spiralout
New member
http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=9954 This guy gave it a B+
KotCS reviews in media
- Thread starter Matt Holcomb
- Start date
HebrewsThought
New member
Thank God for these reviews! My fears have been qualmed.
Adam McDaniel
New member
Early "mini review" from VARIETY: Good, but uneven
By TODD MCCARTHY
One of the most eagerly and long-awaited series follow-ups in screen history delivers the goods -- not those of the still first-rate original, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but those of its uneven two successors.
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" begins with an actual big bang, then gradually slides toward a ho-hum midsection before literally taking off for an uplifting finish.
Nineteen years after their last adventure, director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford have no trouble getting back into the groove with a story and style very much in keeping with what has made the series so perennially popular. Few films have ever had such a high mass audience must-see factor, spelling giant May 22 openings worldwide and a rambunctious B.O. life all the way into the eventual "Indiana Jones" DVD four-pack.
Full review to be posted shortly.
By TODD MCCARTHY
One of the most eagerly and long-awaited series follow-ups in screen history delivers the goods -- not those of the still first-rate original, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but those of its uneven two successors.
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" begins with an actual big bang, then gradually slides toward a ho-hum midsection before literally taking off for an uplifting finish.
Nineteen years after their last adventure, director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford have no trouble getting back into the groove with a story and style very much in keeping with what has made the series so perennially popular. Few films have ever had such a high mass audience must-see factor, spelling giant May 22 openings worldwide and a rambunctious B.O. life all the way into the eventual "Indiana Jones" DVD four-pack.
Full review to be posted shortly.
One thing to remember is, the reviews come from people who aren't die-hard fans like us. Most of them see the film as another in a franchise, and will forget about it in a week. Heck, they don't even get names right sometimes. One review called Marion "Mary".
So, if the movie is positively reviewed by people who probably don't even care about IJ, imagine the diehard fans reaction! For some reason the TOD cliff scene with the water comes to mind...
Basically my point is: What an IJ fan would call "f'n awesome!!!" a review would only call "good, and a worthy edition to the franchise." So don't be upset if they don't go ape over it and just say that it's decent.
And don't worry about the person who said "George Lucas, please stop hurting us." It's one person, and apparently they made up their mind from the start about any Lucas product post SW prequels. And one person's jaded opinion is hardly representative.
So, if the movie is positively reviewed by people who probably don't even care about IJ, imagine the diehard fans reaction! For some reason the TOD cliff scene with the water comes to mind...
Basically my point is: What an IJ fan would call "f'n awesome!!!" a review would only call "good, and a worthy edition to the franchise." So don't be upset if they don't go ape over it and just say that it's decent.
And don't worry about the person who said "George Lucas, please stop hurting us." It's one person, and apparently they made up their mind from the start about any Lucas product post SW prequels. And one person's jaded opinion is hardly representative.
jasperjones
New member
And a lot of people think it is.
Adam McDaniel
New member
Another positive review! "Spectacular!"
Mythology, science-fantasy a dynamite mix in new ?Jones? movie
MICHAEL H. PRICE Times Leader Critic-At-Large
Only a matter of time before Indiana Jones? tastes for arcane scholarship and rip-snorting adventure should lead him toward cosmic warfare. There rests the point of the spectacular comeback flick ?Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.?
At 65, Harrison Ford is going strong as the leading man in the ?Indiana Jones? movies.
Some long-term fans will argue Jones belongs in the 1930s and has no business consorting with science-fiction mysteries. The new film?s flash-forward to the 1950s ? a generation after the events of 1989?s ?Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? ? not only catches Harrison Ford at the right age to resume the portrayal but the setting crystallizes the series? chronic fascination with ancient religion and tribal superstitions.
Many enthusiasts, anticipating the Friday opening, will backtrack to the DVD racks for fresh looks at the three Jones films of 1981-1989, maybe even some Young Indiana Jones television episodes. But head writer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg are hardly so near-sighted.
A more meaningful warm-up to ?Crystal Skull? might involve a look at Hammer Films? ?Quatermass and the Pit? (England/1957) or a reading of Donald Wandrei?s unearthly novel ?The Web of Easter Island? (1948) or Jim Marrs? ?Alien Agenda? (1998).
Jones, after all, has as much in common with the British Empire?s famous rocket scientist, Bernard Quatermass, as with such men of action as Doc Savage and Jungle Jim Bradley.
Prof. Quatermass? struggles against extraterrestrial menaces had foreshadowed the rise of Indiana Jones long before the day of Lucas and Spielberg.
The fictional characters ? all except Spielberg and Lucas ? are, in a sense, brought to cinematic life time and again in response to a popular need for heroic fantasy as an antidote to workaday drudgery.
The worst Jungle Jim movie of the post-WWII years (and there are many candidates) was worth its price of admission as a brief refuge from drab reality.
With ?Raiders of the Lost Ark? in 1981, master storytellers Spielberg and Lucas introduced Dr. Henry ?Indiana? Jones (played by Harrison Ford) as a crowd-pleasing nod to the pure-escapism matinee serials of the mid-century. Lucas had done as much with an unexpected hit of 1977 called ?Star Wars,? but the teaming with Spielberg restored the cinematic tradition of fantastic adventure to a level unseen since the 1940s cliffhangers heydays.
?Raiders? proved the genuine article, evolved with just enough nostalgic touchstones to anchor Lucas and Spielberg?s deeper interests in political intrigue, ancient superstitions and Big Science.
The film yielded appealing sequels, each hinging on the idea that certain sacred objects might represent powers beyond comprehension.
A mere synopsis cannot do justice to the new film, and it might spoil the fun. Suffice that Ford?s Jones has aged but not mellowed into the Cold War 1950s, when an international power-grab search for the legendary ?crystal skulls? associated with Mayan and Aztec antiquity pits him against Soviet operatives.
The 13 such carvings known to science represent one of the more baffling mysteries of archaeology. Tribal lore links the skulls with miraculous properties. In any event, the objects are ideally in keeping with what Ford has called ?the mysto-crypto stuff that?s part of every Indiana Jones movie.?
Final-version screenwriter David Koepp nods as fondly to post-WWII B-movie science fiction as Lucas and Spielberg have paid tribute to the WWII-era serials. The combination of interests makes for a sharp combination of weird menace and hard-charging action, spiked by Ford?s droll sense of humor under fire and his ability to perform some of the more jarring stunt work himself.
Shia LaBeouf lends rebellious vigor as a young accomplice named Mutt Williams. Karen Allen reprises her original ?Raiders? character with youthful vigor and seasoned gumption. Some might view LaBeouf?s casting as a set-up for a next-generation sequel, but for the moment his character serves ideally as an overconfident foil for Indiana Jones? seasoned wisdom in dealing with mortal perils.
Ford makes 65 appear a desirable age to attain. All along during a diversified career, he has made a point of infusing his more heroic roles with human frailty and fallibility.
And the new Indiana Jones adventure crystallizes that quality most effectively: The generosity of Ford?s portrayal is the whole point, enhanced by the producers? acknowledgment of mythology and science-fantasy as inseparable
Suffice that Ford?s Jones has aged but not mellowed into the Cold War 1950s, when an international power-grab search for the legendary ?crystal skulls? associated with Mayan and Aztec antiquity pits him against Soviet operatives. The 13 such carvings known to science represent one of the more baffling mysteries of archaeology. Tribal lore links the skulls with miraculous properties. In any event, the objects are ideally in keeping with what Ford has called ?the mysto-crypto stuff that?s part of every Indiana Jones movie.?
Mythology, science-fantasy a dynamite mix in new ?Jones? movie
MICHAEL H. PRICE Times Leader Critic-At-Large
Only a matter of time before Indiana Jones? tastes for arcane scholarship and rip-snorting adventure should lead him toward cosmic warfare. There rests the point of the spectacular comeback flick ?Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.?
At 65, Harrison Ford is going strong as the leading man in the ?Indiana Jones? movies.
Some long-term fans will argue Jones belongs in the 1930s and has no business consorting with science-fiction mysteries. The new film?s flash-forward to the 1950s ? a generation after the events of 1989?s ?Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? ? not only catches Harrison Ford at the right age to resume the portrayal but the setting crystallizes the series? chronic fascination with ancient religion and tribal superstitions.
Many enthusiasts, anticipating the Friday opening, will backtrack to the DVD racks for fresh looks at the three Jones films of 1981-1989, maybe even some Young Indiana Jones television episodes. But head writer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg are hardly so near-sighted.
A more meaningful warm-up to ?Crystal Skull? might involve a look at Hammer Films? ?Quatermass and the Pit? (England/1957) or a reading of Donald Wandrei?s unearthly novel ?The Web of Easter Island? (1948) or Jim Marrs? ?Alien Agenda? (1998).
Jones, after all, has as much in common with the British Empire?s famous rocket scientist, Bernard Quatermass, as with such men of action as Doc Savage and Jungle Jim Bradley.
Prof. Quatermass? struggles against extraterrestrial menaces had foreshadowed the rise of Indiana Jones long before the day of Lucas and Spielberg.
The fictional characters ? all except Spielberg and Lucas ? are, in a sense, brought to cinematic life time and again in response to a popular need for heroic fantasy as an antidote to workaday drudgery.
The worst Jungle Jim movie of the post-WWII years (and there are many candidates) was worth its price of admission as a brief refuge from drab reality.
With ?Raiders of the Lost Ark? in 1981, master storytellers Spielberg and Lucas introduced Dr. Henry ?Indiana? Jones (played by Harrison Ford) as a crowd-pleasing nod to the pure-escapism matinee serials of the mid-century. Lucas had done as much with an unexpected hit of 1977 called ?Star Wars,? but the teaming with Spielberg restored the cinematic tradition of fantastic adventure to a level unseen since the 1940s cliffhangers heydays.
?Raiders? proved the genuine article, evolved with just enough nostalgic touchstones to anchor Lucas and Spielberg?s deeper interests in political intrigue, ancient superstitions and Big Science.
The film yielded appealing sequels, each hinging on the idea that certain sacred objects might represent powers beyond comprehension.
A mere synopsis cannot do justice to the new film, and it might spoil the fun. Suffice that Ford?s Jones has aged but not mellowed into the Cold War 1950s, when an international power-grab search for the legendary ?crystal skulls? associated with Mayan and Aztec antiquity pits him against Soviet operatives.
The 13 such carvings known to science represent one of the more baffling mysteries of archaeology. Tribal lore links the skulls with miraculous properties. In any event, the objects are ideally in keeping with what Ford has called ?the mysto-crypto stuff that?s part of every Indiana Jones movie.?
Final-version screenwriter David Koepp nods as fondly to post-WWII B-movie science fiction as Lucas and Spielberg have paid tribute to the WWII-era serials. The combination of interests makes for a sharp combination of weird menace and hard-charging action, spiked by Ford?s droll sense of humor under fire and his ability to perform some of the more jarring stunt work himself.
Shia LaBeouf lends rebellious vigor as a young accomplice named Mutt Williams. Karen Allen reprises her original ?Raiders? character with youthful vigor and seasoned gumption. Some might view LaBeouf?s casting as a set-up for a next-generation sequel, but for the moment his character serves ideally as an overconfident foil for Indiana Jones? seasoned wisdom in dealing with mortal perils.
Ford makes 65 appear a desirable age to attain. All along during a diversified career, he has made a point of infusing his more heroic roles with human frailty and fallibility.
And the new Indiana Jones adventure crystallizes that quality most effectively: The generosity of Ford?s portrayal is the whole point, enhanced by the producers? acknowledgment of mythology and science-fantasy as inseparable
Suffice that Ford?s Jones has aged but not mellowed into the Cold War 1950s, when an international power-grab search for the legendary ?crystal skulls? associated with Mayan and Aztec antiquity pits him against Soviet operatives. The 13 such carvings known to science represent one of the more baffling mysteries of archaeology. Tribal lore links the skulls with miraculous properties. In any event, the objects are ideally in keeping with what Ford has called ?the mysto-crypto stuff that?s part of every Indiana Jones movie.?
HebrewsThought
New member
triklops said:I remember critics saying Episode 3 was cool
Episode III was relatively cool, all things considered. I haven't seen it since it was out in theatres (midnight and then that Friday), but I mostly enjoyed it. I decided the other day that if KotCS is around Episode III quality, I'll be satisfied.
Adam McDaniel
New member
Incomplete review from Jeffrey Wells
From hollywood-elsewhere.com:
...written from Palais salle de press conference while being shoved and elbowed by photographers: My ideal version of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would be (a) just as beautifully shot, choreographed and CGI'ed as the film everyone just saw, but (b) grittier, snarlier and with a stronger investment in good old classic machismo. Alas, Steven Spielberg & Co. have decided, as far as (b) is concerned, on a lighter, more frolicsome tone -- lots of eye-filling thrills and acrobatic derring-do but with an almost cartoonish emphasis on slapstick foolery.
Raiders was about a tough-guy archeologist; this latest installment is a family film -- about Dad, Mom and Junior (i.e., Shia LeBouf's "Mutt") -- with a very family-friendly tone.
The first two action sequences -- an extended Indy vs. the Russians run-around and a wild motorcycle-and-car chase through New Haven's Yale campus
From hollywood-elsewhere.com:
...written from Palais salle de press conference while being shoved and elbowed by photographers: My ideal version of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would be (a) just as beautifully shot, choreographed and CGI'ed as the film everyone just saw, but (b) grittier, snarlier and with a stronger investment in good old classic machismo. Alas, Steven Spielberg & Co. have decided, as far as (b) is concerned, on a lighter, more frolicsome tone -- lots of eye-filling thrills and acrobatic derring-do but with an almost cartoonish emphasis on slapstick foolery.
Raiders was about a tough-guy archeologist; this latest installment is a family film -- about Dad, Mom and Junior (i.e., Shia LeBouf's "Mutt") -- with a very family-friendly tone.
The first two action sequences -- an extended Indy vs. the Russians run-around and a wild motorcycle-and-car chase through New Haven's Yale campus
Adam McDaniel
New member
From HOLLYWOOD-REPORTER
Indy: the buzz has just begun
Rumors that the screening guards would confiscate cell phones were quickly dispelled
By Elizabeth Guider
May 18, 2008, 06:50 AM
CANNES -- "It's just a movie," someone yelled as a swelling crowd of journalists pushed and shoved to get past the barricades and up the red carpet for the first ever screening of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in the Palais early afternoon in Cannes.
Despite five days of marathon screenings of films in Competition for the Palme d'Or, the enthusiasm for seeing something almost certainly well-made and entertaining was palpable -- even among the notoriously jaded coterie of international film critics
Rumors that the Gallic guards at the gate would be confiscating cell phones so as to avoid blogging during the screening were quickly dispelled as the hordes were herded surprisingly quickly through the frisking security process.
The movie was due to start at 1 pm to be followed shortly thereafter by a press conference which would include George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.
Not that everyone among the critics is gung-ho about this latest installment of the "Indiana Jones" saga.
A number of critics here have speculated that Harrison Ford may be too old to carry off the role sufficiently well to attract global auds en masse.
"Prove it to me" is what this contingent of critics is demanding.
Most of the audience seemed intent during the two hour, five-minute spectacle, with a number of fans in the balcony applauding the opening credits, especially Lucas and Spielberg's names. (The two were not apparently present for the screening itself.)
There were, however, guffaws from the press corp at some of the lines in the somewhat stilted opening sequences but by and large the auditorium remained attentive throughout..
Toward the end of the movie several dozen cognoscentii of festival rituals started climbing over other colleagues to make for the exit, and grab a seat at the press conference upstairs at the back of the Palais.
The back balcony was already packed to the rafters with cameras and operators and the room filled quickly with reporters and critics.
First comments from the room before the filmmakers arrived:
Several journalists said they liked the movie though they weren't bowled over. "A little too long, a little too juvenile" a few suggested. But others praised the special effects and Ford's aplomb.
Indy: the buzz has just begun
Rumors that the screening guards would confiscate cell phones were quickly dispelled
By Elizabeth Guider
May 18, 2008, 06:50 AM
CANNES -- "It's just a movie," someone yelled as a swelling crowd of journalists pushed and shoved to get past the barricades and up the red carpet for the first ever screening of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in the Palais early afternoon in Cannes.
Despite five days of marathon screenings of films in Competition for the Palme d'Or, the enthusiasm for seeing something almost certainly well-made and entertaining was palpable -- even among the notoriously jaded coterie of international film critics
Rumors that the Gallic guards at the gate would be confiscating cell phones so as to avoid blogging during the screening were quickly dispelled as the hordes were herded surprisingly quickly through the frisking security process.
The movie was due to start at 1 pm to be followed shortly thereafter by a press conference which would include George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.
Not that everyone among the critics is gung-ho about this latest installment of the "Indiana Jones" saga.
A number of critics here have speculated that Harrison Ford may be too old to carry off the role sufficiently well to attract global auds en masse.
"Prove it to me" is what this contingent of critics is demanding.
Most of the audience seemed intent during the two hour, five-minute spectacle, with a number of fans in the balcony applauding the opening credits, especially Lucas and Spielberg's names. (The two were not apparently present for the screening itself.)
There were, however, guffaws from the press corp at some of the lines in the somewhat stilted opening sequences but by and large the auditorium remained attentive throughout..
Toward the end of the movie several dozen cognoscentii of festival rituals started climbing over other colleagues to make for the exit, and grab a seat at the press conference upstairs at the back of the Palais.
The back balcony was already packed to the rafters with cameras and operators and the room filled quickly with reporters and critics.
First comments from the room before the filmmakers arrived:
Several journalists said they liked the movie though they weren't bowled over. "A little too long, a little too juvenile" a few suggested. But others praised the special effects and Ford's aplomb.
Sorry, I edited my post after you quoted me. But my basic points remain.
I was making a general statement about reviews. Obviously exceptions will occur, given the style of the review. For instance, JoBlo would write informal reviews, and say something is cool, but something like Variety probably wont. Most media tries to maintain the appearance of being unbiased and their reviews will be standard.
I was making a general statement about reviews. Obviously exceptions will occur, given the style of the review. For instance, JoBlo would write informal reviews, and say something is cool, but something like Variety probably wont. Most media tries to maintain the appearance of being unbiased and their reviews will be standard.
Dr.HenryJonesJr
New member
If I'm not mistaken, TOD and TLC got "bad" reviews as well. So, I wouldn't put too much faith in critics trying to generate buzz just to get into the mainstream press for a change.
jasperjones
New member
I don't think any of the professional reviews are suggesting anything like that at all.
HebrewsThought
New member
triklops said:
Yeah, perhaps Episode III would've seemed crappier to me had I and II not provided contrast.
Mutt Williams
New member
@Adam McDaniel
Can you also include the link to the source of the reviews you pasted here? Thanks!
Can you also include the link to the source of the reviews you pasted here? Thanks!
A_True_Believer
New member
spiralout said:
As much as I like a positive review, this guy mainly paraphrased - or outright stole parts of - the official synopsis. He even referred to Marion as "Mary". That's not very professional.