- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 17,459
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
I viewed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the first time this evening and at the conclusion was wondering why it received a somewhat "soft" reception from critics as well as filmgoers.
I forget who said it, possibly Roger Ebert, but the phrase "You can only see a film for the first time once" came to mind. And this may have been the problem. I'm occasionally a bit jealous of someone who loves film having that initial experience seeing Lawrence in a quality 70mm presentation on a huge screen, or "Vertigo," or The Godfather films.
There are so many references, many quite sweet, (in what other film could you possibly have a shot in which a speeding vehicle in a large warehouse bumps into a packing case, breaking it open -- just enough to reveal a bit of the Ark of the Covenant briefly to the camera) to the three preceding films, that some people may have reacted unkindly because in some ways they've been here before.
My take in simple. I was prepared to get on the tram, went for the Indy 4 ride -- and loved every moment of it.
What I was thinking as I was watching the film was how beautifully it was produced -- the cinematography, the art direction, the effects -- all of which shows precisely what you can achieve with the top technical people in every field of production and post, and the dollars to accomplish what was necessary -- in this case apparently just south of 200 million.
As far as the Blu-ray disc is concerned, there is only great news.
As a digital intermediate, the film has been magnificently down-rezzed to HD, and the resultant Blu-ray disc is as crisp and clean as any modern film can be.
Everything here is perfect including the Dolby TrueHD audio.
I have yet to get to the second disc, filled to overflowing with a cornucopia of special features, but will get there first chance.
You're in for one huge home video treat!
Highly Recommended.
RAH
I forget who said it, possibly Roger Ebert, but the phrase "You can only see a film for the first time once" came to mind. And this may have been the problem. I'm occasionally a bit jealous of someone who loves film having that initial experience seeing Lawrence in a quality 70mm presentation on a huge screen, or "Vertigo," or The Godfather films.
There are so many references, many quite sweet, (in what other film could you possibly have a shot in which a speeding vehicle in a large warehouse bumps into a packing case, breaking it open -- just enough to reveal a bit of the Ark of the Covenant briefly to the camera) to the three preceding films, that some people may have reacted unkindly because in some ways they've been here before.
My take in simple. I was prepared to get on the tram, went for the Indy 4 ride -- and loved every moment of it.
What I was thinking as I was watching the film was how beautifully it was produced -- the cinematography, the art direction, the effects -- all of which shows precisely what you can achieve with the top technical people in every field of production and post, and the dollars to accomplish what was necessary -- in this case apparently just south of 200 million.
As far as the Blu-ray disc is concerned, there is only great news.
As a digital intermediate, the film has been magnificently down-rezzed to HD, and the resultant Blu-ray disc is as crisp and clean as any modern film can be.
Everything here is perfect including the Dolby TrueHD audio.
I have yet to get to the second disc, filled to overflowing with a cornucopia of special features, but will get there first chance.
You're in for one huge home video treat!
Highly Recommended.
RAH
