Spare us all! Another Indiana Jones film could be on the way (1 Viewer)

[Will_B]

Originally Posted by Bryan X

Here's one thing that bothered me about 4. And maybe someone can correct me if I'm interpreting it wrong, but I felt that Indy was too cooperative with the enemy. To me it seemed way out of character. For example, in the beginning at the warehouse, I don't think the old Indy would have cooperated with the Russians. But here we get him leading them right to the artifact they wanted. Sure, he may have just been buying time to escape, but I still think it was out of character for him to be that accommodating. I picture the old Indy telling them to "go to hell", getting roughed up, and then finding some way to escape. I can't remember specifically, but even in the jungle camp, I think I remember him being a bit overly helpful to the Russians. It just seemed out of character for him.

 

I agree that was one of many problems. It SEEMED as if he was cleverly using up all their bullets by asking for more gunpowder, and more, and more... But in fact no. Would have been a great moment if he'd managed to disarm them using nothing more than their own greed.

 

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by Will_B

I agree that was one of many problems. It SEEMED as if he was cleverly using up all their bullets by asking for more gunpowder, and more, and more... But in fact no. Would have been a great moment if he'd managed to disarm them using nothing more than their own greed.

I'm impressed. You're very astute.

 

[Edwin-S]

The first three words of this thread title say it all. Ford has reached the point where he is too old to play Indy and Shia LeBeouf is no replacement for Harrison Ford. The last film was circling the drain, no matter how much money it made. They should allow the character to gracefully ride off into the sunset and retire, not keep resurrecting him until he is nothing but a pathetic, laughable joke. Ford, justifiably, laughs when people suggest that he reprise his role as Han Solo, so I cannot understand why he cannot seem to see that the same problem he sees with playing Solo also applies to playing Indy. Eventually, you have to let it go and it is about time that Spielberg, Lucas and Ford let go of Indiana Jones.

 

[WillG]

 

Strangely enough, one scene that I always hear everyone complaining about is the refrigerator scene. That's actually one of my favorite sequences. So I could just be nuts.

 

While it was certainly one of the more ridiculous moments in the series, I don't see the fridge scene being much more ridiculous than surviving a plunge from an airplane then a 1000 foot cliff just because of a rubber raft in Temple, or Indy somehow managing to escape off screen from the tank falling off the cliff in Crusade.

 

[Pete-D]

I don't really have a problem with things like the fridge. Popcorn movies should have leeway to do silly things here and there (note: I said here and there).
 

It's more the general loss of any sense of tension and good character writing that I think is most hurting post-1980s Lucas. Those used to be strengths, now they've become weaknesses.
 

Really think about how vanilla and dull Cate Blanchett's "villain" character in Indy 4 was for example.

 

[Edwin-S]

Originally Posted by WillG

 

 

While it was certainly one of the more ridiculous moments in the series, I don't see the fridge scene being much more ridiculous than surviving a plunge from an airplane then a 1000 foot cliff just because of a rubber raft in Temple, or Indy somehow managing to escape off screen from the tank fallinf off the cliff in Crusade.

The two examples from the first two movies are highly implausible and over-the-top, but surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge (lead-lined or not) goes beyond ridiculous and into the absurd. Speaking only for myself, the "miraculous escapes" in the first two films manage to ride the fine line of plausible implausibility: in the back of my mind I know they couldn't possibly survive in real life but I can still "accept" it. The nuclear fridge was entirely different. There was no way I could accept him surviving the shock and heat wave from a close order nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge. My immediate response to seeing that was, "this is f'ing stupid beyond belief". That is why I think the scene was worse than any of the two examples that you used.

 

[cafink]

I agree that the "fridge" scene was way more ridiculous than anything in Raiders of Last Crusude. Some of the stuff in Temple comes pretty close, but I never cared for that film very much, anyway. What bothered me much more than using the fridge to survive the blast itself is that Indy is thrown hundreds of feet through the air, then walks away without a scratch on him.
 

And let's not forget the Shia Lebouf character doing the split across two vehicles in a high-speed chase, or keeping up with them by swinging from vine to vine like Tarzan.

 

I really, really wanted to like Crystal Skull, but scenes like these made it impossible to take seriously, much more so than anything in the previous films.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by WillG
 

While it was certainly one of the more ridiculous moments in the series, I don't see the fridge scene being much more ridiculous than surviving a plunge from an airplane then a 1000 foot cliff just because of a rubber raft in Temple, or Indy somehow managing to escape off screen from the tank fallinf off the cliff in Crusade.

Definitely. I think the reason is that people like the first three Indy movies so they let the ridiculous moments in those movies pass but since they didn't like Crystal Skull, they rant and rave about the equally ridiculous moments in that one.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Has Spielberg lost his touch? Or is it a matter of rushing these movies through production in order to meet deadlines or satisfy expectations? I think the main reason he did Indy IV was to get people to stop pestering him over when he would finally make a followup. I saw this film twice in theaters because I thought I would enjoy it more the second time but it never happened...I just couldn't get into it. I think the UFO storyline may have been the culprit but if there's gonna be another one it's gotta recapture the feel of the original. How hard can that be?

 

[Richard--W]

The alien theme undermines Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls for me. The refrigerator and nuclear blast push it too hard and too far. There's no restraint. I wish they had refined the script a little more, perhaps omit one or two superfluous characters and reduce the size of the spectacle. But I enjoyed the film for other reasons. I enjoy the interaction between Indiana Jones and the kid, the way he starts gruffly being a father before he finds out they're related. I wish they had found another name for him besides Mutt. I especially enjoyed the South American scenes where they explore the ancient ruins and find the mummys. I appreciated the good nature and warmth of the thing. The audiences I sat with seemed to enjoy the film without reservations.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I've seen them all and really only enjoyed #1. So I'm definitely done.

 

[dpippel]

I agree that Raiders set the bar very, very high. It's my favorite as well, and for me an almost perfect film in every way. ROTLA is one of the few movies that I enjoy as much as my first viewing every single time I watch it. Endlessly entertaining. That Crystal Skull is so far removed from that ideal is one reason I loathe it so.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Gents,

 

I make no apologies for the title.

 

Crystal Skull was not a good movie....so much so that

even South Park did an entire episode about Indiana Jones

being raped by Spielberg and Lucas. For the most part,

fans were highly disappointed.

 

Spielberg is one of my favorite directors. But this fascination

with aliens ruins potentially good movies. He ruined the

Kubrik film, Artificial Intelligence, by tacking on an overly long,

drawn out Disney-esque ending involving Aliens.
 

...and really, there is no room for Aliens in an Indiana Jones

movie but yet, that's the personal touch that Spielberg felt

he needed to tack on.

 

Personally, I was very disappointed.

 

[Edwin-S]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

Gents,

 

I make no apologies for the title.

 

Crystal Skull was not a good movie....so much so that

even South Park did an entire episode about Indiana Jones

being raped by Spielberg and Lucas. For the most part,

fans were highly disappointed.

 

Spielberg is one of my favorite directors. But this fascination

with aliens ruins potentially good movies. He ruined the

Kubrik film, Artificial Intelligence, by tacking on an overly long,

drawn out Disney-esque ending involving Aliens.
 

...and really, there is no room for Aliens in an Indiana Jones

movie but yet, that's the personal touch that Spielberg felt

he needed to tack on.

 

Personally, I was very disappointed.

While I agree with your sentiments regarding INDY IV, your interpretation about aliens in AI is incorrect. I didn't really like the ending, but the "aliens" were highly evolved descendants of the robots that were left after humanity became extinct. They were not aliens from another planet; although, Spielberg's unfortunate design choice made them appear to be the stereotypical "gray alien" that populates UFO literature.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
 

Crystal Skull was not a good movie....so much so that

even South Park did an entire episode about Indiana Jones

being raped by Spielberg and Lucas. For the most part,

fans were highly disappointed.

 

South Park/Matt and Trey seem to hate most things so did anyone really expect their view on Indy IV to be any different? I love Matt and Trey but that episode just further proved to me that if they didn't have a TV show, they'd be one of the sad internet losers crying about Lucas raping their childhoods.

 

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by dpippel

I agree that Raiders set the bar very, very high. It's my favorite as well, and for me an almost perfect film in every way. ROTLA is one of the few movies that I enjoy as much as my first viewing every single time I watch it. Endlessly entertaining. That Crystal Skull is so far removed from that ideal is one reason I loathe it so.

That's how I feel about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It remains one of the best times I ever had in a movie theater.

I'm entirely in agreement up to the point of loathing.

I don't loathe the last sequel.

If it were an exercise in deconstruction, nehilistic, vulgar or inept, then I would loathe it.

Since it is none of those things, I find much to enjoy and appreciate even though I'm disappointed in it.

 

[Pete-D]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

Gents,

 

I make no apologies for the title.

 

Crystal Skull was not a good movie....so much so that

even South Park did an entire episode about Indiana Jones

being raped by Spielberg and Lucas. For the most part,

fans were highly disappointed.

 

Spielberg is one of my favorite directors. But this fascination

with aliens ruins potentially good movies. He ruined the

Kubrik film, Artificial Intelligence, by tacking on an overly long,

drawn out Disney-esque ending involving Aliens.
 

...and really, there is no room for Aliens in an Indiana Jones

movie but yet, that's the personal touch that Spielberg felt

he needed to tack on.

 

Personally, I was very disappointed.

Errr .... just a few things here ...

 

1.) The ending to A.I. was pretty much exactly what Kubrick scripted, not Spielberg.
 

2.) The South Park episode for Lucas/Spielberg was released several years prior to the Crystal Skull and was more about the changes being made to older movies, like the walkie-talkie controversy in the re-released E.T.

 

3.) The alien stuff in Indy 4 is all on Lucas. From what I understand Spielberg and Ford wanted to go in a different direction, but Lucas did not. That was a big part of why the script took so long.

 

The script Spielberg favored was one written by Frank Darabont. It still has a lot of the stuff Lucas wanted in there (I think the fridge gag is still in there), and it definitely was no "Raiders", but it was truer to the spirit and humor of the first three movies I think. I remember reading it a few years ago.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

 

 

The South Park episode for Lucas/Spielberg was released several years prior to the Crystal Skull and was more about the changes being made to older movies, like the walkie-talkie controversy in the re-released E.T.

 

You are talking of another episode.

 

There indeed was a South Park episode released in 2008 right after Crystal Skull

where the boys were pissed off at what Lucas and Spielberg had done to

their favorite action-hero.

 

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/09/watch-this-spielberg-and-lucas-raping-indiana-jones-literally/

 

Warning: Contains Mature Content

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Those aren't aliens at the end of A.I., they're the descendants of the mechas.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Of the Spielberg movies I've seen, "A.I." easily has the most depressing ending. It is a fair tale ending written by robots that don't really understand the meaning behind fairy tales. David is a failed experiment. The falseness of it is the point.