'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' and Why It Really Isn't All That Bad | Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ม.ค. 2022
- Similar to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen that I covered a while ago, I came into this thinking I was in for a slog but really, it isn't the awful thing it's reputation led me to believe after all these years...
Support the channel: / calvindyson
Also follow me on other social media:
/ calvin_dyson
/ calvinmdyson
/ calvindyson - บันเทิง
![อาจารย์ยอด : ลุงแว่วเล่าเรื่องผี [ผี]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fd2Qsy4dqpM/mqdefault.jpg)
As someone who’s an adamant Kingdom of the Crystal Skull defender, thank you for making this review! It does have its problems, but it’s nowhere near the disaster some see it as.
Yeah but the monkeys and the sword fights on cars... and the fridge... the ants were good though.
@@russelledwards001 what about him leaping out of a plane with a raft on solid ground in temple of doom? Fun fact: temple doom was considered bad to many back in the 80s but in retrospect, ppl love it
It was an awful movie that should have never been made.
@@mania4270 it looked realistic and organic, not computer painted...
@@kacperzimowski4626 hahwhahahhwahauau no its didnt. It looked like someone dropped a mattress with dolls strapped to it. Temple of doom just had bad effects. I'd take CGI over shitty looking dolls anyday
I always liked this movie. I think it is true to the series. Many diss the movie even though they just heard others disliked it. Great, over the top story again. Ford was fantastic, so was Blanchett. Watch it, enjoy it . Great movie.
Bashing Crystal Skull is practically a cottage industry on TH-cam so kudos for taking a more even-handed approach. Sure, it's disappointing, The weakest in the series, but has a handful of well executed sequences. And Harrison Ford is great as ever. As 'bad' movies go, it's hardly Battlefield Earth is it?
It’s only thought of being as bad as it is because it’s called “Indiana Jones” and has a steep reputation to uphold. Very similar to The Godfather Part 3
Andrew, the movie wasn't 'bad', or similar, at all; most so-called' fans' are assholes who wanted the same thing as seen in _The Last Crusade_ and they didn't get it in _The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull_ , so they all whined like little babies and decided it was 'bad' simply for it being different to the last movie (Indy had fought in WWII, it was now the mid-to-late ''50's with all of the cultural touchstones of that era, and instead of a mystical McGuffin* from Earth, it was an alien McGuffin recovered from the supposed 'crash' at Area 51.Those points alone make it a worthy addition to the trilogy/series.
@@Neville60001 yeah it does. It felt like indy 4. But it became a meme to bash it like the star wars prequels. It was cool to bash george back then. Im if disney screws up indy 5, fans will go back to indy 4 saying its an underrated classic. Also, it was very successful. At was the scone highest grossing film of 08 behind the dark knight
@@TheBtstephens Now that was a bad sequel - Godfather 3. Crystal skull was great in parts and certainly better than third Godfather. I imagine young kids would love all 4 films.
Trust me with the stuff we’re hearing about the one that’s coming out next year I think a lot of people will start respecting the crystal skull
I’ll always have a soft spot for this movie. The low budget 50’s sci fi atmosphere was the perfect tone for the setting, it combined well with the classic adventure serial tone.
Love all these look backs of non Bond films! It’s cool to see your perspective on these.
Thank you! I very much enjoy doing them!
@@calvindyson Are you going to finish the Mission Impossible or Johnny English series soon? Love your content.
@David Wyn Jones what does that have to do with spies
Never hated it either. It's flawed, but enjoyable. Exactly the same story with Spider-Man 3.
A tad better than Spider-Man 3 (quite a bit more fun to view than it, Alien 3, Terminator 3...)
Flawed and fun sums it up. I actually missed the sexual chemistry Indy has with new female companions and the male bonding with his usual colleagues. Also, I think Calvin likes this because of the Russian adversaries: it's bringing Indiana one step closer to fighting Spectre.
I agree with Calvin that "Kingdom.." has moments of greatness, mostly where the actors are given chance to vibe off each other (let's face it, you could probably put Harrison Ford in Tellytubbies and his onscreen charm would win you over). Is it as good as the original trilogy? No. Is it as awful as some folks make it out to be? No. It's probably somewhere in the middle. We'd watch it if if it came on the telly. High hopes for Indy 5!
This might have been greatly improved by simply building up Blanchett as Spalko. Raiders began with that great sequence suggesting that the Ark could act as a terrible destructive power assuring victory, while Spalko is left to look like she's indulging some obsession that is purely her own. In fact, the USSR was very interested in psychic power, and the idea of wielding it to bring about a new strange kind of "1984" world could have been intriguing. There could even have been a corrupt American spy thinking "Hey, let's get in on that!" A waste of potential. Luckily, Blanchett is still rawkin' it.
Yeah it wasn't Blanchetts fault, they just made her an over the top generic comic book villain without giving her like a real core central motivation.
Are you being ironic? Cause what you described is almost 90% what's in the actual movie already. In the movie Spalko/Spalkov says to Indiana that the USSR wanted to use these sculls as a psychiatric weapon. And then we also have this British (so not American as you described) agent who's this ex-friend of Indiana thet helps the Russians, you say the movie makes Spalkov look like she's the only one with this obsession, but why and how would she be on her mission to collect these sculls?
There had needed to be funding from the USSR for her to do this, and yeah she's a bit zany about this power but that is just her being eksentrick, and the fact that she has this obsession and wants to know everything end up killing her makes her character even funnier. I'm not trying to diss you or anything when I say this but it almost seems like you kinda slept through the movie and then actually built the actual movie in your head from the few things that actually caught on while you were sleeping.
@@orangefoxxd6120 I suppose I'm thinking of how this plot stacks up against Raiders, and how well the exposition for that was done for the audience. Raiders makes a big point of being very clear about Hitler being obsessed with the occult, while Belloq gets to pursue his own agenda. The situation is reversed here: we don't get any memorable build-up about this being a big deal to the USSR -- if there are some words about that in passing, fine, but it's just not the same level of effect, there is nowhere near the same impact -- so in that sense Spalko is stuck playing Belloq AND Hitler. (I don't doubt at all that the USSR was fascinated by psychic powers and would have funded research appropriately -- but I only know that through personal research, not any impression made by this movie.) So, nope, no irony and no amnesia. Raiders benefitted not only from strongly invoking Hitler but by spreading the threat out to Belloq, Toht, and to some degree Dietrich (Wolf Kahler) and having discussion between them. To better make your point, Spalko could have used at least one other comrade to talk things out with.
@@williamblakehall5566 Oh I see what you mean now, but from what I could read in the original comment, we're all of the things you described things that happened in the movies except mac's nationality.
Firstly Calvin, I like you didn’t think Harrison looked too bad, and it was kinda nice to see him back in the character. He was still doing at least some of his own stunts. All in all not a bad film at all really. Another great video Calvin, and a great way, to spend my late Sunday afternoon. Yes, sorry I was so late getting too this.
I'm sorry you had to go through this, Calvin! Get well soon!
Give credit to this movie and to Rocky 6 and Rambo 4, they acknowledge their main characters age weather they are too old for this adventure or not, but I totally believe its the character doing these stunts.............unlike a certain movie from 1985 which we do not speak of or acknowledge its existence!!!
I hear that, although I love A View To A Kill nonetheless. If you look at the features for Crystal Skull, you will see Harrison Ford (at the age of 63) flying on wires and running around actually doing the stuff in camera. I look at this film like I look at the prequels; I agree with most of the criticisms but it's still fun and has enough going for it to make it worthwhile, for me anyway.
@@thecatsinthekitchen1309 yeah good on harrison ford for doing it. akthough......ahhh man i cant agree with you on the prequels grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!, :)
I've enjoyed Rocky 6 and Rambo 4 a lot more then Indy 4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ended the franchise on a relatively high note unlike the previous two entries in the franchise I've mentioned. Rocky 5 wasn't that good and because of that the franchise neded a proper conclusion. Rambo 3 was alright, but little too cheesy for my taste.
@@JohnSmith-jn7nc Yep rocky 6 and rambo 4 were defo great to let those character bow out on a good movie than their previous ones. I'm also glad that he did a re edit of Rocky 4 aswell recently which was excellent too :). Though these days i do love watching Rambo 3 for its high powered action and stunt work which is insane to watch thesedays :)
Gotta disagree there, View to a Kill is amazing just for how absurd it is to see a 104 year old Roger Moore playing Bond!
I never hated this movie. I think it's okay. It has good things in it
I love Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and also Cate Blanchet as Irina Spalko.
But I was never a fan of Shia Labouf's character. I don't think he is terrible but I found him to be a very underwhelming character.
I don't have anything against the aliens(There is a novel where Indiana Jones faces ghosts and that one was awesome. If I can accept ghosts in Indiana Jones I can do the same with aliens) But the problem is that I didn't find the alien species very interesting. They felt hollow in the end.
I agree with you with the whole jungle fight. The CGI has aged poorly and it looks genienly bad. The sword fight looked so fake. I love a great sword fights in movies but this one wasn't one of them.
Agree
9:15 I remember Sam Mendes saying that the Kincade part in Skyfall was intended for Connery but it would be 'too distracting.' But I do wonder if Connery would have turned it down anyway given he didn't come back for this film despite seemingly only having good memories of this series.
Given Connery refused to appear at the Bond 50th anniversary segment at the Oscars and didn't appear in the 'Everything or Nothing' Documentary, I really doubt that he'd have entertained the Skyfall appearance if asked [even if the idea does make a good story].
Like Temple of Doom, the other big problem is the McGuffin. Too much time is spent going on about what it is and why it is important, and in the end it still needs to be explained (Doom did better here). Indy needs to go after something that pop culture understands with very little effort. Had this been Excalibur or the Area 51 wreckage the story could have been significantly streamlined.
@Wasp Factory I agree. One scene of exposition was enough to explain the stones in Temple of Doom. Crystal Skull on the other hand spends most of the film explaining why we should care about some dumb, crappy looking gift shop crystal.
The film's not terrible, its just mediocre. Its fine, and I've never hated it, but the fact that it is just fine gave some die-hard fans more licence to hate on it, because it isn't a patch on the first three without being outright terrible- some people will always be more angry feeling a bit underwhelmed than outright hating something, its a slower burn emotionally I suppose.
After hearing the leaks about the new Indiana Jones I think when it comes out people will start to have a lot of respect for the crystal skull
Indy 5 and the Dialysis of Density was a total dumpster fire...and the fire was probably CG too
@@frankb821 they should have stopped at 4 and that’s only because if it wasn’t for 4 we wouldn’t have gotten lego Indiana jones
@@Joshua-ch2ij haha I was thinking..."how could he say....oh, ok!" :)
The 'nuking the fridge' sequence is the most scientifically accurate thing in the whole film series. After all the nonsense of ripping out beating hearts from a conscious person, magical tablet boxes that melt faces, immortality cups, the nuking the fridge sequence is entirely plausible.
It actually isn't. If you watch the films, the artifacts possess powers that explain the supernatural elements. Surviving the fridge, in the absence of such an artifact, simply isn't plausible. But it's no more ridiculous than flying in a hole in the sky and going back in time as is the case in Indy 5.
@@JeffCirillo It's not only plausible, it is completely ordinary. People in Hiroshima survived even when there was just a thin wall between them and the bomb, atomic bombs are first and formost burning weapons. Even a layer of clothing serves as partial protection.
The only implausible part is the fridge getting thrown. It would just topple over with the blast. The person inside would be unharmed.
@@annaclarafenyo8185 The impact of travelling that fast in the fridge would have killed anybody. Force = Mass x Acceleration.
@@JeffCirillo Except, in real life, the fridge wouldn't go at all. He would just survive in the Fridge moved a few meters.
I was born after the first 3 films were released. This film will always hold a very special place in my heart as the only Indy film I was able to see in the theatres. So excited to do it again for Indy 5.
I just got done watching this for the first time, last night, and I enjoyed it quite well. However, I have absolutely zero desire to see the Dial of Destiny.
I really do enjoy this film. It does feel like an end of an era for me when I watch it, as it is the last Indiana Jones film conceived by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg, which is why I do have a soft spot for it. However I do agree that the cgi is heavily overused, but that doesn’t bother me. I am glad George Lucas and Steven Spielberg address the age of Harrison Ford and use that in this Indiana Jones film by setting the film in the Cold War which I really enjoy as that’s why George Lucas wanted to focus on aliens at first. But he then changed them to “inter-dimensional beings” as Steven Spielberg mentioned in the behind the scenes material, that’s partly due to Independence Day, and that’s the main problem with the film, it was delayed many times due to different scripts and other films, such as Independence Day, releasing meaning that script had to be changed many times. However I really enjoy this film, if its on the TV I will watch it because it is an enjoyable romp and I agree that it doesn’t reach the same heights as the original trilogy. Overall it’s a good film but it does have its weak points, but I enjoy the direction, I have a soft spot for the story and John Williams’ score is perfect as always. Overall I do have a soft spot for this film and it will be interesting to see what James Mangold does with Indiana Jones 5, which I am looking forward to.
I feel you're bang on the money about the reason why it got such a reputation at the end there. Despite the movie being guilty of a lot of the same issues that the older movies had, I feel it had a lot to do with online reviewers still being mad at George Lucas for 'ruining Star Wars' with the prequels. Whether or not that was the case is neither here nor there, there seemed to be this pervasive sense that Lucas was a hack that loved ruining your childhood memories for fun, which is just hyperbolic nonsense of course.
Yeah he was a popular punching bag at the time. It's interesting that people now say 'Oh George Lucas would have done a better job with the Star Wars Sequel trilogy' [the promise of the unknown is often superior to the reality] when it was popular to trash the guy in the 2000's.
Aaaaand much like the Prequels are getting a hell of a lot of reappraisal these days, I do think this film will too in a few years when they finally release Indy 5 ;)
@@jamesatkinsonja Yeah funny enough George Lucas even said people wouldn't like his sequel trilogy, lol.
@@b.chaline4394 they reappraise them for the meme and jokes. The prequels and this film are still awful any way you slice it
When Sean Connery received this script he reportedly said. "They should have mailed it to the Marx brothers!"
I liked this one. It was good seeing Indy and Marion back together, I like that they got married, and Shia was pretty good here too. I like how Indy and Mutt mirrored Indy and his dad. The story was fun and it's not like the series never dealt with the supernatural before. The Ark melting the nazis' faces off or the tribe that ripped people's hearts out wasn't any more realistic than what was in here.
the scene where Indy takes his hat from mutt is meant for the audience to known that there is only one "Indiana jones", in away its kind of a sendoff letting everyone know that theirs is no more Indiana Jones. (or at least we hoped but Disney had other plans)
I'v always felt alone in liking this film. Glad to finally see a more positive outlook on it from a youtube reviewer. And just like you I absolutely adore Blanchet as Spalko! "I want to know"... that line of hers has been burned into my mind ever since first seeing the film. (Pun VERY MUCH intended!)
you’re not alone. i like this film too. very much, actually
I have a bit of a soft spot for Crystal Skull, it was actually my first Indiana Jones movie. Which it, (Along with the ride at Disneyland) got me into the series altogether. And I even through all of middle and highschool wore an Indiana Jones fedora.
Me watching a wacky Bond film: “Haha yes, fuck yes”
Me watching a wacky Indiana Jones film: “This sucks, what the fuck”
The Bond series did itself a massive (EDIT: favor) by never taking itself seriously (until recently), and even being shaky from the early days. So even when it wasn't "good", it still fit and could be fun if it got the trappings and the general mood right. But Raiders was a tough act to follow. When you're that good right out of the gate, there's an expectation of greatness, and one I feel the series never matched. And when it fails, it fails hard. Imagine if Star Wars never had Empire. That's where Indy is.
I actually really rather enjoyed the first half of this movie but like others have said it falls apart when Marion enters the picture. Between Mutt, Mac, Marion & Oxley there is just one too many sidekicks.
The film’s script just needed another polish & needed more of the grit of the previous films (particularly the first two).
Yeah I think another polish or maybe bringing on another writer to spruce it up a bit would have been ideal. With just a few tweaks it feels like it could have been vastly improved. Particularly in the second half!
yeah man, first half I could watch defo and I do like the very ending too :)
@@calvindyson this movie in my opinion is better than quantum of solace.
@@bradley8575 ...as well as Die Another Day, The Godfather Part 3, Highlander 2...
@@calvindyson thank you Calvin!!!! yes!!!! Kingdom is a Masterpiece just like the rest the story is the same flow and structure and beats as Raiders and Last Crusade and tone of Temple of Doom there's not too many characters in my opinion the CGI is adequately placed to where it doesn't over Shaft or overshadow the brilliant practical miniatures set pieces locations explosions chases fights start work choreography and effects and the overture score throughout and all four are EPIC and epically awesome bone crunching and violent and funny fun and timeless and iconic and sweet masterpieces!
I really wish they'd rerelease this (and a lot of other films) with updated CGI. If they did the monkey/ant/gopher things nowadays they could make it look 100% real and thus make the movie work because it wouldn't keep looking like a bad computer game.
Others include Die Another Day, the Star Wars Prequels, and the Robin Williams Jumanji. Wow, if if they could take the original film cuts from the 1995 Jumanji and update the badly aged computer effects to 2022 standards, you'd potentially have one of the best films ever made.
Would it make its money back though?
I know people dislike 'George Lucas' style tinkering but I agree. CGI does age quickly and it would be fairly easy to update the effects for a 'directors cut' streaming release.
FINALLY know your thoughts on this!! I watched it myself quite recently and I somewhat agree with you actually. I'm not gonna lie though - the first time I saw it it felt like my childhood was just ripped apart. A VERY difficult film to like if you go in expecting somthing in the same *TONE* as the original trilogy.
1000% agree with you Marion's presence by the way - just the idea that the whole thing feels a bit pantomime and just not grounded or realistic. I think she's dreadful in this and really brings the film down sadly. I always held the belief that the entire thing falls apart the second Indy and Mutt get to Peru, but upon my latest rewatch, I actually enjoyed it all the way up until Marion was introduced and then it just sorta fell apart for me?
I enjoyed it a lot more than I have previously, but I think the final act is a bit of a mess. Also, glad you mentioned the jungle chase too. It blows my mind that was filmed on location because the entire film is so badly lit that it genuinely looks like it was filmed on a studio backlot. I don't actually mind the alien thing at all - I love the idea of it being a love letter to 50's B movies, and I genuinely do think the story is really interesting in places but it just feels that - even though it somewhat keeps itself going - you can see the red flags from very early on and I just think their was more bad decisions made than good sadly.
I have really high hopes for Indy 5 however - Nazi scientist working for NASA in the 60's and more Alien/UFO stuff is something I'm surprisingly open to! It makes complete sense that Aliens would be the next step in the supernatural aspect of things. There's a lot of interesting concepts from unmade Indy movies in the 90's actually and when you look into things it was beyond obvious that they always wanted to go down that road. Indy in Antartica during the 40's / Atlantis / Saucermen from Mars etc.
Sounds like we have very similar thoughts on this one! I think it's a weird combination of both Marion and how everything suddenly feels very fakey and overlit as you say that suddenly makes everything feel like it's a sketch for a charity program or something. The bit where they're both in the quicksand is SO hokey.
@@calvindyson The original color grading of Indy 4 is hideous. The recent 4K release completely changed the grading and brought it a bit closer to the look of the original trilogy. It's quite an improvement!
@@calvindyson You’ve literally just managed to completely vocalise the entire problem I have with her in one sentence. 😂 it’s so weird how lazy is all feels. The quicksand scene is such a tonal misstep! Really just all over the place.
I adore the older Indy look though! Ford looks absolutely smashing!
Indiana 5 is gonna take a huge dump on Indy’s legacy as it uses his back as a step stool to reboot a new franchise. The man is almost 80 years old. If they can Cobra Kai the movie I’ll be shocked and grateful. It seems unlikely based on the success rate of these late-stage sequels.
@@JoJoJoker Frankly 4 felt like a 'back door pilot' for Shia's character to take over as that was indeed the plan-he was going to be the lead for part 5 with Indy in a supporting role and because Shia fell out with Harrison Ford and Spielberg was partly why it took so long to make.
Had this sequel chosen to bring back "Short Round" (and have him as sidekick rather than Marion Ravenwood and Henry Jones III) the latter half might have been more focused. As things stand, that half ended up being more chaotic - and 'Indy 2' was orphaned from the rest of the entries. Numerous flaws notwithstanding, it is a fun film to watch ☺📽
Some have said that Indiana Jones riding into the sunset at the end of The Last Crusade was the perfect ending for the adventurer.
Well, what I like about The Dial of Destiny, is that, like in real life, you never ride into the sunset and live happily ever after. Life goes on, and the fact that you have resolved your issues with your father doesn't mean that you won't repeat the same mistakes with your own son. And you can not go back in time to fix your mistakes.
Well put.
Calvin, you’re take is spot on. It has become an easy target for ridicule, and while it definitely has shortcomings, at the end of the day, it’s an Indiana Jones movie, and a fun watch, twinged with nostalgia. Yeah it’s the fourth best movie, but it’s still fine, warts and all.
I like how the movie mentions the Young Indy show (Indy mentions Pancho Villa who he met in the show).
Okay so I'm going to have to go back for a rewatch now... originally - yes, I thought it was awful. More recently - well I came in halfway through a TV airing over the Xmas holiday and I spent half an hour being aghast at just how bad it looked before switching channels. An Indiana Jones film should not look bad, even allowing for dated special effects! I do recall that despite everything else, Ford remained excellent, but otherwise I'm afraid I do believe you are being over generous.
Here's a tip. Watch the new 4k release of Crystal Skull. They took out the yellow filter that makes the movie look fake-ish. The whole movie looks much better now.
Easily the weakest but I do enjoy it, couldn’t agree more about the jungle chase. It really tarnished the movie.
I have always been one of those people who bashed this film from 2008 onwards but over time, I have softened on it since even tho I still don't like it as much as the original 3 movies. The things that save it for me are Harrison of course and Karen Allen as well (I disagree with you about her in this) and I'm glad that they ended up together.
Cool.
This was great even handed take. I was especially glad to hear you mention the TH-cam boom which, more than anything is what ran down this unspectacular but perfectly fine entry. I always likened it to a band you love coming back for a reunion concert. They're older and not quite in tune as they used to be. It isn't that they're bad, they just haven't done this in a while. In the end you enjoy spending time with them.
I've never thought this film was deserving of the hate it gets. Sure, it has some problems and they waited way too long to make it, but there's so much here that still works. The first half in particular is great and really feels like a classic Indy adventure. It may be my least favorite of the four, but I can still watch it and have a great time!
I agree with this review. I enjoyed the film back when it came out even though I didn't love it as much as the older films. And I remember people enjoyed it too. If you go back and look, it generally got good reviews back then. But then people started hating on it and sharing that hate online and basically rewriting history and acting like no one liked it and it was a massive flop. It is flawed in a lot of ways and I'll agree with the haters on some of the points like the CG prairie dogs or Mutt swinging like Tarzan but then other things get too much hate like the nuke scene. These people are okay with the characters jumping out of a plane with a lifeboat, landing on a mountain, sliding down the snow, falling off a cliff, landing in water, going down some rapids and being perfectly fine at the end.
I hope Indy 5 ends up being a good ending that unites the fanbase and they can all just come together and agree that the odd numbered films are the best ones and the even numbered ones are the weak ones
A great moment of cinema going was seeing this film a second time. It became a running joke how often Ray Winston changes allegiance, to the point where at the end of the movie where he once again changes sides that a guy somewhere towards the back of the cinema groaned, in a very loud local Yorkshire dialect, "Urrrh no, not again!" I didn't particularly like the film, but that one heckle made the whole thing worth it.
When I saw Quantum in the cinema and Bond rips the door handle off at the Opera someone shouted 'Should have gone to Screwfix!' which got a massive laugh from the audience.
"Swinging with monkeys could be fun." -Calvin Dyson
People: That vine swinging scene in Octopussy was just stupid.
Crystal Skull: CHECK THIS OUT!
I agree that this movie gets way more shit than it deserves, it's still an entertaining watch.
As for the fridge: Indy drank from the Grail. Last Crusade tells us that doing so grants a longer lifespan, even if you leave the temple. We can probably assume that you'd also be a bit more resilient as a result, so I can absolutely believe that Indy survived the nuke.
Not exactly. In “The Last Crusade,” the Grail Knight said “But the Grail cannot pass beyond the Great Seal. That is the boundary, and the price of immortality.” Elsa crossed the Seal with the Grail, so the longer lifespan was rendered moot.
@@CrashJakFan1994 It says at one point that the Knights who found it and returned home lived for an extremely long time. So it does work.
@Hypochrisy117 This is an incredibly good point!
@@TheHypochrisy Neither Jones Sr. or Jr. lived an extremely long time. I forgot how old senior lived by HJJ lived to be 95.
There is nothing implausible about surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator. There isn't that much penetrating radiation, you are most in danger of the heat and blast, and the fridge protects from both.
Great video Calvin! Please review "The Wicker Man" (1973) starring Christopher Lee and Britt Eckland! That film was a major influence on "The Man with the Golden Gun"!!!
"OH GOD! OH JESUS CHRRRRIST!" Yeah, that s a great movie.
Finally someone actually doesn’t obnoxiously hate this movie. I actually like it.
I love Harrison Ford, the 50s style, the aliens(yes, I like it), I 100% believe that Shia LaBeouf is Indy’s son, I love Marion Ravenwood, I love John Hurt’s performance. I’m fine with Cate Blanchett’s performance.
The only thing I don’t like I guess is the meh CGI and monkeys.
Your review takes a very objective approach, pointing out both the highs and lows of the film. I’m connected to a Indiana Jones fan group page on Facebook and needless to say, someone posted this video and some of the comments are pretty amusing. I appreciate your fresh perspective with all of your reviews, Calvin.
You were very fair there Calvin, I actually am an archaeologist, currently weighing up PhD options having just finished an archaeology Masters and without Indy I probably wouldn't have been inspired to go down this route. This film though... it literally adds nothing of value to a franchise I adore as much as Bond. You skipped the part where they decapitate Marcus Brody's statue; it's just blatantly offensive when we should have had a loving tribute instead. Part of me thinks that if the raw footage was cut together without the CGI veneer, that makes this movie look so artificial, there's probably a half decent movie in there, but it's so deeply buried it would take a team of archaeologists to unearth it! Sci-Fi was a major mistake too in my view, there are so many MacGuffins they could have chosen instead, but no, this one is certainly not for me.
The Marcus statue bit was a bizarre choice. I heard someone saying it's 'Marcus helping Indy'...which doesn't fly for me. The photo's scene was a nice touch and they should have left it there.
Before the film came out I was keeping my expectations in check. Ford was obviously much older, no Sean Connery and filmmaking had changed quite a bit in the twenty years since the last film. Under the circumstances I decided that if the film was only half good as The Last Crusade that would be good enough. I thought the film delivered in the 70 to 80 percent range so it exceeded my expectations. Is it objectively better then the other three films? No, but it's still a fun film. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a B Movie that transcended it's genre to become a classic while Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a B Movie that stayed a B Movie. I can't hate it for that.
I recently rewatched kingdom of the crystal skull and liked it a lot more than I remember liking it. Hope the new one doesn’t ignore it.
The film shluldve ended with the flying saucer landing in some random American City and Russians/Indy boarding the craft to put the Crystal Skull back on the throne. It wouldve been a more accurate tribute to 50s Sci Fi B movies and made the third act less of a dirge, but I doubt Spielberg wouldve been that enthused about it considering he'd just done War of the Worlds.
Now that you reviewed them all, would you consider doing a "reacting to every Indiana jones trailer"? Or maybe after the Indiana jones 5's trailer comes out.
It's an ugly and artifical-looking film but it has its moments. I just miss the look of the original trilogy where nearly everything looked real
It was always going to be hard to recapture the tone of the first 3 as 2008 was a very different time to the 80's in film. I have warmed to this film more as time goes on [and maybe I'm a more positive guy now than when I was teenager!] even if the gang aiding Indy [Mutt, Marion, Oxley] pale compared to Last Crusade. I do think it falls apart towards the end unfortunately but I'm cautiously looking forward to Indy 5!
To its credit, it *does* try to emulate the general attitude of the previous three movies, as in being light, colorful and breezy entertainment. No cynicism, pure escapism. It doesn't reach the heights of the Original Trilogy, but it got is heart at the right place and there still is a lot to enjoy here. And, some bits of shoddy CGI aside, I never really minded the Jungle Chase that much... but rewatching it again makes me realize how much of it was carried by John Williams excellent and energetic music.
I've had the strangest journey with this movie. I loved it when it first came out, then I kinda hated it, and the eventually ended thinking that it's okay/mostly good enough. There isn't that many good 4th movies in any franchise. Sadly this wasn't an exception.
Calvin, The Critical Drinker said that he loves your stuff a few days ago on a livestream! You two should do a video together talking about Bond, he has very different opinions from you, especially on Daniel Craig, it would make for an interesting watch! ;)
Which live stream?
Ya I’m the one who left that super chat! He should definitely do it.
Looking forward to more Indiana Jones content from you, love your take on it!
Your opinion about the movie is surprisingly similar as mine. The first half of the movie is indeed much better than the second half
Probably some of the dumbest complaints I’ve heard about this movie is that Brody and Indy’s Dad being killed off like bruh, Brody’s actor was dead and Sean Connery was retired what do you people expect them to do?
I also thought it was thematically appropriate given the movie does acknowledge Indy’s age. They straight up say that Indy’s at the point in life where things are taken away rather than given. But after this adventure, he gains a wife and a family to enjoy his twilight years with.
And that’s why Dial of Destiny from all I heard seemingly removing that makes me really irritated.
@@gameragodzilla yeah, there probably gonna do everything they can to retcon KOTCS, we already know Indy is divorced, I can guarantee their either gonna kill Mutt off offscreen or do something to fuck him
When joaquin phoenix got into his fridge I was thoroughly disappointed that when he got out he didn't meet some cgi gophers. That is why the Joker failed for me.
Have you ever seen King Solomon's Mines? (the 1985 version). Quite similar feel to the Indy films. Oh and you must check out The Fourth Protocol - Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan as a Russian agent. It was made at the same time as The Living Daylights so you get a good idea of what he would have been like as Bond a number of years earlier.
A number of years ago, I read the Indiana Jones novel INDIANA JONES AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. At the beginning of the novel, he was looking for the crystal skull (the book came out in the early 90s or so). Anyway, the unintentionally funny line happened because he couldn't get it so the narration later read as something like 'he didn't want to talk about the crystal skull...' and I thought, 'neither does most of the fan-base.'
A couple of thoughts about it
I remember a lot of people complaining about about how at the end aliens just turn up and solve everything...and seeming to forget about the end of Raiders
The second thing was being pleasantly surprised that Professor Oxley came from my home town
Overall, I'd say it's a good film spoiled by a few bad moments
100% agree--this film has always been unfairly maligned. Like you pointed out, I remember most people generally enjoying it when it came out and the reviews at the time reflect that (it still holds a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes!). I've always been surprised that over time it has gained this reputation as a dumpster fire of a movie--it's not even close!
People like to point out how ridiculous some of the things in here are, but in truth is there anything more ridiculous in here than there was in Temple of Doom? Falling from a plane in an air raft, the whole "kali ma!" ceremony... Imo Crystal Skull sits alongside Temple of Doom in the "Tier 2" of Indy movies, with Raiders and Last Crusade being the "Tier 1" movies.
Listening to fans is always an artist's first mistake.
That said, it's an OK movie, all in all.
Excellent analysis. My memory of the movie was similar to yours: it wasn't great, but it was OK. Yet it became infamous as a supposedly horrible movie, which seems a bit too extreme a judgment.
16:28 John Rhys Davis was offered the chance to play Sallah again in this film...after it had finished filming and he'd be green screened into the wedding...he naturally turned it down!
I used to have a book of George Lucas films which had Indy 4 penciled in for 2005 and Kate Capshaw's Willie instead of Marion which obviously changed.
Yeah I remember watching this one with my brother, my mother, my grandmother and my then neighbour at the time and at least found some worth in it despite none of us actually viewing it as a good film per say.
The fact that my first viewing of this film is associated with my grandmother makes it worth something.
Can you do a trailer reaction for the dial of destiny ?
I look at this film as the "Batman Forever" of Indiana Jones. It's not bad, it's not good but I'd watch it for the fun of it.
I've always liked the concepts and ideas that went into this movie. But they were all terribly executed.
Indy having a son? Great. Reuniting with Marion? Yeah! Even the aliens as a nod to scifi serials from the 50s has always sounded appealing to me!
But a bad script, bad lighting and even worse special effects? It sadly derailed.
I just wish the film didn’t feel so set-bound and reliant on digital effects. I think it speaks volumes that the best set-piece in the movie by far, from composition and choreography to the actual stunt work, is the motorcycle chase around the college campus. That was the one time where I felt like I was watching a real Indiana Jones sequel.
I like how the consensus is becoming that this movie gets WAY too much shit.
I'm a huge fan of the style of digital filmmaking and certain type of CGI looking shots that are prevalent in the Star wars prequel trilogy and in Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal skull. It's a shame that for fans like me who love what was done in all four of those particular movies that we really don't get that exact type of stuff much anymore because people acted like it wasn't very good but there are people who love it. The prequel films on Blu-ray or even 4K disc on screen look absolutely mind blowing awesome almost it with every single scene that changes it's beautiful everywhere you look.
you have a great channel keep up the good work. hope you get billions of subscibers
Great video. I have to admit I have never given this film much time since seeing it at the cinema. Your review has prompted me to want to see it again.
For me, I LOVE Raiders and Last Crusade, and it is a franchise that I still think should have been left alone. Sometimes the hype can be so much that it is natural to pick faults.
I once read that Connery was offered a part, but would only come out of retirement if the script was good…but that might just be the internet
The wedding scene at the end 'kind of' looks like the same church used in the Muppet movie, when Kermit married Miss Piggy. I used to work for the Muppets, during that time. Tho the church really does remind me of the Muppet wedding church, I can assure you that 'that' church was all artificially made (over in Queens) and then torn down immediately after shooting was completed (and Kermit got hitched).
Having rewatched it multiple times, I'm convinced half the movie is a masterpiece. I quite like the opening (fridge obviously withstanding), the trip to Mexico, the pursuit to Oreanna's cradle (which is phenomenal), the camp scene where indy works out the location, the entering of the actual kingdom itself and the meeting of the interdimensionals. It goes completey off the rails from the jungle chase scene onwards, only partly picking back up in the aforementioned end scene.
I do think the film would be an out and out star is they ever so slightly tweaked certain facets of the plot. Specifically, I think there's a fascinating, but conpletey unexplored theme of the similarity of Blanchetts character and Indy. They're both scientists at heart, fascinated by ancient secrets, have dabble in the paranormal, are ruthlessly efficent and tactically brilliant, both were on the same side at least one point (during WW2), and in the campfire scene, when you can see both of them working together to deciper the meanings of the map in a genuine spirit of scientific interest, using their combined intellects, you can genuinely see how in another life they probably would have been friends. I wish they'd done more with, explore her character more. How did a woman in soviet Russia during the 50s become so powerful? What was her fascination with the paranormal? How did she manage to get a whole section of the soviet political system to agree with her crazy plans? There's a level of potential resourcefulness and cunning hinted behind it all which is never explored. Plus, i would have liked if it they'd almost implied that by the end, she may have gone beyond her crude West-Easr Cold War antipathies to bone more focused on transcending humanity *entirely*. Perhaps there's a genuine ideological commitment there, believing that humanity becoming a collective hive mind would be more beneficial for progress and technology than the crude, individualist capitalist ethos. Then there could be an ideological conflict between her and Indy, making the patent affinities between them seem all the more tragic.
I like the film, it’s Indiana Jones. He’s older now, of course, but the concept of his character, it is perfectly believable for me. It was a fun film, and that’s what movies are about. Kate Blanchant is incredible in this , just as she was in Thor Ragnarok. Her Spalko best Indy villian by far, and Hela is one of best Marvel villains with Loki, Killmonger, and Wenwu( the real Mandarin).
This isn't actually that bad of a film. I remember seeing it with a friend and...I loved it. Also the ps3 lego game is really enjoyable.
I will never stop defending this movie, and personally I prefer it over Last Crusade. It has some interesting ideas, a nice time setting and a lot of fun moments. It entertains me just as much as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom.
Spot on review.
Disjointed and the visual effects hurt more than help.
And like Bond I love them all!
I don't think that Crystal Skull was a bad film. The problem I have with the film is that I think Spielberg was not so invested in the movie and it feels like a big-budget tv movie.
My idea for Indiana Jones 5 would be to have it be a prequel to KOTCS set in 1955, Indy's sidekicks are Mac, and a female KGB agent who get stranded on this island off the coast of Indonesia and they have to battle an army of cannibals engaged in black magic over the remains of Buddha. It would have provided a chance for them to flesh out Indy and Mac's relationship, it would have explained how Mac was corrupted by the Soviets and why the US government was suspicious that Indy was indeed working for the Russians in KOTCS
I have always had a fondness for this movie
Something that really sticks out and it has always bothered me, and its demonstrated in your review when you cut back to the original trilogy, is Crystal Skull's cinematography. Janusz Kamiński is a talented DP and his work on Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan is great, but often times I find the look of recent Spielberg movies as over-lit, especially compared to the work of original Indy cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (who also did Never Say Never Again but we won't hold that against him). There was something naturally about how Slocombe photographed the trilogy.
I was up for this but can't say you've convinced me. You yourself say the film falls off a cliff in the second half and it never really recovers. While it's not unwatchable or anything it definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth and feels out of place alongside the others. Plus the cinematography and lighting is really fucking weird.
This one is certainly the most Lucas-y of the series, especially in its pronounced emphasis on 50s pulp nostalgia and plastic digital images over practical craftsmanship, and that's probably why people hate it so much. I really like it for that reason, though - it has no intention of being "real" and is instead content to be grandiose synthetic fantasy in the same way the Star Wars prequels are. And considering that the Indy films have typically favoured fun absurdism over grounded realism, I don't think those intentions were particularly misplaced. Indeed, I've never understood the labelling of CGI films like this as "too fake" knowing that the genres they almost always inhabit are inherently artificial and unrealistic.
Yay! I’ve been really looking forward to this, thank you Calvin! I really wish Henry Jones was in the film, but on the other hand I do like that Indy has a different sort of ally in every film. I am happy that we get some closure with Marion, as in my opinion she is definitely the best woman in the series. Crystal Skull definitely isn’t bad, it’s just the the previous three are all superior to it
Finally, a review with some original thoughts and opinions. Well done
Back in the day, I for one didn't wait for TH-cam to tell me what to think of that piece of garbage. I stormed out of the theater feeling angry, robbed and slightly depressed. But hey, we still have three wonderful movies to enjoy out of four! Great video as always!
Recommend you do a review of Romancing the Stone, and Jewel of the Nile next.
Mark my words, in 2023 the Dial of Destiny will be so bad it’ll make this movie look like a true masterpiece.
I'm from the future. You were right.
While this film definitely does have its issues, the Mac subplot could have been better handled and I’m no fan of Shia LeBeouf, I always felt that people were way too mean to this movie for little good reason.
Sure it definitely pushed certain things from the original trilogy too far from Indy miraculous survivals resulting in nuking the fridge and pushing the boundaries of SFX giving us all the bad CGI.
However it’s as much a throwback to classic genre and adventure serials as any other of the other films in the trilogy.
While a lack of Sean Connery certainly hurts the movie, though I shudder at the thought that he basically would’ve been the Locksley character, you hit the nail on the head about the CGI. It looks bad. I don’t know if it was intentional, but the first Transformers movie was released the year before and the CGI looked amazing and realistic. Here, everything has a plastic sheen that makes it all look fake. Again, that may have been the intention, maybe to give it that B-movie feel, but it would’ve been better if they made the effects looks like practical effects, thereby giving it more believability. Even if they looked like bad practical effects, it would’ve gone a long way in improving the overall believability of the scenes. It’s easily my biggest issue with the movie.
The other issue is that it took way too long to make. With the exceptions of Rambo, Live Free or Die Hard, Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick, most sequels that take more than a decade to make end up being weighed down by fan and audience expectations and almost always fall short. If it had been made in the 90s or even the early 2000s, the expectations would’ve been high, but not as high as they were making a sequel a full nineteen years later. Plus, there’d be more practical effects and a better likelihood of Sean Connery returning.
With that in mind, there are some good aspects to the movie. The production design, cinematography, music and most of the acting, especially from Ford, are first-rate and I’ll give them credit for trying something different and believable with the 50s setting and sci-fi/action/B-movie sensibilities. It’s just hard to top the Holy Grail, much less having the next MacGuffin being an alien skull and civilization. But, again, at least they tried.
As it is, it isn’t bad but, much like The Godfather Part III and George Lucas’ own Star Wars prequels, it doesn’t measure up to what came before.
Bearing all this in mind, I have absolutely no intention of watching Dial of Destiny. At least not paying for it. I love Harrison Ford as Indy, but without Spielberg and Lucas in charge, it would fall tremendously short, which it seems to have by all accounts.
Anyway, more classic action reviews would be great. Maybe Rambo, Lethal Weapon or Die Hard, perhaps?
Thanks for sharing these thoughts! Really enjoyed reading this comment and quite agree with you concerning fan expectations. Had it come out in the late 90s it would have been a very different and perhaps more friendly environment for it to be released. And thanks for the suggestions too! I think looking at other action film series is a great idea.
"Knowledge, that was the Treasure the whole Time." That might be that laziest, most half assed bit of writing in Cinema History. And THAT is the number 1 prob with this Trainwreck of a film. Steven and George weren't trying. they knew it was gonna be a blockbuster and they just phoned it in.
"A trilogy of great movies and a free drinks coaster" 🤣🤣🤣
Seriously though, while I don't rate it as much as the others, and The Last Crusade is my favourite and unlikely to be replaced, it's not that bad
The Wedding scene at the End makes it worth it for me.
Please make "The Adventures of Tintin" review!!!
0:56 "Starting the ball rolling ..." again?!? Ohhhhhhh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho.
I will always love Indiana Jones regardless of how the film was received. Harrison is still in top form here as Indy after a 20 year absence from LC to this film. I even love how they reference the Young Indiana Jones series when he tells Mutt that he rode with Pancho Villa after being kidnapped by his men roughly 40 yrs earlier (see Spring Break Adventure - March 1916)
Krystal Skull was my introduction to the franchise and honestly its been my favorite one ever since