Mark Vader Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 After 19 years of waiting, Dr. Jones is back on the big screen. I'll be seeing it tonight. Anyone else seeing it today or this weekend. Leave your reviews here.
MavBavButav Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=66510
UB2SF Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I saw the movie on Sunday. My wife works for Lucasfilm and there was a sneak-preview premiere for employees here in the Bay Area, followed by a private party. What the heck -- I might as well provide a brief review of the movie AND the party. I think the movie is going to be a huge hit among people who liked the original Indy films, but I don't think it will get traction with teens and young adults who weren't around for the first three installations in the series. As an <ahem> older person myself, the movie felt pleasingly familiar from the very first scenes. Harrison Ford is great, and seems way more comfortable in this role than he has in any other action movies since the third Indy film. Translation: IMHO, he's better as Indy and Han Solo than in any other action-star roles. The dialogue was witty, the performances by the other actors in the cast, espeially Shia Labouef (sp?), were solid, the score by John Williams was rousing, and the action sequences were exciting. Just as the positives were throwbacks to the earlier Indy films, the negatives were too. My biggest problem with Crystal Skull, just like with the earlier films, was the constant requirement to suspend disbelief. And I'm not talking about suspending disbelief about ancient tombs or paranormal forces; I'm talking about suspending disbelief about basic human nature and basic laws of physics. Every action sequence is way too long, primarily because of the dumb things the characters choose to do (or not to do) and because the physical laws of the universe just don't apply. The first thing I said to my wife when the lights came up was, "My disbelief suspenders are exhausted!" So, from my perspective, I found the movie very entertaining but it verged on insulting the intelligence of the audience one too many times. And that's one of the reasons I think the younger crowd might reject the movie -- we older folks are used to a different era of Hollywood when suspension of disbelief carried over to incredibly poor special effects (think Godzilla, as the obvious guy in a lizard suit), whereas "kids these days" have been trained to accept only the best and most believable movie effects. The private party afterward was quite the scene. None of the luminaries were there (the actors, Lucas, Spielberg) because they were all at the Cannes premier, which was the same day. But nonetheless, it was highly enjoyable because the Lucasfilm art and props departments re-created a number of sets from the movie inside the convention hall. The funny part was the secrecy around the crystal skulls themselves. Apparently, Spielberg is quite the stickler about preventing people from spilling the beans about the nature/origin/role of the skulls. At the party, guests were able to take pictures of whatever they wanted, except for a special gated exhibit showing the set from the climactic scene of the movie, featuring the skulls. Guards were literally checking people for cameras (even cell phone cameras) outside this one exhibit. Too much! But as a loyal member of the Lucasfilm family, I won't spill the beans here either. Phew -- I think this is the longest post I've ever written on TBD!
stuckincincy Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I saw the Indie flick "Starting Out In the Evening" this past weekend. They showed a preview - with Indy (I think) and somebody else scooting away on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Product placement, anyone?...
plenzmd1 Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I saw the Indie flick "Starting Out In the Evening" this past weekend. They showed a preview - with Indy (I think) and somebody else scooting away on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Product placement, anyone?... Cinci, how do you feel about movies have sound now a days? Those captions were much better and the actors had to work a lillte hard to convery emotions, but damnit it was worth it I think the movie is going to be a huge hit among people who liked the original Indy films, but I don't think it will get traction with teens and young adults who weren't around for the first three installations in the series. Can't speak for teenagers, but my 9 and 7 year olds can't wait to go see this. They loved the first three, and they are fairly fresh in their memory as we just bought the box set about 3 months ago. I really think this movie is going to kill at the box office, as I think it will appeal to every segment of the movie going public except those 5 and younger.
shrader Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 Can't speak for teenagers, but my 9 and 7 year olds can't wait to go see this. They loved the first three, and they are fairly fresh in their memory as we just bought the box set about 3 months ago. I really think this movie is going to kill at the box office, as I think it will appeal to every segment of the movie going public except those 5 and younger. I don't know how much kids at 7 and 9 see on tv/movies, but how did your kids react to the endings for Raiders and Last Crusade? Compared to all the crazy effects in today's movies, the nazis melting and Donovan's rapid aging look pretty cheesey.
plenzmd1 Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I don't know how much kids at 7 and 9 see on tv/movies, but how did your kids react to the endings for Raiders and Last Crusade? Compared to all the crazy effects in today's movies, the nazis melting and Donovan's rapid aging look pretty cheesey. They are prolly just a tad young to be critical . Give three years, and things may be different, but they loved all three of the movies. Truth be told, they talk more about monkey brains than anything else from the movies. BTW, we rented Jurassic Park the other day as the 7 yr old had seen pieces of it. I can tell that the effects in it were real enough to them that they were burying their little heads under the blanket some times. They knew was just a movie and just effects, but real enough to them to get them a little scared.
VOR Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 Just as the positives were throwbacks to the earlier Indy films, the negatives were too. My biggest problem with Crystal Skull, just like with the earlier films, was the constant requirement to suspend disbelief. And I'm not talking about suspending disbelief about ancient tombs or paranormal forces; I'm talking about suspending disbelief about basic human nature and basic laws of physics. Every action sequence is way too long, primarily because of the dumb things the characters choose to do (or not to do) and because the physical laws of the universe just don't apply. The first thing I said to my wife when the lights came up was, "My disbelief suspenders are exhausted!" I didn't find that "Raiders" or "Last Crusade" were outlandish, but "Temple of Doom" was truly insulting and pure crap. If this is on that order, I might have to wait to see it.
stuckincincy Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 Cinci, how do you feel about movies have sound now a days? Those captions were much better and the actors had to work a lillte hard to convery emotions, but damnit it was worth it Can't say...but the captions were of proper grammatical construction, and properly spelled. What's going on plenz? You are firing off shots out of character, and your spelling skill has fallen utterly into the toilet for the past few days. Give up the quit, and by yerself a pack of cigs!
GoodBye Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 I'm gonna skip out of work and go see this tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait!
Buftex Posted May 22, 2008 Posted May 22, 2008 Can't speak for teenagers, but my 9 and 7 year olds can't wait to go see this. They loved the first three, and they are fairly fresh in their memory as we just bought the box set about 3 months ago. I really think this movie is going to kill at the box office, as I think it will appeal to every segment of the movie going public except those 5 and younger. Well, there is that theory, that the older we get physically, the younger we get mentally!
Mantis Toboggan M.D Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Just got back from watching it. It was alright, it was actually a fun movie. I was a huge fan of the first three. I honestly think Harrison Ford could have carried this film by himself like the Raiders. I know in the 2nd one he had an entourage with Shorty and in the third one he had Sean Connery, but i thought Shia LeBeouf was an annoying character and i hope to god they do not make a spinoff off of him. He couldn't carry indy's jock strap.
Fan in San Diego Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 I saw the movie on Sunday. My wife works for Lucasfilm and there was a sneak-preview premiere for employees here in the Bay Area, followed by a private party. What the heck -- I might as well provide a brief review of the movie AND the party. I think the movie is going to be a huge hit among people who liked the original Indy films, but I don't think it will get traction with teens and young adults who weren't around for the first three installations in the series. As an <ahem> older person myself, the movie felt pleasingly familiar from the very first scenes. Harrison Ford is great, and seems way more comfortable in this role than he has in any other action movies since the third Indy film. Translation: IMHO, he's better as Indy and Han Solo than in any other action-star roles. The dialogue was witty, the performances by the other actors in the cast, espeially Shia Labouef (sp?), were solid, the score by John Williams was rousing, and the action sequences were exciting. Just as the positives were throwbacks to the earlier Indy films, the negatives were too. My biggest problem with Crystal Skull, just like with the earlier films, was the constant requirement to suspend disbelief. And I'm not talking about suspending disbelief about ancient tombs or paranormal forces; I'm talking about suspending disbelief about basic human nature and basic laws of physics. Every action sequence is way too long, primarily because of the dumb things the characters choose to do (or not to do) and because the physical laws of the universe just don't apply. The first thing I said to my wife when the lights came up was, "My disbelief suspenders are exhausted!" So, from my perspective, I found the movie very entertaining but it verged on insulting the intelligence of the audience one too many times. And that's one of the reasons I think the younger crowd might reject the movie -- we older folks are used to a different era of Hollywood when suspension of disbelief carried over to incredibly poor special effects (think Godzilla, as the obvious guy in a lizard suit), whereas "kids these days" have been trained to accept only the best and most believable movie effects. The private party afterward was quite the scene. None of the luminaries were there (the actors, Lucas, Spielberg) because they were all at the Cannes premier, which was the same day. But nonetheless, it was highly enjoyable because the Lucasfilm art and props departments re-created a number of sets from the movie inside the convention hall. The funny part was the secrecy around the crystal skulls themselves. Apparently, Spielberg is quite the stickler about preventing people from spilling the beans about the nature/origin/role of the skulls. At the party, guests were able to take pictures of whatever they wanted, except for a special gated exhibit showing the set from the climactic scene of the movie, featuring the skulls. Guards were literally checking people for cameras (even cell phone cameras) outside this one exhibit. Too much! But as a loyal member of the Lucasfilm family, I won't spill the beans here either. Phew -- I think this is the longest post I've ever written on TBD! And transformers didn't push the suspended belief limit ?
RayFinkle Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 Just got back from watching it. It was alright, it was actually a fun movie. I was a huge fan of the first three. I honestly think Harrison Ford could have carried this film by himself like the Raiders. I know in the 2nd one he had an entourage with Shorty and in the third one he had Sean Connery, but i thought Shia LeBeouf was an annoying character and i hope to god they do not make a spinoff off of him. He couldn't carry indy's jock strap. Agreed. When I saw his face in the previews, I was extremely disappointed. Why do all the cool movies now need a "young comic relief character" to team up with the aging action star. They did the same thing to Die Hard 4. I was actually hoping the terrorists would kill the mac kid so I could watch John McClane kick ass in peace.
Mantis Toboggan M.D Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 And transformers didn't push the suspended belief limit ? Transformers was carried by Megan Fox's not so great acting skills, her incredibly hot body/face. Transformers was a fun movie i would watch once... maybe twice... and then not again for 10 years.
Fewell733 Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 whatever you do, don't go in with very high expectations - cause it won't live up to them. I went in assuming the absolute worst, like Star Wars prequels worst, and therefore wasn't too disappointed. There is some terrible dialogue early and some stupid CGI later (CGI should be limited as much as possible imo, it looks crappy). I watched the first three over the last week or so - this one clearly isn't near the level of Crusade or Raiders, but I think its probably a little better than Temple of Doom (which isn't necessarily saying that much - the movie was shoddily made, and if you disagree I suggest watching it again, its a poorly made film). I didn't mind LaBeouf's (whatever his name is) character at all and thought actually he was one of the better characters in the movie. I liked Karen Allen's return. Mac was pointless. The villain Russians weren't quite menacing enough. The story is more than a little silly. There's some great scenes though, which I won't ruin for anyone that hasn't seen it yet. It's enjoyable, just don't go in with really high expectations.
UB2SF Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 And transformers didn't push the suspended belief limit ? Nope, cuz I didn't see it
Danh Posted May 23, 2008 Posted May 23, 2008 I'll be seeing it Monday. I'll be wearing my fedora and carrying a whip. My kids went to see the midnight show Wednesday. Said it gets a little far fetched at the end. I didn't ask for details.
Reed83HOF Posted May 24, 2008 Posted May 24, 2008 Now I feel how the kids on south park felt when they went after Mel Gibson and wanted their money back. WTF? What a waste of $17.50 and two hours of my life when I could have been sticking ice picks in my eyes... Indy & Aliens? Ugh...they might have well as put Jar-Jar Binks in this move too
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