In search of the potent and numinous Domino of Jade.
Indiana Jones and the Timeshare of Boca Raton.
Indiana Jones and the Nursing Home of Forgetfulness
Back in the nineties, he gave an interview where he said that he absolutely positively would not make another Indiana Jones movie unless it were called “Indiana Jones and the Comfy Chair”.
He really ought to listen to himself; he gives good advice.
Not only was that a simulpost, but the second poster turned out to be quoting the first.
Bit of a hijack—But am I the only person on earth who thought that “Temple Of Doom” was the second best of the series, only behind the original “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”???
I thought the third one was so-so, and this recent one was a mistake (though not because of Harrison Ford’s age, but because the story was pretty darn weak) but I always thought “Temple Of Doom” was a great movie…
Hmm… I thought the last one was “ok.” I enjoyed it enough. The refrigerator part was a bit over the top, however, the first one did have that mysterious submarine trip. Did they travel all that way without submerging? I mean, these aren’t “realistic” movies to begin with. I think it is better when they aren’t stretching credulity to the breaking point, but hey, if it’s entertaining, I’m okay with it.
It just wasn’t a well-written movie. Even if you replaced the aliens with some Biblical crap like in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” it still wouldn’t have been good. It makes no sense at all, for one thing; it’s impossible to logically explain what the Russians are trying to accomplish, since they steal a crystal skull, and then go looking for one as if they’d never stolen the first one, and then alternately try to kill Indiana Jones and then use him to get what they want, somehow intermittently forgetting that dead men are of little help in divulging information.
There’s far too many scenes where Indy explains at soul-crushing length what’s going on, and far too few where exposition is achieved through action.
There’s a sidekick - Shia The Beef - which doesn’t really work.
There’s too much really, really bad CGI. This is especially unfortunate when one considers that a big appeal of the first film (a really great, great movie; I thought the first two sequels were both mediocre) was the absolutely spectacular, balls-to-the-wall stunt work.
The movie felt very phoned in to me. The script was obviously a patchwork of scenes thrown together and sewn up with expository dialogue, as evidenced by the gaping plot holes and errors and paint-by-numbers action scenes. (Where do all these aggressive natives come from and why are they trying to kill Indy?)
If we’re taking it into the '60s, how about Indiana Jones and the Hippies of Haight-Ashbury?
WW2 submarines stayed on the surface for the most part - they had lousy speed underwater, as well as poor autonomy. They only submerged when they needed to attack things (lying in wait ahead of their target) or get away from things like planes and destroyers. IIRC, the first movie was set before the war started, so no need to submerge at all.
I have low standards for entertainment, I guess. I look forward to another movie as something fun I can safely watch with my parents. There’s not going to be any graphic sex, gruesome violence, or harsh language. There will be some attempt at comedy and a story, with fights, explosions, and cool stuff.
My problem with the movie started with the opening set piece. In the previous installments the opening set piece was independent of the plot of the rest of the move, and designed to introduce aspects of the character. They were completed stories in of themselves and maybe enhanced themes of their respective movies, but had nothing to do with the major plot. They killed that concept here, and we essentially entered this movie after this story started. I think it threw off the pace of the rest of the film, forced them into all the clunky exposition and set up the disjointed feel of stringing all the set pieces together. It was broken from the start.
A shame… I haven’t been able to dig up that interview, and was hoping when I saw the link that Tastes of Chocolate had.
Was anybody else expecting The Kid to get a monkey complex like Dear Old Dad’s aversion to snakes?
“Monkeys… Why did it have to be monkeys?”
Raiders of the Lost Ark featured an important Jewish artifact, while Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade featured an important Christian artifact. So to complete the set, this one ought to feature an important Muslim artifact. So anyone up for Indiana Jones and the Black Stone?
I think the next movie should be Indiana Jones and the James of Bond.
Temple of Doom is the best movie…IF you’re 8 years old. As an adult, I can’t stand it, but love Last Crusade and Raiders. The only time I saw Crystal Skull, I was extremely drunk, but I remember being really annoyed with the movie up until they finally made it to Brazil, where it got better. And I think I saw the gopher from Caddyshack make at least 2 appearances, which kind of ruined it for me.
They should continue with the alien theme and go with Indiana Jones and the Face on Mars
cf’75
I think Raiders was a perfect movie, an accolade I do not often hand out. It was the perfect expression of a popcorn adventure movie. Wonderfully executed in every respect. Crusade was good. Temple was offensive and bad. Skull showed they were rusty and out of practice, but had its moments. Any sequel needs to be character driven: Indy is older and smarter and any new movie should reflect those growths.