There's a line early in the film where Jim Broadbent tells Indy that someone has died and says "We're at the point where life takes away more than it gives." This line, unfortunately, is a metaphor for the film. Time, it seems, has taken away Lucas and Spielbergs talent.
In many press interviews leading up to the film Lucas bragged about how he came up with the "MacGuffin" and how he knew in his heart of hearts that this MacGuffin was the only MacGuffin that could work in a fourth Indy film. He even went as far to say that he fought for his MacGuffin and refused to see a script that did not incorporate it. Well, the MacGuffin is one of THREE main reasons this film is terrible. The MacGuffin is so confusing, so contrived, so unbelievable that the audience never comprehends the importance of the journey or feels vested in the success of our heroes. Lost Ark? Got it. Holy Grail? Check. Crystal Skull that allows aliens to return to their "space between space"? Huh?
Lucas' love for CGI and Spielbergs decision to rely on it was a huge mistake. Everything in this film feels fake...the sets, the bad Russian wigs, the CGI explosions, the CGI chase scenes, the CGI sunsets. In Raiders (and even Temple and Crusade) everything felt REAL, and therefore we felt that Indy and his cohorts were in peril. In Crystal Skull, Indiana's charm is completely lost because no longer is he forging ahead in the face of insurmountable odds...no, now he's forging ahead in the face of CGI'd acrobatic monkeys. Spielbergs incredible gift to the world (back when he made good films) was his innate ability to make the fantastical believable. His organic approach to film-making made us BELIEVE that an alien befriended a child, that a 30 foot shark jumped up onto a boat, and that the Lost Ark could melt faces. Every second of Crystal Skull feels fake and therefore elicits no emotion, except anger over spending 12 bucks.
The script has no structure, no charm, and no cohesiveness. After watching Indy 4 you can actually feel how important Lawrence Kasdan (writer for Raiders) and Jeffrey Boam (writer for Crusade) were to the series. Their ability to give Indy a quick-witted charm is sorely missed, not to mention their ability to make every set piece, every action sequence integral to the story and the building of character. In Indy 4, there's no link between scenes, stories, or character, and that's, in the words of Henry Jones, "intolerable." I won't bad mouth Shia LaBouf, because many have already. Yes his performance is soulless and charmless, but his part is thinly written and seems to feel like nothing more than an excuse to keep the series going.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is probably the most disappointing experience I've ever had at the movies. I've waited almost 20 years to see Indy again, and I feel like my loyalty to the franchise was exploited and my childhood memories were stolen. If you wish to avoid these feelings I suggest the following: close your eyes tight and don't look at it. Whatever you do, don't look at it.
In many press interviews leading up to the film Lucas bragged about how he came up with the "MacGuffin" and how he knew in his heart of hearts that this MacGuffin was the only MacGuffin that could work in a fourth Indy film. He even went as far to say that he fought for his MacGuffin and refused to see a script that did not incorporate it. Well, the MacGuffin is one of THREE main reasons this film is terrible. The MacGuffin is so confusing, so contrived, so unbelievable that the audience never comprehends the importance of the journey or feels vested in the success of our heroes. Lost Ark? Got it. Holy Grail? Check. Crystal Skull that allows aliens to return to their "space between space"? Huh?
Lucas' love for CGI and Spielbergs decision to rely on it was a huge mistake. Everything in this film feels fake...the sets, the bad Russian wigs, the CGI explosions, the CGI chase scenes, the CGI sunsets. In Raiders (and even Temple and Crusade) everything felt REAL, and therefore we felt that Indy and his cohorts were in peril. In Crystal Skull, Indiana's charm is completely lost because no longer is he forging ahead in the face of insurmountable odds...no, now he's forging ahead in the face of CGI'd acrobatic monkeys. Spielbergs incredible gift to the world (back when he made good films) was his innate ability to make the fantastical believable. His organic approach to film-making made us BELIEVE that an alien befriended a child, that a 30 foot shark jumped up onto a boat, and that the Lost Ark could melt faces. Every second of Crystal Skull feels fake and therefore elicits no emotion, except anger over spending 12 bucks.
The script has no structure, no charm, and no cohesiveness. After watching Indy 4 you can actually feel how important Lawrence Kasdan (writer for Raiders) and Jeffrey Boam (writer for Crusade) were to the series. Their ability to give Indy a quick-witted charm is sorely missed, not to mention their ability to make every set piece, every action sequence integral to the story and the building of character. In Indy 4, there's no link between scenes, stories, or character, and that's, in the words of Henry Jones, "intolerable." I won't bad mouth Shia LaBouf, because many have already. Yes his performance is soulless and charmless, but his part is thinly written and seems to feel like nothing more than an excuse to keep the series going.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is probably the most disappointing experience I've ever had at the movies. I've waited almost 20 years to see Indy again, and I feel like my loyalty to the franchise was exploited and my childhood memories were stolen. If you wish to avoid these feelings I suggest the following: close your eyes tight and don't look at it. Whatever you do, don't look at it.
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