I'm scared......

All this hype has been building for so long......

what if the critics bomb it?

what if it really is a terrible film?

what if I've bought all this merchandise in anticipation of a good film for nothing?

 

1. I wouldn't allow hype to shape your perceptions of the film. Just try to judge it on its individual merit. Don't compare it to an idealized conception of the earlier trilogy or as the result of 20 years of waiting.

2. Critics do what they're paid to do. They are ultimately judges, and many like it when they can be scathing and caustic. This shouldn't ruin the individual experience. History tempers judgement on film and art.

3. A terrible film? Oh well. In my opinion the ten bucks of admission is worth it to just hear the John Williams soundrack and see the iconic fedora, leather jacket and bull whip on the big screen (for the first time in my life.) And regardless of how the film goes, I'm confident Harrison will do his best with it and have a few classic lines.

4. Did you only buy the merchandise in the hope that the film turns out as you expected?

-Seldon

 

If this is all about those AICN reviews, calm down. Harry Knowles and his legions of trolls are the bottom-feeders of the internet. Pay them no mind.

As for legitimate critics, take their reviews with a grain of salt. I remember one of Dennis Miller's rants saying something like critics are people too, stumbling in the dark as well.

As for the merchandise, be glad they used this opportunity to make toys from the previous three movies as well. If KOTCS turns out not to me to your liking, you can always focus on that stuff.

 

Relax, it's Indiana freaking Jones. You can't go wrong here.

 

I'm starting to panic about this movie. It's not because of the AICN reviews--I didn't even read them, because I'm trying to stay spoiler-free. I just have a bad feeling about this. This movie could be a disaster.

I guess after wishing and wishing and wishing that they'd make this movie, after 19 years it's finally here and I'm starting to get "cold feet", so to speak.

...but you know what? So what! Something I learned during the prequels is that Star Wars is bigger than any individual movie. We didn't spend hours in line for The Phantom Menace--after all, it was on a ton of screens, so we could have gotten in on opening day anyway. We spent hours in line because it's an experience. Star Wars isn't like other franchises. It's finite.

Indiana Jones is the same way. Think of this as nothing more than a celebration of the past three movies. We're getting toys, comics, cereals, happy meals, candy...all of this cool stuff that most of us weren't really around to properly enjoy the first time around.

If the movie sucks, then at least its release gave us a chance to hang out with other Indy fans for a night and get some cool new merchandise.

And if the movie rocks, then...let's start the whole 19 year process over again for Indy V!!! Who's with me?

 

Some clarification about the AICN reviews is in order. People are talking about those reviews all over the internet as if they were all bad reviews, which is nonsense. There was only ONE bad review, which was the first to leak. If my memory serves me correctly, three reviews have leaked at AICN so far. One review was bad, the other was medium, and the other was great. So the reviews have been mixed so far overall. They are not bad overall.

 

Screw the critics. Who are they anyway? IT IS ONLY THEIR OPINION. Maybe they had a bad day? Maybe they just didn't want to see a movie anyway? Maybe they don't care about action movies? Anyway, never rely on the opinion of a critic. All that matters is what you feel about a movie. Piss on the critics. I've got over 600 dvds in my collection and I'm sure 599 of them the critics panned. Doesn't matter. If you like a movie, why care about the rest?

 

Yeah man, the Uwe Boll flick is gonna crush Indy at the B.O.

 

If you want it to be exactly like ROTLA, then yeah, you will be disappointed. The two sequels made within in the same time frame and with the same 80s feel didn't live up to that standard.

Be prepared to see an updated version of the series. It won't be exactly the same because almost 20 years have passed since the last one came out. Also remember, you're now viewing it as an adult

I think it will be just fine so long as you aren't expecting the end-all-be-all.

 

Has Spielberg ever made a "bad" film? I mean, speaking as objectively as one can in matters of aesthetic appreciation, is there a single movie in his ouevre that could be called "terrible" or "a bomb"? Even 1941, a flop on its initial release, is something of a cult classic now, and War of the Worlds, excoriated by critics, did huge business and is much better than some fans are willing to credit. The man is just too talented, too capable and too visionary, to make a dud.

 

IT'S A SPIELBERG MOVIE!!!!!!! LUCAS DID THE STORY ONLY!!! IT'S NOT UNDER THE COLD CONTROLLING HANDS OF LUCAS!!!!!
LUCAS DID THE STORY FOR ALL THE FILMS, BUT HE DIDN'T DO THE SCREENPLAYS!!!!
CALM DOWN!!!!! Spielberg knows how to do a masterpiece and I think he listens to the fans, critics, media, more than Lucas.

 

Uh no, definately not, the last people Spielberg listens to are the media, fans or critics, he would produce rather atrocious movies if he did. Some people may think he's the devil or something, but Spielberg definately values Lucas' opinion way more than the opinion of an average joe who has zero idea how to make such a movie. And thank god it's that way, because Lucas is indefinitely better at making movies than all those wannabe-directors who are known as critics or fans.

The first rule in making a movie is not to listen to anybody outside. Do what you want to do, not what other people want you to do.

 

No, making a movie is a team effort. It's not done by one person. By definition people listen to outside options. If you didn't then a "filmmaker" would never show a finished product to anyone. Granted, "film critics" can be ANYONE - only good critics are educated or at least take some time to look into the film as a whole with plot, themes, meanings, and social situations inside the story. I true filmmaker is smart enough to listen to the average joe, but value the options of those people close to you that have experience, talent, and a history with the material. Stop kissing GL's a**. We all know that bad choices were made with the Prequels. He's said it himself and everyone involved is learning from that experience.

 

Uh, outside means outside the production of course

I'm not kissing GL's ass, but you are one of those who feel the need to blame all bad stuff on Lucas and all the good on someone else, and that's just a joke.
If you write completely stupid stuff like Spielberg rather listening to someone who has absolutely no clue (like critics and fans) than to his friend and trusted co-worker who helped him create some of the most successful movies of all time, than you have absolutely no idea what you re talking about, it's as simply as that.

As you have said, making a movie is a team effort, and the team doesn't only consist of Spielberg, it also consists of Lucas as well. Just because you didn't like some movies Lucas was responsible for, doesn't mean that everyone thinks that way or that you are even in the majority. Nor does it mean that all the bad ideas come from Lucas, while Spielberg makes no mistakes, saving the movie from Lucas' influence.

 

Steven Spielberg + Harrison Ford + Indiana Jones franchise= awesome.

I don't blame people for being apprehensive, but I think the above factors are one of the few reliable "movie insurances" that exist. I doubt it will be as good as the original three because its simply unlikely to ever make three films in a row like that again, but what I don't doubt is that it will be good. Spielberg's one of the best directors in the country right now, I think the concept itself of Indy IV is what people are nervous about--and Lucas' involvement--but if theres anyone capable of making something out of it its Spielberg.

 

i'm not scared.

i watched the star wars PT, i know what to expect.

It will be a good film, it will have great moments, it will not be a great film.

it will not be the equal of the original trilogy.

Just enjoy it for what it is, one more story of Indiana Jones!

I even watched the TV show, and it was bad, I loved those films so much, i know i'll enjoy this one.

 

And that's just it. I'm not expecting this to be the second coming of Jesus, but I know the critics and a lot of people are, and while I myself might enjoy the film, it is very painful and hard for me to listen to people trash something I love so much. I had to defend my love in TPM for years. I'm still defending why I thought Jar Jar Binks was a great character. I will stand up for this film no matter what if it's good, but it always helps when the folks around you generally agree with you.

 

Here's the thing. I watched part of Temple Of Doom today, and I hated it. It is a terrible movie, in my opinion. It has a few decent scenes that remind me "hey, this is Indiana Jones, here!" but for the most part, I hate it.

So to everybody saying "oh, Spielberg can't make a bad film!" or "oh, Lucas can't make a bad film!" or "Lucas/Spielberg can make a bad film, but Spielberg/Lucas will keep them in check and make sure it's good"...I don't buy it. This movie could easily be bad. Easily.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade are two of my favorite movies ever, though, which gives me hope here.

 

You equation is missing a factor. Here I've corrected it for you.

George Lucas + Steven Spielberg + Harrison Ford + Indiana Jones Franchise = Awesome.

 

Well, speak for yourself, Temple of Doom is not only my favorite Indy, its one of my favorite films of all time. But I can understand why people get turned off a bit, its somewhat different than Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I much prefer this to simply remaking Raiders and throwing Sean Connery into the mix the way Crusade did. Not that I'm ragging on Crusade. But I cannot fathom how Temple of Doom could be considered terrible...okay, other than Kate Capshaw being a bit much in a few scenes. But that hardly ruins the film. To me it seems most people dislike TOD because they don't go for the whole "Tales of Terror" pulpy horror basis the film is built on. But thats exactly why I love the film.

 

i used to not like temple of doom for the reasons you've stated, i have to say as i grew older i have appreciated it more and more.

Raiders is truly special, the pacing of that film is probably the most exciting of any film i've ever seen.

Temple of doom is a bit more....well i guess the story is just deeper, there are more levels to it. Some of what's going on there is rather complicated adn it is a good bit slower.

i can't say much nice about the last crusade other than to say i expect that the new film will be a lot more like it than the other two.

it will be a good, entertaining and serviceable member of the series, it will not wow me.

if it does however blow me away i'll let you know

 

Temple of doom had its moments, like when Indy is confronted by that bad guy while freeing the kids, and the camera does a zoom shot of indy looking like a bad ass and then the next shot is the bad guy just flying across the room. Pure editorial genious by Michael Kahn....

 

Ok, maybe I'm being a little harsh on the movie. I didn't mean to rub ToD fans the wrong way.

I know a lot of other fans who hate Last Crusade for being too similar to the original. The "ToD vs. LC" debate is a classic--do we prefer bold choices, or safe choices? Last Crusade is my favorite, but I suppose they did play it safe--as a previous poster said, it was just a remake of Lost Ark with Sean Connery added.

I normally prefer my movie sequels to be a little more creative, but Temple of Doom just didn't work for me. I appreciate the originality of ToD's storyline, but the action scenes are just way too over the top for me, and Willie/Short Round strike me as especially cheesy characters.

Still, my point is that I find one of the existing movies subpar. A lot of others here aren't alone(whether they dislike ToD or LC). Despite our intense love for Indiana Jones, and despite our immense respect for Lucas/Spielberg/Ford...the combination is certainly not foolproof.

But again, I'm at the point where I don't care too much. I just think it's awesome to have Indy back in the news/press/toy aisles again.

 

Last Crusade is by far my favorite film. It's the one I grew up with, the one I played the computer game of. It is non stop action and adventure from start to finish and in my opinion has the best theme (Christian Faith!) and the whole father and son dynamic, and I think the ending resonates very powerfully when Indy gives up the grail in the end, because Indy finally understands that he meant more to his father than the grail did, something Henry Jones had been searching for all his life and had often ignored his son in his zealous quest to find the grail. So to see his father let it go, and to tell Indy to let it go, it's a very powerful moment, and in my opinion, the greatest story moment in the entire trilogy.