I thought it was okay but it was missing that magical charm that made the Indiana Jones movies so popular. It doesn't take away from the previous movies but it doesn't add too much either. The last scene is kind of nice as an endcap to the whole series. I don't expect more movies to be made after this.
Let's talk about the bad first. My first complaint was that the actions sequences were too over the top. Most notably was the swinging from the vines scene by Mutt. In fact there were many touches of over-the-top CGI... the nuclear blast scene was cool but then they went and overindulged by having the fridge fly a mile through the air. Would have been much better with a more restrained view. Indy could have gotten in a fridge in the basement and then we are shown a shot of the house gone after the blast but the Indy crawls out of the rubble. Realism goes a long way even in a movie with supernatural elements like Indiana Jones.
Over all the acting by the whole cast was passable but nothing great. Kate Blanchett I thought gave a uneven performance. First her Russian accent wasn't very authentic. They really should have found a real Russian fem-fatal to play the part. Her acting was noticeably poorer in the CGI heavy scenes while strong in the rest. LaBeouf and Ford did well together but lacked the magic chemistry that Ford and Connery had. Karen Allen gave the least convincing performance and her character's emotions always seemed out-of-touch with the situations she finds herself in but I was glad she was back nonetheless.
The story this time was a real brave choice was Spielberg and crew. It could have easily ruined the feel that the trilogy produced. I thought the script would have been better if it saved the more bizarre aspects regarding the aliens until later in the film. They could have then had a big reveal to catch the audience (and Indy and friends) completely by surprise. My favorite sequence in the whole movie was the opening one. It had mystery and suspense. I think we are feed too many bread crumbs long the way to have that same feeling in the final action scene.
Overall Indy 4 is a fun movie but I found myself not thinking about it much after I saw it. Even Ironman left me excited for a couple days. Indy 4 is missing ingredients that would have made it great. Indy 4 feels diluted by the influence of more recent adventure films like the Mummy. Indiana Jones movies are dusty, dirty, and gritty. Models and live action provide that dusty feel but CGI does not.
Let's talk about the bad first. My first complaint was that the actions sequences were too over the top. Most notably was the swinging from the vines scene by Mutt. In fact there were many touches of over-the-top CGI... the nuclear blast scene was cool but then they went and overindulged by having the fridge fly a mile through the air. Would have been much better with a more restrained view. Indy could have gotten in a fridge in the basement and then we are shown a shot of the house gone after the blast but the Indy crawls out of the rubble. Realism goes a long way even in a movie with supernatural elements like Indiana Jones.
Over all the acting by the whole cast was passable but nothing great. Kate Blanchett I thought gave a uneven performance. First her Russian accent wasn't very authentic. They really should have found a real Russian fem-fatal to play the part. Her acting was noticeably poorer in the CGI heavy scenes while strong in the rest. LaBeouf and Ford did well together but lacked the magic chemistry that Ford and Connery had. Karen Allen gave the least convincing performance and her character's emotions always seemed out-of-touch with the situations she finds herself in but I was glad she was back nonetheless.
The story this time was a real brave choice was Spielberg and crew. It could have easily ruined the feel that the trilogy produced. I thought the script would have been better if it saved the more bizarre aspects regarding the aliens until later in the film. They could have then had a big reveal to catch the audience (and Indy and friends) completely by surprise. My favorite sequence in the whole movie was the opening one. It had mystery and suspense. I think we are feed too many bread crumbs long the way to have that same feeling in the final action scene.
Overall Indy 4 is a fun movie but I found myself not thinking about it much after I saw it. Even Ironman left me excited for a couple days. Indy 4 is missing ingredients that would have made it great. Indy 4 feels diluted by the influence of more recent adventure films like the Mummy. Indiana Jones movies are dusty, dirty, and gritty. Models and live action provide that dusty feel but CGI does not.