What were your favorite and least favorite parts of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Ok, I have heard a lot of talk about how good or not good Indy4 was. I am just going to narrow it down. What outweighed the other. Were there more good parts than bad or vise-versa. My favorite part was in the beginning were Indy had his great escape from the Russians at the beginning of the movie. My least favorite was the end with the flying spaceship. The movie was great. My only advise to George Lucas is Indy and Star Wars don't mix. Also, Shia did a great job I think. Let me hear what you think about Henry III.

Best part: Ford and Shia. Especially the diner scene and resulting chase (not the statue thing, though )

Least favourite: The rubber tree and three waterfalls. Almost facepalmed myself.

Good definitely out weighed the bad, which is how I felt about Temple.

Anyway, my favorite was the entire Jeep chase. The jeeps/swordfights/ants/waterfalls. Favorite Indy set piece for sure. I had this huge smile on my face the whole time and I couldn't get rid of it. I only wish the Jungle Cutter was used like the Tank in LC on the Wing in Raiders, instead of that Tarzan bit.

Least favorite...probably the scene in Peru where Indy and Mutt are just searching for clues. Lots of boring exposition there, although I do like the "c'mon genius" section and the "good thing we're not grave robbers*throws shovel*" section with the Peruvian ninjas(wish Indy fired his gun though).

uhhh the houndog scene teh dienr scene and the cemterary i also like the ants and the sand pit

i didnt like teh tarzan scene but ehhh what can you do?

I hated the UFO,the alien would of been better if you actually didnt see the alien maybe like a silhouettething that leaves you thinking,and the vine swinging part.

My favorite scenes were the sand pit,and the motorcycle chase which i thought were classic Indy

Favourites : Opening credits and warehouse scene. Marshall college and motorbike chase. Sand-pit. Jungle chase.

Least favourite : The fridge. Jail cell. Mutt of the Jungle. Rubber tree and waterfalls.

favorite: mutt and indy in the diner with the cycle chase, seeing the university again, the jeep chase

least favorite: the cgi alien, mutt swinging on the vines/ the monkey attack, the refrigerator scene, the waterfalls

The good easily outweighs the bad. I feel that everything was there in the script- it just didn't make it to the screen in the best manner. This is what I find most surprising- especially after Spielberg talked at length about what worked and what didn't in the previous sequels.

FAVORITE:

1. Area 51 Prologue
I'm beginning to think Roswell should've been confined to this sequence- basically treating it like Indy's first run-in with Spalko (ala Belloq). Better to be left wondering what the Russians had in mind for the alien corpse- rather than trying to awkwardly tie it in with the lost city of El Dorado.

2. Indy's World, circa 1957
I liked the way Indy's world collapsed on him in the beginning, and the motorcyle chase was vintage Indy. They should've remained closer to this idea that Indy's real quest would be a search for new meaning in his life.

3. Jungle Camp
Indy's psychic interrogation, uneasy alliance with Spalko, and reunion with Marion. This entire scene felt like it was straight out of an Indy comic.

4. Jungle Cutter/Atomic Ants
I could've used less Mutt here, but this was otherwise a highlight of the film. Second only to the Area 51 stuff.

5. The UFO
I think they really bungled the finale, but that last shot was exactly the kind of wonder the lost city sequence had been lacking up till then.


LEAST FAVORITE:

1. Chauchilla Cemetery
A little too slow, with too much exposition about the Macguffin.

2. Harold Oxley
The crystal skull should've been enough to lead Indy to the lost city.

3. El Dorado
I really wanted so much more of the lost city- and the Ugha warriors. It might've even been nice to have had the US Army become a factor at some point. This finale could've been the ideal place to incorporate some of the grandiose ideas of the Monkey King script.

4. Brevity of Indy and Marion's Reunion
How can Spielberg understand what worked in Crusade, yet fail to see these characters needed at least one quiet scene together? Judging from the comic, it looked they had a slightly longer rest after the waterfall drop. Too bad they didn't in the film.

Favourite parts: Everything, plus the variation on the theme at the end of the credits.

Least favourite parts: The fact 2 hours felt like 30 minutes. The ending maybe being the last time I'll see Indy in a fresh adventure.

I'm a Crystal Skull lover.

I loved all of the 50's references. The hot rod and Elvis opening, Howdy Doody and "I like Ike".

The diner scene is my favorite though, I love when Shia puts his comb in the Coke and combs his hair! I love "you brought a knife to a gun fight!" and then he hit's the "Joe college" guy and the girl (Spielberg's daughter if you didn't know) shouts "That's my boyfriend!" and hits him, then jocks shout "Get that greaser!" and the fight breaks out to "Shake, Rattle and Roll!" Love it!

I also liked some of Mutt's one liners and phrases like "smog in the noggin" and "Daddy-O".

Least favorite: Mutt becoming Tarzan and the flying fridge (though in the grand scheme of things, I can overlook them)

Most favorite: Everything else. Especially the UFO reveal at the end.

Favorites:

Jungle chase sequence, Warehouse sequence, the eerie 1950s test site scenes were cool, all of John Williams' musical scores were great and especially the old themes brought back, the famous "Wilhelm Scream" by the library nerd was funny

Least:

Marion's wrinkles - she needs serious botox and/or cgi's effects to make her look less rough on screen. She was so great and spunky in "Raiders" and this movie makes her look like she's trying to star in "Cocoon 3."

The middle of the movie definitely dragged too much. They seriously needed a Sean Connery cameo to boost the middle of the movie up.

Didn't like the Marcus Brody statue "head" gag shot.

"Dumbledore" in the movie added absolutely nothing to the film. He is a good actor and should have added more if he was taking up Marcus Brody's place. Lame.

"Mac" got to be too annoying and fake with all the gold envy. I had enough of him by the second hour.

And the "Ox" character would have made a great "Abner Ravenwood" if the writers went that direction.

yodazone said:

Marion's wrinkles - she needs serious botox and/or cgi's effects to make her look less rough on screen.

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What!? She looked amazing! especially when Indy says "None of them were you." and she smiled the old Karen Allen smile.

Personally I think she gets better with age. I didn't think she was pretty in Raiders, thought she looked better in Scrooged and now?? MILF! (Marion I'd Like To... beFriend)

yodazone said:

"Dumbledore" in the movie added absolutely nothing to the film. He is a good actor and should have added more if he was taking up Marcus Brody's place. Lame.

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Not the same actor dude. Michael Gambon is in HP, Jim Broadbent played Stanforth.

Iandiana said:

What!? She looked amazing! especially when Indy says "None of them were you." and she smiled the old Karen Allen smile.

Personally I think she gets better with age. I didn't think she was pretty in Raiders, thought she looked better in Scrooged and now?? MILF! (Marion I'd Like To... beFriend)

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Marion would look alot better on film if they spread vaseline on the camera lens.

her wrinkles were in full force and she's not even that old for a woman. Milf? Not with her mug she's rocking now. She needs a face lift!

Looks good from far but far from good.

Iandiana said:

What!? She looked amazing! especially when Indy says "None of them were you." and she smiled the old Karen Allen smile.

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That part was fantastic. I don't get all the old comments, either. She was perfect.

My only complaint is that we didn't get a few more scenes between her and Indy. I feel like Spielberg relied a little too heavily on nostalgia and the B movie concept. (As in, "Oh, you know these two are still in love- why should we show it?")

I also remember Spielberg saying he wanted to do a "mature love story" a few years ago, so I assumed that was why Darabont brought Marion back. I was really surprised that there wasn't a greater focus on the reunion with Marion. Just a few scenes of them at the jungle camp or at the lost city would've sufficed. I honestly think they would've improved the entire film significantly, and provided it with the same emotional resonance that Crusade had.

Overall, I enjoyed it ...

Criticisms:

- Tarzan scene was pretty goofy. But, at least he didn't do the Tarzan call ...
- Unlikely a lead-lined refrigerator survives a nuclear explosion unless it is on the very outskirts of the blast radius -- however, this can be somewhat forgiven because of the rocking image of a silhouetted Indiana Jones standing in front of a mushroom cloud.
- I don't mind the alien bit ... but I do wish a bit more had been left to the imagination. Overall, I believe I'd have chosen a more mainstream religious trinket rather than an Area 51 story ... but, I think it still worked.
- I wish Sallah, Short Round, Willie, etc. had been in the wedding scene. Maybe even a couple cameos from YIJC and Lucas/Speilberg themselves.

Positives:

- Action set pieces were quite good. Jungle/Jeeps, motorcycles, cemetary, warehouse, etc. were well done and blended well with the story.
- Ants were nice and creepy.
- I liked LeBauf's character a lot more than I thought I would.
- The Indy/Mutt play was very reminscient of Sr./Jr. in LC ... nice touch.
- I liked the subtle (and not so subtle) homages to other movies ... "bad feeling", Brody statue, "grandfather is laughing", "this is intolerable", Indy glaring at Mutt as he laughs at broken statue (like Sr. and Jr. in LC), etc.
- There were quite a few iconic images of a silhouetted Jones in various environments ... very picturesque movie.
- Movie was well paced, exciting, and beautiful to look at.
- Campus chase and firing were first time Indy's scholarly life and adventurer life intersected quite so heavily.
- Good blend of archeologist/jungle/temple scenes, and "modern" stuff. LC seemed a bit too modern for my tastes ... not quite rustic enough for me (i.e. a large portion of the movie was in Venice, a modern city).


I agree with some who have said that this isn't as good as Raiders. Ultimately, it isn't ... and neither were TOD or LC. TOD was far to stagnant (i.e. little travel, too much of the movie occurred in the same locale), the supernatural voodoo plot was retarded, the Shankara stones were uninspiring as a trinket ... but, the action scenes, characters, and dialogue were great. LC was more humorous, and more modern looking. I liked all three sequels -- but Raiders simply cannot be matched. Raiders ranks up there with Gladiator, the Departed, etc. among the best action/dramas of all time.

I rank Kingdom about even with Crusade (maybe a little behind, because I liked the grail artifact better than the skull -- but very comparable). I liked it better than TOD, but not near as much as Raiders. Ultimately, Crusade and Kingdom were both VERY well made Mummy-type movies -- fun action romps that carried the Raiders characters and backstory. Imminently watchable, great action, great characters, etc ... but Raiders is a pretty high bar.

KBZ

No scene in KOTCS compares with the 3 final booby-trap trials, and final scenes of Last Crusade. i don't care what anyone says

Crusade is just simply superior in terms of action, drama, tension, danger, all elements of good action adventure film.

'you have chosen wisely'. 'the penitent man will pass'
decapitation, fear. a mysterious wind.
such an awesome script.
Indy hanging from Sr.'s hand, 'let go son'.
nothing, absolutely nothing in KOTCS compares to that.
absolutely nothing.

I left the theater tearful and wanting to double-punch (like Indy does) Koepp in the face. if I ever see him in public he is going to feel my wrath

Favourites : Warehouse battle. Marshall college and motorbike chase. Sand-pit. Peru graveyard.

Least favourite : The fridge. Jail cell. Mutt of the Jungle. Rubber tree and waterfalls. Aliens and finale.

Tom Cook said:

No scene in KOTCS compares with the 3 final booby-trap trials, and final scenes of Last Crusade.

It is just simply superior in terms of action, drama, tension, danger, all elements of good action adventure film.

'you have chosen wisely'
Indy hanging from Sr.'s hand, 'let go son'.
nothing, absolutely nothing in KOTCS compares to that.
I left the theater tearful and wanting to double-punch (like Indy does) Koepp in the face. if I ever see him in public he is going to feel my wrath

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See I thought that the booby traps in LC were very contrived especially given when they would have been built (the blades and "name of God" ones, the "leap from the lions head" was an awesome effect though). I think that the booby trap thing has been done so much in these and other films that just the mention of them sufficed (Indy telling Mutt "don't touch anything" seemed to sum up all we need to know about such places). It's hard to top the opening traps of Raiders, so why try?