2008-05-22 20:33:18

It's easily the worst of the lot, by quite a large margin. It's a bit of a shame to have to admit this, but the bulk majority of its redeeming values can be blamed almost solely on nostalgia. If this movie is even good, it's only because we get to see Harison Ford in action again. It pains me to say this, because I adore Spielberg--but this might be his worst movie ever. It is still entertaining, in a sort of, carefree summer blockbuster sort of way.

And ya know what? It's a shame that I have to say this too, because I'm a bit of a Lucas fan: but fucking'a this guy should stop writing stories. The plot in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is awful. There's no way to avoid it. I'm surprised the man didn't try to tie the franchise into the Star War's universe--it's really wouldn't have been a big leap at this point.

There should have been some freaking Nazi's too. Russians, blah! Cate Blanchett was fucking great though, which is one of the movies real redeeming qualities. If you go expecting a fun, carefree ride, you'll probably like it. Just don't expect an instant classic, because it's far from it.

It's bad and it's good. It has some really great moments.. but it misses the mark. It could have been much worse--Lucas could have directed it himself. Spielberg manages to take this places that George never would be capable of himself.

2008-05-22 21:41:40 In reply to GriftGFX (2008-05-22 20:33:18)

So basically it is good to see Ford in his Indy character again and have som "fun" entertainment.

Well that is what I want, atleast you know.

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Ninja Gaiden 2!

*A New Form of Change*

2008-05-22 21:52:36

I agree with most of that Grift. But I walked in with a lower set of expectations and I was still let down. It has to be one of the worse paced movies I've ever seen. And it was just over the top, and silly. Not clever or thrilling.

A fridge surviving a nuclear blast? COME ON! ALIENS?! THE HELL?!

Indiana Jones is STILL a trilogy in my book. On the plus side, the visual effects were great. Everything else I would leave.

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Hey, I'm just like you. I put my pants on one leg at a - dammit, I knew I forgot something today.

2008-05-22 21:53:36 In reply to Sath (2008-05-22 21:41:40)

Let's see.

War of the worlds = classic science fiction literature + Steven Spielberg.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull = retarded George Lucas drivel + Steven Spielberg.

Winner?

Duh.

2008-05-22 22:06:52

All I gotta say is I thought WOTW was decent, and those kids bitch about everything throughout the movie, which made the movie very boring to watch.

But I can't say anything about Kingdom of the Crytal Skull until I see it.

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Ninja Gaiden 2!

*A New Form of Change*

2008-05-22 22:16:12

At least Spielberg had the balls to do this thing himself. We might live in a better world if James Cameron had the stones to ruin Terminator, instead of letting a bunch of other asshats do it for him. Terminator 4-6, here we come.

Lets see. What classic franchise haven't they trashed yet? Do you think Shia Lebouf could play Rick Blaine? We may need to start reaching even further back in the history of film making--there are some truly pristine classics that needs to be made into mockeries of their former selves.

2008-05-22 22:31:27

Well T3 sucked, 2 was very very great, 1 was good.
4...well I don't know, Bale plays as John Connor, so I am hoping it will be good, but I don't expect it to be as good as 2 was, but that is for another movie.

As for Indy, I just hope the 4th movie will be entertain and fun to watch and that is what I want.

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Ninja Gaiden 2!

*A New Form of Change*

2008-05-22 22:33:48

T4 is going to suck hard. I wish I could say that it may or may not suck, but I can't. It's PG13 and McG is directing it. McG directed the Charlie's Angels movies. There's only so much Bale can do, and I'm afraid it won't be enough to save T4.

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"If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards...Checkmate." - Zapp Brannigan

2008-05-22 22:37:56

Its getting 80%ish on Rotten Tomatoes. So, it must be good right? :P

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Wii60!

"We've said that Gears of War was graphically the best game have ever been made, well it looks like Pong compared to Crysis and some of the DX10 titles."

-Gary Whitta (Venting on the NG podcast after Coming back from the Games for Windows)

2008-05-22 22:56:30 In reply to NeoNemesis (2008-05-22 22:37:56)

Terminator has gone steadily downhill since James Cameron jumped ship--and he should have, T2 was supposed to be the end. T4 is going to suck because it's being written by the same people who wrote T3, nuff said. Bale signed up to do three movies though, so we have that to look forward to (lol).

2008-05-22 23:43:36 In reply to GriftGFX (2008-05-22 22:56:30)

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Wii60!

"We've said that Gears of War was graphically the best game have ever been made, well it looks like Pong compared to Crysis and some of the DX10 titles."

-Gary Whitta (Venting on the NG podcast after Coming back from the Games for Windows)

2008-05-23 00:14:42

Oh, and you should. I did enjoy it.. I was just hoping for more. I should have known better as soon as I saw the words, "Written by George Lucas" though.

2008-05-23 00:19:01

Leave INDY alone! I'm off to go see it with some friends right now myself......naked.

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“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”-- Harvey Dent

2008-05-23 10:07:04 In reply to GriftGFX (2008-05-22 21:53:36)

CONS
Why does Indiana Jones get married?! He's a womanizer like Bond, but I guess it's the last one so why not? Tarzan scene blows. Russians are boring as stated, and we all know the Nazis were much more interested in technological powers or supernatural possibilities. Indiana Jones is an "old man" now I guess, and is no longer as bad ass as he was in the original 3. Harrison just didn't seem the same due to the older character they wanted because of his irl age. Also Indy should have had some action with Cate's character imo, he's supposed to woo even the evil broads. NO romance scenes, just action

PROS
Shia is still not a bad actor, nor will he ever be probably. Cate Blanchett is a nice addition even though she's not entirely believable with her accent.
I liked the story, and a lot of the theories are real. I also liked the locations they used this time around

2008-05-23 10:11:15 In reply to Tinks (2008-05-23 10:07:04)

Oh shit I quoted your message and almost saw the spoilers ;/

Give it a rating on /5.

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If history is to change, let it change. If the world is to be destroyed, so be it. If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh.

2008-05-23 15:03:30

well that movie was interesting to say the least :/

it was like watching the last 3 SW films. I mean you're like, "man I'm so glad to see a new Indiana Jones flick, but my god is it bad!"

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“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”-- Harvey Dent

2008-05-23 17:07:11

Without a grade, I'm LOST

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If history is to change, let it change. If the world is to be destroyed, so be it. If my fate is to die, I must simply laugh.

2008-05-23 17:09:34

I haven't seen the film yet but from what I've read from your comments on the story, the plot concerning the skull seems very similar to a Stargate SG1 episode entitled Crystal Skull.

2008-05-23 17:16:40 In reply to Tinks (2008-05-23 10:07:04)

2008-05-23 20:49:53

3.7 / 5

2008-05-24 02:13:03 In reply to Tinks (2008-05-23 10:07:04)

I've just got back from watching it, and I quite enjoyed it. It was a bit of a cheese festival, but I'm ok with that every now and then.

Ignore this next comment if you do not watch Scrubs..

Plus the film gets extra kudos for simply having the Janitor in it! :P

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"I obtained natural play orgasm from gameplay. Elegant, superb! Masterpiece!"--AcefromRussia

2008-05-24 02:46:38 In reply to Archaos (2008-05-24 02:13:03)

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Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Has it been five years? Six? It seems like a lifetime.

2008-05-25 05:44:10

I thouroghly enjoyed it. It was pure Indian Jones.
Oh and it was miles better than the Temple of Doom.

Fun, enteretaining and one heck of a ride 9/10

2008-05-25 16:31:16

I have to say I mostly loved it too. I think Shia LaBeouf is awesome, possibly even more awesome than he was in Transformers, but I can see how not agreeing with that sentiment suddenly makes half the movie crap.

For me, he was KEY to making this surprisingly enjoyable. I think it sits firmly as the third most enjoyable Indy, with Temple of Doom being the bore fest it is, comparably.

Whenever animals were CG blobs I found it intrusive, but a lot of scenes definitely benefit from the kind of "camera work" CG makes possible. My favourite part of the entire film (somewhere in the middle) would've been impossible to realise any other way.

My main gripe with it is that it ultimately runs out of steam, and even when it comes back there's just too much damn people around. I don't mind Shia's character, like stated, but before it's over it's like a fucking expedition which Indy doesn't even feel in charge of. That's as close as I'll get to spoiling it in my non-spoilery area.

Spoilery area ahead!

Now, getting into specifics a bit more, the reason I thought Shia's character (Mutt from here on) worked so great was because he never overshadowed Indy. On the contrary, he managed to be a "cool" character on his own while being the main base for exposition when Indy started babbling about clues fitting together. The scene in the diner I thought was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, and the subsequent motorcycle ride was awesome too. I thought the chemistry between Mutt and Indy was one of the main strong points of the entire film, and I was delighted to see how well Shia shouldered the 50s teen rocker role so well.

As for the main plot, it wasn't nearly as iconic and memorable as the Ark or the Grail, but a damn sight better than voodoo rocks. I thought for sure that the alien stuff would crap all over an Indy movie but I just.. don't think it did, oddly enough. The final scene was mind boggling to say the least, but not more so than the Ark burning people's faces off really. The fact that clues are stupid and convoluted is to be expected, so nothing new in that sense.

But yeah, people, too many god damn characters towards the end. Why keep dragging that Mac dude along? He added NOTHING to the film beyond the initial introduction and the back stabbing. At the end they used him for tracking Indy, but they could just aswell have put some kind of device on the lass instead and been none the worse off.

I would've liked Indy to be the one to lead everyone in the end aswell. Instead we got Ox in the foreground and Indy just sort of tagging along, looking confused. What's up with that? What's up with not having Indy with a torch in hand, sweaty brow, taking the first steps into the unknown? Very disappointing.

Also, the "bad guys" and various threats, save for commie Cate, were absolute tosh. CG ants? For a second I could swear I was watching The Mummy Returns. Also, the random mayan dudes hopping out of the walls were just completely superfluous. They could've switched them for falling rocks or shooting arrows or some other deathtrap crap. Instead we sort of get this "who the hell were those guys? ah well, movie's forgot about them so I will too..." feeling.

But ultimately when there was adventurous stuff happening it just works. There's an inherent charm to this KIND of movie, and Harrison Ford still very much "has it" despite being ancient. Shia only amplifies this and further solidifies himself as one of the most charming, flexible and loveable new actors around. I think it's easy to forget just how simple the other Indy movies are and how much they live on just being really charming and loveable, and I think once this has settled in some more and the sheer newness of it has worn off a bit, it'll be fondly remembered aswell.

I'm giving it a definite 3/5.

2008-05-25 18:19:39

That alien crap did crap all over the movie. Thanks George.

But it wasn't all bad. Lucas should just stop telling stories, because he's clearly lost his mind. Shia Lebouf isn't a bad actor, and Mutt Williams isn't even a bad character, it's just the act of shoving this next-generation Indiana Jones concept down my throat in every scene that I find absolutely appalling. Make no mistake here, we will see an Indiana Jones 5 and it won't be 20 years later.

Good, so far from great, and a long ways away from classic. Nostalgia saves this film. If the same production values were attached to The Mummy 4, people would be more willing to take more notice of all of the stupid shit they were just subjected to.

Oh.. but Cate Blanchett.. you should have been a Nazi but I don't care I still love you.

Tarzan bullshit + killer ants + motherfucking aliens = fail.

And yet, I think 3/5 is pretty fair. After all that's 6/10, or 60/100.

Enjoy it for what it's worth.