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efc1991

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Like many fans of the Indiana Jones franchise I was really looking forward to this film and in my opinion it didn't dissapoint.Ford was great as usual, it was wierd seeing Indy a little more mature but I thought it was another great performance by...
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Like many fans of the Indiana Jones franchise I was really looking forward to this film and in my opinion it didn't dissapoint.Ford was great as usual, it was wierd seeing Indy a little more mature but I thought it was another great performance by him. Shia LaBeouf'S character (Mutt) was also very good in the movie, I thoughht he was one of the best things about it and the relationship between Indiana and Mutt was great.Have to say there was some great action sequences in the film and the acting and directing awas brilliant. Only thing that lets it down was the rope swinging scen which I really did not like. 4 Stars

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Posted sep 20, 2008 12:53 am pt

Lynxan1

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Ok, to start with, I like Indiana Jones, but I hardly look at them like others seem to. For me, this fits in just fine though if I had to say anything about this, it's that I wish that I could still say trilogy instead of whatever it is when...
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Ok, to start with, I like Indiana Jones, but I hardly look at them like others seem to. For me, this fits in just fine though if I had to say anything about this, it's that I wish that I could still say trilogy instead of whatever it is when there's 4 films.

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Posted aug 5, 2008 9:54 pm pt

rockin01

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This movie by all rights should have gotten 4 stars- period, end of story- but this is Indy...sooo, an extra half-star. It's all about respect, peoples. I'm the first to admit that this is not the classic of the series (Lost Ark is clearly the...
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This movie by all rights should have gotten 4 stars- period, end of story- but this is Indy...sooo, an extra half-star. It's all about respect, peoples. I'm the first to admit that this is not the classic of the series (Lost Ark is clearly the superior entry in the franchise, with Last Crusade running a close second for me) but it is a worthy, if slavishly derivative addition to the Indy canon.

*****************SPOILERS AHEAD*************** Yeah, it's derivative. It's a self-conscious, self-referential rehash of the previous Indy films; as a matter of fact, this is like a Spielberg highlight reel: all of his favorite tropes appear here. I even half-expected the alien ship to emit the tones from Close Encounters. But I can't get too mad at the brotha for cannibalizing his own work- at least he stole from the best.

Shia Lebouf is watchable, as always. It was great to see Karen Allen again. But I quickly tired of the "Indy discovers he has a son and awkwardly tries to relate to him" plotline. And Karen Allan was underutilized. The crazy professor bit by John Hurt was overdone and unrealistic- there were too many times he became lucid just in time to assist a plot point. Indy's turncoat "friend" was equally credulity-stretching (do you really think Indy would get duped by this guy ONCE, let alone twice?), but I liked Cate Blanchett's evil Russian portrayal. Still, this movie badly needed Sean Connery.

Look, if you're an Indiana Jones fan, go see this movie. You'll get your money's worth- Speilberg and Lucas are too professional to make a movie devoid of entertainment value. They know what the audience wants and they deliver it solidly here. It's just that it's impossible to live up to the standard set by Lost Ark. If you go expecting that, prepare to feel somewhat let down.

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Posted jul 15, 2008 12:46 pm pt

Oceanic_815_

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One of the biggest disappointments of the last five years is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The fourth installment in one of my favorite franchises of all time doesn't have the spirit or wit of the first three, not even close....
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One of the biggest disappointments of the last five years is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The fourth installment in one of my favorite franchises of all time doesn't have the spirit or wit of the first three, not even close. After 20 years, Harrison Ford is back in fedora which just looks old and unwelcome. With some ridiculous sequences including a town full of manicans, a refrigerator scene, and a monkey swinging scene, this might be more than just bad film. This was the first film I've ever fallen asleep through, no joke. I can't even explain what was going on most of the time because I was asleep. The whole story was just too much, aliens and crystal skulls, what happened to boulders and golden artifacts. Nothing made sense in this painfully dull pull down from a great trilogy. The screenplay is awful and I can see the DVD features of this film where Spielberg Lucas and the cast are going to be talking about how much fun it was to make this film, well trying having to sit through it. Maybe it wouldn't have been as a big a let down if the first three weren't so great and if Lucas and Spielberg hadn't made some of my favorite films. This one is just a silly money scheme that could've been entitled "Indiana Jones and the Incredibly Cheesy Rip-off". They could have at least tried to make this semi enjoyable. Lucas, Spielberg, and the rest of the gang should have just left moviegoers with their memories.

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Posted jul 14, 2008 9:24 am pt

Mads13

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Going into this, not knowing what to expect after almost 20 years, I really did enjoy it. It gave me good action, good fight scenes, good riddle/mystery solving (though I did see the alien aspect coming a mile away). Ford, of course, is great at...
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Going into this, not knowing what to expect after almost 20 years, I really did enjoy it. It gave me good action, good fight scenes, good riddle/mystery solving (though I did see the alien aspect coming a mile away). Ford, of course, is great at his comedic delivery because he's so dry and nonchalant about it.
I admit, the ending was a bit over the top for me, even for an Indy film. The others seemed a bit more subtle.
But all in all, this was a great summer, popcorn, type of movie.
And, if Ford makes a fifth episode, I'll be there.

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Posted jul 8, 2008 1:52 pm pt

zania16

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I personally dont understand what people expected from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I thought it was a very good movie. It had everything the old Indy movies had... adventure, laughs, melodrama. It felt a bit rushed but overall it got its...
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I personally dont understand what people expected from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. I thought it was a very good movie. It had everything the old Indy movies had... adventure, laughs, melodrama. It felt a bit rushed but overall it got its point across and dealt with a very different plot toward the end. Sometimes you cant recapture the old feeling when you are doing a fourth movie almost 20 yrs after the last one.

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Posted jun 29, 2008 10:23 pm pt

digiwasteland

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WARNING: This review contains spoiler information.

The worst thing about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was that it wasn't disappointing, it was just plain bad. Maybe they should have called it Indiana Jones and...
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WARNING: This review contains spoiler information.

The worst thing about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was that it wasn't disappointing, it was just plain bad. Maybe they should have called it Indiana Jones and the Horribly Bad Sequel We Made Just for the Money?

I've been laboring how to write a review for this movie for the past month. There is just so much not to like that I'm going to have to do this in list form.

First the things I liked about the movie (this will be quick):

Shia LaBeouf is actually pretty decent in this film. He was given a "greaser rebel without a cause" to play and he played it pretty effectively.

The interplay among Indy, Mutt, and Marion after they find out they are father and son is actually pretty reminiscent of the interplay between Indy and his father in Last Crusade. I thought that was done pretty well most of the time.

The jungle chase scene was the only other saving grace, and even that was sullied by the unnecessary addition of a Tarzan vine-swinging stunt. Now, the laundry list of things to hate, detest, and despise about this film:

Harrison Ford seems to phone in his performance as Indy. He just plods through most scenes rather lazily almost bored. I can accept the fact that the film portrays Indy as 20 years older than the last time we've seen him. He's older, a little slower, and maybe not much wiser, but honestly most of the time, it just didn't feel like Indy. To think the audience wasn't going to compare this film to the previous three was naïve. Of course we are! The first hour of the film moves along at an excruciatingly slow pace. What's up with the gophers? Is this some sick nod to Caddyshack? I know Indy is supposed to be pretty much indestructible but it's always done in a believable manner. Surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator is not believable. Cate Blanchette does her best (or worst) Natasha impression playing a Russian spy. Additionally Russians just don't make good enemies anymore. I know in that time period, they're as bad as you can get, but today, the evilness isn't as prevalent. Nazis always make good bad guys because they’re always bad guys. The fire ants scene was an abomination. You know what made the bugs in Temple of Doom so creepy? They were real! These ants looked obviously CGI and worse yet, it made me think of a scene in The Mummy where a man is overrun and eaten by scarabs. What's worse is The Mummy did it better. It also seems like Steven Speilberg can't drop the alien storylines. He's done quite a few in the past with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, and War of the Worlds. The problem is Indiana Jones should never have been about aliens and sci-fi. Indy films have always had a supernatural aspect to them, but there is a fine line between that and science fiction and Crystal Skull crossed it in a very poorly executed way. Contrast that with LOST which has (for now) successfully blended supernatural fantasy with elements of sci-fi. Lastly, I know we're in the digital age and reportedly, this movie did it's best to avoid CGI and do things the old way. But I gotta say, this doesn't look like an Indy film. The cinematography makes everything too sharp and too clear. And the FX don't have that old school feel to them. There is a good level of fun in seeing the cheesy yet effective FX in the past films like the melting faces in Raiders, the mine shaft ride in Temple, and Donovan rapidly aging in Crusade. In Skull, we got the group descending a crumbling staircase and Blanchette dissolving into dust and it all unfortunately had a CGI look to it. Up until just recently, I really hated The Temple of Doom, but after a few more viewings several weeks ago (Indy marathons on TV) I've warmed up to the film. Perhaps the same will happen to this one 10-20 years down the line, although I won’t hold my breath. Easily the worst film in the series.

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Posted jun 29, 2008 3:19 am pt

crazygirl184

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When I heard that there was going to be another Indiana Jones movie I couldn't wait to see it. Considering it had been 19 years since the third movie I was excited to see the physical changes in Indiana Jones as time has passed, so things he use...
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When I heard that there was going to be another Indiana Jones movie I couldn't wait to see it. Considering it had been 19 years since the third movie I was excited to see the physical changes in Indiana Jones as time has passed, so things he use to be able to do are now difficult. It worked perfectly. It was also nice to see that he has a long lost (trying to be tough) son, which changes the advise he told him beforehand. It also crosses with the x-files, as aliens appear, probably to try something new, but it still had the booby traps and caves to explore so overall it was not dramatically changed.

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Posted jun 29, 2008 12:57 am pt

punisherwarzone

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i thought that ford should have been a year or two younger but the story line is perfect and it wasint the best but it kept you intertaind for the wohle flim

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Posted jun 18, 2008 9:02 am pt

toddpumpkins

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I had a friend that said this movie was awful. I asked him why and he said, "One word, Aliens." I looked at him and rolled my eyes. He was trying to tell me that Indiana Jones movies should be more realistic and they ruined the...
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I had a friend that said this movie was awful. I asked him why and he said, "One word, Aliens." I looked at him and rolled my eyes. He was trying to tell me that Indiana Jones movies should be more realistic and they ruined the trilogy. I then thought back on the past movies...Let's see here, we have ghosts, voodoo, hidden temples and a man afraid of nothing, well, nothing but snakes.....all very realistic...shah! It was meant for entertainment, and by golly, it entertained the heck out of this boy. I really enjoyed how they kept the comedic posture in the film alive. Great job Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, thank you for another great adventure

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Posted jun 17, 2008 1:05 pm pt

• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  91
  It's crammed full of the dash, filmmaking flair, swashbuckling magic, impossible stunts and tongue-in-cheek humor that made the series such a phenomenon of its time, and -- for those versed in its traditions -- almost every frame is enjoyable on some level.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] Salon.com
  
  90
  It miraculously pulled off the effect of feeling like a surprise: The picture both fulfilled some vague, unexpressed hopes I didn't know I had and also left me with the sense that I'd just seen something I wasn't quite prepared for -- the kind of contradiction that great showmanship can bridge.

  by Stephanie Zacharek | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  88
  I can say that if you liked the other Indiana Jones movies, you will like this one, and that if you did not, there is no talking to you.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  83
  Despite the merry duo of Ford and Connery, The Last Crusade offered a familiar pursuit of the Holy Grail. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull makes a better move: It goes back to the future. Once again, the Indiana Jones series is the rare franchise that treasures knowledge and embraces the unknown.

  by Michael Sragow | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Daily News
  
  80
  Entertaining, inventive and old-fashioned in the best way.

  by Joe Neumaier | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  80
  Nineteen years after their last adventure, director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford have no trouble getting back in the groove with a story and style very much in keeping with what has made the series so perennially popular.

  by Todd McCarthy | Read Full Review »
• [+] Empire
  
  80
  A slick, fun film that has by no means sacrificed the fast action beats of the first three.

  by Damon Wise | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  80
  Though the film stars a relaxed and capable Harrison Ford as everyone's favorite intrepid archaeologist and boasts supporting players ranging from Cate Blanchett as a superb villainess to Shia LaBeouf as the inevitable youngster, the real heroes of this film are director Steven Spielberg and the veritable army of superb technicians who turn the film's numerous stunts and special effects into trains that insist on running on time.

  by Kenneth Turan | Read Full Review »
• [+] Austin Chronicle
  
  78
  Ford's Indy, who doesn't quite hang up his fedora at film's end, is still the only cinematic smartass-cum-bullwhipping scholar of antiquities I'd want by my side when push comes to shove comes to Nazis ("I hate these guys"), Russkies, or, for that matter, Al Quaeda. Go get 'em, Indy, and cue the John Williams while you''e at it.

  by Marc Savlov | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  75
  The movie's pretty good, occasionally very good. But I also kind of hope they don't make another one.

  by M. E. Russell | Read Full Review »
• [+] Charlotte Observer
  
  75
  Both the good and bad remind us that the most special thing about "Skull" is the man wearing the fedora and the rakish grin. He has never worn out his welcome, and this valedictory - it can be nothing else - is a fitting one.

  by Lawrence Toppman | Read Full Review »
• [+] San Francisco Chronicle
  
  75
  The movie moves. It has action sequences that are so enormous that they won't just wow audiences, but rock them back in their seats and make them laugh at the audacity of it all.

  by Mick LaSalle | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  75
  The overall effect is either exhilarating or exhausting, depending on your emotional investment in the franchise, but credit where credit is due: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas set out to make one for the fans and delivered.

  by Maitland McDonagh | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Post
  
  75
  Often thrilling, sometimes charming, occasionally clunky family entertainment that perhaps wisely doesn't attempt to scale the heights of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

  by Lou Lumenick | Read Full Review »
• [+] Boston Globe
  
  75
  Merely grand old-school fun - a rollicking class reunion that stands as the second best entry in the venerable series.

  by Ty Burr | Read Full Review »