***Spoiler Alert – Do Not Read This Post If You Have Not Seen The Movie Yet And Are Planning On Seeing It***
I went and saw the latest installment of the Indiana Jones series Friday night, and even though I went in with low expectations, I still left the cinema disappointed. The fact that it took George Lucas (who has now ruined a second film series) and Steven Spielberg 20 years to find the “right script,” should have resulted in a better movie.
The first half of the movie is generally enjoyable, and there is plenty of action, Indy wit, nods to the previous films and characters, and some exciting scenes – the motorcycle/car chase scene has been talked about a lot and it is probably the best sequence in the whole movie. But the second half of the movie leads Indy fans into a new territory – one that not even the bravest fan should have to explore.
Here are a few things that really bothered me:
-The ridiculous aspects of the plot are easy to point out, but the movie’s biggest fault is how it treats its characters. If you think about Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, the things that set those movies apart is the character interaction – notably Indy and Marion in Raiders, and Indy and his father in Crusade. Skull is too preoccupied with the plot and doesn’t spend enough time with the characters, which leaves them hollow and underdeveloped.
-Harrison Ford delivers a fine performance, but he is given little to work with. Most of the other characters seem like they are action figures that have come to life.
-The movie is loaded with scenes that are just so over-the-top that they border campy – these include the scene where Mutt Williams is swinging through the tree tops with his new monkey friends and the three times Indy and crew fall down huge waterfalls.
-In fact almost everything with Mutt Williams was excruciating to watch – like the numerous times he combs his hair and his “dramatic” scenes with Professor Oxley.
-John Hurt (Professor Oxley) is a good character actor, but unfortunately he is given a very bad part in this movie. Oxley may go down as the most unnecessary character in the entire Indy series.
-Aliens? Really? The three previous Indy films were at least grounded in some degree of believability. Did Lucas and Spielberg really have to drag extraterrestrials into yet another movie?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
agreed!
I saw the movie last night and left laughing... As you said the previous Indiana Jones movies had spirituality and made the audience wonder "what if". Aliens? Come on.
There was so much potential there. El Dorado...they could have gone into the Aztec calander...something cool...but, instead they took parts of the Mummy and turned it into pitiful movie.
The second that "Mutt" said his name, I knew it was Indy's son: "I chose my name..". Come-on George...don't treat the audience like idiots like you did in the freakin' star wars movies...
The Ants were pretty cool but I did not like how easily they got into Area 51...5 freakin' guards? I don't think so...
--bob
I saw it today. It was generally entertaining, but I agree with BT. KGB in area 51 would not go in with guns blazzing, they'd have a double agent. Also, I don't remember "get in a refrigerator" during our "duck and cover" movies.
SS
I agree that parts of it were entertaining, but the last hour I was getting pretty restless. The bottom line is this movie could have been a lot worse and I still would have gone and seen it.
It's interesting that you mention "The Mummy" Bob, because for the past 20 years there have been so many attempts to duplicate (or rip off) the Indiana Jones movies. Spielberg and Lucas reinvented this type of movie with "Raiders," and instead of reinventing it again with the latest movie, they just stuck to the same mold; which is fine, but we've seen it before so many times now.
Scott - did you watch a bootleg version at home? I can't believe you went to a movie theater.
Yeah, I bought it from that guy Kramer was friends with. The last few minutes were really odd, some woman dancing while pointing her thumbs.
SS
"As you said the previous Indiana Jones movies had spirituality and made the audience wonder "what if". Aliens? Come on."
Perhaps you're simply outside the larger main audience who views extraterrestrial interaction with earth and religion/faith as equally suspect.
My biggest problem with the movie isn't whether or not it's believable. I felt there was no reason to care about the characters. By the end, I couldn't have cared less about what happened to any of the characters - I just wanted the movie to be over.
Post a Comment