OMG Indy 4 is AMAZING!!!!

[2001 Productions]

I think it's important to keep in mind too that people are generally much less intelligent today than they were when the original films were released.

OMG, what a cynical thing to say! And I absolutely agree.

As a filmmaker, it makes me want to slit my wrists -- no lie.

 

[WideShot]

Man... I must be one of a handful of people that didn't like this movie. It was terrible. Utterly terrible. In the first twenty minutes it seemed like everyone was struggling to get a rhythm. It was obvious that virtually everything was shot on sound stages in front of green screens. Karen Allen's character was pointless. The CGI effects were obviously CGI. (Prairie dogs? Giant ants?) There was no real motivation for Indy to take this trip expect some strange kid on a bike finds him. And why does the government drop all charges and not only give Indy his job back but promotes him as well? This thing is full of plot holes.

And then don't get me started on the entire Tarzan swinging through the trees crap. Ugh. Everyone on this project should be ashamed of themselves. And someone seriously needs to stop Lucas from ever making another movie.

I agree. It pains me to say but my pop and I don't get to go to many movies at the cinemas anymore on account of the hundreds of indies that we screen each year, but we were really looking forward to it. There were glaring directing omissions (No POV of a car going over a cliff in a CGI movie? Um...., the treatment of Marion like shes some extra), plot holes and story gaps (NICE leader for the Russians, neither a sexual interest nor really scary... the plain jane no personality Russian whom you can neither love nor hate. She's not even greedy like Ilsa. Terrible.) And worst yet, we're supposed to buy the kid is going to be the next Indy? Why not try actually making the audience like the character? Don't we learn that in Screenplay 100?

In the previous movies, Indy had to learn something to protect him or deliver him to success, and it would ruin his enemies. The kooky old doc and the kid solved the problems for Indy this time, and the Russian "wanted to know" and that was her ruin? Please.

What a disaster. I feel like a tool for dissing this franchise and Spielberg whom I repect a TON, but when you compare ANY of the previous movies to this one, there is more heart, better story, a more likeable Indy, and a better sidekick and love interest, you can take your fake CGI and shove it. Give me practicals and opticals and stunts and most importantly, personality and charm, any day of the week.

 

[VPTurner]

Had this film been named The Mummy and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I would have been much more forgiving. The Mummy was obviously an attempt to update Indiana Jones for the new "dumbed down" generation. While the original Indy trilogy isn't without faults there was a line it didn't cross, that of stupid gags. The prairie dogs, the refrigerator, Tarzan and the chase sequence where Mutt gets hit in the crotch half a dozen times are just a few examples where Indy 4 went wrong.

When I was younger, I would've thought all of this was funny as hell. And I'll bet those in the age range for which these gags were targeted thought they were, too.

I still believe Temple of Doom is the worst in the franchise. And Indy 4 could've been much better, on that we can certainly agree. But, it is what it is, and it's going to make a hell of a lot of money between box office and merchandising. That's what Lucas does best.

I picked a book off my shelf the other day that I bought back in 1997 and started reading it again for the first time in 10 years. It's called "Writing Great Characters" by Michael Halperin. This is on the heels of reading "Save the Cat!" by Blake Snyder. The first author clearly had influence on the second. Anyway, some of the basic fundamentals talked about in both of these books are sadly missing from the big summer blockbusters of late. Raiders had many of these elements because Lawrence Kasdan has a solid understanding of good storytelling and multidimensional characters. And this holds up with Empire Strikes Back because it is still my favorite among that franchise for the depth of the characters and how they became vulnerable and, thus, more human. Halperin frequently references Grand Canyon in his book, also written by Kasdan. This "vulnerability" was missing from Indy 4 and Koepp practically elevated him to Superhero, IMO. Look how popular Superhero movies are, and look at Koepp's history with writing them. (I do wish he would take back Zathura). Is it any wonder Indy 4 is what it is?

I see Kasdan's doing a remake of Clash of the Titans. That could be interesting.

 

[2001 Productions]

Lawrence Kasdan has a solid understanding of good storytelling and multidimensional characters. And this holds up with Empire Strikes Back because it is still my favorite among that franchise for the depth of the characters and how they became vulnerable and, thus, more human.

I'm with you 100% -- Empire was the only "serious" film in that series, thanks both to Lawrence Kasdan and Irvin Kershner. Of course, Lucas felt it was the weakest, presumably because it wasn't mind-numbing pablum. Whatever happened to the man behind THX-1138 and American Graffiti? I miss him.