Indiana Jones 4 Kinda-Review

[WetWired]

This entire thread is spoiler zone so don't read any further if you don't want it ruined.

So we just got back from a 10am screening this morning, first impressions are "it's ok"

There's some good things to be found in indy 4, but for every good thing there's a bad thing, it seems like george lucas's hand in the bad one. Over the top stunts mainly (vine swinging, surviving 3 huge waterfalls, UFO)

John Hurt's character (Ox?) was all but useless expect for when the story needed moving forward. He'd spout some random crap which would cause everyone to move onto the next action piece, I don't know if I was alone in this but I found the character to be annoying. Marion was a nice addition but she seemed wasted and her presence didn't seem to carry as much weight as it should.

Shia la Bouf's character isn't as bad as I expected and considering the use of "son of the hero" storys in other movies, they've actually done a pretty good job of it.

I didn't mind aliens being the mythology element, but I think they should have stuck to the less is more rule and shown less at the end, leave more to the imagination and leave an aura of doubt in the air. But the flying saucer and CGI alien at the end leave nothing to the imagination. As cool as the effects of saucer ripping up the ground and being flooded was, it was over the top.

There seemed to be less puzzle figuring in this too, at least letting the audience have a chance at figure them out, everything was handed to the viewer on a platter with a big sign pointing to it. The scene where ox holds the crystal skull up to the heirogyph's and says "omg it's the same" was a clear example of this. It's an alien head, no shit, you've already made this clear earlier in the movie and made no room for doubt (which would have made it far more intriguing)

Despite the fact Spielberg claimed they were using mainly practical effects there is an abundance of CGI, to the detriment of tension and reality in many scenes. Although I did like the nuke sequence, surviving that explosion in a flying fridge is a bit beyond belief.

I'll have to leave it to dwell, but at the moment, it's probably sitting slightly in front of temple of doom (being the worst) of the series, which is by no means bad, a crap indiana jones movie is infinately better than most action movies.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Edited May 22, 2008 by WetWired

[DJ Force]

I guess I agree with the majority of your points.

Since this is a Lego forum, I´d like to add some thoughts about the recent Indy 4 Lego sets.

River Chase:

Nice set, nice vehicles, nice playability, but I haven´t seen this in the movie. No sowjet treehouse, no boat, no aligator. The carboat is a nice rendition of the vehicle in the movie, though.

All in all this set is quite random and doesn´t have much to do with the movie. Still a nice addition to any collection and display.

Sowjet camp:

Nice set, all the important stuff of the movie scene is there. But there´s even more. The sword holder thingy that is so prominently featured in several sets wasn´t even featured once in the movie.

Junglecutter:

Nice rendition of the vehicle in the movie, but the vehicle in the movie didn´t really have such a big and important part. It could be best compared with the Bespin Cloud Car. A nice vehicle to be seen in the movie and to have in bricks, but not half as important as an A-Wing or even the Millenium Falcon. All the other stuff in the set is cool, though. I don´t remember that entrance in a scene with the vehicle, but somehow you know it´s somewhere in the vicinity. Very nice set, just a little expensive IMO.

Temple of the Crystal Skulls:

I know, there has to be a big playset, and most of the features of the film are there. There are even some more features in the set that I couldn´t see in the movie, although I´ve been constantly looking for them.

The bad thing about this set is that so many different scenes from so many different locations are put into it, that it seems a little random again. This could easily be a Johnny Thunder set as well. I wouldn´t be able to instantly recognize it as an Indy-set if it wheren´t for the minifigs.

The TRU exclusive plane:

Wasn´t featured in the movie prominently enough to justify a set, but truth to be told, Indy HAS to travel a lot, and in most cases he does with planes.

[Batbrick]

Just saw the movie, it destroyed a part of my hero forever, and i am now watching The Last Crusade to wash the image from my memory...

Batbrick Away!

[Siegfried]

Oh. Well I was waiting until the DVD release anyway!

(I'll move this too... )

[THE-FORCE]

Yeah I'm a sissy but is it scary and creepy?

[Hotshot]

Yeah I'm a sissy but is it scary and creepy?

no, or if you cont wen the evil persone die

[Hopewell]

I enjoyed the movie. I like it better than last crusade and temple of doom because it sort of bookends Raiders well. But as a whole the movie worked but barely. It seemed flawed, like too much of a hokey, family "fun" movie as opposed to a smart, sexy, gritty adventure story.

Now looking back at the lego, jungle duel doesn't seem that relevant as the table is pushed over not cut in two but the figs are perfect.

I'm glad I didn't get the jungle cutter since it was barely in the movie.

River chase was nothing like the movie. We get the duck which is cool but no car to battle it with. The boat and tree house were pure lego fabrication for the most part. No monkeys, and you need the swords from jungle duel to recreate this scene.

The Temple is cool because it does have multiple skulls and a large column that splits like the movie. Not a lot of action went down there (relatively speaking) but I think it's fairly accurate.

As for the exclusive plane set, I don't even remember seeing the Russians go to a secret airstrip....maybe I missed it?

It will be interesting to see whatever new sets they make from the movie. Personally I want:

University chase: With Mutt and Indy on motorcycle with russian thugs to chase them. Would be cool

and Doomtown playset with launching lead refrigerator. Actually this could be MOC'd pretty easily with the Lego town stuff

[Ogel111]

Cool yeah I think all go see it! Thanks

[Zarkan]

Well, this settles it: I'm going to see Prince Caspian. Boo you Lucasarts for more of the Starwars Prequel syndrome!

[SirNadroj]

My goodness, you guys don't seem to care for it too much.

I loved it. It was just as good, if not better than the originals. 100 times better than Last Crusade.

The over-the-top aliens made me love this even more ~ it's a step in a different direction. And even though there are aliens, Lucas and Speilberg alsways convey the stories to make them seem even the slightest bit plausable.

The ant scene was disgustingly awesome. I'm afraid of ants like Indy's afraid of snakes. But that was way cool.

I give it a 5 of 5. I'm gonna go try to cast some crystal skeleton parts to go with my skulls.

[Brickadier General]

I didn't mind aliens being the mythology element, but I think they should have stuck to the less is more rule and shown less at the end, leave more to the imagination and leave an aura of doubt in the air. But the flying saucer and CGI alien at the end leave nothing to the imagination. As cool as the effects of saucer ripping up the ground and being flooded was, it was over the top.

Not only do the UFO and alien at the end leave nothing to the imagination, but the funniest part about the ending was that I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen it before. And that's because the ending was so similar to the ending in the X-Files: Fight the Future movie. Mully and Sculder end their journeys in Antarctica where they wind up in an alien spacecraft that's under the ice, and they confront the aliens there. Then when they get out, you see the U.F.O. break through the ice and fly away. I haven't seen a lot of movies but I am sure that there have been other films that have used a similar scenario. It's a tad bit cliche now. heh

I still really liked the film though, and it was really entertaining. Although, as you did mention, some of the characters were a little bit annoying.

[zero1312]

My goodness, you guys don't seem to care for it too much.

I loved it. It was just as good, if not better than the originals. 100 times better than Last Crusade.

The over-the-top aliens made me love this even more ~ it's a step in a different direction. And even though there are aliens, Lucas and Speilberg alsways convey the stories to make them seem even the slightest bit plausable.

The ant scene was disgustingly awesome. I'm afraid of ants like Indy's afraid of snakes. But that was way cool.

I give it a 5 of 5. I'm gonna go try to cast some crystal skeleton parts to go with my skulls.

I agree. And besides, it has been 19 or so years since Last Crusade and I'm afraid the mentality for this kind of movie has changed over the years. But it still was awesome. 4 thumbs up!!!

[Corvus]

Just saw it- Right up there with Iron Man!

I think they should have left out the aliens and done something else, but everything else was great- In a lot of the scenes, he looked like he'd lost ten years. Go Indy!

[Ecto]

Meh.

Everything but the fact there were FREKING ALIENS rocked.

[Belloq]

Sowjet camp:

Nice set, all the important stuff of the movie scene is there. But there´s even more. The sword holder thingy that is so prominently featured in several sets wasn´t even featured once in the movie.

I stated this on another board, but since people see to have such an issue with the holder, I'll state what really happened. Seen several times in the film was a long, slender black case. Inside it were various types of swords. Said case was yellow inside (just watched the film twice, so I'm almost 100% sure its yellow inside) Though it wasn't the same shape as the lego one, the idea was clear, a very varied range of swords was carried all over the place with Spalko. Also, on the aliens, they should've left the alien in the darkness in the final scene, it shouldn't have been compleely revealed. But I really liked the film, a lot.

[Batbrick]

I loved it. It was just as good, if not better than the originals. 100 times better than Last Crusade.

You are not allowed to speak anymore. No seriously, just die. Now.

But seriuosly, better than the originals is the biggest load of (censored) I've heard, what was wrong with Crusade? That was a great movie!

Batbrick Away!

[Navy Trooper Fenson]

Crusade was a bit too quick. I thought by some scenes the movie weren´t one hour long but then I relised that we are nearly at the end. And I missed a battle with this fat guy who beats Indy in the first two movies.

Crystal Skull wasn´t so bad IMO. It was really a bit too slow and the end is a bit fast and crappy because we get just some cliche UFO with a more cliche alien who is made out of the skeleton of 13 aliens... WTF??? I know that this movie is a bit parody of 50s movies but I don´t think that the movies from the 50s were so bad. Except for the end there were some other stupid things like the forgotten end of the part where the FBI chased Indy (no, I don´t mean this car chase with the russians in the city).

Maybe this movie is this worse because the 50 movies were this worse, but I don´t know.

P.S. This movie is so bad and good like Last Crusade, but nothing can beat Raiders and nothing can beat the badness of Doom. Oh god, I hate Doom so much...

[Batbrick]

Doom was awesome! Way underrated. Sure it had flaws, but Kotcs has them most. And Crusade is the longest or second longest I'm sure.

Batbrick away!

[Shoc]

I haven't seen it (yet), I still think it will be good. To all the people moaning about the alien(s) - both Spielberg and Lucas have created some of the most iconic films that feature aliens, it was almost unavoidable for them to spice up the plot of new IJ with them. But meh, I haven't seen it yet. Maybe the alien is terrible CGI.

:skull:

[casewindu]

You guys all seem to forget that the film as to advertise to a different audience now, twently years on and cinema has changed.

Fact is everyone expects too highly of these films such as teh star wars films and the simpsons movie to name afew. You all get so caught up in the hype that you thikn its going to be the greatest movie ever. Simple advice just dont get your hopes up and usually you'll like the film more like with me.

I thought it was a great, humorous film, with great references to the old trilogy. I didnt find the Oz character annoying and thought he was a good character to replace Marcus Brody, who wasnt in the film yet the director made sure the audience wouldn't forget him by placing so many references to the character in the film.

Shia Le'Bouf ( who seems to be in everything these days) was also a pretty funny character and the character fitted in well with the indy cast.

Only down side was the alien and UFO. Alright I didnt mind the skeletons, but when they all formed an fully alive alien seemed like Speilberg was trying to mix indy with ET.

Apart from that it was a good film and one I will watch again.

edit: sirnadroj- better than the last crusade, behave yourself.

Edited May 24, 2008 by casewindu

[Athos]

I thought it was an ok Indy film, and a decent action movie. It was about on par with Temple of Doom, maybe a bit less.

It was a decent way to kind of reboot the franchise, with Mutt as the main character: Mutt Williams and the Fate of Atlantis, anyone?

I didn't like the vine swinging part at all though. The aliens didn't bother me, though they seemed to irritate other people.

Steve

[Tohst]

Eh, Can't say I was too impressed.

Raiders was an incredible movie with each scene building to the next, memorable villians And not just because they were nazis. Seriously, the first time I saw Toht (I think his name was) shows the scar on his hand that they are using to point to the ark it blew me away.

Plus it had realistic peril. And by this I mean, I can't think of a time in Raiders when I said to myself, Indy is dead. You can't survive that. Temple of Doom, on the other hand starts with the plane crash and them using the inflatible boat to save themselves and I can't watch it without my brain saying, and they all die. This new one had a bunch of such moments starting with the launching fridge.

Combined with dropped plot points. The big one being the FBI is upset with Indy. Indy leaves the country, consorts with the commies, destroys all evidence of what he is doing, comes back and I guess tells the FBI it was aliens and he gets his job back and a promotion? The only fun part of that was the janitor from Scrubs. Its like Harrison Ford is his lucky charms and he is always after him. He also played a cop in the Fugitive chasing Ford playing Richard Kimble.

And before I get too ranty about other areas, I'll just end with. What the heck was up with Shia being Tarzan? That made no sense. It wasn't fun. It wasn't funny. It wasn't exciting. It wasn't necessary.

I could go on for another couple pages ;-)

-Tohst

[snefroe]

saw Indy 4 last evening. great entertainment but nothing more. i don't think it'll be the best or most unforgettable film of the year or anything, just a nice film, that's all.

i was kinda surprised to see how much Indy has become an old man... The young, dynamic hero of the past looks tired and ready to retire... at least that's the impression i got from him... disappointing really

the story itself is bollocks, obviously... this film is basically a mixture of all sorts of modern and ancient myths, like El dorado, Roswell, UFO, Nazca, a supercivilisation as a base for Mayan culture, ... but at least i wasn't bored or anything...

[Scouty]

I saw the movie yesterday and I really liked it. It was a fun, enjoyable film. It at least stands with the quality of the other films, in terms of how all the shots and dialog etc. goes.

You are not allowed to speak anymore. No seriously, just die. Now.

But seriuosly, better than the originals is the biggest load of (censored) I've heard, what was wrong with Crusade? That was a great movie!

Batbrick Away!

I think you are being wayyy to harsh with this new film. Really, very much. Very. Even though, you are entitled to your opinion.

Even though that statement is a bit out there (100 times better...), I think Kingdom stays up with the rest of the Indy films, especially considering different times and everything.

[Zaktan of the Shadows]

That was an awesome movie. Got back from watching it. Sure, it didn't feel much like an Indy film, but it was good enough and entertaining.

-ZotS