Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems to get a pretty strong negative reaction from folks. Is there anybody out there who loves it?
For me, it just doesn't work very well. Each previous title conveyed a certain ambiance or feeling. For example, Temple of Doom sounds like it was going to be frightening. Scary stuff that Indy might not be able to handle. The Last Crusade sounded like a noble adventure. Epic in scope and a great way to finish off the series. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems to be all over the map. It's not very adventurous, it's not particularly scary, or even epic. At least to me.
The previous sequels referenced the scope of the picture, rather than the object of interest. Kindom of the Crystal Skull tries to do too much by referencing both the scope and the item, as if it's desperate to appeal to as many people as possible. In the end, it just seems clunky to me - like changing the title of Raiders of the Lost Ark to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I would expect there will be other skulls in the film, with perhaps one true skull artifact as part of Indy's quest. They could certainly make skulls a reoccuring design element of this "kingdom," whatever it is. In that case, the title could be something like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Skulls, which sounds nice to my ear, carries the same rhythm as the other sequels and conveys a sense of adventure without getting too specific re: the artifact. It retains some mystery by not telling the viewer exactly what it's about.
Also, I'm expecting that the crystal skull is a key to finding the kingdom in question, so the real focus of the movie will be the kingdom, not the skull. And if you know your skull lore, that kingdom would be Atlantis. Referring to such an old chestnut as the "Kingdom of Skulls" is unexpected and kind of fun. That's my two cents anyway.
walker
For me, it just doesn't work very well. Each previous title conveyed a certain ambiance or feeling. For example, Temple of Doom sounds like it was going to be frightening. Scary stuff that Indy might not be able to handle. The Last Crusade sounded like a noble adventure. Epic in scope and a great way to finish off the series. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems to be all over the map. It's not very adventurous, it's not particularly scary, or even epic. At least to me.
The previous sequels referenced the scope of the picture, rather than the object of interest. Kindom of the Crystal Skull tries to do too much by referencing both the scope and the item, as if it's desperate to appeal to as many people as possible. In the end, it just seems clunky to me - like changing the title of Raiders of the Lost Ark to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I would expect there will be other skulls in the film, with perhaps one true skull artifact as part of Indy's quest. They could certainly make skulls a reoccuring design element of this "kingdom," whatever it is. In that case, the title could be something like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Skulls, which sounds nice to my ear, carries the same rhythm as the other sequels and conveys a sense of adventure without getting too specific re: the artifact. It retains some mystery by not telling the viewer exactly what it's about.
Also, I'm expecting that the crystal skull is a key to finding the kingdom in question, so the real focus of the movie will be the kingdom, not the skull. And if you know your skull lore, that kingdom would be Atlantis. Referring to such an old chestnut as the "Kingdom of Skulls" is unexpected and kind of fun. That's my two cents anyway.
walker