New Indiana Jones

I'm sorry to say that I have to agree with most of the posters on this thread. I went in telling myself that it IS a popcorn movie and to not expect too much realism.

When he survived the nuke blast, I knew I was in for 2 hours of crap. I had forgotten about the waterfalls until reading above. What about Shia Lebouf catching up to the speeding caravan by swinging on vines while somehow recruiting monkeys for his cause?

I've got a question about the scene I just referenced. So, the beginning of the scene has some sort of contraption slicing and dicing a road into the jungle so everyone can pass. Indy blows the machine up. Then, not only does one road magically appear, but a second, parallel road appears beside it. WTF?

The movie was just really, really bad.
 
"What about Shia Lebouf catching up to the speeding caravan by swinging on vines while somehow recruiting monkeys for his cause?"

I am glad someone brought this up. That is where the movie tanked and stayed there. I really do think the 1st hour of this flim was decent....it just fell the f apart from this moment on.
 
Are you people REALLY bitching about the realism in this movie? SERIOUSLY?

In "Raiders," Indy travels halfway across the Pacific Ocean on the OUTSIDE OF A SUBMARINE. Plus, GOD HIMSELF apparently makes an appearance and burns the Nazi insignia off the crate carrying the Ark.

In "Temple of Doom," a man's heart is extracted from his chest with nothing more than a hand. And the victim DOESN'T EVEN DROP DEAD. A mining cart jumps a huge chasm, but somehow manages to land EXACTLY SQUARE BACK ON THE TRACK. Plus, somehow Kate Capshaw got cast in this film to boot. UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE.

In "Last Crusade," a freaking 2000 year old knight is found guarding the Grail. Then, water from the Grail is used to bring Henry Jones Sr. BACK FROM THE DEAD.

And you all are bitching about some Ruskie-hating monkeys?? I just don't get it.

OK, I'll admit it: the script itself was awful. But if you didn't enjoy that unbelievable extended chase scene through the jungle (THE ANTS!!!), then it's time for you to admit that it's not Indiana Jones that has changed-- it's YOU. You're older and more cyncial and have somehow lost touch with that sense of wonder that you felt when you first saw Indy as a child. And that's OK. But please stop bitching about the aliens and monkeys being "implausible." NO **** they're implausible. But no more implausible than God melting the faces of an entire army of Nazis and then depositing their bodies inside a 3 X 5 golden box.
 
Look, I'm not even religious, but please don't compare the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail to surviving a nuclear blast in a fridge and all the other crap in that movie. You seriously can't see the difference there?
 
The paranormal/religious stuff is different. Positing that in the current world, there are supernatural phenomena that take place is one thing. Positing that you can survive being at the epicenter of a nuclear bomb explosion by hiding in a fridge; that a boy swinging on vines can outrun cars as well as convince monkeys to assault the bad guys; that African army ants have doubled in size, teleported to Peru, acquired malignant intelligence, and build nests the size of a football field; and that all Russians with SMGs are so incompetant as to make Stormtroopers look like elite marksmen; that's something else.
 
OK, we'll skip the religious/paranormal stuff. Fine.

What about Indy surviving a plane crash by using an inflatable life raft as a parachute, and then surviving what looked to be a 500 foot waterfall trip in the same raft? Jeez, the raft was even still floating after all of that. I hate to think what the internet movie police would have thought about that back in 1984!
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Seriously, the movie wasn't great-- I'm the first to admit it. But I saw enough of the old magic to feel like I got my $10 worth, and I just don't understand complaining about realism in a series that has always been about the inexplicable. Complaining about the SCRIPT-- well, now THAT I understand.
 
The original movies were set in the 30/40s. Hence the serial movie feel that we all loved.
The 4th movie was set 20 years later in the 50's. What was popular in the 50s? Scifi B movies and Tarzan. The story was written for the campy B movies that were popular in that timeframe.
 
Knowing why a filmmaker did something doesn't change that which is not entertaining into something that is.

Max, is there anything so preposterous that it's inclusion in an Indiana Jones movie would cause the same reaction in you that others are having to the monkeys and the A-bomb? There surely is. For these other viewers, the movie crossed that line at the bomb and the monkeys. (Odd sentence out of context)

I still don't get why some people are so insecure about liking something that they have to find something wrong with people who don't like the same thing.

For me, none of the Indiana Jones movies has been nearly as good or interesting as Tremors, Big Trouble in Little China or The Wind and the Lion. I can live with the fact that most people will disagree. I don't think they're crazy or cynical or stupid.
 
Roma,

I never even said that I really LIKED the movie-- I thought it was just OK. I'm fine if you or others didn't like it, as there was a lot NOT to like. My point (which apparently I am doing a poor job of making) is that it seems silly to me to complain about realism in a movies series that has been based on the absurd for 27 years. It's like going into a strip club and bitching about the beer prices-- you KNEW what you were getting into when you paid your cover charge, so it seems silly to complain about it afterwards...
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In most movies there's a certain amount of "suspension of disbelief" that you have to deal with. But there's a difference between that and showing a lack of respect for the characters in the movie and the audience, which is what happened in Indy 4. It just took it to extreme levels. I mean, what's next in Indy 5, bullets bouncing off Indy like he's Superman?

The tone of the movie in parts reminded me of Austin Powers. Just slapstick stuff. I kept waiting for Harrison Ford to start talking to the camera.
 
Watched it last night. The best part of the movie was the preview for the new Will Smith movie "Hancock." Never heard of it, but it looks badass.
 
The monkeys bothered me. I was fine with the rest of it. The waterfalls were a little over the top, but then my dad reminded me of the life raft scene in Temple of Doom.

I thought the end was pretty stupid. Why did the aliens kill her? What exactly did she do wrong? Apparently she wanted too much knowledge. Those are some tough aliens.
 
it was a terrible movie. there are going to be spoilers in this post, so if you don't want to read any, then stop.

i honestly think that lucas is doing his damndest to **** all over my childhood.

honestly.

and the thing is, i don't expect any semblance of realism with Indy movies. but a cohesive storyline would be nice. that's what was missing. and when that goes AWOL, then a bunch of other **** starts to bother you.

the entire movie was mailed in by everyone involved except shia lebouf (surprising), and cate blanchett (not surprising). yes, i am looking at you, harrison ford.

lucas and spielburg mailed it in the worst. spielburg let lucas have his cgi toys and cute cuddly wuddlys with the prarie dogs and the monkeys. hell, i kept waiting for the ewoks to start throwing rocks at the russians.

and the ants, and...aliens? gah.

however, all that aside, the plot was just a giant pile of crap.

i mean, what was that beginning about? what was it that they took? what piece of the puzzle was there? i kept waiting for that revelation, and either i was pissing out beer when it happened, or it was just eye candy and had no relation to the plot except the players.

there were things to like - the greaser-jock brawl, hell, i even thought the nuke deal was amusing as hell. that was classic indy - wrong place, wrong time. not sure i liked the fridge thing, but oh well. still was a fun gag.

but who were the natives crawling around in the graveyard? their presence was completely unexplained, unless it was explained when i went to piss again. like the monkeys and the prairie dogs, they were just there to be there, i think.

and i can't get past the aliens thing. indy has always dealt with the supernatural, but that was always earth-based. there's something different when we're talking about aliens (point of fact: other dimensional beings wtf ever). there are reams of legends about the grail and the ark - artifacts created by man and imbued with some supernatural power. hell, even the shiva stones in temple were man made and imbued with some kind of power. all that had an archaeological flavor. but an alien skull? gah.

i don't know. i was left wanting something.

for those of you saying that it is us that have changed and not the movies - you're ******* nuts. i used to idolize lucas as a storyteller. now i just shake my head sadly. i know a good campy movie when i see one - this wasn't it.
 
Hayden, I agree with everything you wrote. That I never went to the restroom should confirm that these were not things you just missed.
 
Hayden is spot on. I too went to the bathroom 2-3 times. When I returned, I asked my wife what had happened. Her reply, mehhh..............
 
This movie suffers from a bad storyline, bad dialogue, wooden acting, and cgi where there shouldn't be cgi.

Sound familiar? Lucas must be destroyed, indeed.
 
My only disagreement with Hayden was the performance of Shia Labeouf (sp). The character didn't fit and he isn't made to play a greaser.
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I have nothing else to add to this thread, i just felt compelled to again state that the suckiness of this film rivals that of OU.
 
You guys have built up the other 3 movies in your mind too much. They weren't groundbreaking. They were mindless B movies with a supernatural plot and a charming main character. Every one of them over the top. This one was no different.

I was 5 when Raiders came out and 8 when Temple of Doom came out. I was thoroughly entertained by Temple when I saw it in the theater at 8 years old. That's the kind of movies these are; mindless entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. You guys could not be more off base expecting something different in this one.
 
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