Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indy 4 Reviews are in, Knives are out

FofR — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:02:36 +0000

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull got its first major screening today at Cannes,

And I think most of us want Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull to be good, which it, sadly, is not. If we love the first three Indiana Jones films, it’s because they had great action, mythic objects of wonder and great comedy touches within big, well-shaped stories; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feels like it was reverse-engineered from that blueprint, as if enough action and props and comedy would then make a story. Crystal Skull may bring back the faces and themes we remember, but it’s curiously bloated and malnourished, too much and not enough. It’ll make a bunch of money, sure, but even after 19 years of waiting, I can’t imagine it truly satisfying anyone’s jones for Jones.

The Telegraph:

Well, The Crystal Skull is certainly old-fashioned, though not necessarily in a good way. And many of its striking scenes — notably a climax that briefly recalls Close Encounters of the Third Kind — could only be computer-generated.

With a cast clearly pre-fabricated to appeal to all ages, an overstuffed plot and an ageing action hero, it feels born of commercial calculation rather than a story that needed to be told.

There’s a reason the previous Indy film 1989 was called The Last Crusade. Now it’s really time to entomb this elderly series once and for all.

The BBC:

For the hardcore Jones fans, this film was never going to live up to expectations.

One cinemagoer leaving the first press screening in Cannes said: “George Lucas, you gotta stop hurting us”.

The Guardian:

There are some nice moments, and everything is good-natured enough. But this is a moment for Harrison Ford to hang up the hat.

Hollywood Reporter:

Whatever story there is, a murky journey to return a spectacular archeological find to its rightful home — an unusual goal of the old grave-robber — gets swamped in a sea of stunts and CGI that are relentless as the scenes and character relationships are charmless.

“Crystal Skull” will have its huge audience when it opens worldwide Thursday. Indeed it had that audience the day the project was announced. What is disappointing to those who fondly remember “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” lo those 27 years ago, is the loss of wit and romance. This film feels like work, whether it’s poor Harrison Ford straining to keep pace with his younger self or Spielberg and writer David Koepp piling on the thrill-ride acrobatics that have only scant connection to the plot.

If I paint a negative picture, it’s because you always enjoy a film more if you go in with fewer expectations - let your hopes be dashed to desperation, purchase your movie ticket and come out with a smile better than you could ever have expected. Or go in expecting the greatest film ever made and come out sorely disappointed.

Second Trailer and TV Spot collection

FofR — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:16:59 +0000

Second Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer:

TV Spot #1:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
Flash Player

TV Spot#2:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #3:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #4:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #5:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #6:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #7:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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TV Spot #8:

QuickTime, High Definition (1080p)
QuickTime, High Definition (720p)
QuickTime, High Definition (480p)
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Indy treats from Blockbuster

FofR — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:00:13 +0000

Marty has sent us in some Indiana Jones 4 treats that he picked up from his local Blockbuster store:

Just came back from my local Blockbuster with a treasure of Indy 4 stuff. Popcorn Popups, guess these are for holding popcorn while you watch the indy movies at home. Pint Glasses of all four theatrical posters and last but not least would be a cool DVD case holder. This thing is nice, it holds 4 DVD’s, I’m assuming the forth DVD would be Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They also had some Indy ‘Indy’ 500 stuff along with full size theatrical posters for the movie. I attached a bunch of pics that will be in two emails. Hope you can use these.

Final Indiana Jones Poster

FofR — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:07:17 +0000

What do you think? Much better than the cheesier one we recently reported on.

Second Indiana Jones Poster with Shia

FofR — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:54:15 +0000

Dan was kind enough to send in a picture of the latest Indiana Jones poster that he snapped in the wild. This one prominently features Shia LaBoeuf:

2 New Indiana Jones Pictures in German Mag

FofR — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:44:02 +0000

We’ve got some new pictures for you, they are flowing in thick and thin now. These two come from a German magazine Cinema, and come via The Raider.

Indiana Jones Trailer is here, now high quality!

FofR — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:23:48 +0000

We didn’t quite fancy that bootlegged version very much, so we saved ourselves for the high resolution quicktime format that is now available on Yahoo!

Enjoy!

Bootlegged Copy of the Indy Trailer Online

FofR — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:05:00 +0000

If you think the wait is just too long, some kind video-camera weilding fellows have put the video up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure - catch it while you can!

Thanks to Skot

Indiana Jones Movie Magazine

FofR — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:14:11 +0000

… coming to a news-stand near you:

Answering the call for all things Indiana Jones is the new magazine following his adventures: Indiana Jones Magazine. Containing tons of movie news, the magazine covers all the action with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, interviews with the cast and crew, and much more.

This special commemorative movie edition first issue contains 100 full color pages, for $9.99 and will be in stores on May 22, 2008.

Covers after the break (via Scoop).

Alternative Indiana Jones Comic Poster

FofR — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:08:52 +0000

You can find the main subject of this post after the break. At the big attractive center lies the great crystal spoiler. Don’t look at it if you want to keep the movie a mystery. It also features Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone and Shia on a motorbike. The picture comes as the official cover to the comic adaptation by The Dark Horse (spoiler here too), to be published on May 22nd.

If you want to see some new Indiana Jones photos without having to ruin the movie, the Italian press, L’epresso has unveiled three new shots (thanks to Andrea):