Indy 4!
I've found a reasonably good indicator of how entertaining a movie is to me is how much snacking I do during it. If my mind wanders, my hand usually does as well, to the popcorn or the coke or whatever I have.
Coming out of KOTCS, my first Indiana Jones theatrical experience (that I can recall anyway; TLC would've been the only one I was old enough to remember at all) my Indy-themed can of Dr Pepper was unopened, my bag of chocolates untouched. I had no desire at any point to divert my attention long enough to do so.
Overall, I was most definitely entertained, and didn't feel like I'd wasted my $10. It had all the requisite elements of an Indy flick: Indy beating up foreign baddies, Indy getting beat up by foreign baddies (and just getting beat up in general), lots of vehicular chases in unforgiving terrain, a globetrotting quest for supernatural artifacts (yay red line on the map!) which results in a number of gruesome baddie deaths (loved the ants, and who didn't expect Spalko to have a Belloq-esque death when she said she wanted to 'know everything'?), Indy winning the day, a jaunty John Williams score, and overall just a nice not-too-cerebral action romp. I thought a decent job was done with keeping Indy in character from the previous movies while making him believably 20 years older. I liked the nods to the other movies: the photos of Marcus and Henry Sr., the Marcus statue stopping the Soviets during the cross-campus chase, the glimpse of the Ark, Marion being called "Abner's little girl," the use of the old Holy Grail and Marion musical themes. Though I wouldn't have minded a reference to Short Round or Sallah.
I can see how some might consider certain elements over the top. I'm mixed myself on certain things - the parallel-universe spaceship fly-away at the end, mainly. (Am I the only one that sequence reminded of the ending of the X-Files movie? Ooh, now there's a crossover for ya.) Not the spacemen concept in itself; given the change in eras from the previous movies, a transition to a more '50s style sci-fi plot point was appropriate. And I remind myself, the Indy movies have always been at least slightly over the top: ripping a dude's still-beating heart out, anyone? The Ark incinerating a whole Nazi camp? There were a few things - Indy being relatively unscathed from his nuclear-induced refrigerator flight, Mutt's monkey-vine act - that had me going "ooookay, Steve and George, sure," but they weren't show-killers for me. There are disbelief-suspending moments like those in all the movies, though I think KOTCS may have had a few more than previous Indy flicks.
Yay, Marion! She had about as much to do here as she did in Raiders, and she looked great doing it. Count me among possibly the very few who was surprised Indy was Mutt's absentee daddy - because an Indy/Marion lovechild actually felt a little too predictable to me. (In hindsight, I should've known once I heard Shia's character's name. What is it with the Jones men and dogs? ;))
Not that I'm too upset about Indy and Marion having a kid (and I loved the whole quicksand scene, from Indy nitpicking the meaning to the domestic argument to Indy freaking about grabbing the snake - nice use of his phobia!). I think I like that they married at the end, though it certainly wouldn't work without knowing their history in Raiders, and part of me's still thinking "okay hon, he's already skipped out on you at least twice, no?" I'd always assumed the original split that prompted her welcoming face-punch in Raiders was a botched engagement too (or at the very least him freaking and running away). Third time's the charm, I guess. I did like the Indy/Marion/Mutt interactions, including Indy suddenly going parental on the school thing once he learns who Mutt really is. It always changes when it's your kid, doesn't it? ;) Their family moments were a nice parallel to the Indy/Henry Sr. moments in TLC.
And I actually liked the "They weren't you" line (even if, again, I predicted it the moment Marion asked him about other women). Then again, I liked Anakin/Padme, so what do I know? ;) The movie's left me with the desire to find a good Indy/Marion (or Indy/Marion/Mutt) icon.
"I have a bad feeling about this." *snerk* And you just couldn't resist the American Graffiti-esque moments, could you, George? :)
Okay, overthinking it all. Long story short: Me likey. Will see again, probably a couple of times, at least one of those in IMAX. Well, screw the IMAX, I guess. Meh! What's up with theaters not doing a film like friggin' Indiana Jones in IMAX?
Coming out of KOTCS, my first Indiana Jones theatrical experience (that I can recall anyway; TLC would've been the only one I was old enough to remember at all) my Indy-themed can of Dr Pepper was unopened, my bag of chocolates untouched. I had no desire at any point to divert my attention long enough to do so.
Overall, I was most definitely entertained, and didn't feel like I'd wasted my $10. It had all the requisite elements of an Indy flick: Indy beating up foreign baddies, Indy getting beat up by foreign baddies (and just getting beat up in general), lots of vehicular chases in unforgiving terrain, a globetrotting quest for supernatural artifacts (yay red line on the map!) which results in a number of gruesome baddie deaths (loved the ants, and who didn't expect Spalko to have a Belloq-esque death when she said she wanted to 'know everything'?), Indy winning the day, a jaunty John Williams score, and overall just a nice not-too-cerebral action romp. I thought a decent job was done with keeping Indy in character from the previous movies while making him believably 20 years older. I liked the nods to the other movies: the photos of Marcus and Henry Sr., the Marcus statue stopping the Soviets during the cross-campus chase, the glimpse of the Ark, Marion being called "Abner's little girl," the use of the old Holy Grail and Marion musical themes. Though I wouldn't have minded a reference to Short Round or Sallah.
I can see how some might consider certain elements over the top. I'm mixed myself on certain things - the parallel-universe spaceship fly-away at the end, mainly. (Am I the only one that sequence reminded of the ending of the X-Files movie? Ooh, now there's a crossover for ya.) Not the spacemen concept in itself; given the change in eras from the previous movies, a transition to a more '50s style sci-fi plot point was appropriate. And I remind myself, the Indy movies have always been at least slightly over the top: ripping a dude's still-beating heart out, anyone? The Ark incinerating a whole Nazi camp? There were a few things - Indy being relatively unscathed from his nuclear-induced refrigerator flight, Mutt's monkey-vine act - that had me going "ooookay, Steve and George, sure," but they weren't show-killers for me. There are disbelief-suspending moments like those in all the movies, though I think KOTCS may have had a few more than previous Indy flicks.
Yay, Marion! She had about as much to do here as she did in Raiders, and she looked great doing it. Count me among possibly the very few who was surprised Indy was Mutt's absentee daddy - because an Indy/Marion lovechild actually felt a little too predictable to me. (In hindsight, I should've known once I heard Shia's character's name. What is it with the Jones men and dogs? ;))
Not that I'm too upset about Indy and Marion having a kid (and I loved the whole quicksand scene, from Indy nitpicking the meaning to the domestic argument to Indy freaking about grabbing the snake - nice use of his phobia!). I think I like that they married at the end, though it certainly wouldn't work without knowing their history in Raiders, and part of me's still thinking "okay hon, he's already skipped out on you at least twice, no?" I'd always assumed the original split that prompted her welcoming face-punch in Raiders was a botched engagement too (or at the very least him freaking and running away). Third time's the charm, I guess. I did like the Indy/Marion/Mutt interactions, including Indy suddenly going parental on the school thing once he learns who Mutt really is. It always changes when it's your kid, doesn't it? ;) Their family moments were a nice parallel to the Indy/Henry Sr. moments in TLC.
And I actually liked the "They weren't you" line (even if, again, I predicted it the moment Marion asked him about other women). Then again, I liked Anakin/Padme, so what do I know? ;) The movie's left me with the desire to find a good Indy/Marion (or Indy/Marion/Mutt) icon.
"I have a bad feeling about this." *snerk* And you just couldn't resist the American Graffiti-esque moments, could you, George? :)
Okay, overthinking it all. Long story short: Me likey. Will see again, probably a couple of times, at least one of those in IMAX. Well, screw the IMAX, I guess. Meh! What's up with theaters not doing a film like friggin' Indiana Jones in IMAX?