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- First reviewMay 22, 2008
- Last reviewMay 22, 2008
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crtjester20's Reviews
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David Koepp does fan fiction
PostedMay 22, 2008
crtjester20
from VA
If you've ever read any fan fiction before you probably noticed once or twice that what you were reading felt like someone else was wearing the suit of your hero or heroine. That what happened in the story might have been entertaining, but it just didn't feel authentic. That's normally because an element of the "magic" of the story wasn't there.
That's what "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" felt like... watching a movie made of fan-fiction.
Let's get it straight, the first act of this movie is really pretty good. For any movie. It's action packed, great homages made to Indy movies of long ago, and you get basic motivations of many major characters right off the bat. But then.. it's almost like Shia LeBeouf arrives to herald the beginning of the downturn of the flick.
It's not his fault... well part of it is. I like Shia, I think he's a good actor... but he's not an action star. I'm supposed to buy Shia as a greaser tough guy? Really? I wouldn't be afraid of Shia if he was coming after me with a bloody axe.
The story is amazingly predictable which is fine, this is formulaic stuff so why mess with the formula? The problems come when they try and go off-formula they make problems for themselves.
The entire first act is to retrieve this object... something that after being seen once briefly in the second act, never is seen or heard from ever again. Almost like everyone just forgets about it.
The "bad guys" are more bad guys in the sense you get told they're bad, as opposed to actually seeing HOW they're bad. Cate Blanchett, while being amazingly beautiful not to mention an amazing actress, is never really given an opportunity to allow her Irina Spalko to show her raw evil. You're not really given a real reason to dislike her other than her motivation is plainly stated as "she wants power". Great.. you and my ex-girlfriends.
It was mildly disappointing especially since supposedly this script had to be agreed upon by all 3 biggies (Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford [oh my!]). There are several scenes and plot devices that are lifted squarely out of other movies (ie: The Mummy and even, kid you not, the first Aliens vs Predator flick)
I do think they brought in Shia to try and harness a younger audience angle... not too much unlike how Star Wars Ep 1 had strong elements aimed specifically at young kids. This one skews slightly older, but not by much.
OH OH before I go I forgot..
The age of Harrison Ford, while noticeable, was not a factor for me in this flick. My wife can't say that... she thinks Harrison being a little slower makes for problems... but for me I think he was fine. Kudos to our senior citizens for still swashbucklin' along... gives me hope for myself.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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