I did not walk into this movie wanting to hate it. Far from it. Despite early reviews and rampant skepticism that seemed to plague most fanboys, I was still excited. How could I not be? Like most of you, Indiana Jones was part of the cinematic foundation of my childhood. I was humming the theme all day before I saw it. And listen, I realize we're dealing with twenty years of nostalgia. No current Indy film is going to come out and be able to compete with the memories of the others. But I'm not dealing with just memories. I just watched the first and third film a few days ago and was amazed how well they stood up, how witty they were, how incredible the action was, and how many little things I'd never noticed before. They're not just movies I liked when I was a kid. They're just well made films period.
Crystal Skull starts off interestingly enough. I like how they establish the cultural climate of the 1950's. In fact, the first half of the movie is truly solid. Not perfect. But definitely on par with Last Crusade. And I could have lived with that. I wasn't expecting much more.
It's basically the introduction of Marion and everything that follows that made the film take a complete nose dive for me. My complaints will sound a lot like other peoples and for that you may decide to disregard them completely. That's fine. I don't understand why we have to be so antagonistic with reviews or comments that contradict our own feelings. Or why anyone's opinion is less valid than another's.
You're either going to accept the Area 51/alien angle or you're not. It's that simple. Your overall enjoyment of the movie is going to greatly depend on which camp you fall into. Me, I didn't accept it. Sorry. It's just not my taste. I realize all of the Indy movies have moments where they tread into the fantastical. I'm not upset that it wasn't plausible. How is the end of Raiders any more so? It's just not my cup of tea, that's all. Watching Cate Blanchett make faces at a terribly rendered CGI alien who then turns her into a firework is just a little hard for me to get excited about. I'm sure if I were a little kid I wouldn't have had a problem with it. But I'm not and that's the sad fact. I would have preferred something a little more subtle and ambiguous. Not a climax where Indy stands around and watches things happen rather than taking part in them. And when the giant UFO comes out of the ground the movie just lost me completely. It doesn't make Indy 4 a terrible movie. I'd never say that. It just comes down to your personal taste. For some it may be perfectly suited to the franchise. For me it just didn't feel right. Sue me.
I also couldn't believe how underwhelming a lot of the special effects were. It's impossible to get caught up in the jungle car chase when it's so obvious none of the actors are in any real peril because they're in front of a green screen 80% of the time. It's not that the sword fight or Tarzan moment were too ridiculous. I have no problem with these movies going over the top. It's just that they looked so fake.
No one stages an action sequence like Spielberg and for the most part they don't disappoint. The motorcycle chase, the temple warriors, and the giant ants were all great moments. But the comedy that usually goes hand in hand with all that action was missing. There were a few genuine moments of it. And a lot of attempts at it. But nothing that even comes close to the perfect balance the earlier films exhibited. CGI is killing the action genre. The sequences in the other films were twice as exciting and imaginative without the aid of computers.
The most disappointing aspect of the film though is the script. How can someone as brilliant as Spielberg keep such a tight grip on someone as mediocre as David Koepp? The best moments from the script come from other people's drafts. I recognized at least 70% of the material as being borrowed. The mythology of the skull is tedious to listen to. Especially when it's essentially irrelevant. We're not there to listen to a lecture. We're there to go an adventure with Indy. The film is so talky and gets weighed down in its tendency to over explain everything. And there's zero character development. The Indy/Mutt relationship works well. Especially when it's just the two of them. But the rest of the characters (including Marion) are just set dressing. They're completely thankless roles.
I know it doesn't sound like it, but I didn't hate the movie. I would be all for another Indiana Jones film. Especially if they get an original & cohesive script and not a hodge podge of other people's idea.
I think it's totally okay that other people loved it. I just think it should be okay that not all of us did. Or that it means we're "haters" or that our nostalgia has clouded our judgment. I didn't expect another Raiders. I didn't expect perfection. Just more than this.
Crystal Skull starts off interestingly enough. I like how they establish the cultural climate of the 1950's. In fact, the first half of the movie is truly solid. Not perfect. But definitely on par with Last Crusade. And I could have lived with that. I wasn't expecting much more.
It's basically the introduction of Marion and everything that follows that made the film take a complete nose dive for me. My complaints will sound a lot like other peoples and for that you may decide to disregard them completely. That's fine. I don't understand why we have to be so antagonistic with reviews or comments that contradict our own feelings. Or why anyone's opinion is less valid than another's.
You're either going to accept the Area 51/alien angle or you're not. It's that simple. Your overall enjoyment of the movie is going to greatly depend on which camp you fall into. Me, I didn't accept it. Sorry. It's just not my taste. I realize all of the Indy movies have moments where they tread into the fantastical. I'm not upset that it wasn't plausible. How is the end of Raiders any more so? It's just not my cup of tea, that's all. Watching Cate Blanchett make faces at a terribly rendered CGI alien who then turns her into a firework is just a little hard for me to get excited about. I'm sure if I were a little kid I wouldn't have had a problem with it. But I'm not and that's the sad fact. I would have preferred something a little more subtle and ambiguous. Not a climax where Indy stands around and watches things happen rather than taking part in them. And when the giant UFO comes out of the ground the movie just lost me completely. It doesn't make Indy 4 a terrible movie. I'd never say that. It just comes down to your personal taste. For some it may be perfectly suited to the franchise. For me it just didn't feel right. Sue me.
I also couldn't believe how underwhelming a lot of the special effects were. It's impossible to get caught up in the jungle car chase when it's so obvious none of the actors are in any real peril because they're in front of a green screen 80% of the time. It's not that the sword fight or Tarzan moment were too ridiculous. I have no problem with these movies going over the top. It's just that they looked so fake.
No one stages an action sequence like Spielberg and for the most part they don't disappoint. The motorcycle chase, the temple warriors, and the giant ants were all great moments. But the comedy that usually goes hand in hand with all that action was missing. There were a few genuine moments of it. And a lot of attempts at it. But nothing that even comes close to the perfect balance the earlier films exhibited. CGI is killing the action genre. The sequences in the other films were twice as exciting and imaginative without the aid of computers.
The most disappointing aspect of the film though is the script. How can someone as brilliant as Spielberg keep such a tight grip on someone as mediocre as David Koepp? The best moments from the script come from other people's drafts. I recognized at least 70% of the material as being borrowed. The mythology of the skull is tedious to listen to. Especially when it's essentially irrelevant. We're not there to listen to a lecture. We're there to go an adventure with Indy. The film is so talky and gets weighed down in its tendency to over explain everything. And there's zero character development. The Indy/Mutt relationship works well. Especially when it's just the two of them. But the rest of the characters (including Marion) are just set dressing. They're completely thankless roles.
I know it doesn't sound like it, but I didn't hate the movie. I would be all for another Indiana Jones film. Especially if they get an original & cohesive script and not a hodge podge of other people's idea.
I think it's totally okay that other people loved it. I just think it should be okay that not all of us did. Or that it means we're "haters" or that our nostalgia has clouded our judgment. I didn't expect another Raiders. I didn't expect perfection. Just more than this.