Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray) - Page 2

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I made the same comment in the thread that was started when the pre-order went up. No one one replied, but agree with you that I think it is a very bad sign. What should be happening is BR prices should be headed toward DVD prices, not the other way around.

At present, most major BR titles on New Release Tuesdays are typically twice as expensive as the DVD counter parts. That does not help get the format going beyond those of us that frequent HTF.

So in this case that problem is fixed by inflating the price of the DVD? Not a good idea at all, IMHO, but I suppose it does have the same affect.....give someone pause when they are deciding which to buy.

Brian

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Well, now you sort of know one. I may hit it a third time if I can fit a trip to the second-run place into my plans.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Hmmm... I wonder if they've been paying attention to the forums and noting that the enthusiast crowd seems so happy w/ Criterion's (announced) move to price BD the same as DVD (at their usual high prices), so they decided to give that a try also by bumping certain (new release) 2-disc SE DVDs to match the BDs.

No idea if that would actually work out well for them, but these 2-disc SE releases are mostly targeted at enthusiasts anyway. They usually offer cheaper 1-disc versions for everyone else.

Anyway, yeah, I don't like seeing them do this either. If it works well for them, it'll likely slow down the trend of gradual lowering of BD prices. But since they're trying it despite what we may think, let's hope it really does deter people from buying these 2-disc SEs (and get more people to jump into BD instead).

_Man_

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Now you know two. Saw it twice; enjoyed it both times.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'll be #3.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

When I walked out of the theater I said I never wanted to see this movie again, even on Blu-Ray, as it was the biggest disappointment I'd seen in a long time. However, now that a few months have passed, I've decided that I will revisit it again(as a rental) and hopefully it won't be as bad as I thought it was the first time around. If nothing else, I'll at least enjoy watching all the behind-the-scenes and making of stuff as it should be in HD.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'm with you Brent. I did see it twice and liked it more the 2nd time...telling myself I probably wouldn't invest in the Blu-ray version but then seeing that Blu-ray artwork got me excited again. What's up with that?! Don't answer...I've got issues & amazon's aware of it.

They love me.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

You pretty much echoed my thoughts.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I, too, liked this better the second time. That being said, this is definitely going on my "to buy" list.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I don't know if anyone else has notice, but I've been seeing the price of Day and Date SD DVDs going up. It used to be you could count on them being $19.95 on release day, now they have crept up to $24 or sometimes more and 2 disc sets are now pushing $30 or more.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Well I enjoyed the hell out of it and went back to see it 4 times.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I saw it multiple times too.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'm wondering if people had built this film up so much that by the time it opened it couldn't possibly meet expectations. I know several people who enjoyed it more on a second viewing.

I also know lots of people got hung up with the ending being kinda sci-fi, but with the 50s setting I thought it was more than appropriate.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Wow, guess I kind of opened up a can of worms. Glad you all enjoyed it so much. I walked out saying to myself, after nearly 20 years we got...

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Seriously? It took that long and that's the best they could do? I expected better, at least better then something a 10 year old could have come up with.

I really, really hope the Blu sales on this set a record because that means we may get Raiders on Blu. But if the sales are poor I fear that may spell doom for it anytime soon.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

See I absolutely loved the....

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Perfect in my book.

I can't wait for the blu-ray and I really hope they are serious about doing another one.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

The inflationary pressures of high commodity pricing and a weak dollar have caught up (things like DVDs, books and CDs are priced well in advance and they take time to adjust to the curve, up or down, with regards to MSRP). Here in Canada, people have complained that things did not go down in price quickly in reaction to the strong Canadian dollar (near par after years of being significantly less than the US dollar) but the expectations were skewed. The Canadian dollar did not so much rise as the US dollar fell, so the logical expectation was for US prices to creep up towards Canadian ones, rather than the reverse. There have been some notable exceptions, but the logical trend has become more and more pronounced.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Call me crazy (and I know you will) but I'm thinking Lucas has learned his lesson on rereleasing movies. This opinion is based on what has happened with Star Wars. We got a 4 disc set for the OT followed by a quick release with just 3 discs. Then we got the movies sold separate with a "bonus" disc that contained the original versions. Then something happened. Maybe that last release had low sales? Whatever happened, rumors were flying that we were about to get the super-duper deluxe slap your Grandma uber collection boxset and it went away. Again, rumors pointed to low sales so the idea was shelved. If this happened as stated, could it have started a new way of thinking about new releases? Perhaps this version of KotCS will be the only version we see on DVD and Blu. Just a wild guess...

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I agree with Sam, it's inevitable that there will be a 4 pack in the future......but I am disappointed that they aren't releasing them all at the same time. It's the perfect time to do so after all. I haven't made up my mind yet but I'm leaning towards waiting for a Blu-ray boxset.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I actually went in with very tempered expectations because I knew no matter how good the film was it wouldn't be on the level of Raiders. There was absolutely no chance of that happening so all I wanted was a good time at the movies and ultimately I was extremely disappointed. Conversely, I went into The Dark Knight with HUGE expectations(it was the most anticipated movie for me since Revenge of the Sith) and it exceeded what I had hoped for on every level. I just don't think Indy IV was done well on any level(story, acting, bad CGI, etc), but as I said before maybe I'll enjoy it more when it comes out on Blu-Ray. It wouldn't be the first time I had a change of heart about a movie after subsequent viewings.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I went into Dark Knight with zero expectations. I loved it, but its not a movie I will watch over and over like Indy 4. A little too dark for my taste. I probably won't be buying DK. I did love the whole 70s "cop film" vibe it had however.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

It wasn't the scifi that bugged me. It was the mixing of that with pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo with NO cultural or historical basis to it (unlike the previous three films). New Age Von Danikenesque silliness.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

But isn't that just perfect for the 1950s feel of the movie? IMHO, most people who hated the picture are hung up on the fact the franchise has moved outside its 1930s-matinee-serial envelope. The first three pictures are set in the 1930s and work beautifully as pastiches of that era's movies (with tweaks for modern sensibilities). KOTCS has moved on - it's set in the 1950s, and echoes the movies of that era - sci-fi movies with no grasp of real science and movies about surly, greasy-haired kids with knife fixations who ride motorcycles.

If they did an Indy picture set in the late 1960s, it would be indistinguishable from an Austin Powers movie.

Oh, and for my money, GL hasn't learned anything about re-releasing movies. I reckon all the talk of a super-duper-sell-your-granny box set of the Star Wars pictures was just talk, rumour and vapourware. GL is on record about how he feels about the original releases of the Star Wars pictures - his vision is the latest monkeyed-about version, and that's the version we'll get whether we like it or not. I'm convinced the edition with the "originals" was a kludged-together sop for us old-timers to get rid of the enormous overstocks of the original trilogy discs rather than anything special.

The Indy trilogy on the other hand is really only half his - Spielberg has at least something to say about the movies. We've seen a set of discs that has been (in GL terms) only mildly tinkered with. I'm convinced we'll see a proper bells-and-whistles release of the four Indy pictures on Blu in 2009, and the main reason we're not seeing the release at the same time as KOTCS is all to do with maximising the sales of the new movie and gauging the home video market for the revitalised franchise. As far as Lucasfilm is concerned, the classic franchise is a separate entity they'll want to make the most of in its own right at a later date. I'm thinking early in the new year.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Absolutely NOT. If you're going to do 50s scifi, DO IT, and don't mix it up with 60s-70s-80s New Age the-power-of-the crystals mystical bullshit. That's what I didn't care for.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

From what I've read, this movie is the result of a, perhaps uneasy, compromise between Lucas and Spielberg. That is the reason they didn't just do straight 50s sci-fi, and, frankly, I don't think it would've turned out any better if they had. It probably would've made things worse amongst the fan base that never wanted Indy to leave the 30s in the first place.

As far as the crystal skulls go, they've really had a time finding an appropriate MacGuffin haven't they? Crystal skulls have been around far earlier than the 50s, so I'm not completely sure how you consider them New Age. They had to have some power attributed to them, so maybe that's where your criticism lies.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I agree with your comment about having a hard time finding a good MacGuffin. Basically, it sounds like they simply ran out of ideas regarding ancient archeological/religious artifacts. Crystal skulls have indeed been around for awhile, but not really before the 1800s (it's been established that they're modern artifacts, and their supposed "ancient" origin is a hoax):

crystal skulls

Click on the link to "Frank Dorland" on the referenced web page and you'll see where Lucas got the ending for the movie. My "New Age" comment is based on the fact that the supposed "mystical powers" attributed to the skulls is NOT based on well established cultural/religious traditions (as in the first three movies), but on the claims of modern writers with an obvious New Age bent. It doesn't have a damn thing to do with what ancient Aztecs (or whatever) believed (or MADE). Lucas just willy-nilly threw this stuff into the mix with the flying saucer stuff. You may be right that straight scifi wouldn't have been any better, but at least it would have been truer to the 50s motif.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Thanks for the link. I guess what I am unclear on is whether or not any of these ancient cultures actually had crystal skulls or if they were instead skull masks or death heads. The link you provided offers a distinction between the two. Since the crystal skulls are widely believed to be a hoax, it is reasonable to assume their association with ancient cultures was too.

If that's the case, I can understand why Lucas and Spielberg would be tempted to compromise in this fashion. Basing the MacGuffin on something born out of a hoax opens up all kinds of sci-fi possibilities, and the fact that the hoax has ties to ancient cultures roots the movie in semi-familiar ground.

It is not my intent to offend anyone, but when you think about all the MacGuffins that have been used in the Indiana Jones movies the only difference between the one in KotCS and the others is that less people believe in 'it'.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

The ancient cultures had no crystal skulls. They're modern artifacts. The "ancient cultures" link was purely made up by people who had a "product" to sell.

I know what you're saying, but there's a HUGE difference between something made up in the past several decades by a few writers vs. artifacts associated with genuine, widespread (and VERY old) cultural/religious traditions. Like I said, Lucas ran out of ideas, and eked out something....less than impressive.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

Another problem I had was the seriously fake looking special effects, a complete distraction shile watching the film. From these two mega-directors I expected much, much, better. Parts of this film are going to look very cartoon'ish on Blu-ray.

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'm not so sure they combined them with anything new age, rather the known fact that the USSR was actively doing research into ESP and other "psychic" abilities as early as the 1950s. In my opinion this makes it a perfect combination.

Doug

Re: Breaking News: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'm not sure what the problem with the crystal Skulls is? It is after all an Indiana Jones movie, the mcguffin is just that, an excuse for the movie. Not sure why anyone cares what it is. They could have made something up out of whole cloth if they wanted too. Even if the skulls are only from the mid-19th century thats still pretty old. I mean how old does an artifact have to be before it can be in an Indiana Jones movie?

And it could be argued that the religious items are "made up" also.

Who cares, its not exactly the point of an Indiana Jones movie.

In the words of the not so late but still great Joel Hodgson:


Doug