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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
 Posted - 05/24/2008 : 11:04:48 PM
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Saw it tonight and it wildly surpassed my admittedly low expectations. They made a couple "Indy is aging" jokes and got on with it and 30 minutes in I was just seeing the character, not an old Harrison Ford playing him. He comes off much more like the Indy of old and not the tired old apathetic curmudgeon we got in the trailers. Whoever cut those should be shot. I didn't hate Shy La Beef at all- he was fine and I'd totally buy him picking up the franchise if they try and go that way. Karen Allen was great. Cate Blanchette was, well, an acceptable stock Indy Bad Guy- er, Gal- er, Person. The story was fun. There was some obvious CGI and I didn't feel it looked quite as good as, say, the better moments of King Kong but it wasn't distracting for the most part. Also, I saw it in a digital theater and I feel that movies originated on film looks better projected on film. Or maybe it's just Janusz Kaminski's cinematography at fault again- though this movie does not have that awful way grainy tinted look all Spielberg's recent movies have had. I'd rate this one a solid second favorite in a tie with Temple of Doom (yes, I'm one of those people) and better than Last Crusade. Anyone going to see it with remotely reasonable expectations should come out having been entertained.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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TheFoywonder
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
833 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 1:35:20 PM
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Anyone going to see it with remotely reasonable expectations should come out having been entertained.
A movie with the pedigree of the Indiana Jones franchise, the first new installment in nearly 20 years, directed by Steven Spielberg, and yet you're having to tell people to go into it with reasonably low expectations in order to be entertained. Doesn't that seem to indicate that, yes, it does kind of suck.
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 2:06:59 PM
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Nah, I have to concur with Sardu. I think he's just saying, don't expect a *great* movie. It's not. It's fun, though. Keep your expectations reasonable, and you should have a reasonably good time. I did. Smartly, I think Spielberg and Lucas did too. The movie doesn't try *too* hard, and it's a comparatively slim (for today) two hours. Considering that the Wachowski's thought Speed Racer worth two hours fifteen minutes, and Sex and the City's makers thought that worth two and a half hours, I appreciate Crystal Skull staying fairly lean.
Since I thought both the second and third Indiana Jones movie were sort of mediocre, I guess I'd give this one the nod as the second best of the series, although obviously waaaaaay behind Raiders.
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 3:31:51 PM
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Mmm... Here's one of the haters. Well, I didn't hate it, but I'm not enthusiastic about it either. And I should, because it's Indiana we're talikng here, not Bond. With Bond I'm happy if they don't do a total stinker, but I expect more from an Indiana Jones movie.
Anyway, the movie has its strenghts, obviously. Ford is in reasonably good shape, and he is Indy. Period. And LeBouf and Blanchett are great. The plot is... alright. I liked the way they used Cold War and the changes in the campus were Indy teaches to foreshadow the pass of time. And I liked the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski for once. It's a huge inprovement since the last time he photographed a "light" Spielberg, in The lost world.
But here come the downsides. The script is messy, and not in a good way like in Temple of Doom. It looks like an ensemble of many different things, and it never gets the chance of developing its own personality. Spots look like Raiders, others like Crusade, but the scenes in between are so random that they feel like a TV special. What made the other Indiana Jones movies work for me was the care that Spielberg put in the way he directed them, with the precision of a clock maker yet with the looney sense of humour of a cartoon when the action started. I couldn't see none of both things here.
Which takes me to the action. Look, I can understand the action not being as intense as in the other movies. We all know it's an older Indy, and Ford is in his 60s. No ammount Pilates is gonna make him any younger. Yet the extensive use of CGI and the lack of cruelty in which Spielberg treats the red shirts (no pun intended, being commies and all that) almost ruined the action for me. C'on, Spielberg! I understand you take life more serious these days, but it's red shirts we're talking about here! Their only function is to have amusing and / or spectacular deaths!
Anyway, recap. A bad movie? No. A disappointing one? You bet. You know there's something wrong whith it when they show the trailer of The mummy III and you end up thinking that one may turn out being more fun. |
Edited by - Neville on 05/25/2008 4:29:01 PM |
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TheFoywonder
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
833 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 3:36:07 PM
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You're about the other sequels having their problems but I was stunned by how flat this movie was. Did anyone genuinely find anything in this movie at all exciting? I couldn't help but notice Indiana Jones really doesn't do much of anything in his own movie other. Movie had to keep falling back on cute family comedy moments because it was an adventure movie sorely lacking in the advenure department. Even took my mom to see it since she's a big fan of Harrison Ford and the Indiana Jones movies (Considers RAIDERS one of the best movies ever made) and her summation afterwards was a very simple "That was pathetic." She was even more negative about it than I was. I'd put it in the category of a whole lot of nothing.
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 9:45:56 PM
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Ken's right, all I'm saying is you can't go in with the kind of hopes that most of us had when Phantom Menace came out; i. e. that you could go home again. The best you can do is drive by the lot, see your house is still there and not a mini-mall and have fond memories of how it was and that's what you get here. Whether that is a fun or a pathetic experience has a lot to do with where you are in life more than likely. And I think part of the problem is expecting it to be exciting. It just can't be. It has to be a bit more about nostalgia and enjoying seeing familiar faces again and having cute comedy moments. No wonder you guys are disappointed. I had fun and simply appreciated that it didn't take a dump on my memories the way the Star Wars prequels did.
I really bet a lot of how one responds to this movie has to do with age.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
Edited by - Sardu on 05/25/2008 9:47:34 PM |
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Cannon Fodder
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Australia
176 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 02:16:22 AM
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| The best I can say of it is it doesn't suck as badly as I feared it would. There were a whole lot problems with it but it wasn't too painful to watch other than the overtly sci-fi conclusion. I really, really could have done without the UFO crap- the last twenty minutes or so almost sunk the entire movie and the entire franchise. |
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Bobby-G
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
904 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 02:45:08 AM
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I'm reading A LOT of comments around the place that basically say "don't expect too much, and you can enjoy this movie".
If I'm going to spend $10 to see a movie (not counting transportation costs), I'd like to think trying to convince myself that I didn't have a bad time wouldn't be a necessary part of the experience.
Rob |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 09:44:00 AM
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I don't understand what makes the UFO crap at the end of this movie any different from the supernatural occult crap that occurred at the end of the first movie.
What I'm tying to say isn't "don't expect too much, and you can enjoy this movie" as much as "don't expect so much that you can't enjoy this movie (and you'll enjoy this movie)". It's different *lol*
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
Edited by - Sardu on 05/26/2008 09:47:37 AM |
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Bobby-G
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
904 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 12:50:12 PM
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I guess I see your point.
I was SO disappointed in TEMPLE OF DOOM (loved LOST ARK!), that I've never bothered to see CRUSADE -- but when I saw the commercials for CRYSTAL SKULL, I thought "hey, that looks like it may be something I'd enjoy" (aside from some phoney looking CGI).
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Terrahawk
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
644 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 9:03:06 PM
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I just saw it and I have to agree with Sardu. I think Sardu's point isn't that you toss all taste out the window. Instead, his point, I believe, is that you have to know what to expect from the film. First, Harrison Ford is 65 and this is going to severely limit the ability for him to perform action scenes. I remember him talking about how much tougher "Last Crusade" was on him at his age then. Second, this is the fourth film in the series. There's not much new you can expect to happen. So, if you realize those two facts and adjust your expectations accordingly, then how does the film do?
I would say the film is good, but not great. For the most part the humor scenes are good except for a couple that are just a bit off. They just don't have the punch they should. The action scenes, specifically the ones with Ford, are limited by his age, but that was to be expected. Overall, they are pretty good. The story though is what hurts the movie the most. I could handle the alien angle, although Mrs. Terrhawk didn't like it (she still likes "Last Crusade" the best). The problem is that the ending felt like a mix of "National Treasure: Book of Secrets", "The Mummy", and "The Mummy II." It really needed a rework. In the end, the film doesn't embarrass the franchise, but it doesn't win it any new laurels either. It's a pleasant, popcorn flick that was worth the $5 matinée price I paid.
- Si desea pulse 2 para español, encontrar un país diferente. - |
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Cannon Fodder
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Australia
176 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 05:14:02 AM
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| The UFO angle was really a big departure from the previous movies, which which centred around the fantastical/supernatural not the half-arsed sci-fi element. For the large part it didn't effect the meat of the movie which was basically Indy battling bad guys in order to find an artifact of some great power but when it came up it really did change the flavour of the movie and it was quite incongruous with what had gone before. I wouldn't have minded so much if they had been a little more subtle about it but the conclusion was anything but subtle. Imagine for example if they made a Terminator movie in which the rival Terminator is actually a mystically powered Golem or something. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull isn't just a distant fourth in terms of its release date. |
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 07:40:21 AM
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To be fair, the idea is that since the movie is set in the '50s, the series' traditionally outre elements should here reflect '50s sci-fi movies. So that didn't really bother me.
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 10:24:27 PM
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned the complete betrayal of the series by including computer effects. Indiana Jones was supposed to be a throw back to a time when special effects were done in-camera.
Glass shots, tank shots, rear screen, front screen and lapse photography (remember when the Nazi melted?).
By adding computer special effects, Spielberg has given the film a gloss that it didn't need. That sword fight on the moving vehicles looked TOO good. Not to mention I started having flashbacks of prequel Star Wars while I was watching it.
On the other hand, it may have been a attempt to improve the coal car chase in Temple of Doom. Mr. Lucas, let it go. Will ya?
The movie also suffers from Billy Jack-itis. The movie is WAY to gabby for its own good. Not to say that explaining a few plot points to keep a audience on track is not allowed. Also I know it is Spielberg's style. In every Spielberg film, there is a scene where the characters just sit around and talk to each other. In Jaws it was the Indianapolis. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind it was the interrogation of Mr. Neary by the French Scientist. Saving Private Ryan had three such scenes. Raiders of the Lost Ark had one scene. And that scene was when Army Intelligence visited Indy and asked him to analyze some messages they received out of Cairo. This lead to a interesting discussion where Harrison Ford laid out what the Ark was and why Hitler would want it. It ended beautifully when Indy opened a book and showed them a picture of the Ark and showed what kind of damage it could do.
Crystal Skull, on the other hand, doesn't do this right. Instead of one tightly written scene, Spielberg chose to pepper the movie with 20 minute scenes here and there. And even then, it hides the secrets of the skull until the end. And it also doesn't help that most of the characters blow off the skull's power until the very end. The only one who knows and takes it seriously is the chief bad gal. And besides, if you remember, the Ark turned out to be a power that was beyond the Nazi's control. Would I be giving too much away, if I told people to keep that in mind when they went to see this picture?
Spielberg's attempts at comedy where also misfires. Two come to mind. One is were Indy and the kid, drive and take a spill in the university library. One of Indy's students sees his professor land right in front of him and totally ignores what just happened. Does he offer a hand? Does he show any alarm that his 60 year old professor just took a spill on a very fast moving motorbike? Hell no. He thinks now is the perfect time to talk about his homework. And asked Indy were to find information, and Indy actually blows off the fact that he is being chased by killers to answer him.
Another time is when Indy and Marion is sinking in to a sand pit. And Indy blows THAT little fact to explain to people that sand pits and quicksand are NOT the same thing.
I have always HATED this type of comedy because I just can't let go of the fact that I live in a logical universe.
Its times like this that I wish I had Gangrene's resources because I could make a similar short film and compare Raiders to Crystal Skull.
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"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 03:10:30 AM
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Originally posted by Capt. Nemo
Spielberg's attempts at comedy where also misfires. Two come to mind. One is were Indy and the kid, drive and take a spill in the university library. One of Indy's students sees his professor land right in front of him and totally ignores what just happened. Does he offer a hand? Does he show any alarm that his 60 year old professor just took a spill on a very fast moving motorbike? Hell no. He thinks now is the perfect time to talk about his homework. And asked Indy were to find information, and Indy actually blows off the fact that he is being chased by killers to answer him.
Another time is when Indy and Marion is sinking in to a sand pit. And Indy blows THAT little fact to explain to people that sand pits and quicksand are NOT the same thing.
I actually liked those two bits. They seem to show that the older Indy has more of a College teacher than of an adventurer, and I found that understandable. |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 07:39:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Neville
I actually liked those two bits. They seem to show that the older Indy has more of a College teacher than of an adventurer
But at the expense of portraying his students dumb as a bag of hammers.
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"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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