I’m going to be as real as possible in this review.
I loved the movie. I thought it was dynamite from the first frame to the last. Was it up there with the others?
Definitely.
I don’t understand how so many folks can take a dump on this flick. Almost every single complaint I have heard or read about can be applied to the other Indy flicks.
Here is the breakdown: Indiana Jones is a pulp hero. What does that mean? That means he is the combined best elements of the heroes that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg grew up with, reading pulp comics and magazines and watching serials on TV. Indiana Jones is an homage to the old school two fisted hero who hits like thunder and gets messed up a bit in the process.
With that being said, this latest installment stayed true to form. I am just about the biggest Indy fan there is. In my humble opinion, the first 3 flicks are the greatest movies ever made. I am headed into my 27th year and still remember seeing Last Crusade when I was a kid. For those of you in my age group, this new flick is an Indy movie in our adult years! A hero from our youth is back on the big screen entertaining a new generation of fans.
The flick wasn’t hokey, it was still steeped in an actual legend. Yes there are aliens in it. Yes there are killer ants. Yes there is a nuclear explosion. Indy fights Russians and natives and yes, Kate Blanchett is supremely sexy.
I’ve heard the film called “completely un-realistic and unbelievable”. Ridiculous.
You ever see the other Indy flicks? Belloqs head exploding: believable? Guy getting his heart ripped out and still being alive: believable? A thousand year old knight waiting in a cave defending the cup of Christ: believable? Did they cross that line by fleshing out Indy some more, giving him a son from a failed relationship? I don’t think so.
There were bits thrown in that made the character all the more flawed and real. It wasn’t unbelievable when in the interrogation scene, they let the audience know that after Last Crusade he was still kicking ass and actually working for the government. Think about it that way also. He is an adventurer, this was one of his many adventures. You can place him in any situation and he will always come out on top because of who the character is and filmatically because of who Harrison Ford is. He is one of the very very few actors who can deliver believable one-liners.
The rest of the cast was also excellent. Shia was great, Karen Allen looked like she was happy to be there and John Hurt was stellar. The last scene of the flick was an instant classic (no spoilers here).
There is no reason to complain about this movie unless you are bitter and jaded by George Lucas and his process or just have a stick up your ass that says “I’m an awful human being because I hate this movie”. Don’t bitch and moan for the sake of bitching and moaning.
Watch the movie with the same eyes you watched the originals. I, for example, turned into a wide-eyed kid when the opening credit started. For the first time in a long time, I actually talked about a movie for hours after I came out of the theater. That, is the magic of this franchise. You need to step back and enjoy the pureness of a great class-A adventure movie.
They nailed it. Read the Indy books also, I suggest Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge for another great adventure. Indy is back, get used to it.
