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Author	Topic: Indy IV
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/25/08 12:27pm Subject: RE: Indy IV: The First Reviews
	Which can be classified as a good thing.
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StarDude Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 5/25/08 1:43pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	Re-posting this from another thread: Zaz posted: I think we're going to have to agree to disagree; it was a good movie, I enjoyed it; but it wasn't great, IMO. The first segment, in particular, was too long and not really relevant, a la the prologue in "The Last Crusade." The prologue is absolutely relevant in KotCS. It establishes the extra-terrestrial element, the villains, and set the plot in motion for Indy to clear his name after being forced to help the Soviets. Plus it's damn fun. You could argue that, save for the introduction of Belloq, the prologue to Raiders of the Lost Ark has little relevance. -----signature----- It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/25/08 1:53pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	Oh, good. I'm not sure why everyone preferred to post in the 'Coming Attractions' thread. In the Prologue, we're in never-never land with a vengenance: the 50's housing tract (why is the TV on?), Indy watches a mushroom cloud without any ill effects, etc. I very much liked the little off-hand homage to the first movie, mainly because it was brief and witty. The rest of the prologue felt endless, especially after we got out of the warehouse.
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StarDude Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 5/25/08 1:55pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	The number one complaint I seem to hear from people who were disappointed is that they found it hard to suspend their disbelief. I suppose I can understand. Although ToD is as hokey as Indy gets. One thing I believe sets Raiders apart is it's bugdet. It felt real because they had to do it for cheap. It has an almost gritty feeling to it. -----signature----- It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/25/08 1:59pm Subject: RE: Indy IV - Date Edited: 5/25/08 2:02pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Zaz
	Sometimes discipline is a good thing. I had the same problem with Jackson's "King Kong". Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. I did NOT mind the scifi elements, I should make that clear. (In fact I rather liked them, but thought the resultant special effects a little too lavish.) But there are literally hails of bullets in this movie, and none of it hits anybody but a red-uniformed yeoman. In fact, I guess the natives swallowed magnets themselves, because they all die. Another problem: 1957 is obviously chosen because of Mutt's DOB, but both Stalin and most of the witch hunt were dead by then.
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StarDude Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 5/25/08 2:05pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	1957 was chosen because it's real time from when Last Crusade was released--19 years. Raiders happens to be set just a year before LC. -----signature----- It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/25/08 2:10pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	Then the chase in the university: "National Treasure 2" had a very similar scene on the streets of London. But I did like: Mutt is amused by the decapitation of Marcus' statute. Indy most decidedly is not.) Also: given that this movie must have had a big budget, couldn't they use 'in period' photos? The photo of Senior on Indy's desk looks modern, and the photo of Mutt and Ox looks doctored.
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StarDude Registered: Nov '01	Date Posted: 5/25/08 2:11pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	The chase through campus is one of my favorites. It was nice to see more of where Indy teaches. The problem I have of the photo of Henry Sr. and Marcus is that they're clearly stills from LC. -----signature----- It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
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Princess_Tina Registered: May '01	Date Posted: 5/25/08 2:51pm Subject: RE: Indy IV - Date Edited: 5/25/08 2:51pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Princess_Tina
	I didn't have a problem with any of the things that others have mentioned. Overall, I think it's pretty darn near the best possible Indy experience that can be produced under the circumstances, and it is awfully nice to see Spielberg back in totally-escapist mode, after all the "serious" movies he's tackled recently. I've only seen KotCS 2 times but hope to watch it at least a couple more times while it is still in theaters... I literally can't remember the last time I enjoyed any summer movie as much, aside from SW movies, that I wanted to watch them again while in theaters. The first reel of KotCS is definitely the most action-packed 20 minutes of any movie in recent memory, bar none. I enjoyed Iron Man a great deal and thought it was a very fine start to the summer movie season, but even for that movie I wasn't dying to watch it again a 2nd time in theaters, let alone a 3rd or 4th viewing. Together with the upcoming 20th-anniversary HS reunion, KotCS really has made me feel like a teenager again. This is really a big part of what made my generation so much fun - discovering the awesome pleasure of the summer-movie experience, thanks in large part to Spielberg and Lucas, but also not forgetting several other fun summer movies, like Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, Gremlins, etc. I don't know if younger generations can truly know what it was like to experience all of those movies when they were brand new. The only home video technology at the time, or at least the only that got widespread acceptance, was VHS and all movies used to be horribly pan-and-scanned, most TVs still had just mono sound or at best very rudimentary stereo sound. So these days, it's not that hard to almost replicate the theatrical experience at home with a nice DVD or Blu-Ray player, a home theater system with good speakers, etc. But 20 years ago, the difference was so much bigger. In any event, KotCS almost made me feel like a teenager again, and it's no small feat. So I'm very happy that it was made to begin with, glad to see Harrison back in action, and awesomely excited about watching it again in theaters at least 2-3 more times.
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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon Registered: Dec '00	Date Posted: 5/25/08 4:12pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	^Spielberg also gets some slight credit for both Gremlins and BTTF...
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Darth Dark Helmet Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 5/25/08 4:59pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	Was the movie as good as Raiders or Last Crusade? No, but few movies are. Was it a good, fun movie? Yes. And on a totally, unrelated note, it was nice to see Dr. Jan Itor in the film. I love his work. -----signature----- When dealing with genocide, you must ask yourself, "What would Hitler do?" And then, you know, do the opposite.
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Yodas-evil-twin Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 5/28/08 12:19pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	Saw this on Sunday with my dad, and we both thought it was only so-so, even though our expectations weren't that high to begin with. There was some good stuff: Ford was great and Shia was surprisingly good. The film really captured the feel of the fifties. I liked the warehouse escape. The shot of Indy staring at the mushroom cloud was pretty damn great. Would've loved to have seen more of the Red Scare subplot. The diner sequence (loved the nod to both Raiders and The Untouchables) and ensuing motorcycle chase were fun. Ditto on the quicksand sequence. "None of them were you" is in my top fifteen favorite Indy moments. Indy snatching the hat out of Mutt's hands was a pretty nice way to end the film. Besides the "inter dimensional beings" bull****, I didn't have a problem with the aliens However there were also some significant flaws. Janusz Kaminski has done some great work as a cinematographer, but I felt that his work on this film was cold and synthetic. I never once felt that Spalko was very threatening and when she got disintegrated my reaction was "eh." Mac really didn't add anything to the film. The less that's said about Oxley, the better. The grave yard fight and the jungle chase were well shot and competently edited, but quite frankly, neither of those sequences felt all that exciting or tense. Finally, there were some moments that were just really, really, stupid. Indy emerging from the fridge unharmed even after said fridge was violently launched into the air by the atomic bomb detonation was stupid. Mutt being repeatedly hit in the gonads during the sword fight was stupid. The monkey sequence was stupid. Marion's stunt with the tree branch was stupid. Oxley using the skull to make the ants form a ring that was just big enough for Indy and Dovchenko to duke it out was stupid. Mac's death sequence was insultingly stupid. Like I said I earlier, I didn't hate the film and thought that it was good to see an Indiana Jones flick on the big screen. The best part of the whole experience was when my dad said "I loved seeing the film with you, even if I thought the film itself wasn't that good." Same here, dad. Same here. -----signature----- "Who watches the Watchmen?" "The JCC is pretty much Lord of the Flies without the healthy outdoorsy atmosphere." -soitscometothis
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Jango10 Registered: Sep '02	Date Posted: 5/28/08 12:25pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	SPOILERS: Anyways, I saw it for the second time Friday night, and I would have to say it was better the second time around. It was easier to adjust to Indy in a new era, and it was easier to look past some of the less believeable parts, and instead focus on the top notch action scenes. THE BAD: I still could have done without the aliens....I mean "interdimensional beings". Bash me if you'd like, but sci-fi and Indiana Jones doesn't mix. I don't care if Lucas and Spielberg were paying homage to '50s B movies. Indy's roots are in the '30s advernture serials, and they should have remained that way. It was easier to get used to the fact that there were aliens in an Indiana Jones, and when I opened my mind like that I enjoyed it more. I thought it was actually pretty cool when they find the room with all the different pieces from different parts of the world. "They were archealogists." I could buy that, I could suspend my belief enough to enjoy that. But as soon as they enter the temple, I was unhappy again. It just didn't fit to me. Mac is still the worst Indy character ever. Marion is an entirely different person than she was in Raiders, and she just didn't click with me as she did with everyone else. I couldn't buy that Indy and Marion could just jump back into their relationship again, enough so to get married. I just couldn't ever imagine Indy getting married. One more rant, and then I'll start raving: the over the top action scenes. Maybe a lot will agree with me here. Indy flying miles in a fridge without getting injured, come on. Although that shot of him looking up at the mushroom cloud is one of my favorite parts of the film. It reminds me of the silouette shot in Raiders where the diggers are digging and Indy puts his hat on. The car driving off the cliff and landing on the tree is pretty stupid as well. The waterfalls didn't bother me though, as it kinda reminded me of the raft scene in TOD. But the absolute worst is Mutt aka Tarzan. I thought that was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. THE GOOD: Harrison Ford is Indiana jones. It really does seem like it was only a few years since we last saw him in Last Crusade. I was a little worried if he could pull it off. He not only pulls it off, he makes me forget how long it was since he last wore that fedora. He made this movie. Mutt and Spalko were both great in their respective roles. Mutt was great in what was the interesting role reversal of father and son from Last Crusade. I will definitely be interested in following the adventures of him (and hopefully Indy as well) in the future. Spalko was a great villian, and I was surprised, she looked a little corny in the commercials, but she was great. Her psychic abilities may seem a little far fetched, but it isn't really more far fetched than Mola Ram ripping people's hearts out. I just wish her psychic abilities were more fleshed out. The action scenes. They were top notch, especially Area 51 and the jungle chase. There really isn't much more to say except that I was not disappointed one bit as far as the action goes. The Crystal Skull was actually a pretty cool macguffin, just executed poorly. The Russians plot seemed very similar to that of the Thugee Cult in TOD. But by the time we get to the temple, it seems like we've forgotten the stakes. Finally my three favorite parts of Indy 4: 3. The Quicksand Scene - Hilarious! 2. The Grave Robbing Scene - This seemed to me the most like classic Indy. It is just Indy and Mutt searching through a crypt. No aliens, no flying saucers, nothing like that. Cobwebs, carvings, and skeletons are the way to go. 1. Indy snatching the hat away from Mutt - Brilliant! This was probably tl;dr for most of you. But those are my thoughts. -----signature----- "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning." McCain/Palin '08
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 5/28/08 12:33pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	I took my paternal unit to the film, too. His comment was that it gave him nightmares (literally).
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RX_Sith Title: Monopoly host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 5/28/08 12:52pm Subject: RE: Indy IV
	SPOILERS: I watched it yesterday. I thought that it was a really good Indy movie. The refrigerator scene where he gets blown away from the nuclear blast to me worked. They specifically show that the fridge has lead lining in it (thereby protecting Indy from the radiation) even though he is scrubbed down afterwards. But, really, even though him looking at the mushroom cloud, he is still receiving tons of radiation (hence the scrub down scene). To me, he should have died as soon as he rolled out of the fridge. The radiation must have been very high even where he ended up. But, again, putting reality behind, the movie just rolled right into one chase scene after another it seemed like to me. The first one in Area 51, then to Marcus' statue, then into the classroom. The jungle chase scene was pretty well executed as well. The skull being grabbed back and forth from one vehicle to another. I knew that the boat car that Marion was driving would end up going into the river sooner or later. Then they dropped 3 times in the waterfalls. Totally over the top (especially the last drop). And then, Mac leaving behind his little beacons for Spalko to follow the group. Why was Mac even allowed to still proceed with Indy? He had already betrayed him before in the movie? It definitely boggles any explanation I can come up with. (They don't even explain it). To me, his death at the end was pointless. Letting go and disappearing into the vortex or whatever was stupid. And then Spalko absorbing all of the info from the aliens ("I see") she kept repeating. Maybe the alien mind ****** her. It was definitely a weird ending for her (unless the aliens took what was left of her with them). The group of aliens in the round room definitely looked like they were at the controls of their big ship. Once the last skull skittered up to the top of the main alien's skeleton, I knew that everyone except Indy, Marion, Mutt, and Oxley would get it. I was glad that Indy and Marion got married at the end of the movie. And yes, I thought for a second that Mutt was going to put Indy's hat on until Indy snatched it from him. They definitely could continue this without Indy if they ever wanted to. All in all, I thought that it was a good movie that continued the Indy tradition very well. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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