Indiana Jones IV

[transfan52]

Indeed, I've noticed that, too. Growing far less skeptical than I was originally. Still a bit annoyed at lebouf being in this but shouldn't be too hard to get over it.

Yeah lately speilberg has been putting him in alot of his movies lately... Hmm makes me wonder if thats his secret love child or something... hes not that bad of an actor though so its ok I guess...

[eugimon]

just got back from the midnight showing at the Castro in SF. Didn't particularly care for the ending but all in all, a great deal of fun and some wonderful, over the top action sequences.

[Scream Man]

I didnt want to be this guy but....meh.

It was, at best, average. It had some HUGE logic leaps, some so-so effects in places...even the music didnt seem big enough for an Indy film!

I wouldnt suggest dont going or anything like that. and i should say i was the only one in my group who saw it disappointed by it.

But overall....meh.

[Hurin]

I didnt want to be this guy but....meh.

It was, at best, average. It had some HUGE logic leaps, some so-so effects in places...even the music didnt seem big enough for an Indy film!

I wouldnt suggest dont going or anything like that. and i should say i was the only one in my group who saw it disappointed by it.

But overall....meh.

The only question I really care about. . .

Does the Ark remain completely untainted (divine rather than alien origin)?

[eugimon]

The only question I really care about. . .

Does the Ark remain completely untainted (divine rather than alien origin)?

there's no widespread: all gods are actually visiting jedi or anything like that. Aliens only pertain to the crystal skulls.

[Hurin]

there's no widespread: all gods are actually visiting jedi or anything like that. Aliens only pertain to the crystal skulls.

Good stuff! I'm a bit relieved for the sake of one of my favorite films.

I guess we'll never know for sure what the "horribly offensive" idea regarding aliens Lucas had that took so long for Spielberg and Ford to eventually quash.

[eugimon]

Good stuff! I'm a bit relieved for the sake of one of my favorite films.

I guess we'll never know for sure what the "horribly offensive" idea regarding aliens Lucas had that took so long for Spielberg and Ford to eventually quash.

My friend, who is a director for a film festival, said that apparantly lucas apparantly wanted indy to have some serious screen time with the aliens.

[Alpha OTS]

My friend, who is a director for a film festival, said that apparantly lucas apparantly wanted indy to have some serious screen time with the aliens.

Even though that's unsubstantiated hearsay and rumor, it's unfortunately still quite believable.

[eriku]

And ten years down the road we'll get the inevitable Star Wars meets Indiana Jones movie where we find out Han Solo and Indy are THE SAME PERSON, who is a member of an alien species that can travel through time and dimensions. And his real name will be something outlandishly clever, like Olos Senoj or something.

[eugimon]

And ten years down the road we'll get the inevitable Star Wars meets Indiana Jones movie where we find out Han Solo and Indy are THE SAME PERSON, who is a member of an alien species that can travel through time and dimensions. And his real name will be something outlandishly clever, like Olos Senoj or something.

Well, star wars did take place a long long time ago.. so maybe in episode 9, the galactic core of SW galaxy is about to explode and luke and leia place han into a crystal spaceship and shoot him off to a distant planet capable of support corellian life, where a kindly archaeologist finds his crashed space ship... only, poor han suffered a bit of a brain freeze this time around this time during his carbonite freezing and forgot all about mystical religions and beeping trashcans on wheels.

[Hurin]

Even though that's unsubstantiated hearsay and rumor, it's unfortunately still quite believable.

Well, that specific rumour is unsubstantiated, but Lucas and Spielberg themselves have said that Lucas had a very alien-centric idea for the movie originally and that both Ford and Spielberg balked because it was deemed to be too outrageously "offensive."

Now, the word "offensive" there seems pretty loaded. What do most people get offended about that could possibly have anything to do with aliens? And with what have the prior three Indy films largely dealt?

So, you can see where I'm going with this. No, we can't know for sure. And again, I'm happy they didn't "go there". . . but knowing how "The Force" was retroactively and so aggressively "de-spiritualized" . . I wouldn't be shocked if we eventually learned that the original "offensive" idea was that the Ark, and all that is divine in Indy's world was in fact of alien origin.

A leap? Yes. But then again, so was midichlorians given what we already knew about the Force.

[eugimon]

well, it just reinforces my opinion that Lucas needs to stop.

[GreenGuy42]

I'll be that other guy. I hated it.

The movie even had it own version of Ewoks: little swinging monkeys. Does EVERYTHING Lucas touches have to be throttled with the cute?

Oh, and the nuke explosion... why? Marion felt like an afterthought. Hell, everything minus the Magic Crystal alien skeletons seemed that way.

[eriku]

Now, the word "offensive" there seems pretty loaded. What do most people get offended about that could possibly have anything to do with aliens? And with what have the prior three Indy films largely dealt?

Perhaps Lucas wanted to tie the aliens to the Nazis and had some idea of how the gas chambers were originally designed not for ethnic cleansing but to chemically enhance a new race of "super aliens" with which to take over the world.

[The Shade]

I went in expecting a Temple of Doom level film, and that's what I got.

Spoilers:

Did anyone else find that the fx for the alien at the end felt like meh! I mean, this is the climactic scene, what you've been waiting for since the start of the film, and the fx for it are only so-so? That was really my only gripe with this film.

Edited May 22, 2008 by JsARCLIGHT

[dizman]

I was watching the old TV and saw some guy reveiw the new Indy, he gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars. Said that it was good to see Marion again and the action was ok but the story was just too silly for him to stand it.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I should probably put this in for now:

Please post any "spoilers" in the "spoiler text" option for the first week or so of release.

For those who don't know how to do it, simply Type your sentence then highlight it and click "Insert: SPOILER" on your left. Review it and click "OK". Or just "tag" your text with the [ spoiler ] [ /spoiler ] tags

Let's make sure those people who are following this thread who really want to see the movie don't come looking for you when they accidentally read some spoiled plot element someone might have "blurted" out.

Thanks!

[The Shade]

I should probably put this in for now:

Please post any "spoilers" in the "spoiler text" option for the first week or so of release.

For those who don't know how to do it, simply Type your sentence then highlight it and click "Insert: SPOILER" on your left. Review it and click "OK". Or just "tag" your text with the [ spoiler ] [ /spoiler ] tags

Let's make sure those people who are following this thread who really want to see the movie don't come looking for you when they accidentally read some spoiled plot element someone might have "blurted" out.

Thanks!

Thanks for correcting it. I tried to put up spoiler tags, but couldn't for the life of me figure it out. Now that I look at it, I see the spoiler tag on the left side of my screen. I was looking for an icon on top.

As for the movie, like I said, I went in expecting Temple of Doom quality, and it's exactly what I got. So I wasn't disappointed by it at all.

[Alpha OTS]

I was by Target and they had each of the Indy movies on dvd for 10 bucks a piece. Seem like new pressings too because there was an ad for Indy 4 on the Raiders disc I bought.

Looks pretty good upscaled on my ps3, except for any scenes that involve any fog or mist like in the beginning gold idol temple scenes in Raiders.

[Uxi]

Well, that specific rumour is unsubstantiated, but Lucas and Spielberg themselves have said that Lucas had a very alien-centric idea for the movie originally and that both Ford and Spielberg balked because it was deemed to be too outrageously "offensive."

Now, the word "offensive" there seems pretty loaded. What do most people get offended about that could possibly have anything to do with aliens? And with what have the prior three Indy films largely dealt?

So, you can see where I'm going with this. No, we can't know for sure. And again, I'm happy they didn't "go there". . . but knowing how "The Force" was retroactively and so aggressively "de-spiritualized" . . I wouldn't be shocked if we eventually learned that the original "offensive" idea was that the Ark, and all that is divine in Indy's world was in fact of alien origin.

A leap? Yes. But then again, so was midichlorians given what we already knew about the Force.

Hardly. All the MC's did was give a quantification for "the Force is strong in my family." Despite what you might read on the intarw3b, Causation was not established... merely correlation.

I'm more interested in knowing now the Knight in Last Crusade learned such good (and modern!) English.

[Hurin]

Hardly. All the MC's did was give a quantification for "the Force is strong in my family." Despite what you might read on the intarw3b, Causation was not established... merely correlation.

I'm aware that you have a pre-written essay on the subject, though you're only (of course!) a casual fan. I'm also already aware that the Force acts upon midichlorians and that they are essentially the catalyst for it (according to novelizations and information --if memory serves-- not available directly from the movies). However, introducing a tangible, biological component to our understanding of the Force necessarily diminishes the mystery and mysticism of it. It went from being a truly enigmatic mysical energy field to some well-understood and documented tool used by the Jedi and Sith to advance their causes.

Oh, and it's also just terrible writing. "Hey, I need a way to show how powerful Anakin is compared to other known characters. Rather than establish this through any type of respectable story-telling, I think I'll just *poof* invent the Jedi-power-gauge!"

[Uxi]

One doesn't need an essay, just a basic grasp of logic. I understand that eludes you, what with the trauma from your raped childhood and all that, but the lack of causation means there is no necessary diminishment of anything. Other than your continued lack of rationality and straying from the topic at hand.

[EXO]

blah bah blah... whatever you guys. Go see the new movie and just say whether you like it or not....

which I didn't...

Man did it suck!!! That was one of the worst movie ever and even worse right after the Iron Man high I was on. I'm gonna go see Iron Man again this weekend just to wash this crap off.

[Max Jenius]

Wow, Hurin and I actually agree on Indiana Jones.

[Roy Focker]

Okay just wow. Wow.

That was a kinda fun movie but STUPID.

I'm not the biggest Indy fan. I don't know the movies inside and out. I wasn't expecting a new America classic but I was expecting a good film.

Raiders: Was great film.

Temple of Doom: Same great character, plot a departure, annoying side kicks but still a good movie.

Last Crusade: Plot brought back to similar themes. Added a family story. A nice way to bring back the story and end it.

Crystal Skull wow!!!

To tell the truth there was a part in the film where I was about to walk out. I didn't to spite the people in front of me. Some dumb woman brought her 3 year old. The kid kept asking questions. "Oh mommy this" and "oh mommy that" only at the last third of the movie did the kid shut up. That was the part of the film I liked the least but at least I could watch it with that kid being quiet.

I was expecting a good, fun action film with a familiar character. There has always been over the top stunts but I couldn't ignore these ones. The plane crash in Template was bad but it just one event. That type of stunt was through out the end of film. Them going over the water falls, Tarzan swinging, the monkeys that help them! Before they got to that part my only complaint was damn Indy and Marion look old but it was kinda fun watching him again. Once they got into to that chase through the jungle things just start to get stupid.

Beside being stupid I wasn't too fond of the pacing. Once they left the USA there was few slow parts. It was nearly always on the move. So where the other films but this one seem to have an attention deficent problem.

So far Iron Man is still the best picture of the year

[Roger]

Beside being stupid I wasn't too fond of the pacing. Once they left the USA there was few slow parts. It was nearly always on the move. So where the other films but this one seem to have an attention deficent problem.

I agree, I like my action adventure movies to have more slow parts and a slower pace.

[Twoducks]

The “plot” was worthy of a two part Saturday morning cartoon with some X-files sprinkles and the sense of adventure I got was as big as the sound stages and CG they used to film something that is supposed to take place in the jungle.

The actions scenes are great, some fantastic (especially because they help you forget the stupidly complicated plot) but you always know who’s going to make it (

only “oh no, look out!” I heard from the audience was because of the monkey that almost fell

).

Either way, my brother and I laughed our asses off of how stupid some of the things going on were. A lot of the scenes that have the tinfoil… er crystal skull in it are a gold mine of stupidness.

Iron-man surviving a 1000 fall to the ground is pure SCIENCE compared to what Indy survives or does in this movie.

Surviving a nuclear explosion… that puts Indy next to Superman and the Hulk, right?

My girlfriend/wife found it boring and lost track of the plot half way, and she told me that other females she heard in the bathroom thought the same or felt that Marion’s character made no sense.

The whole “Indy, you stood me up at the altar!!” *5 minutes later* “God Indy, please f*ck my brains out, I beg you” really is offensive to the brain.

I had a good time because I made fun of the movie but my thirst for an adventure movie was not satisfied. Go see this with low expectations.

[Hurin]

One doesn't need an essay, just a basic grasp of logic. I understand that eludes you, what with the trauma from your raped childhood and all that, but the lack of causation means there is no necessary diminishment of anything. Other than your continued lack of rationality and straying from the topic at hand.

Wait, so according to you, nothing can "logically" be diminished by something unless that something "caused" it? I mentioned in a prior post that you might want to look up "discern" and "hypocrisy". . . you might also want to sharpen your critical thinking skills as well before you start accusing others of being illogical or irrational.

So, just to get this straight, in your topsy-turvy, Lucas-gets-better-with-age, prequels are the best world, you can explain largely how something here-to-fore mystical works, attribute its "motor" to a biological, tangible organisms in our blood, and then in the same breath say that it's illogical and irrational to assert that doing so diminishes the mystery and mysticism surrounding it? All the while, of course, you ignore an even more basic point. . . it's horrible writing (as described above) designed to just establish something (Anakin's relative power vs Yoda, Obi-Wan, etc.) which we all would have rather seen established over the three movies via some good storytelling. But the way Lucas did it (inventing ex nihilo the Jedi-Power-Meter), he had more time for Jar-Jar to get farted on and fall down. So I can see why you think it's a good idea.

As for me "straying from the topic at hand". . . I was tying the midichlorians and the change they introduce upon our understanding of the Force back to what many feared would happen to Indy. You, my friend, simply feel the need to defend your beloved (and preferred) SW Prequels and anything Lucas has ever done with no mention of Indy whatsoever. So if you feel the need to continue this, please take it to a SW thread. But if you do, please try to do better than ignoring the point and just impugning the rationality and logic of others while being irrational and illogical yourself. If you could make a post without mentioning "raped childhoods" (a phrase I've never uttered), that would be swell too. I understand that it clearly pains you tremendously to see your very favorite movies criticized in any way. But you can do better than that.

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

OK, all of the support and bashing of this film got me to thinking...can or has there ever been a sequel (that has been released more than a few years after the original) to a succesful movie that meets or exceeds our enjoyment of the earlier film? It seems that our expectations will always be more demanding with newer films than the earlier ones, and the earlier films tend to become classics that are set on high pedestals.

Star Wars Episode 1 is a great example of a film that couldn't possible meet audience expectations as the original trilogy has become a yardstick by which to judge sci-fi films. I can only think of one film that met/exceeded our expectations of the original: Aliens (1986).

[Sulendil Ang]

Star Wars Episode 1 is a great example of a film that couldn't possible meet audience expectations as the original trilogy has become a yardstick by which to judge sci-fi films. I can only think of one film that met/exceeded our expectations of the original: Aliens (1986).

Well, don't forget about Star Wars Episode 5, too.

[JsARCLIGHT]

OK, all of the support and bashing of this film got me to thinking...can or has there ever been a sequel (that has been released more than a few years after the original) to a successful movie that meets or exceeds our enjoyment of the earlier film?

Movies that I can think of are Terminator 2: Judgment Day, pretty much every James Bond movie (Dr. No was good but kind of lame compared to later ones like Thunderball and Goldfinger), Toy Story 2, Road Warrior, (for me) Empire Strikes Back, Dawn of the Dead and some (myself) say Godfather 2. I could probably go on and on but there is definite "history" of sequels surpassing their original in both box office and popularity.

[EXO]

OK, all of the support and bashing of this film got me to thinking...can or has there ever been a sequel (that has been released more than a few years after the original) to a succesful movie that meets or exceeds our enjoyment of the earlier film? It seems that our expectations will always be more demanding with newer films than the earlier ones, and the earlier films tend to become classics that are set on high pedestals.

Star Wars Episode 1 is a great example of a film that couldn't possible meet audience expectations as the original trilogy has become a yardstick by which to judge sci-fi films. I can only think of one film that met/exceeded our expectations of the original: Aliens (1986).

Die Hard 4 was a surprise. Not as good as the originals, but was totally watchable. It was so far different from the others and even had the stupid punk kid following him around that lead him to a relative in trouble. I was surprised how fun it was. I had the same feeling for that as I did for Indy IV, which was I rather not see it, but got dragged to a screening.

[Mr March]

It depends upon personal preference but generally speaking, sequels are rarely good. Most of us have lived through hundreds, perhaps thousands of Hollywood sequel abuses. More often than not, a sequel = garbage. And for a certain portion of fandom, even superior sequels cannot improve upon the original simply because the first film was original while any sequel will always be retreading old territory.

Having said that, there are several examples of sequels as good or better than the original (at least in my opinon). Films like Terminator 2, Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, X-Men 2, and a few others come to mind. But as a film fan for some 20+ years now, these are all too rare exceptions.

Edited May 23, 2008 by Mr March

[EXO]

Well, if it was personal view point then I'd say it's a pretty good film... f Uwe Boll made it. But for a Spielberg, Lucas, Harrison Ford film, I can't believe Spielberg and Ford had anything to do with it. Plot, visuals, even the the music and cinematography were phoned in...

Has anyone else seen it? Or are we here to analyze how sequels hold up to originals. I can go point by point on how bad this movie was. Even the audience full of Indy fan boys lost the excitement towards the end. Before the lights went down there were lot of people wearing fedoras and Indy shirts. When the movie started the applause was heartily felt. But by the second half, people were pretty quiet aside from a couple of laughs or two.

I don't think anyone look each other in the eye when they walked out to acknowledge the embarrasment they went thru... like a bad threesome or something.

[Mr March]

Waiting until the weekend so I can go with friends. I'll post a review.