Mike! O btw check out my site http://www.icedoutwatches.us

hopefully i dont get booted for a little promotion =)

P.S. I wasn’t saying that you claimed Temple of Doom was about God, you just didn’t address it and made therefore it sounded like you were saying every Indy movie until Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was about God. I just didn’t want some smart ass pointing that out and making something giant out of it. I knew you knew what you were talking about.

Get to work have fun and remember what indiana jones is about !

Mike!

But as I said before, I still enjoyed the 4th movie, it just did not mimic the original Indy films. In my opinion it was more of a spoof of the original than an additional story but was still entertaining. I love Indy and no matter what, I’ll always be happy watching an Indiana Jones film. I just hope they can make the fifth one that much better. In fact the idea of making the fifth one a prequel like Temple of Doom is a great idea and would be very entertaining especially if they ended it where the fourth one starts with Indy and Mac in the soviet convoy on their way to Area 51. I just hope Lucas and Spieldberg put some more effort into the 5th one and don’t simply say, “What the hell, everyone’s going to love it no matter what” cause it’s just not fun that way, I’d like to think they still want to keep the traditional Indiana Jones alive, cause I sure would if I were them.

As for a 5th one, I’m all for it. I was afraid of being dissapointed with this one like I was the new Star Wars, but it was much better than I feared. So I think a 5th one can only make it better, now that we know Mutt’s or Henry Jones Jr. III’s character and can spend less time building up characters and more time focusing on the story line.

I would go see an Indy 5 - as long as they don’t wait another 20 years to make it!

I AGREE with you 100%.

All of these negative reviews are from wannabe film school punks (probably 19 year olds) who likely know nothing of the processes involved with major filmmaking, the story and more importantly how to separate and maintain the stance that FICTION is FICTION. Indy 4 was a great adventure and was a hell of alot more cutting edge than most of the sci-fi/adventure/fantasy flicks out there today, because it PUSHED the limits of compositing, CG/live action stunts, storyline and busted free of the Hollywood mold that the majority of today’s films are cookie-cut to follow (Spielberg was always on the edge though…even in AI which most muggles don’t “get”). All the actors played their roles and did them well. The story made me think and tied into some of my own personal ideas regarding aliens. Any movie that can do that is worth its weight in gold.

And honestly anyone who says the 2nd and 3rd film were shit obviously isnt a fan, and why are they even commenting? go watch your mummy and scorpion king dvds you killjoys.

1) The Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the Hindu Shankara Stones can all fall into the category of religious fiction… if not science fiction. The Crystal Skulls were revered by a much larger population of people vs. the Shankara Stones in real history. The Ark? Myth. Holy Grail? Myth. Hindu Shankara Stones? Myth. Crystal Skulls? Myth. Jesus Christ in the same context, in fact, is a myth. Until there is evidence of any of this existing, it’s all a myth. Belief in any of the above is faith bases. In fact, if anything, I’d put money on there being hundreds of thousands if not millions of intelligent civilizations in the Universe before putting money down on there being a Holy Grail with life giving powers of immortality any day. There’s 200 billion solar systems in our Galaxy alone. There’s over 200 billion Galaxies in our known universe. Even if one in a million solar systems possessed advanced civilized life, you’re talking billions of advanced civilizations out there. To write that off as science fiction would be ignorant. My money is on flying saucers and not a miraculous chalise or mystical stones if you want to talk in any realm of reality.

2) Indy 4 also relied heavily on stunt work (Harrison did ALL of his own stunts… look it up) and elaborate sets. It’s very well documented. I found the sequences of CGI in the film refreshing taking it to a new level. It’s not 1980 anymore, and these movies aren’t about reality. It’s about non-fictional adventure. It’s a movie, not real life. I suggest folks go into the theater ready for adventure. Was falling out of a plane in a raft, falling down the side of a mountain and a mile high waterfall realistic? Perhaps ripping a man’s heart out and the man living could be considered realistic. There’s any number of scenes from any of the previous movies that will leave anyone scratching their heads. Again, it’s a movie. Not real life. Embrace it as such.

3) Sex? Indy’s 65. Enough said. It’s an adventure film, not an adult film flick.

4) No location shooting? Name one environment in the world that the United States does not contain. They could film in parts of Alaska and call it Antarctica. They could film in parts of the southwest U.S. and call it the Sahara. They could film in Hawaii and call it the Amazon (which, they did). They could film on any number of lakes in the upper mid-west and call it Loch Ness. You could film in Florida and call it the Caribbean. The United States is a big place if you haven’t noticed. Believe me, there’s no difference when it comes to being close to family if you’re in Hawaii or somewhere in South America. Very ignorant train of thought here.

This movie also had an ending laced with emotional longings and a ton of mystery. Indy got the idol. He returned it to its rightful place and by all accounts, rode off into the sunset with a bang with the wedding scene if you ask me. That tied up a lot of loose ends from the old films. Does the possibility of this planet being visited by aliens not leave a lot of lingering questions either? Your comments are reaching and ignoring the fact this film had all of what you claim it was lacking.

And the ‘gift of knowledge’ bit, well, it really is a gift. Apparently those with it will appreciate this movie more than those who do not.

For those who haven’t seen the movie yet, sorry about any spoilers. I didn’t bring anything up other posters hadn’t already mentioned. I really don’t understand how some people can be so passionate about forcing their dislikes down other folk’s throats. If you like cinematic adventures, you’ll love this film. Trust me. It was a blast and lives up to the Indy name. The Last Crusade to me was the best of the series, but this one is tied with Temple of Doom for second. Lots of fun and a thrill ride to say the least!

Remember, it’s a movie, not reality:) Just like the other three! This one just has some modern film work involved which is a breath of fresh air if you ask me.

Enjoy! I give it 4 out of 5 stars on the action/adventure scale.

1) The first three were about the power of mysticism and religion in the context of the human (historical) experience… ie. the Old Testament’s Ark of the Covenant, the Christian myth about the Holy Grail, Hindu Shankara Stones. Indy 4’s mythology was rooted in science fiction/conspiracy theory absurdity. The Crystal Skull’s origins were from space aliens? Don’t tell me that the giant CGI UFO at the end didn’t make you cringe!

2) Speaking of CGI… the first three relied on stunt work, elaborately constructed sets, and good old fashioned model work. Indy 4’s prarie dogs, waterfalls, army ants, (and SWINGING MONKEY’S???) made a mockery of the artisry and discipline of the former movies. Raiders used a REAL monkey… it was funny, clever, and had an element of dark foreboding (”bad dates”). Crystal Skull took a big dump on that simple theatrical device by drawing CGI cartoons all over the screen.

3) Sex. Where the hell was the sex? A post-menopausal Marian Ravenwood ( who was unfortunately failed by a stodgy screenplay) created no sense of sexual tension or romance. Cate Blanchett (Who looked so sexy) had no foil. She mumbled a few lines in a bad russian accent and then had a bunch of lame fight scenes. What happened to the smart dialogue, witty banter, and SEXUAL ENERGY that was so apparent in the other three movies? The wedding scene at the end was horrendous. I couldn’t even watch… it was contrived, cheesy, and lacked any sense of reality.

4) NO location shooting! Spielberg filmed the movie in ALL U.S locations, so he could be with his family. Come on! Where is the adventure in that??? The previous three (not to mention the more recent Bourne series) proved how atmospheric location shooting can be.

What really broke my heart about this movie was that it had so much potential. The first act of Indy 4 was outstanding (though not without problems). The opening sequence was fun, and set the tone correctly. The atomic testing ground, with the false suburban town was a work of pure genius. It was both funny and terrifying at the same time. The scenes at Marshall College were fun, inventive, atmospheric and true to form. Mutt’s introduction was a little too referential (Marlon Brando duh!), but still beautiful. The slapstick in the motorcycle chase was true to form. Then it just all went down hill… its as if they were working with two different screenplays and they couldn’t decide which direction to go. With all that McCarthyism flying around WHY didn’t they stick to it as a plot device?? The FBI AND the KGB going after Jones would have been unsettling and interesting. Instead, they just dropped it. It was set dressing… nothing more.

The last act of the movie was so bad, I couldn’t even watch at some points. Nothing happened… there was no conflict… they just walked to El Dorado broke the stones and reattached the skull. That’s it? It was so ridiculous and horrible, I don’t know how anyone can defend it. Emotional investment was nil.

The other three movies had endings laced in emotional longing and mystery. Indy gets the idol, or artifact, returns it to its rightful place and rides off into the sunset… with lingering questions and a strong sense of melancholy. This movie recycled the great Williams soundtrack from Last Crusade as Indy made some BS comment about the “gift of knowledge.”

George Lucas needs to be stopped. He is systematically destroying the legacy of great film making. The Indy series was smart, fun, and most of all, defining of our American culture. These recent installments of Star Wars and Indy are reflective of the greed and lack of creativity infecting Hollywood and the culture as a whole. Have we all become as bloated and lazy as Lucas and Spielberg that we cannot see our own decline? Let us hope the Indy franchise can be saved in a fifth installment. Or perhaps, even better, we should just… let it go. Leave it to be buried for archeologists to unearth thousands of years from now and wonder about the late, great American Empire in its heyday.

Now if I was to promote a good movie I saw this past week I would have to say everyone go see iron man, now that movie was a big shock to me being so good. I thought it was gona be corny but robert downey really did a good job. But anyway comment back !

Mike!