Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Indy a Fiasco?

In the article, Brad Pitt's 'The Lost City of Z' Gets Cooking by Monika Bartyzel Dec 10th 200, she referred to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls as a 'fiasco'.

Though there was some getting used to the first Indy film in nearly twenty years, and there were a couple of bumpy moments (the duck-jeep in the tree was too much, Indy's fridge flight was questionable and Jr's sword fight straddle drew a mild cringe), I didn't think the movie was a fiasco in any way. The moments most fans questioned were mere moments and not enough to ruin the movie. Sure, I had my critique, which you can read in the June 2008 issue of LCL, but I liked the movie. It's still better than Temple of Doom in many ways -- though I admit I have learned to be more forgiving to TOD(Indy)* over the years. Indy and the KCS is a good movie. None of the sequels top Raiders, but few movies in general top that one.

I'm curious what you all think on this topic...

* = TOD(Indy) is my way of distinguishing from how I refer to my own novel (as E A Guest) Tropic of Despair which I often refer to as TOD.

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I thought it had some good moments, but I really didn't like the alien scenario at the end. It just seemed so out of synch with what had gone before, although I can see the arguments for it. I actually didn't mind the sword fighting on the jeeps because it was so campy, but I didn't much care for "young Indy" dare I say it.

Walter Bosley said...

Oh yeah, I forgot about THAT little aspect. And I agree, essentially.

Cory Gross said...

I liked it... It was deliberately over the top, which to me just made it hilarious and a nice, fun little homage. Does Indiana Jones survive a nuclear bomb? OF COURSE! He's Indiana Jones!

Anonymous said...

The aliens were a nice touch because after all the story takes place in the 50s. Hello?! THE ATOMIC AGE?! COME ON PEOPLE. The Cold War, the rise of UFO sightings, new advances in technology... Jeez.

And what's wrong with Indy's kid being able to fence. "Cringe" my ass. Given who his parents were, why would it be a surprise his mother would have him learn a classical martial art?

Walter Bosley said...

I think it's a matter of style. The aliens looked like the contemporary legend of what aliens allegedly look like, according to some claimants. On the issue of style, it would have been nice if they had stuck with something closer to the style of the era you cite yourself as support for them being there.

Re: Mutt's fencing. No one is questioning that he can fence. I had trouble with the straddling of the jeeps while fencing expertly.
Even when Indy did the wild under-the-truck thing in Raiders, it was a LOT more believable. And your ass can cringe all it wants, it did register such reaction.

I do recall saying I liked this movie...