2008 summer blockbusterRating: 14/20 (Dylan: 14/20)
Plot: Russians kidnap Indiana Jones and a portly gentlemen. There's a mysterious box. Kaboom! Kazaam! Indiana Jones swings from something. Fisticuffs! Shooby LeBoof! Action sequence! Indiana Jones and Shooby LeBoof have to find the title treasure before the communists do or there's going to be big, big trouble. So they go to Peru to do just that. Then Indiana Jones meets an old friend, arguably the first hippie, and mushrooms are had. The remainder of the movie is their "trip" while Shooby LeBoof and an Ewok keep saying, "C'mon, fellows! We've got work to do! This crystal skull ain't gonna find us! Let's roll!"
If this wasn't an Indiana Jones movie, there's no way I would like it this much. I really really enjoyed the first half of the film; the second half was so completely over the top, silly, ridiculous, incomprehensible, and spastic. A tough second half to swallow. The movie certainly looks good, retaining the overall feel of the 80's movies, and Indiana Jones is the same character despite the age difference. I loved the 50's allusions, and I even loved the punchline following the first 20-25 minutes of action (it involves a refrigerator) even though it's the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen in an action movie. An action scene in a jungle that involves Shooby LeBoof and monkeys nearly topped it later on though. Lots of this reminds me of Indiana Jones (the humor, the stunts, the fun after you suspend disbelief), but there were also nods to 50's B-movie sci-fi and, in the imagery preceding the aforementioned refrigerator scene, The Twilight Zone. There are some moments when the script gets a little greasy and overly sentimental and there's probably not anything as indelible as those scenes in Raiders, but overall, it was about as much fun as a person can have with a movie, an Indy flick that might not be as good as Raiders or Crusade but is better than Temple. My only real complaint? No CGI Short Round. Oh, one other complaint. I'm tired of people complaining about George Lucas ruining their childhoods. That's just stupid. I was happy the Star Wars movies came out, and I'm happy this franchise is back. Of course, having a mental age of ten can't hurt.
Note: Dylan and I agreed that the use of the "Wilhelm Scream" in this one was perhaps the best use of it ever. We both laughed in a way that probably made people around us wonder what was wrong with us.
I paid money to see this:
"it was about as much fun as a person can have with a movie". Maybe in a 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' way. This movie is wrong. Just plain wrong. It is better than 'Temple', but EVERYTHING is better than 'Temple'!
ReplyDeleteI'm just gonna come out and say it. Ford is too old to pull off this crap. I could smell his old man smell seeping through my TV. You talk about the Jimmy Stewart run? Watching Ford outrun bad guys and not get shot was hilarious and painful at the same time. He is battling the most incompetent group of Russians ever. I love how he always beats the bad guys to the punch. It's probably because the soldiers are thinking "isn't Harrison Ford dead?". I'm surprised real Russians from the cold war haven't taken out a hit contract on the group of goofs that thought they could stuntman and CGI their way past my incredulity.
Surviving the atom bomb was ludicrous, but it was nothing compared to Shia of the stupid name and his swinging with the monkeys scene.
The concept was idiotic. Cate Blanchett's hair was silly. The giant ant scene was ridiculous. Why did both vehicles continue to drive 4 feet apart while Labuffoon continued to get hit in the nads (I kinda wanted to hit him there myself)? Why didn't genius Jones (the man who can figure out pre-Mayan riddles) suggest that they get to shore after the first waterfall, and how did they ALL survive three waterfalls? And it goes on and on and on.
What the hell? How can you recommend this movie? My best theory is that you saw this in a theatre and all action movies seem better in a theatre. I will watch 'The Happening' if you will watch this again on TV. A 14!? I give it an 8.
Yeah, I'm high on this one. I don't know when I'll see it again, but I imagine I will. It's not nearly as bad as you (or other critics) say, and I completely disagree with your comments about Ford. I think he's fine here. Shooby Leboof was useless though.
ReplyDeleteSeeings on the big screen always makes things better. I'm sure seeing it on the small screen will still be a fun enough experience though.
Definitely see 'The Happening'...brilliant!