#Indiana jones franchise

[stuckasmain]

My favorite part of Temple of doom is how perfectly Shortie has indianas stict down. When he fights he copy’s him almost perfectly, he knows what and when and how. He knows the morals of everything too. It’s a shame we don’t get to see him (or even hear about him)in later movies. He loves Indy so much, that’s his dad man 😭

[ljones41]

"INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" (2008) Review

"INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" (2008) Review As much as I enjoyed the last installment of the INDIANA JONES saga - 2008's "KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL", I had found myself perplexed by it. There was something about its tone that did not strike a similar chord, in compare to the other three movies. It took a second viewing of the movie for me to understand not only the movie’s story, but its entire atmosphere. And it had a lot to do with its setting.

"INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" is set in 1957. In the movie, Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) leads a convoy of Soviet troops, dressed as American soldiers on a mission to infiltrate a military base in the Nevada desert called "Hangar 51". Spalko and her men force Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) to lead them to a crate holding the remains of an extraterrestrial creature that crashed ten years before in Roswell, New Mexico. When Jones attempts to escape, he is foiled by his old partner, George "Mac" McHale (Ray Winstone), who reveals that he is working with the Soviets. Jones then escapes on a rocket sled into the desert, where he stumbles upon a nuclear test town and survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator. While being debriefed, Jones discovers he is under FBI investigation because his friend Mac is a Soviet agent. Jones returns to Marshall College, where he is offered a leave of absence to avoid being fired because of the investigation. As he is leaving, Jones is stopped by Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) and told that his old colleague, Harold Oxley (John Hurt), disappeared after discovering a crystal skull in Peru. Like 2007's ”LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD”, I had harbored some serious doubts on whether George Lucas and Steven Spielberg could relive the old magic of their previous three Indiana Jones adventures of the 1980s. Needless to say, my fears proved to be groundless. Like the Bruce Willis movie, this fourth installment ended up being very entertaining. And although it had some of the old magic of ”RAIDERS”, ”TEMPLE OF DOOM” and ”LAST CRUSADE”, it had a tone that made it different than the other three. It took a movie review by someone named Lazypadawan and a second viewing of the movie to not only notice the difference, but to eventually appreciate it. The main problem I originally had with ”CRYSTAL SKULL” was the presence of a spaceship at the end of the story. The City of Gold that Indy, Spalko, Oxley and others wanted to find, ended up with something to do with . . . inter-dimensional beings. One might as well call them aliens by the look of them. Or it. This is something that has never been seen in an Indiana Jones film before. And of course it has not. The other three movies had been set in the 1930s. It would be only natural that they had a feel of a 30s B-serial adventure. But I had made the mistake of expecting a 1930s serial adventure in a story set in the late 1950s. What I should have realized – and what Lazypadawan had pointed out in her review – was that ”KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL” was not supposed to be a 30s serial adventure set in the 1950s. It was supposed to be a send up of the 1950s “B” movies. And what are the elements of a “B” movie from the 1950s? Here are just a few: *atomic power *the presence of Soviet troops or spies *science fiction *horror *hybrid of science fiction and horror *conflicts between biker hoods and high school/college jocks *the “Red” scare *Soviet (and American) interests in psychic paranormal activities and UFOs ”KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL” had most, if not all elements in the film. I had just read a review in which someone had complained that the movie seemed like a rip-off of a cheesy B-movie. I had made that same mistake when I saw the spaceship sequence near the end of the movie. But now I know better. Lucas and Spielberg had every intention of the movie being a "rip-off" of 1950s B-movies. Like I had said before, it would only make sense. Someone else had mentioned that Harrison Ford had not seemed this animated in years. I am not surprised. Indiana Jones had always been among his favorite characters. And it really showed in his performance. It is also nice to see that after 27 years, his chemistry with Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood) seemed as strong as ever. By the way, she was great - charismatic and spunky as ever. More importantly, she seemed to have some of the better lines in the film. And I was very impressed by Shia LaBeouf as Marion and Indy’s love child – Mutt Williams aka Henry Jones III. As much as I liked his performance in ”TRANSFORMERS”, I have always thought it seemed a bit too frantic for my tastes. I much preferred role as Henry III (I’m sorry, but I cannot bring myself to say – let alone write – “Mutt”). Like Ford, I could tell that Cate Blanchett really enjoyed her role as the villainous Soviet Colonel-Doctor Spalko. She was as obsessive and ruthless as the past Indy villains. But Blanchett’s performance had a verve and theatricality I have not seen since Amrish Puri’s portrayal of Mola Ram in ”THE TEMPLE OF DOOM”. And John Hurt filled Denholm Elliot’s role as friend/mentor of the Jones family quite beautifully. But unlike Marcus Brody, Harold Oxley had a good reason for his loopy behavior. I also enjoyed Ray Winstone's performance as Indy's treacherous old friend and colleague, McHale. In a way, he reminded me of the Elsa Schneider character in "LAST CRUSADE". But as much as I like Alison Doody, I must say that Winstone's take on a very morally ambiguous character had been handled with more skill. Is there anything about ”KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL” that I disliked? Well, I was not impressed by John Williams’ score. There was nothing original or memorable about it, aside from moments of the old Indy theme being rehashed. Rather disappointing. Nor was I fond of the movie’s heavy-handed style of action and special effects. However, I could honestly complain about the same in regard to the other three films. But the one thing that really irritated me was the sequence featuring the villain’s defeat/destruction. In the end, it was not Indy who defeated the villain or set her destruction in motion. It was the inter-dimensional being. This is the one major fault I have noticed in two other Indiana Jones films. And it tends to give the films - at least in my eyes - an anticlimatic feeling that I find disappointing. In ”RAIDERS”, the opening of the Ark of the Covenant set in motion Belloq and the Nazis’ deaths. Both Indy and Marion were tied to a pole, unable to do anything except keep their eyes closed. In ”THE LAST CRUSADE”, Elsa Schneider turned out to be responsible for the main villain’s death and the destruction of his men through her handling of the Grail Cup. Perhaps Lucas and Spielberg were trying to convey some message about humans being too arrogant to take heed of things/beings that are more powerful or more evolved than mankind. But that same message had been conveyed in ”TEMPLE OF DOOM”. Only in that particular movie, it was Indy’s actions – invoking the power of Shiva with the Sanakara stone – that led to Mola Ram’s destruction. Perhaps this is why I have always found the 1984 movie’s ending a lot more impressive than those of the other three movies. But despite my initial confusion on what Lucas and Spielberg were doing with the movie’s 1950s theme, along with my disappointment of the score and the handling of the villain’s defeat, I found ”KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL” very enjoyable. It was great to see Indiana Jones back in action, again. And even more satisfying was his marriage to his lady love, Marion Ravenwood, in the end. After 30 odd years, those two finally got it right.

[fortunaegloria]

Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992) dir. Phillip Noyce (2/2)

[lacebird]

INDIANA JONES & THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023)

[beesqvp]

I OPENED TUMBLR LIKE 20 MINUTES AFTER WAKING UP BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF NOTIFS AND THIS IS WHAT I SEE

@blaineskindagay THANKS FOR THE SPAM BUT WHAT WERE U EVEN DOING THAT FAR ON MY PAGE ARE U PLANNING TO INAVDE MY HOUSE OR SOMETHING

[alpaca-clouds]

It is not "Superhero Fatigue"

Okay, let me quick rant about something that is bugging me a lot lately. There is a lot of talk about "Superhero Fatigue" going around for years now, but especially this year with both DCU movies not breaking 300k at the international box office and even with Marvel the only movie that actually did really well was Guardians of the Galaxy, aka the movie that is the least "superhero" out of all the Marvel movies.

Buuuuuut... Honestly I do not think it is Superhero Fatigue. I think it is "Franchise Fatigue".

Let me explain.

First of all let me say: I am not really a fan of the MCU. There are some movies in there near and dear to my heart (like the Guardians movies), but all in all I am too much of an anarchist to like those movies. Meanwhile DC has put out some of my favorite stuff of the last few years... But also those absolute duds like The Flash lol

But I do not think it is superheroes. Because... The Superhero movies were not the only ones that underperformed in the box office. The new Transformers movie underperformed, so did Indiana Jones and the new Mission Impossible.

In general studios have so often recently staggered to understand, why one certain movie did good and another did bad.

And I think part of it is just... Franchise fatigue. I think a lot of people are just not interested in the bajillionth sequel to some franchise. People are ready and willing to watch some new movies. I mean, while the Barbie movie was attached to an existing IP, it was not a franchise movie and it did phenomanally well.

See, the issue in recent times is, that the studios are a) all chasing the MCU, trying to make their own MCU, without understanding what made the MCU work (tbh, I doubt by now that even Marvel understands this), and b) think the only way to make money is existing IPs.

But here is the thing. A lot of those existing IPs started off as original movies. Not even ones based on something else. Star Wars, Indiana Jones or even the Fast & Furious movies were once original IPs, that someone took a shot with.

But as things are going right now, there is just not gonna be another Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Fast & Furious, because the studios do not want to invest into new ideas. They do not want to invest in something risky. Or rather into something that in their mind is risky.

So, instead they invest into those existing franchises, not even caring when those movies stop making back their money (at the box office, that is).

To me, there is a reason, why I am watching a lot of Indie movies lately. Because those movies might at times only have a budget of 30 million - but they do original shit. And god, I am here for it

[templeofgloom]

Well, the worst thing was that the Antikythera could only go to the siege of Syracuse. It would've been better if it actually worked like they thought. Then they could also have fought across time. Maybe then the storyline about Indy's grief about Mutt could also have gone somewhere? He could have failed to save Mutt, or something could've meant he can't try (Antikythera overuse bad, for the user, the device, or reality???)... I don't know.

Sallah and/or Marion could've been in it more. Maybe Sallah should have come with Indy and perhaps have been killed by Voller, instead of that random new guy introduced as Indy's old friend? Or would that be a bad idea?

(I've seen some people saying Indy should've gotten to stay in the past, but i wouldn't do that because he would propably have died soon from his battle wounds because ancient medicine sucked. Also not sure what i'd do with Marion then, i can't just ignore her in this)

I think Marion being pretty absent is a pretty big issue overall since we don't get her POV. But given how I wasn't that big of a fan of how Indy/Marion was written in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull either...

I actually think the way they included time travel was smart and fitting for the franchise. The supernatural elements in the IJ movies are beyond human control and the actual plot is always more about Indy's character arc than actually having to save the world; The mechanism actually being just a trick that was always gonna be useless to the Nazis and that is related to a mystical phenomenon we don't get a clear rules for fits for an Indy movie.

Having more free time travel could work well in a fic but not in an actual Indiana Jones movie.

Indy's arc makes sense to me. It's literally him being dragged to reconcile with Marion after realizing you can't dwell in the past. You can make the argument he should have been more active but it worked for me.

[geminiagentgreen]

I sometimes think that Lucasfilm ought to just have their flagships rebooted, but I can't decide if I'd prefer soft or hard.

Then I think it's all a moot point so long as Disney still owns them and Kennedy is in charge.

[stuckasmain]

What do Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal skull have in common? More than you think.

I recently did a marathon of all four  previous movies in preparation to see the fifth. While rewatching a surprising similarity between these two films popped into my mind, to my knowledge they’re also the two worst received of the four.

Before I go on to explain this similarity I want to point out that I think Crystal skull and dial of destiny both got so much pushback and hate out of the gate purely from how much time it’s been. Crusade to Crystal skull was a 19 year gap and Skull to dial was 15 years. That is a hell of a lot of time to build up a movie and an idea in your head to the point nothing you’re given is satisfying! Also broadly people who aren’t as into the movies sort of forget that the movies were always a bit cheesy and campy? They’re made in the style of old adventure movies that’s sort of the point! Yet when people see a bit of cheese now they loose their minds. This is not a argument against actual well made criticism, just food for thought.

Too big, now what?

Despite temple of doom being a prequel to Raiders the movie cranks up all elements to eleven. Bigger, longer, more shock! More thrill! It’s not the longest film in the franchise (that belongs to dial of destiny because It’s a modern film and their generally averaging at two hours). But to me it feels like the longest, I think this is due to them dragging out fight scenes to the longest they possibly can. Crystal skull also has this problem where the movie drags out it’s action scenes to the extent you’re over it half way through only to  immediately toss you into a chase if not another fight. They forget at their core Indiana Jones movies are more about character connections and adventure- traps, conversations etc. While yes these films still do have character work and a story to them it feels like they take the way side to the action - as the elaborate chases and fights had taken priority over the actual story of the movie. (The chase complaint can also be said for Dial or destiny as it’s 70% chase scene/car chase that go on a minute too long).

But hey! Need to pad out that run time somehow, right?

Cgi is a fun killer

This pertains purely to Crystal skull but the amount of CG in this movie compared to physical set and effects is honestly laughable. Part of the reason this movie sticks out like a sore thumb is the main jungle portion of the film as it is the fakest shit I’ve seen in my life I’m sorry. It also sticks out so bad as Indy is a franchise known and beloved for huge crammed sets and miniatures that absorb you into the universe, it’s grain and dust are what make the franchise! It’s about physical grit and real sets. Kingdom of doom set to the usual Spielberg/Lucas miniatures and insanely detailed set moments.

It’s a newer movie and it SHOWS. The shots are to clean, the camera is too high Def, the world has no dust or dirt to it what so ever. It’s like when they make movies set in the 80s and it feels wrong because there’s no fuzz and it’s too neat looking- none of that old movie feel. They very much have access to filters and fake dirt I’m sorry… that being said I’m not asking for real man eating giant ants but just that this film in particular relies a bit to heavily on CGI when it’s made by guys known for the opposite.

The successor

Shorty is a particular stand out in his movie, he’s a adorable, hilarious and beloved sidekick who is a bright spot compared to the movies love interest. He’s like a son to Indy and years down the line there’s a older, still wisecracking son who gets the exact opposite treatment. He’s so negatively received in fact, we never see him again. Why? I might be in the minority here but I like mutt, especially after finally rewatching Crystal skull and realizing…it’s actually not that bad.

Now comparing the two is being mean to mutt as a character who, on the surface really shouldn’t have gotten the hate he has. Tough greaser who rejects learning and attempts to be cool only for him to actually be extremely interested in the stuff he scoffs at and very emotionally vulnerable. To me Shia sold it too, maybe it’s because he’s just freshly introduced out of nowhere but honestly… think about it. Indy and Marion sleep together at least twice during and in the short period together after Raiders. He leaves. It’s the 30s and there’s not exactly protection in the middle of nowhere, honestly It’d be more shocking if they didn’t have a surprise kid… I mean come on!

I think the hate this character gets is more of a “how dare you stand where he stood” than any actual character critique but I digress. The real comparison of characters is between him and a certain blonde (which is a post coming soon!”

* also before anyone gets onto me , I still think aliens are a fucking wild thing for them to go for especially when the last movies were based in historical founding and cultural respect. I’m fine with their being something other than God/Gods power but I think when really does the movie in is them SHOWING the alien. Everything else sans the cgi was relatively solid and tied together in a “okay, I’ll follow” way but personally I would’ve kept it a mist or a just out of frame “this creature cannot be perceived” way than shown head on.

[msclaritea]

Why I won't be watching Captain America. Disney should have recast, when they had the chance, unless this is what they want to push. The Gay Mafia wants to see this perversion onscreen. The rest of the world doesn't.

[imwritesometimes]

I do not understand any of the chatter abt this story being 'undeserving' of Indy or whatever like. it was so good. truly like... as a continuation of the story of this (fictional) man. to say goodbye to this franchise. it was just. it felt like such a beautiful goodbye to this beloved (fictional) man and respectful tbh of all the movies before and all the love that was there for them and the whole history of who Indy was. and who he became as we watched him go on these adventures and 🥰🥹

[fortunaegloria]

Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992) dir. Phillip Noyce (1/2)

[canonicallysoulmates]

I thought people were exaggerating about the last Indiana Jones movie being bad, or that maybe they were being too harsh in their criticism but now that I've seen it, I get it. It had good moments but the writing could have been better, for example, and I feel like this is going to be so unpopular, the ending didn't feel earned. The reason Indy almost lost his marriage was because he was consumed with his grief over losing his son and I just don't feel like the story properly explored this, we don't see him process his grief or go through a journey mentally or emotionally that leaves him in a more hopeful or optimistic place even at the very end he didn't think he had a reason to go back to the modern world. This movie would have been so much better if this subplot had been left out, and this had been just a fun, little adventure movie.

[guillotineman]

George Lucas, the iconic filmmaker behind the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises, will receive the Honorary Palme d’Or on May 25 during the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

“The Festival de Cannes has always held a special place in my heart,” Lucas said in a statement. “I was surprised and elated when my first film, ‘THX-1138,’ was selected to be shown in a new program for first time directors called the Directors’ Fortnight. Since then, I have returned to the festival on many occasions in a variety of capacities as a writer, director and producer. I am truly honored by this special recognition which means a great deal to me.”