Sound Off: What Did You Think of Indiana Jones 4?

There are not enough negative words to express my contempt and bile for this film. They took everything wonderful and pure about Indiana Jones and distilled it into a few hollow jokes thrown into a terrible, sci-fi/CGI-riddled two hours of dreck. there were some decent scenes, and it managed to make me like Shia Lebouf somewhat, but any positives are far outweighted by the glaring negatives. Dammit George Lucas, what is your vendetta against childhood?

I wanted so badly to love this film. Unfortunately, it suffered from its own self-concious storytelling, pathetic fan-boy-appeasing quips, and an obvious resulting of a studio exec meeting that might have started off with something like, "Well, that all sounds like alot of fun, but how do we end it?." It starts off nice. It has a fun introduction, but quickly spirals into wierd territory in a seeming attempt to throw off the scent of Eu De "I know where this is going." The introduction of Ford as Indy (a nice little where-has-he-been since the last crusade?") and Blanchett is exciting and interesting. Unfortunately, after that, both, like all of the other characters introduced in the film immediately simmer into obvious characatures of themselves and they don't develop any further. The plot for the first hour or so is just an afterthought in a never-ending sequence of "throwbacks" to classic Indy moments. There's the convoy chase from the first done a few times, there's the fist-fight with the archetypal foreign, silent strong man in a perilous, menacing arena, a requisite pit full of critters, and some scenes seemingly cut and pasted from the reel of "The Mummy Returns." There is a shining star in this lame flick. LeBouf. He is and will be a star. His personality shines in his character. However, as soon as we meet his mom, he too is forced into the obscure, busy background, and forced to perform some slapstick and "George of the Jungle" antics. The plot is lame, and I dare say, in this day and age, cliche. I found myself constantly trying to forgive it. But felt myself slipping into dispair, like I was insulted. Like I was personally let down. The ending is an awkward amalgamation of the ending of "Raiders of The Lost Ark", and... "The X Files" Movie. The whole piece just felt patchworky, and I'm dissapointed, truly. It is truly a bad film, and I'm a huge fan of the trilogy. But, I don't like bad movies and this is, matter of fact, a bad movie.

Could've used a little bit more realism. Too many CGI animals. Probably less sci-fi elements could've helped, too.

Ahhh. I thought this movie was decent, though they may have taken the sci fi elements too far. Scratch that. They did take the sci fi elements too far. It's just not what I think of when I think Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford did a good job reprising his role, but he could only do so much with what he's given. Shia LaBoeuf was very good in his role. I enjoyed Crystal Skull, but I think that they could have made it so much better....

I'm kind of mixed on the whole thing. It didn't feel epic enough to me. It felt like the kind of thing someone might write an Indiana Jones novel abut, but not make a movie. 15 years ago I don't think they would have settled for this script. At times it felt like more of an attempt at nostalgia than to add to the canon. My biggest disappointment was the music because everytime I noticed it, I felt like I was hearing a rehash of the themes from Raiders and Last Crusade. I think part of the problem is it's been 19 years and nobody involved or watching the film is the same as they were back then when Last Crusade came out.

However, I think this one is going to grow on me and once I get past the fact that this is the first Indy movie in 19 years and just let this be one of his adventures, it will be a more enjoyable film. There were definitely a lot of things I did like about the film, but it feels like it would have fit better after Temple of Doom than the Last Crusade.

Like most people, I'm mixed. I saw it at a midnight showing (which may have factored into it), but it didn't feel intense enough. The danger didn't seem as real. The enemies were weak - sorry commies, the Nazis are a much more dangerous foe. Working from that deficit, they didn't even try to create a dangerous Soviet.

The reason it didn't totally work was that there wasn't a giant theme attached to the movie - or at least the one they had didn't work. World domination through religious weaponry is a sick concept that works really fantastically well for two of the films. Without that deep resonance, Crystal Skull ends up being on par with Temple.

The small issue - why is Indy so skeptical about everything? I know he's cynical and sarcastic, but after seeing all the crazy stuff he's seen - he just comes off as stubborn and unimaginative this time around.

All of that hate to say that I liked the movie - but I wish that I liked it a lot more. I wish it was more epic.

Wow, I'm really glad to read these comments because I have a review being posted soon and I have many of the same feelings that I'm reading here

I say the movie is good for an Indy fan, fair for a normal movie. There were elements of the film I did not like: the CGI gophers and monkeys were ridiculous, the alien-theme was a bit too much for me, and my biggest complaint was with the introduction; I did not feel like it matched the other introductions from the previous films and it got a little too ridiculous for me (surviving a nuclear blast by staying in a refrigerator did not work). I didn't feel like I was watching a real Indy film until the scenes at his university.

With that said, the rest of the movie got a little better. The chase scenes were fantastic; the notion of Harrion Ford being too old were thrown out very early on in the film, the creepiness of the archeological sites impressed me, the acting was good, the characters worked fine, and the punching sound effects remind me why the Indiana Jones series is the epitome of action. I had a fun time watching the film!

The whole alien element did throw me off a bit, and I personally wasn't a fan. But (maybe in an attempt to justify what Spielberg, my hero, was trying to do) I think it fits for several reasons:
1) this film is working off the style of 1950's B-science fiction movies, many of them dealing with the mysteries of UFOs and aliens.
2) the idea of connecting alien life forms and ancient archeology is not too far-fetched if one is looking for an Indy story-line
3) the previous three movies have many science-fiction elements, so the idea of having a fantastical sci-fi spin on this movie shouldn't be surprising
4) Spielberg's power of using imagination is freshly used in this film. It was a very creative film, anyone should admit, and we do not get many of those films any more.

Did I love it, or will it be my favorite in the series? No. But does it please me as an Indy and Spielberg fan? Absolutely. Spielberg did not mess this one up, therefore it will not be his "Phantom Menace". Could it have been a little better, a little less cliche, a little less sci-fi? Maybe, but I am pleased with it, the more I think about it.

Seeing it at midnight with tons of dressed up fans didn't hurt either.

i absolutely loved the first hour and a half of it. it was very much in the spirit of the original trilogy. but the final moments were just too far out there for me. so its the least awesome of the quadrilogy. but all the action setpieces were spectacular and i will see it again and i will buy it when it comes out on dvd.

The opening and first fifteen minutes or so were spot on.
I had the good butterflies of the original, the timing, the sound effects, the music, the enemy and friend betrayal quips. BUT, then it happened . . . . Indy climbs into a fridge, and apparnently at that same time, Speilberg left the movie making to George Lucas, as the cgi refridgerator takes Indy to to new heights of disbeleif never seen before, and then it happens, again . . . after the mile of fake cgi atomic flight, Indy opens the door exiting the fridge (unharmed - cripes ) to meet one of George's cgi ani-muppets (George when are you going to realize that you are what they call a "flash in the pan" director with ZERO story telling skills and even less script writting ability!).
The deconstruction of Indiana Jones then began. Oh we got some vintage vibes; the plane map travel segways, Marcus's statue, Harrison's classic Indy excitement when explaining to Mutt the riddle of the map. But then the Lucas sneaks in again; Mutt swinging on vines with more Lucas dumb cgi muppets (monkeys), a jungle shredder gets destroyed yet there seems to be two ten mile roads for the chase afterwards(?!), Mutts motorcycle is flown to Peru to not be ridden, and then the waterfall?!?! Jesus christ! Obviously that scene was just using us for the next big water ride at the amusment parks!
It is sad Speilberg did not see that this was his first Inidana Jones without a single original "Indy" quip (knife to a gun fight went over so bad I almost left then), escape, or story to share with others afterwards. This version was dull, and when not was either cgi, or some dumb wall hiding pygmies (do they sleep in ruins waiting - dumb)? When the end scene of the UFO became the Wachowski/Lucas turd we've been forced to smell before, I was glad for a moment that my father, who took me to the first Raiders of the Lost Ark, and looked at me like "wow" when we watched the pygmies chasing Indy over the rolling hills reveal (Towards the byplane), has now passed away, as will never see the ill use of cgi replacing good writing, storytelling, and directing, as well as any sense of beleivability.
I think if it were'nt for the throwback smarts of Deathproof's absence this last year, I would not go the the movies anymore. Give us real! Give us the raw humor and ingenuity! We are tired of cgi -- and we are tired it as your sole movie crutch George Lucas!

Aliens in a Raiders movie?!