The first James Bond film I ever saw was Roger Moore and it was Moonraker. I had no idea that Sean Connery played James Bond before him until I saw Thunderball on ABC's Sunday Night Movie and I was like "What?!?!" That's when I discovered there were all of these other films and it had been around a long time. I never really liked Roger Moore's tongue-in-cheek slapstick. I was far more intrigued by this charming, rugged guy named Connery as 007.

The funny thing is, I was so hyped while watching that i didn't care to take the time to dissect it. I was just in so much awe by that fact that "Holy sh**, this is another Indy movie."

I was always more attracted to the older Bond films as well. They were simply more exotic- and still are, imo. Once Dalton came along and they started injecting political correctness into the series, I think they kind've lost part of the appeal.

But generally speaking, I do think each generation tends to be biased towards its own era. The old adage has always been that your first Bond usually ends up being your preferred Bond. There will always be exceptions, but I think it's a pretty fair statement overall.

I think that rings true for a lot of Dr. Who fans. My first introduction to the Doctor was Tom Baker who is unequivocally the best Doctor, IMO, though I have met fans of pretty much every actor. It really all boils down to who really does it for you. The same applies to Bond.

In all honesty KOTCS could have been better. It could have been far worse. There are things I wish had been done to it - and what hadn't. In general though I think it is a good film - thou I could never watch it and be totally at peace - "what could have been" will be in my mind somewhere.

There are a lot more worse films than KOTCS out there - and much more still being pumped out in America at this very moment.

I just think a lot of us who are very let down/somewhat let down were expecting more - and it makes sense as to why we were - with how brilliant the originals were.

But that's where it all becomes subjective doesn't it? Original trilogy = 1 great movie followed by 2 lesser movies. It's difficult not to become subjective about a movie character that you have an emotional connection with. I agree 100% in that KOTCS could have been better/could have been worse. And ultimately, the "could have been better" label can be applied to every single movie.

Of course it does. Although I don't think the original trilogy had one great movie and 2 lesser ones, I thought all 3 were great- that is why I like Indiana Jones. In general though, I think a lot more people will agree out of all 4 Indy films, the 4th one is the one that needs the most work to make it "great". It had a lot to live up to, plus movie making is different today. Still I am pleased to get an Indy film I think is good and can enjoy - as opposed to one I think is awful. It is a shame Indy fans that can't enjoy the new one had to be let down by it. I can understand why they are/would be, but luckily for me I can find some redeeming features in it.

I am glad they made it. It was good enterntainment. But the point is still there. All that talk about about a good Mcguffin. Aliens aren't believable.

I would like to see another.

Just remember, even if you despised the film you still got some Drew Struzan poster art out of the situation.

The joy i get from Drews work was outweighed by the disappointment i felt for this film. In retrospect it would have been better if they left well enough alone, of course i wouldn't know that unless i'ld seen it.

So far so good ;)



What! :eek:



:confused:

If only it were possible to jump into a DeLorean and go back to convince George and Steven to leave Indy at the Canyon of the Crescent Moon.

Your toys will fade away, dude.

But my money might also magically reappear!

Talk about a deal with the devil!

It's worth noting that the alternative to this would not have been people contempt with the trilogy they already have, but the fandom contemplating forever of "what could have been".

So yeah. 20 years of development hell and then nothing would have been even a bigger anticlimax than what we got now. So in this case, I guess we should just take what we've got. It could be worse.


Now if they'd just announced this out of the blue in say, 2006 and proceeded to can it and the result was the same, my sentiments might be different. But since I followed the on-and-off development for longer than it took to work on losing my virginity, I'll take it. Both are occasions in my life that left a lot to be desired, but in the end I couldn't help but be happy to finally have it out of the way.

After 1989 I didn't give much thought or expectation of a fourth film. The trilogy seemed to have wrapped itself up.

KOTCS jumped out of nowhere like an unwanted attack of Syphilis. I did my best to avoid it. But curiosity got the better of me, and as they used to say: "One night Venus, a lifetime with Mercury."

It happened, so we have to live with the consequences, and the fear of a repeat attack.

With Star Wars it was slightly different. As reported in the Eagle comic during the early '80s, Lucas was planning to make three prequels and three sequels. The prequels didn't match my imagination.

This begs a question... would you have come across The Raven if not for the film?

No. It was KOTCS that brought Indy back to the forefront of my mind - it elevated that character above the numerous others that have always held an interest.

I came to KOTCS late, so only caught the tail-end of the Hasbro 3 3/4" action figures. They were already going on sale when I first discovered them. I've always been a toy fan, especially action figures, even for films that don't particularly interest me.

So, with my interest in the figures, and the idea of creating dioramas, which I'd been doing for Star Wars, I started searching for inspiration. I think it was Nick Turner's site that lead me here.

Then I fell into the trap of deconstruction. The arguments and the company have been fun. The trap became an obsession, and it's hard to climb back out. I don't normally sustain an interest in one thing for this long. I'm normally OCD about things - if it weren't Indy, it could be Asterix, Hellboy, Star Wars, Alien, Planet of the Apes, Batman, Scooby-Soo, King Kong, and so on.

Being naturally anti-social it's curious that my KOTCS curiosity has kept me so long. Not sure I could make it a ten-stretch like yourself!

I think that's actually an indirect yes.

Eleven now... pathetic, I know.

But hey, I'm a guy who was brought up and trained in a distant monastery by warrior monks. These days I'm using all I've learnt to go out at night to fight crime. Only, there's very little crime in Finland, so I had to pick up something to pass the time.

If it weren't for KOTCS, I doubt there would have been action figures. I never liked the vintage Kenner Indy figures, so I wouldn't have been looking for dioramas of those.

I wouldn't have gone searching for a social network dedicated to Indy, but I did find The Raven which had a vast thread on customs. It all grew from that.


I think the length of time I spend here, and the activities (or antics) I get involved in, and the people I've come to know, make it harder to escape, even though that seems the most rational course of action.

It's the curse of Spalko. If I weren't checking in at this institution regularly I would be wondering what was going on behind its walls. I want to know, even if it burns out my eyeballs. :eek:

For such an antisocial guy, you are strangely chatty, lemme say that.

The internet is a great means of communicating, while keeping people at arm's length. Smiffy has an ability to bite his tongue, which is something his alter-ego finds more difficult in the real world. If I took his muzzle off he'd probably end up cruising round the banana islands. ;)

There are a few who still inspire that sort of curiosity...:D

I am glad to have a Chachapoyan Idol and some of the more inspired items.

Were there any decent Crystal Skull items?

Indy's Brother's Skull is by far the best...although it had to be the (apropos) result of a singular obsession.

A few. Yes. :whip:


Action figures are action figures. They have a life beyond the less than inspirational films...that inspired them. (But even Hasbro's Akator Temple was a rehash of the 1980s M.A.S.K. Boulder Hill. Like movie, like toy).


It's the cream of the crop. :up:

I'm one of those people who thinks Indy4 diminished the series a little, yet I hardly think it would be better if it never existed. Crunch the numbers and its existence is unquestionably a net gain. My reasons:

1) New original Drew Struzan and Hugh Fleming Indiana Jones artwork. This, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this don't exist without Indy4. That cannot be overstated.
2) A much-needed resurgence in Indy merchandising that I at least pretty greedily consumed. At the very least the fourth movie earns its existence for all the new LEGO sets that resulted, including the ones based off the original trilogy.
3) A new John Williams Indy score. The weakest, I'd say, but still.
4) The privilege of getting to take my little cousin, who I steered toward die-hard Indy fandom in preparation, to see an Indiana Jones movie in the theater.
5) The greatest Windows error sound of all time. (For the record, it's Ray Winstone saying, "Jonesy, I'm gonna be alright.")

Given the opportunity to prevent the movie's existence with a time machine, the above would give me serious pause.

Personally, I enjoyed watching Indiana Jones in the theatre, and the build-up we had for a year and a half easily exceeds any anticipation I've ever felt for a movie. Since that time, however, I've become more indifferent to the film, and view it as inferior to the classics. Nevertheless, overall, I'm glad we got to have something. We'd be disappointed that it never happened if we didn't get this film.

So, my vote is yes. While it was disappointing, and I presently am indifferent to the film, the journey leading up to its release was a good ride.

This is pretty much the exact question posed by this thread. My thoughts are the last post in it.

Right, thanks for pointing that out Udvarnoky. Mods, good call on the merge. Forgot about this thread. :hat:

Raiders112390, did you notice how AlivePoet didn't get upset when someone else provided a link to a pre-existing thread?:D
The only problem with the merge is that the poll question doesn't match with the new thread title.* At a casual glance, it appears that 76% feel that "Skull" should NOT have been made...but in actual fact, 76% are HAPPY that it happened!

*Kind of like Quebec in 1990, where the vote question was worded in a way that those who DIDN'T want to seperate from Canada had to vote, "Yes". (Remember those days, Poet?)

---
The 2nd vote was mine and I voted a BIG FAT, "Yes"!:p (As in: I was "glad the film was made.")

Although I think I only spent about a year actively here in anticipation to the film, I actually was loosely following it online since around 1998 or 1999. I used to frequent IndyFan.com and some other sites I forget the names to now for any news about a fourth Indiana Jones.

I continued to enjoy the trilogy like always and yes the ride was insanely exciting from around 2007 until release of KOTCS. But it certainly left me a little dissapointed.

I want to say I am mostly indifferent to it, as I have loved Indiana Jones since I first saw them at age 4 in 1988. However, since KOTCS came out my interest in the series has fallen to an all time low. Of course I still love the original trilogy, but I've seen it more times than ANY other series of movies (even Star Wars) to the point where it's lost a lot of it's impact over the past 20 years or so I've been watching them. I guess part of what kept me going was the question of what a fourth adventure would be like and then I let my imagination run wild. The end result didn't match it, or more accurately perhaps, it answered my question and ceased the imagining. And lately I haven't seen much in the way of new Indiana Jones material (books, games, anything really)... so there's been nothing to really talk about.

Somehow KOTCS closed out that chapter on my life, in a way. I honestly don't expect a fifth will actually get made (though even now I still hope, but not like the same kind of hope as #4 yielded). Even if it did get made, Harrison is realistically almost too old for real now, definitely too old to truly recapture the spirit of the originals. So maybe that's why I feel that way, as I have little interest in someone else playing the part.

All I know is, it makes me a little sad to really think about it like that. But at the same time, I am still here obviously, even if it's severely less frequently. :hat:

This. This is exactly how I feel. Well put.

There is A LOT to talk about. The material doesn't need to be "new" all the time. (Can ya dig it, No Ticket?:cool:)

If you have finally started to read the books, then Mazel Tov, because you were one of those who used to be only interested in the Harrison Ford movies!:p
So what? You can still talk about the Indy things you like!:whip:

No, I really don't think so.

I think everyone can get on board that the best thing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did was that it introduced Indiana Jones to a new generation and made the original movies even more popular. It also brought in a wave of toys, video-games, novels, comic books etc. and it was quite fun to see Indy back in mainstream coverage and in everyday pop culture. I think its better to live in a world it exists (people who say the franchise is "dead"; imagine had they'd feel had Crystal Skull not come around).

While I'll admit the movie has its flaws, I have fun watching it and accept the the bad with the good. I also think its a better movie than others give it credit for and would place above something similar, say Tron: Legacy, but I guess we just expect the absolute best from Dr. Jones.

Crap! I voted 'No' when I meant to hit 'Yes'!

So 'Yes' has 14 votes and not!

I came very close to walking out on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It wasn't even The Fridge that did it. No, it was that stupid snake and quicksand incident that tempted me to cash in my chips and leave.

I, for one, was interested in an Indy 4, but am not glad that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was made. Snow job, cash grab, phoning it in: these all come to mind when considering how it came into existence.

The reason I voted neutral was that while I'm glad the film was made and I liked it, there were some things from the movie I didn't like that IMO would've been better if they were either cut or changed.

I still consider it part of the Indy franchise.

I had to vote no. It's not that everything about it is bad, and I liked it better the 2nd time I saw it than the first time, but I have to say it kind of ruined the memories of the first three for me. I thought Last Crusade was a wonderful ending for the movies as a trilogy, and the fourth film just didn't feel right to me, mainly the marriage between Indy and Marion at the end and I wasn't crazy about the whole "she had a son with Indy and didn't tell him" thing.

I'd rather Mutt had been Marion's with her husband. And somebody Indy mentors, rather than having Marion keep that from him all those years.

I know what some of you are talking about when you say the script SUCKS, but one has to admit, this movie had some epic scenes. I really love when Indy is being chased by the natives down the pyramid, that was cool. the end really had some power. On the other hand the beginning is horrible-ish.

Weird how you gave this film a B+.
:p

Personally, the scripts for Indy III and IV were great. II is good.

Well, when the blu-ray set comes out, the first thing I'm doing is giving away KOTCS to anyone who wants it.

For me, Indy rides off into the sunset with his dad at the end of Last Crusade and that's all she wrote.

LOL...I'd rather watch Richard Chamberlain in the horrible Cannon production of "King Solomon's Mines" from here on out than KOTCS. At least KSM didn't insult my intelligence by trying to introduce plot elements best left to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

I would have totally been on board with Indy 4 if it was anything but a horrible attempt to graft sci-fi onto a series about archeology and mystical artifacts.

Do a simple treasure hunt for The Eye of the Fates, The Lost Treasure of Sheba, Atlantis....anything! Harrison could have elevated the level of the material if it was at least true to the genre.

What's wrong with exploring different areas of the adventure genre? Why does it have to be limited to ghosts and magic? Why the heck not sci-fi?

And jeeze, am I the only one who notes the irony of the fact that, in real life, there are some people willing to accept both magic (aka religion, folklore, mythology, etc.) and science (aka technology, quantum physics, evolution, gravity, etc.) co-existing in our own world, but in fiction? Nope, it's gotta be one or the other! Does anyone agree that this kind of thinking is phenomenally stupid, and restricting to genre fiction?

I don't think there's anything wrong with both magic and science fiction co-existing.

It would make sense for them to do so. If there's magic there's also science, and science fiction is merely science that man has not yet discovered or explained.

However, I don't think there has been any magic in the Indy movies. It was all science, since that was one of Lucas' original objectives.

The effects, however, are all subject to personal interpretation, both from the audience and the characters themselves. The first three films were left unexplained. The fourth broke with tradition and showed the wizard behind the curtain.

If KOTCS was worth suffering, then it was worth suffering to see Lucas finally present the world of Indiana Jones as initially conceived. Thankfully there are no gods in the sense that men imagined them, but only mischievous aliens, who have toyed with men in the manner of the Greek gods down the ages.