouf's character as Indy's son is so they have the option passing the whip in a later movie and having one that focuses on Henry Jones III with Indy being in most of the movie, similar to Sean Connery in Last Crusade. Considering that had been the rumor for years leading up to this movie, it seems like that's the way they are going to go. Of course, if this had been made several years ago like they originally wanted, the rumored actor for Indy's son then had been Leonardo DiCaprio, so you have to wonder how that would have turned out.

 

[Fun2BFree]

Worst part of the movie....the Tarzan like scene. That's right...I literally "Ugh'd" in the theatre when I saw that. Horrible and whoever came up with that shouldn't be allowed to script movies ever again.

Oh, now I remember that- I think my mind was repressing the painful memories.

Re:My previous post- I watched Raiders and Last Crusade a few nights ago and didn't catch the "Bad Feeling" line.

 

[Lee]

Considering that George Lucas originally wanted this movie to be called "Indiana Jones and the Flying Saucer Men," to which Speilberg and Ford responded to get back to them when the drugs had worn off,

That title sort of comes from an early draft, circa 1995, by Jeb Stuart called "Indian Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars."
I haven't read that draft in a while, but I think the one we ended up with is better. I'll give it another read.

Also, it demonstrates that the alien plot was involved for at least the last 13 years. Lucas demanded it from the beginning.

I'm still looking for some more recent drafts by Frank Darabont and Jeff Nathanson, if anyone has them.....

 

[imagineer boy]

I honestly can't remember the last movie that had either Nazi's or Soviets as the bad guys so this was a nice change of pace, but I still prefer Nazis. Although, I would agree that the Soviets make great villains, I didn't find their brand of evil as menacing as the "bad guys" from the previous films. In most movies where the Soviets are the bad guys they are after nuclear weapons or trying to start a war of some sort, in this movie they were after an extraterrestrial psyschic skull that as it turns out probably wouldn't have helped them in any way. The Soviets in this movie didn't offer the same sense of danger or dread that the Nazis provided in previous films, in my opinion. If there's going to be another Indy movie, i'd like to see it go backwards in time and fill in the gap between Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, maybe show some of Indy's military service with some treasure hunting/archaeology thrown in on the side. Sounds like he's been on many adventures since we saw him last and i'd find that more interesting than a movie that started where this one left off. I'd be fine with a younger actor playing Indy as long as they got the spirit of the previous films right and had a story based in reality.

The only movie I can really think of that last had the Soviets as villains was Red Dawn. Mean while, there really have been tons of movies with the Nazis or Nazi-like villains like V for Vendetta, Hellboy, and many others.

I did read somewhere that the Soviets really did consider using psychic warfare to spy on America. The reason why they were after the crystal skull was because it would've helped them do that.

 

[adrianuk91]

Yeah, Han says it in Empire I think. Or was it New Hope. :shrug:

I've just got back from seeing it and thought the same thing and then after that point in the film i spend a considerable amount of time thinking about star wars. the aliens were too far fetched in my mind for an indy film altough it was a good film. I've always associated indy with legend from the past like say pandora's box and them sorts of legends not aliens from mars or something. Overall it was good but not as good as the last three i think that the film will grow on me andI'll probably like it more once I've seen it a few more times.

 

[Number_6]

That title sort of comes from an early draft, circa 1995, by Jeb Stuart called "Indian Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars."
I haven't read that draft in a while, but I think the one we ended up with is better. I'll give it another read.

Also, it demonstrates that the alien plot was involved for at least the last 13 years. Lucas demanded it from the beginning.

I'm still looking for some more recent drafts by Frank Darabont and Jeff Nathanson, if anyone has them.....

That was the title I was thinking of. I knew it was along those lines, I just couldn't remember the exact title. But yeah, it's had the alien stuff from the beginning.

The only movie I can really think of that last had the Soviets as villains was Red Dawn. Mean while, there really have been tons of movies with the Nazis or Nazi-like villains like V for Vendetta, Hellboy, and many others.

I did read somewhere that the Soviets really did consider using psychic warfare to spy on America. The reason why they were after the crystal skull was because it would've helped them do that.

What about Rambo III?

And yeah, the Soviets did use research into psychic warfare as part of their efforts against the US. The US did the same, but the Soviets were better funded because they had superiors that wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand the way a Senate Oversight Committee might.

 

[GenerationX]

I thought it was fun. The plot was hokey, and the banter when Marion first came out was cringe-worthy. There were many, many hard-to-believe moments.

But, just like with James Bond movies, none of that really matters. The hero is cool, and the chase-scenes are fantastic. I absolutely loved the refrigerator scene. Don't expect any life lessons here, and don't expect everything to make sense. Just expect to be entertained.

 

[Pongo]

I just walked in the door from seeing it.

Wow...George Lucas needs to just stop.

This movie was NOT good. (IMO). I have a feeling that most of the "good" reviews for this movie are based on the nostalgia of the characters coming back to the big screen. We all want Indy...we want to go on his adventures...we want to enjoy them...but this time, no way.

Boo.

BTW, the Ant Scene was basically ripped right from the Mummy movies. Aliens??? Come on. :shrug:

I wish I went to see Prince Caspian

I kind of agree with you.

I saw the movie today, and although I didn't exactly HATE it, it's definitely not my favorite of the franchise. The alien thing just threw me off completely. I knew nothing about the movie before I saw it, so they were a complete surprise, and one that I didn't like.

In the past movies, it's been something with religion and HUMAN culture that had a basis for existing. With these aliens, it's just a complete tangent from all that. Yes, there's SPECULATION that the pyramids and Nazca lines were created by aliens, however, it's not written in any ancient texts like the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail. This whole alien thing rubbed me the wrong way.

Maybe it's my thing about showing aliens or monsters in movies. Things that would be more suspenseful left up to the imagination. But that would have been hard to do in this movie.

I understand the 50s B-Movie aspect as well, but still. It was lame. In both senses of the word.