Indiana Jones 4 - Now With Reactions!

[tommutate]

poolman said:

The trailer looks... oh, what's that expression... "CGI'ed up the arse".

It looks fun, I agree. But it looks different, and I fear change.

This looks like it could be the movie that brings me round to liking CG-heavy effects. That big revolving temple looks cool.

[optimusprime007]

Does this movie have Christian Bale in it?

OP
P.S. I am I new member to this website.

[TheLuckyOne]

optimusprime007 said:

Does this movie have Christian Bale in it?

Not to the best of my knowledge, no.

Harrison Ford, of course, and also Shia LaBeouf, but (to my wife's chagrin) not Christian Bale.

-D

[wdm0744]

Slight hijacking of post (sorry wdm) to warn: Spoiler Alert. If you want to avoid spoilers, from here on out, there be dragons in this thread. Thank you and have a lovely day. - Sue



Okay, now that we're getting some mixed reviews out of the gate, what do you guys think?

Me, I'm torn. The bad reviews I've read scare me. Not because they're bad, per se, but because of what the reviews say. Several have commented that this one "has Lucas' fingerprints all over it". Back in the day, that would have been great, but after what George did to me with the SW prequels, I am extremely hesitant to let him do the same thing to Indy.

It is bad enough that he made Star Wars into a freaking cartoon, I just can't stand it if he does the same to Indiana Jones. I've always kind of prefered Indiana Jones to SW. I just can't handle it if "Uncle George molests this childhood memory".

Many reviews referenced the corny script, cutesy shots of gophers, a cheesy quicksand scene, and a scene where Shia LaBouf swings on jungle vines like Tarzan. Oh, and he swordfights with Cate Blanchett, straddling two jeeps, while jungle trees whack him repeatedly in the nuts. Worst of all, many have said that the action scenes lack tension because they are so laden with CGI. Have George and Steven forgotten why we loved Indy in the first place?

That said, the film still has 80% over at Rotten Tomatoes. It can't be all bad.

And, it is Indiana freaking Jones! The last time he was in theaters, I was seven. What if, by the grace of God, it doesn't suck and I miss out? ARGGH! Why do you do this to me, George?

What do you guys think?

[CheshireKat]

Here's five reasons this movie is going to kick 32 flavors of ass:

1-Surprises: From the trailers we've seen a bare minimum of footage. At this point, most movies would have still given away about 50% of it. All we know is the cast, and what they're looking for. (The Crystal Skulls of the title). It's going to be a lot of fun going in mostly clean.

2- The Script- I've been following the idea of Indiana Jones 4 for several years now. They started trying to make this in the mid-nineties. It's been attached to Frank Darabont, and M. Night Shymalan. One thing stopped them every time-- they weren't going to film the movie unless Ford, Lucas, and Spielberg all agreed on the script. There's been at LEAST three drafts that I know about, and they all got shot down until this one. I'm glad the gang took the time to get it right, even if it took them nearly a decade to find something to film.

3- The Director- A lot of people I talk to think the movie might be bad, based on the fact they were unhappy with the Star Wars Prequels. One difference, though- Lucas hadn't directed a movie in sixteen years. Indiana Jones is being helmed by Steven Spielberg, who in my opinion is an American treasure. All of Spielberg's latest movies have been awesome- War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, Munich...all badass. War of the Worlds was constantly intense, discounting the last two minutes. Minority Report actually has a very Indiana Jones-esque action sequence- remember the fight in the car factory? That was vintage. Catch Me If You Can was pure fun captured on film, to me that flick proved Spielberg can still get that footloose tone. It'll be fun seeing him play in the fifties again too, he's going to knock this out of the park. This also addresses the CGI complaint. Yes, Lucas dropped the ball big-time by letting the CGI completely run roughshod over the Star Wars prequels, but Spielberg has proven time and again that he knows how to use CGI effectively.

4- The Cast- Yes, Harrison Ford is old, I'll get to that in a bit. But lets look at everyone else. The love interest in this movie is Marion Ravenwood! They're bringing back easily his best romantic/comedic foil. She's got great timing, knows how to throw a punch, and she still looks fantastic. We've also got Shia Lebouf as his sidekick. I don't understand the backlash towards him, I've really enjoyed him in the flicks I've seen him in. I thought he really carried Transformers, and his performance also elevated Disturbia past a fairly generic thriller. Also, we're getting to see Cate Blanchette play a Communist super-spy, I can't imagine her not doing an awesome job with that.

5- Harrison Ford is old- This is frequently tossed out as a negative, but honestly I think that having an older, more grizzled Indiana Jones is going to be spectacular. I don't think it really matters if he's in peak physical condition- that's not what Indiana Jones is about. He's not Arnold or Stallone. Indiana Jones movies aren't about him winning fights through feats of strength and physical prowess. He doesn't need to be doing somersaults and kung-fu moves. Every single classic Indiana Jones fight, he's outmatched, and not by a little bit. Indiana Jones gets his bell rung. We've gotta see Indy getting the crap beaten out of him, and an older Indy is just another reason to see him getting whaled on. There's no actor better at expressing physical pain than Harrison Ford, and I'm hoping we'll see plenty of opportunities to see a man past his prime get in over his head all over again.

Also, I think most of the joy from the film is going to come from Indy being an old man. The older movies, and the "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", teach us a very important lesson- Old age and treachery beat youth and speed every time. Indiana Jones doesn't win fights by charging the swordsman-- he pulls out a gun and shoots him. Also, look at Sean Connery in Last Crusade. Indiana Jones wins by being sneaky. And a retired, grizzled Indiana Jones is going to be positively DEVIOUS.

I for one can't wait to watch this one. If I can, I'll be at the midnight show and have a review ready before I hit the sac that night. Yeah it might suck, but honestly, who cares? That's what's awesome about movies, if they're bad, the worst that's happened is you watched a bad movie, and if you love movies as much as I do (which I'm assuming you do because you're here), that's not such a bad fate after all.

Long live Dr. Jones!

[Head Mutant]

I really, really liked it. Wasn't perfect, but it was quite fun -- and I'm always a sucker for seeing my favorite action heroes back in the saddle once more.

[TheLuckyOne]

I enjoyed it. Poolie was right, it really is CGI'd out the arse, and that is a bit disappointing. But Mutt wasn't as annoying as you might have expected, the minor nods to prior entries in the series were nice (loved the Ark of the Covenant cameo), and even though it was incredibly cheesy, the ending was cute and sentimental.

However, I will say that [minor SPOILERS] I almost got really upset when the wind blew Indy's hat to Mutt's feet and he started to try it on. Almost. Thank you, Steven and George, for having the wisdom to instead let Indy grab it out of his hands at the last second and place it back on his own head. It was a minor touch, but one that will put many fans' minds at ease.

Oh yeah, and what was the last thing Mac said to Indy? I couldn't hear it clearly.

-D

[aargmematey]

I loved it. Thought it was great, and even better, it was a real Indy Movie.

(Spoilery bits ahoy!)

I particularly liked the swordfight scene between Mutt and Spalko, and really Mutt and Spalko in general. Also, I LOVED the scene in the diner place, when Indy and Mutt are cornered by the KGB agents and the fight breaks out. Hilarious!

Also, the aliens were way creepy.

[wdm0744]

Gosh, I must have seen a different movie!

I was about as disappointed as I could have been. This didn't feel like an Indy movie to me. -it felt like a fan-film, albeit, a good fan film. No, it wasn't all bad, but the cheesy CGI and the cartoony action ruined the whole for me.

***SPOILERS***

Did we really need 3 reaction shots of CGI gophers? Am I really supposed to expect Indy to survive inside a frige that is blasted miles away? I didn't know the inside was cushioned against that kind of impact force.

Did my childhood memories have to be bludgeoned to death by the Tarzan swing and the 3 waterfalls? I mean, why would people fear falling off waterfalls if it is perfectly safe? This film makes them into amusement park rides. Don't get me started on the magic elastic tree, CGI ants or the alien. Please, God, not the CGI alien frying the CGI brains of a CGI Cate Blanchett. I expect this from the Mummy series, but not Indy.

***END SPOILERS***

This is Indy by the way of the Road Runner and Wiley E. Coyote. No, I am not saying that the other movies were realistic, but they are documentaries compared to this cartoon. I like Spielberg, but I think he let Lucas have too much influence and this film is clearly in line with the modern Lucas school of knock-you-upside-the-head obviousness and silliness. I really am growing to loathe Lucas.

Do yourself a favor and don't tarnish the memory of the other films. Of course, I'm sure you'll be like me and have to go see it. It is, after all, Indiana Freaking Jones. And it isn't all bad, but, damn, is that really what you want to hear about an Indiana Jones movie?

[Head Mutant]

See, and here I came out of it thinking, "Wow, they didn't overdo the CGI at all." Especially during some of the action scenes, which felt rougher and more old school than the new stuff. I think they relied on old fashioned stunts and SFX for about 70% of the action scenes, which is pretty impressive.

I liked it, quite a bit. I realize there's a lot for people to find cheesy, but some of those same elements -- the animals, the Tarzan swing -- worked for me, my wife and the audience we were in.

I mean, let's be honest -- the other three films, while great, are not perfect. They have some pretty noticeable bad FX shots (greenscreen and whatnot), dips in the storytelling and their own cheesy elements. Willy anyone? Defeating a Nazi plane with a bunch of birds? It's all silly fun, and if Indy purists get off their high horse, they'd realize this is more of the same.

[wdm0744]

No high horse here. As far as I'm concerned, I'm riding a Shetland.

I'm trying, really, but I just can't see this fitting in with the others. I liked Temple of Doom better, and that's saying something.

***SPOILERS***

Sure this one has some good parts. I liked the beginning (all except the flying fridge thing), I liked the university chase, I liked the snake rope (God help me), I really liked Cate Blanchett despite myself, and I liked the Marion-Mutt-Indy dynamic and the wedding scene at the end. I even liked the jungle chase until it devolved into Stars Wars Episode 3 meets George of the Jungle meets the Mummy meets Jackass (ie, Shia's repeated nut-bashing).

And sure, the original three have there faults. I've never been cool with Willy or the Grail Knight.

I'm not a purist, I'm just a dude that likes for a movie to look like a movie instead of a video game. And you have to admit, Justin, that this one ventures into comic book/ cartoon territory much more than any of the others.

More than that, I just didn't feel any excitement. When you add in obvious digital effects, you remove any element of reality and, worse still, any real sense of danger. The script didn't help this either - I mean, who thought it would be a good idea to have the heroes fall down three waterfalls and come out no worse for the wear? The flying inflatable raft from Temple had more credibility.

I don't know. I mean, if you liked it, I'm really glad. I wouldn't want you to have to share my disappointment. I wish I could have enjoyed it, but I just kept feeling like everything I loved about Indy was getting flushed down the toilet and offered like a bloody sacrifice on the altar of George Lucas' greed and lack of creativity. I've given up on George, but Spielberg could have done better.

[CheshireKat]

my thoughts:

-I really wanted to like this one, and for the most part, I did, but I gotta go wdm0744 on some of his points, although not quite as vehemently. It started strong with the chase through the warehouse, and it was cool getting a nod to Raiders without being too winky. The chase through the university was cool, and the chase through the jungle was better, but the further they went, the more I started to check out. Shia Lebouf imitating Tarzan in a biker jacket and work boots was a bit much for even my suspension of disbelief, (and I'm the one guy who had no problems with Speed Racer).

-I didn't have a problem with aliens. Paranormal occurrences are after all a staple of the Indiana Jones movies. Arks that melt nazis, rocks that make crops grow, and a cup that can heal bullet wounds are no less unbelievable than an alien skull. The decision to go from mysticism to sci-fi was gutsy, but ultimately they did it best they could. Jury's still out on whether they should have gone in that direction at all. Repeated viewings are needed.

-The final reveal was missing the epic scale and feeling of mystery. The CGI towards the end really did take away from feel.

-Spalko wasn't really intimidating enough for a villain, and her accent was horrid. Cate Blanchett is great ordinarily, but she seemed to be channeling Natasha Badanov from Rocky and Bullwinkle in this one. She should have worked harder to make herself a bit more unlikable.

-Indy was a little too quick to believe Mac when he said he was a double agent. He Reeeeeally should've seen the triple-cross coming.

-Really liked Mutt, but I'm still WAY skeptical about giving him the reins to the franchise. I think ultimately the best move would be just to insinuate that he picked up where dad left off and leave it at that.

-Liked the nod to the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

-I did like Spalko getting hers in the end. Everything else leading up to that moment fell flat for me, but the alien getting in her face really creeped me out, and her explosion was nice and gruesome, as any bad guy death in an Indy movie should be.

Ultimately it plays out like a better than average episode of the Young Indy Chronicles. There are a lot of mis-steps, more than I expected, but a lot of things done right as well. I had a lot of fun, and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

[wdm0744]

Thanks for the back-up, CheshireKat. I'm sorry you were disappointed - I know from your previous post that you really wanted to love it. So did I.

I agree about Spalko. While I think she was one of the best things about the movie, they definitely could have been a bit more subtle. Strangely, the wig bothered me more than the accent. But, then again, Lucas has the subtlety of thermo-nuclear warhead.

If I had to boil it down, my biggest problem with the movie was the "CGI-ed out the arse" effects. Perfect example: During the jungle chase, my wife turned to me and said, "Is this Spy Kids or Journey to the Center of the Earth, because if it is, I wanted my 3-D glasses".

[TheLuckyOne]

May 23, 2008 13:00:02 GMT -5 wdm0744 said:

(ie, Shia's repeated nut-bashing).

Don't forget, though, that's mitigated by the fact that secretly, everyone sort of wants to see Shia get hit in the nuts a few times. In that context, it actually becomes a positive. If Short Round had taken a couple of testes punches in Temple of Doom, everyone wouldn't hate him as much.

And I can't believe I forgot to mention it the first time, but who else was stoked by Janitor being one of the FBI agents interrogating Indy? I kept waiting for him to threaten Indy with a knife-wrench.

-D

[Head Mutant]

I was, Drew, I was. Hail to Janitor!