Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - initial impressions and casual discussion

Haven't seen it yet, but I have to say - all these hilariously angry, disappointed reviews actually make me wanna go watch the film even more. I'm 36 and the child in me died a long time ago after years of abuse. Now, the Darth Vader that I have become is going to go marching in expecting every synapse to be skullf***d by a wobbly chinned bearded money machine. And I'm going to love every second.

And as I go to sleep that night, if I don't hear demonic 'mwah ha ha' laughter reverberating through my dreams, I'll be demanding a goddamn refund.

Bring it on! Bring it bloody on!

replican't said:

Haven't seen it yet, but I have to say - all these hilariously angry, disappointed reviews actually make me wanna go watch the film even more.

Click to expand...

Having seen it and enjoyed it, I'm a little disheartened at the criticism from fans.

I'm reminded of when I saw LC at the cinema in '89. I wasn't sure how much I liked it compared to the first two, which I grew up with. I think KOTCS is a good IJ film, and it will come to be loved by all over the years.

pulpy goodness

50's sci-fi pulp for the win!

If you were raised on the old pulps like me, you'll love it. It's basically a crazy mix of Doc Savage and H.P. Lovecraft. An over the top pulp adventure hero looks into things man was not meant to know about. It's not better then Raiders, but I like it better then Raiders, if that makes sense. It plays more to my sensibilities then the others do. It topples "Sky Captain" as best pulp movie.

Major West said:

Having seen it and enjoyed it, I'm a little disheartened at the criticism from fans.

I'm reminded of when I saw LC at the cinema in '89. I wasn't sure how much I liked it compared to the first two, which I grew up with. I think KOTCS is a good IJ film, and it will come to be loved by all over the years.

Click to expand...

I disagree. On this board is the only place where the view remains positive. Everywhere else, this is being treated like the next Episode 1.

blueseattle said:

I disagree. On this board is the only place where the view remains positive. Everywhere else, this is being treated like the next Episode 1.

Click to expand...

I don't necessarily agree with that. My friends whom I saw the film with are just causal Indy fans and they both enjoyed the film a lot, even saying, "I'm glad it wasn't another episode I", to be specific.

Heck, I even read some professional reviews from critics who liked it.

blueseattle said:

I disagree. On this board is the only place where the view remains positive. Everywhere else, this is being treated like the next Episode 1.

Click to expand...

I visit a lot of boards, and this board is being the most negative right now.

I think Mitchell Hallock's review basically sums it up.

"The film was new, different and also comfortably the same at the same time. It wasn't Raiders, Temple or Last Crusade but a combination of all and something else. "

Besides the occasional cheesy bit, I think the movie was great!

I think I mentioned in another thread, I'm not a huge fanboy type with Indiana Jones like you people are, I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fanboy though, not entirely dissimilar. I can't help but wonder that it's because you have all been on here talking endlessly about this film that you ruined it for yourselves.

Not being a hardcore Indy fan, (I do love Raiders, it's one of my fave alltime films)....I thought this film was fantastic - no worse than either of the sequels, in fact, I enjoyed it more than Last Crusade.

Also, everyone I know who also saw it, who are also not hardcore Indy fans loved it and had a ball. It is what it is.

You guys were never going to love this film in a million years because you're too close to the subject matter. Maybe you've watched the other three so many times and burned yourselves out. What I think is that you've discussed all these little plot points and beaten the horse to death.

It's a good movie, I think some of you just ruined it for yourselves far, far in advance.

Not only that, we live in a far, far more cynical world than we used to - it's cool to say something's crap.

In fact, this is the most enjoyable film I've seen in quite some time, the last one I enjoyed this much was 3:10 to Yuma - just have fun with it in the spirit you were meant to. By dissecting this stuff to such an extreme you ruined the experience. It's not bloody Shakespeare you know.

Manco said:

I think I mentioned in another thread, I'm not a huge fanboy type with Indiana Jones like you people are, I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fanboy though, not entirely dissimilar. I can't help but wonder that it's because you have all been on here talking endlessly about this film that you ruined it for yourselves.

Not being a hardcore Indy fan, (I do love Raiders, it's one of my fave alltime films)....I thought this film was fantastic - no worse than either of the sequels, in fact, I enjoyed it more than Last Crusade.

Also, everyone I know who also saw it, who are also not hardcore Indy fans loved it and had a ball. It is what it is.

You guys were never going to love this film in a million years because you're too close to the subject matter. Maybe you've watched the other three so many times and burned yourselves out. What I think is that you've discussed all these little plot points and beaten the horse to death.

It's a good movie, I think some of you just ruined it for yourselves far, far in advance.

Not only that, we live in a far, far more cynical world than we used to - it's cool to say something's crap.

In fact, this is the most enjoyable film I've seen in quite some time, the last one I enjoyed this much was 3:10 to Yuma - just have fun with it in the spirit you were meant to. By dissecting this stuff to such an extreme you ruined the experience. It's not bloody Shakespeare you know.

Click to expand...

good post. so true.

is it in any way conceivable that people went into this movie with positive or indifferent attitudes and came out thinking it was sub-par? lol. that seems to be harder to believe on this board than mutt swinging through the jungle on vines with monkeys as a plethora of one-dimensional characters race in CGI vehicles toward a hidden space ship beneath a golden temple. i guess i'm just trying to be "cool" though. i'm cool.

needed more CGI gophers and monkeys

Hey - I haven't liked every film Clint Eastwood has done - some of them are far worse then Crystal Skull - believe me - far worse. However, when Unforgiven came out, it was pure magic. This film was never going to be an Unforgiven because the subject matter doesn't lend itself to that.

Either way - this was better then 99% of the Hollywood crap that gets released these days. I don't see what was so sub par, there were some silly bits.....but what about the silly bits in the prior films:

- Large concrete balls chasing people
- Motorcyclists pulling wheelies during a chase scene
- Rollercoaster rides
- pulling human hearts out with bare hands
- bobsledding down the Himalayan mountains on an inflatable boat that fell out of a plane
- dodging machine gun fire behind a giant metal cymbal that's rolling across the floor
- swallowing poison and then getting the antidote that somehow didn't smash into a million pieces after flying around a crowded room
- Throwing a nazi out of an airship and then saying, "No ticket" in English and somehow no one catching on that you aren't German
700 year old Knights guarding a tomb that falls to pieces because a cup is moved

All highly implausible and unbelievable, and totally enjoyable.

I've noticed that the problem some people are having is there is more exposition in this film. The macuffin isn't easily explained early on like in the first three films. It's a mystery that unravels as the film progresses.

The irony being that when I was 10 and saw Raiders, I had no clue what the Ark of the Covenant was and couldn't begin to understand it's importance - and more importantly - probably didn't care!

Manco said:

The irony being that when I was 10 and saw Raiders, I had no clue what the Ark of the Covenant was and couldn't begin to understand it's importance - and more importantly - probably didn't care!

Click to expand...

Indeed, it's not really important to understand all of it to enjoy it.

BlackSleep said:

is it in any way conceivable that people went into this movie with positive or indifferent attitudes and came out thinking it was sub-par? lol. that seems to be harder to believe on this board than mutt swinging through the jungle on vines with monkeys as a plethora of one-dimensional characters race in CGI vehicles toward a hidden space ship beneath a golden temple. i guess i'm just trying to be "cool" though. i'm cool.

Click to expand...

Love this. And I agree.

Mike00spy said:

Johnny Nys said:

I have the same feeling: we've been living a long time with three finished products. It's like a family with three kids, and suddenly when they're all grown up a new baby is born. There's an inevitable generational gap between the siblings and at first it seems it's impossible for it to fit in, but after a while it turns out all right and everybody forgets how life was before.

Click to expand...

That's another good way of putting it.

Click to expand...

Absolutely! And I quite liked your take on it as well, Mikespy, not too confusing at all.

Darth Vile said:

I remember going to see Last Crusade at the cinema in 89 and feeling a little disappointed with it. I felt it lacked a sense of danger and that it was just set pieces after set piece with little bit of exposition in between. Very soon after Last Crusade's release (and several viewings), I started to enjoy it for what it was... a bloody good action movie. 19 years later, Last Crusade is certainly one of my favourite action movies of all time (within that genre)

I think we're now seeing some of this with KOTCS. It's almost like some people have not only had their expectations built up over the last 19 years, but the mainly positive reviews post Cannes premiere have fuelled that anticipation further... and to the point that some feel inevitably disappointed...

Click to expand...

It's great that you share this experience. Thank you.

I feel, though, as if the things that disappointed me were utterly fundamental. Things that I'm not only expecting because this series is as close to my heart and "origin" as a film lover as nothing else and because I was really psyched for the film's release. They are ingredients and aspects of filmmaking I expected from this film because it's made by a director, who I thought understood his craft really well, who I thought cared, and (yeah, that's playing a part too) the plot and set pieces had been in development for more than ten years!!!

TideHorn78 said:

And I can't spell today lol.. Did anyone else go to a screening were there were applause throughout too? I think the biggest applause came when Indy has the line "None of them were you Honey"..

Click to expand...

Count yourself lucky, that you got to see the film at the Alamo Drafthouse!
As far as cheering and clapping is concerned, I really can remember a number of occasions where I must have felt like clapping or cheering and I'm sure others in the audience felt the same way. In the end, though, I think I was so overwhelmed and captured by those moments and kinda nervous throughout the film (although I absolutely got lost in it...until the finale) that I wasn't even able to cheer or clap at all but rather remained in some kind of paralyzed state of awe. LOL I just remember clapping just for myself shortly at the end of two lines of dialogue at the end of some action pieces out of sheer excitement and joy.

Regarding the audience and screening itself, it was quite a nice crowd. Some geeks next to me had brought their Fedoras which was nice and it was great to hear all those folks in the theater's foyer whistling or humming the Raiders March. It's when the person behind you asks the guy next to him if this one has also been scored by Williams, though, that you realize what a nerd you are and that most of the people at the screening are just ...normal people...(and some of them know who John Williams is. Most of my best friends wouldn't be able to do anything with that name.)

Zoetrope said:

The last 10 minutes are so atrocious I looked around the theater waiting for Spielberg to pop up and yell "FOOLED YOU!" before pulling out the actual final reel.

Click to expand...

I don't know if it was the last 10 minutes or the last 20 minutes...but I felt the same way during the end of the film. I was actually sitting there rather sad and, yeah angry, during the end credits.
I actually thought about how tragic it was that those people who inspired me to explore and enjoy cinema and filmmaking had now disappointed me in such obvious ways. This sounds pathetic, but when the end credits rolled yesterday and I heard the Raiders march ...I knew that those were the notes ...that was the tune ...but I didn't feel anything ...

When my brother and I walked to the metro-station on our way home and stopped at a bar to watch the last minutes of the Champions League finale I suddenly started to hum Mutt's f*** theme. That was really weird. I was shocked a bit myself that I had even memorized it...

replican't said:

Haven't seen it yet, but I have to say - all these hilariously angry, disappointed reviews actually make me wanna go watch the film even more. I'm 36 and the child in me died a long time ago after years of abuse. Now, the Darth Vader that I have become is going to go marching in expecting every synapse to be skullf***d by a wobbly chinned bearded money machine. And I'm going to love every second.

And as I go to sleep that night, if I don't hear demonic 'mwah ha ha' laughter reverberating through my dreams, I'll be demanding a goddamn refund.

Bring it on! Bring it bloody on!

Click to expand...

Hehehee....it's good to have you around, replican't.

torao said:

Absolutely! And I quite liked your take on it as well, Mikespy, not too confusing at all.



It's great that you share this experience. Thank you. I feel, though, as if the things that disappointed me were utterly fundamental. Things that I'm not only expecting because this series is as close to my heart and "origin" as a film lover as nothing else and because I was really psyched for the film's release. They are ingredients and aspects of filmmaking I expected from this film because it's made by a director, who I thought understood his craft really well, who, I thought, cared, and (yeah, that's playing a part too) a plot and set pieces that were ten years in development!!!



Count yourself lucky, that you got to see the film at the Alamo Drafthouse!
As far as cheering and clapping is concerned, I really can remember a number of occasions where I must have felt like clapping or cheering and I'm sure others in the audience felt the same way. In the end, though, I think I was so overwhelmed and captured by those moments and kinda nervous throughout the film (although I absolutely got lost in it...until the finale) that I wasn't even able to cheer or clap at all but rather remained in some kind of paralyzed state of awe. LOL I just remember clapping just for myself shortly at the end of two lines of dialogue or something at the end of some action pieces.




I don't know if it was the last 10 minutes or the last 20 minutes...but I felt the same way during the end of the film. I was actually sitting there rather sad and, yeah angry, during the end credits.
I actually thought about how tragic it was that those people who inspired me to explore and enjoy cinema and filmmaking had now disappointed me in such obvious ways. This sounds pathetic, but when the end credits rolled yesterday and I heard the Raiders march ...I knew that those were the notes ...that was the tune ...but I didn't feel anything ...

When my brother and I walked to the metro-station on our way home and stopped at a Bar to watch the last minutes of the Champions League finale I suddenly started to hum Mutt's f*** theme. That was really weird. I was shocked a bit myself that I had even memorized it...




Hehehee....it's good to have you around, replican't.

Click to expand...

I know exactly how you feel.

Lol, I haven't seen it yet, but I've been reading people's opinions on the movie all morning and there's one thing I just find really baffling.

Some people are saying that, regardless of it's problems, this still at least FEELS like an Indiana Jones movie. And others are saying that no, it looks and feels NOTHING LIKE an Indiana Jones movie!

How the heck can there be such a huge disconnect on that point? I just don't get it (although maybe I will after I see the movie...)

davejames said:

Lol, I haven't seen it yet, but I've been reading people's opinions on the movie all morning and there's one thing I just find really baffling.

Some people are saying that, regardless of it's problems, this still at least FEELS like an Indiana Jones movie. And others are saying that no, it looks and feels NOTHING LIKE an Indiana Jones movie!

How the heck can there be such a huge disconnect on that point? I just don't get it (although maybe I will after I see the movie...)

Click to expand...

I don't know, all I can tell you is that it is and does feel like an Indiana Jones film.