Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Peter Smith — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:42:06 GMT

Yeah, actually, the motorcycle chase was pretty fun. Things were perking up there for a minute.

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Andrew Osborne — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:20:04 GMT

Going back to my CGI rant from a week or so back, I thought the best parts of the movie were the ones that might conceivably have occurred in the real world. I liked the warehouse chase and Indy riding bitch on The Boof's motorcycle through a Back to the Future landscape (and it was nice to have Indy's college world emphasized again). And I didn't especially mind the ants but, yeah, once you have a hundred flying monkeys, it takes me out of both the '50s serial conventions and any other conceivable willing suspension of disbelief. ENOUGH WITH THE FRICKIN' CGI ALREADY!!!!!!

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Steve C. — Sat, 24 May 2008 21:48:18 GMT

"They were designed to recapture fun, cheap and cheesy movie serials and they still accomplish that just fine."

Yeah, sure. But the point is that there's a line between cheesy-cheap-good and cheesy-cheap-bad. The first three INDIANA JONES ride the right side of the line pretty well; this new thing, from where I stand, goes sailing over the line around the time that Shia LaBouef, for a few retarded moments, turns into Tarzan.

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Janet — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:22:28 GMT

Maybe I'm crazy, but I loved it. I loved the way the light in the outdoors scenes was clearly artificial. I loved that they used Fifties signifiers in the way that a Fifties film would have. In fact, I think the key to it is that they filmed it as it would looked if it had been made in the year it was set.

From the beginning the artificiality of the light tipped me off that this was not something to be taken seriously or analyzed logically and I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. So I did, and when a cliche started to annoy me and take me out of the movie, I reminded myself that it was a deliberate nod to the period and got back into it. I honestly think that the people complaining about this movie have forgotten what the point of Indiana Jones movies was in the first place. They were designed to recapture fun, cheap and cheesy movie serials and they still accomplish that just fine.

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Scott Von Doviak — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:17:12 GMT

I'm mostly with you, Peter, particularly on the mushroom cloud tip. But I am amazed that within minutes of complaining that you never see quicksand anymore...well, now I have to start worrying about it again.

re: Screengrab Rant: Indiana Jones in 2008

Luis — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:13:43 GMT

Killjoy.