INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL Post-Release Discussion

Why is there a post-release thread for this film already?

I made the SPEED RACER thread after I saw it. A post release thread starts after someone sees it, as it's a spoiler zone, unlike the pre-release thread. And honestly, are there not enough Indy threads for you?

No matter. We can talk about the trailer at least. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep the night before but the trailer seemed....off. There was just a laziness to it or a lack of excitement. It just didn't seem like anyone was having fun. Hopefully the movie itself will be a nice surprise but that preview didn't inspire confidence.

I'm a massive Indiana Jones fan, but the trailer I saw in front of Iron Man kind of made me decide to read some reviews before I give the film a go. Everything about the trailer seems off and the use of the Ark of the Covenant theme was a massive factor in that. It feels like a film which can't stand on its own feet and every trailer has so far built upon the iconography of its predessecors.

I have been pretty excited about this flick but I'm getting worried now.

Some guy over on AICN (I know, I know, I'm sorry) has posted a "review". Usually I would discount these kinds of ramblings in an AICN Talkback but it seems pretty legitimate. The movie has started to screen for exhibitors in the States and this guys was apparently at one of those screenings.

His review is near the end and it's a long one. You can't miss it.

AND BEWARE - THERE ARE SPOILERS!

http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_d...omment_2042526

I hope he's wrong. I really do.

And Moriarty has also heard bad buzz. Maybe this is just people trying to bring Lucas/Spielberg down to Earth after being among the first to see it. some people like to trash hugely hyped movies if they have the chance - they look for things to hate.

Or maybe it was a reaction to the arrogance some of The Indy team have displayed. I think it was Kennedy who said something like "this movie will make gazillions whatever we do".

Or maybe the movie just isn't that good.

Hm-mm, sure hope Indiana Jones Kingdom of Crystal Skull is good show. I know when sequels keep popping up, some are not as good as the others. I do hope this is just as good as the others. Sometimes I think we are expecting too much, therefore, we are "let down". But I will form my opinion once I see. It will probably be GOOD.

Ouch.

The guy who posted the review did touch upon one of my biggest worries about the film: Karen Allen. She seems to be mugging for the camera in every publicity photo and trailer snippet that I've seen her in. Hell, she's even got that "I'm so happy to be in a summer blockbuster!" look on the poster. Granted, we've only seen the tiniest bits of her from the film, but those bits have the air of a sitcom actor performing to a live studio audience.

I'm apologizing for my doubts about CHUD's soruces in regards to the much discussed "bad buzz".

If these early reactions are anything to go by the bad buzz seems well grounded.

My biggest fear was the Indy character himself. Every line he speaks in the trailers seem so forced and far away from the cynical Indy we know from the old trilogy. It just doesn't sound like him. I didn't have a big problem after watching the first trailer but after watching the whole trilogy two weeks ago, the difference between the old Indy and new Indy is very clear.

It's based on a few trailers though so maybe the final product will be fine. I will say that the opening speach by Indy in the new trailer seems very much like the old Indy.

That was a lot of Indys, sorry about that...

You'll forgive me if I take the word of an AICN Talkbacker with a grain of salt. Not that some of the bad buzz isn't warranted, but that review was a fanboy crybaby fest.

I was talking about what Moriarty said/implied in that talkbalk. I trust him not to lie.

I get that. Moriarty is one of few guys on the Net whose opinions I trust. I was reacting more to the original reviewer's tone.

My biggest worry for this is that it's a generic action flick that has Indy dropped in as the hero.

I'm not sold on the Crystal Skull as it is and all the CGI setpieces in the world don't make a good action flick.

I'm hoping there will be something that makes this an INDY film and not just another Tomb Raider with Indy - and maybe thats why there's the negative buzz - Indy is the granddaddy of action flicks and if this is just a generic action flick, people will be severely let down - Indy flicks need soul as well as style.

As I see more and more tv spots, it seems like "Indy is old and tired" is their main selling point.

I've had similar concerns/inklings.

Ouch to all this. Big ouch.

Not much to say. I guess the hope now is that Spielberg & co. have deliberately been running a bad buzz campaign to lower expectations in the online community, only to wow us collectively later this month. The rationale being Indy sells itself in the first weekend, and after that the rapturous word of mouth will carry the film.

On the whole, doubtful.

See, never doubt Beaks.

I have not and I am not gonna read that review. Ya know, spoilers and all that, we´ve been there done that already, but the consensus of your comments here surely isn´t uplifting and encouraging.

I can't wait til May 22nd so I can see Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull with my Dad. We saw the first 2 films together but not The Last Crusade as I felt it was one of the worst films I ever saw. The first 2 films in the series Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom are great adventure flicks and I am hoping that Indy IV is worthy of the greatness of the first 2 Indy films. The less said about Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade the better. I really have enjoyed the 2 trailers and hope that this leads to more adventures of the Jones Family. I would like to see Shia LeBouf in future Indiana Jones films...as long as Harrison Ford is featured as the intrepid archeologist Dr. Indiana Jones.

I'll probably forgo the midnight screening and take my old man to the Thursday evening one instead. When I told him we were going, he was giddy saying, "They're making another one? I wonder what mess Indy will get into now!"

I'm really looking forward to seeing it with him.

Anyone else wish Shia was replaced with a 30-year old, scraggly voiced, unshaven, alcoholic Short Round?

Now I'm kind of afraid to see this movie...I'll probably catch a weekday matinee...I have a feeling seeing it with a crowd of hyped Indy lovers opening weekend will either cause a shit load of venom if it's bad and ruin the experience, or false praise because of all the hype surrounding another Indy movie. Same happened with Batman Begins...I got caught up in all the hype at the midnight show, but subsequent viewings were a big "meh".

I'm very little! You cheat very big!

Great. Now, no matter what, Indy 4 will be a disappointment simply because they didn't cast Steven Chow as an adult drunken ne'er do well Short Round.

There's a new review on AICN now. More positive, though not wildly encouraging. I have the impression that this is how I will end up feeling about the movie.

On a related note, I've hardly done a bit of work today.

Ow.

Just like all her scenes in RAIDERS.

"I WAS A CHILD, I WAS IN LOOOVE!" is like a very special episode of Fresh Prince.

I had a feeling Lucas' insistence on a script that pleased him would ruin this movie. It sounds like most of the problems are stemming from a Lucas type sensibility: Characters that don't matter. Needless jokes. Overemphasis on the McGuffin (Lucas talked about this ad nauseam in interviews). That's not to say Spielberg did everything right; I'm not sure yet...but the obvious gripes stink of Lucas.

Shiting on a Frank Darabont-written script that Steven Spielberg loved so much he wanted to make it then and there was probably the warning sign that Lucas was gonna fuck this up as much as he did the prequels...

Spielberg and Ford loved the Darabont draft. At the time (and probably still) it was fashionable to bash Lucas, but a spade is a spade.

I take a small comfort in believing that somewhere, in one of the infinite number of universes that exist alongside ours, there is one in which the Frank Darabont draft is the script they turn into a movie and everyone is so super jazzed about it.

That newest AICN review hurts because it's so very believable.

Yeah, that new review seems like the real deal. Still have to wait and see until the reviews from top critics come out. Meanwhile, this has been downgraded from a midnight show to Thursday night for me. The excitement just isn't enough for midnight. And if Lost had its season finale that night, I'd make it Friday.

Speaking of the Darabont script which people are still clinging to: Hasn't it been confirmed in several places that Koepp's script includes a lot of elements from Darabont's work? I just read Koepp basically say that in Creative Screenwriting magazine. It's not as if Darabont's script was wiped off the earth. I imagine the script is a mish-mash of Lucas, Darabont and Koepp.

From everything I've heard about the finished film, there's enough of Darabont's draft in there to warrant a "written by" credit.

That doesn't make me feel better.

Darabont said this about six months ago. Haven't seen any Indy script comments from him since, though.

Then what was Lucas' problem with it in the first place? I bet alot of Darabont's story beats are present; the spine... but a lot of meat and bones are probably Lucas and Koepp (who doesn't inspire confidence either).

You'd think with a series that has included Mola Ram ripping out hearts from people (and they survive!), Nazi melting angels and 700-year-old knights, the mention of "crystalline structure of an alien skeleton ..enhance the psionic abilities of psychic Russians" wouldn't cause me to raise an eyebrow, and yet it does..it does.

With this mixture of 50's sci-fi b-movie and the 70's pseudoscience craze, I can't help but feel that they should have gotten Nimoy to play the long lost Crystal Skull expert and a group of bigfoots (bigfeets?) guarding the Lost City of Gold. They could be riding the giant ants.

Okay, okay, it's 8:05pm on Thursday May 8th, and I'm a little worried.

It's 10:24am on Friday May 9th, and I'm a little itchy.

There's a third review up, and it's the most positive yet. Still filled with caveats.

I think that second one was really telling though with "It felt like going to a family reunion where everyone was forced to watch a slideshow or old home movies instead of getting a chance to catch up with each other."

I watched Revenge of the Sith the other day. What really annoyed me was how I was constantly reminded of how good the originals were. The ending scene with Obi Wan dropping Luke off with his uncle always drives me crazy. "Look! This is just like that other movie that is so much better than this one".

I'm starting to get a similar vibe from Crystal Skull.

Oh well, at least Iron Man was good *sigh*

The second review addresses almost every complaint I'd heard. Not so much about the action sequences feeling redundant, but "uninspired" and "lazy" is close enough.

Set pieces are nice but the best action is still when Indy punches a guy with that sound. I like simple things, i.e. butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth.

The Ending has been posted by the first AICN reviewer

http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_d...omment_2045436

Spoilers. He really tells you the ending.

I'd rather not know the specifics. But I can only hope that Indy, Marion and Mutt ride off into the sunset together on giant ants. I know, i'm hung up on the ants.

I bought one of the new Indy figures from Raiders. Hands down, my favorite figure ever. Little gun, little whip, little idol. Priceless.

With that little bit of info, this thread is getting a little spoiler heavy for my tastes. I'll come back after I've seen it for myself.