Indy, I Love You!!!
I do love me some Indiana Jones. The short, spoiler free version of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is that it was good. Not great. I'm not even sure I'd call it pretty good. Some of the scenes in the movie completely kicked ass, and I was surprised by some of what did work really well for me. Mostly, Shia LaBeouf surprised the hell out of me, because I was expecting to hate the guy's character. Instead, I found him pretty hilarious the first time he sits down with Indy. Cate Blanchett was very cool. And it was a pleasure to see Indiana Jones (and Harrison Ford) kicking ass again.
Mostly, the whole crystal skull thing didn't bother me. You know right from the start in Area 51 we're dealing with extraterrestials and UFOs. Fine, no problem for me. Except when the UFO shows up at the end of the movie. (Actually, seeing an alien didn't work too well for me either, but the UFO broke it.)
The Ark. Yeah, that was a total let-down.
I did like Shia LaBeouf as Mutt. I did not like him as Tarzan. Mutt meeting Monkey Elvis was cute, though.
Did anyone seeing this movie think for a second "Marion" meant someone other than Marion Ravenwood? Come on. Also, it would've been nicer if her part had been a bit meatier. (But I do give them points for bringing her back).
This is my MAJOR complaint. There was a lot in this movie built on relationships we had never experiences and just had to take as it was told to us. Mostly, Indy's relationship to Mac (Ray Winstone), his old archaeologist buddy Oxley (John Hurt), and Marcus Brody's replacement (Jim Broadbent). None of these worked very well for me, especially Brody's replacement. It was like they'd written a scene for Brody, and he'd called in sick, and they had to find a substitute for him. know Denholm Eliott past away, but still. They could've done something far more creative than the Indy packing/Brody drinking scene. If I had to pick one thing about the movie that really pissed me off, it was this scene, because it was the laziest thing I've seen in any of the Indiana Jones movies. Mac, well, we never really have a reason to care that much about him, he's more of a plot device than anything. Ditto Oxley. Both these actors are talented enough to make even plot devices watchable (Winstone getting punched/kicked in the nose -- what's not to love?), but the writing here also felt a bit lazy. Also, I know Sean Connery "retired" and thus he refused a part in this movie, but still. It might've been a nice touch to see the movie start with Indy and Mac at Henry Jones, Sr.'s funeral, then have them get kidnapped by the Reds. Already, I would've dug Mac more as Indy's friend, and I would've felt more nostalgia for Connery's great work in Last Crusade. Hell, I would've appreciated the Brody clone more. As it stands, the attempts for nostalgia feel like just that. Tries.
Perhaps my absolute favorite scene was about halfway through in the graveyard, where those creepy ass skeletons seemingly came to life. Indy blowing the dart into the guy's mouth? That was a CLASSIC Indy moment. But then the other not-skeleton guy ran away like a Checkovian gun, and we never saw him again. No consequences. Bummer.
That truck chase/ants scene (sans Tarzan)? Killer.
If it sounds like I hated this movie, that couldn't be any further from the truth. All in all, I did enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie again (hopefully with my dad). It's not as good as the other three movies -- it doesn't quite have the heart that even Temple of Doom had (ba-duh-bump!). But if you want to see another Indy adventure, don't be caught without a ticket.
Mostly, the whole crystal skull thing didn't bother me. You know right from the start in Area 51 we're dealing with extraterrestials and UFOs. Fine, no problem for me. Except when the UFO shows up at the end of the movie. (Actually, seeing an alien didn't work too well for me either, but the UFO broke it.)
The Ark. Yeah, that was a total let-down.
I did like Shia LaBeouf as Mutt. I did not like him as Tarzan. Mutt meeting Monkey Elvis was cute, though.
Did anyone seeing this movie think for a second "Marion" meant someone other than Marion Ravenwood? Come on. Also, it would've been nicer if her part had been a bit meatier. (But I do give them points for bringing her back).
This is my MAJOR complaint. There was a lot in this movie built on relationships we had never experiences and just had to take as it was told to us. Mostly, Indy's relationship to Mac (Ray Winstone), his old archaeologist buddy Oxley (John Hurt), and Marcus Brody's replacement (Jim Broadbent). None of these worked very well for me, especially Brody's replacement. It was like they'd written a scene for Brody, and he'd called in sick, and they had to find a substitute for him. know Denholm Eliott past away, but still. They could've done something far more creative than the Indy packing/Brody drinking scene. If I had to pick one thing about the movie that really pissed me off, it was this scene, because it was the laziest thing I've seen in any of the Indiana Jones movies. Mac, well, we never really have a reason to care that much about him, he's more of a plot device than anything. Ditto Oxley. Both these actors are talented enough to make even plot devices watchable (Winstone getting punched/kicked in the nose -- what's not to love?), but the writing here also felt a bit lazy. Also, I know Sean Connery "retired" and thus he refused a part in this movie, but still. It might've been a nice touch to see the movie start with Indy and Mac at Henry Jones, Sr.'s funeral, then have them get kidnapped by the Reds. Already, I would've dug Mac more as Indy's friend, and I would've felt more nostalgia for Connery's great work in Last Crusade. Hell, I would've appreciated the Brody clone more. As it stands, the attempts for nostalgia feel like just that. Tries.
Perhaps my absolute favorite scene was about halfway through in the graveyard, where those creepy ass skeletons seemingly came to life. Indy blowing the dart into the guy's mouth? That was a CLASSIC Indy moment. But then the other not-skeleton guy ran away like a Checkovian gun, and we never saw him again. No consequences. Bummer.
That truck chase/ants scene (sans Tarzan)? Killer.
If it sounds like I hated this movie, that couldn't be any further from the truth. All in all, I did enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie again (hopefully with my dad). It's not as good as the other three movies -- it doesn't quite have the heart that even Temple of Doom had (ba-duh-bump!). But if you want to see another Indy adventure, don't be caught without a ticket.