Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

[DigModiFicaTion]

I think I like Raiders most as it had less levity so I could take it more seriously. Crusade is fun, but silly. Temple of Doom is silly and gross. Crystal Skull is just cringe.

 

[TM2YC]

I used to like ToD the most and it's still one of my favourite movies of all time but I've come round to liking the harder tone of Raiders more. Crusade looks worse every time I see it. Crusade is a classic I'd happily watch any day of the week but the word "coasting" comes to mind. Without Connery, that movie wouldn't be half as good and it's got the perfect ending, one that never left me feeling like I wanted more of these movies... it just made me want to watch them again.

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

I used to like ToD the most and it's still one of my favourite movies of all time but I've come round to liking the harder tone of Raiders more. Crusade looks worse every time I see it. Crusade is a classic I'd happily watch any day of the week but the word "coasting" comes to mind. Without Connery, that movie wouldn't be half as good and it's got the perfect ending, one that never left me feeling like I wanted more of these movies... it just made me want to watch them again.

Perfect ending with the exception of the tilt-o-whirl floor. That’s the best that effects group could come up with!? For me, if you were to substitute Henry Jones for Short Round and Willie in ToD, you’d have two good Indy movies out of four.

 

[Gieferg]

FTFY

I actually used to like Crusade the most growing up, but Raiders grew on me like Empire Strikes Back did.

Raiders' incredibly weak ending always bothered me, so it will never be as good as Crusade to me.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

For me, ToD suffered from poor dialogue and delivery by the whole cast, but primarily Willie and Short Round and the beginning baddies. It also had overly silly grotesque humor. It was a comedy with a dark terror twist.

 

[ArtisDead]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

“I did.”

 

[ccateni]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

It's better than time travel.

I know it is not saying much, but KOTCS at least can't have the opportunity to go back and ruin Indy's previous adventures by changing it in the past.

 

[Editzilla]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

I legit did not mind the aliens one bit. Don't know why everyone freaked out over it. (guess "hate lucas" was still hip back then)

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

I legit did not mind the aliens one bit. Don't know why everyone freaked out over it. (guess "hate lucas" was still hip back then)

In all seriousness, I’m not sure anyone has a problem with the aliens alone. It’s just the whole movie was such a mess. All the “supernatural” stuff in all the Indy movies is silly if the movie as a whole doesn’t sell it. But now I’m thinking I want a fan edit with Zappa’s Inca Roads scoring the finale.

 

[ccateni]

I legit did not mind the aliens one bit. Don't know why everyone freaked out over it. (guess "hate lucas" was still hip back then)

It felt a bit too far.

Unlike the artifacts in the previous movies, which were based on religion, the aliens felt more like the crew was cashing in on a trend.

 

[TM2YC]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

It's difficult to judge the merits of the idea, as it was executed so badly. Too over the top. I don't think anybody has ever watched John Carpenter's 'The Thing' and thought this movie is silly just because it's also got an ancient buried flying saucer in it. I think the Roswell aliens/chariots of the gods idea could've worked but it needed more subtle handling.

 

[Eyepainter]

I legit did not mind the aliens one bit. Don't know why everyone freaked out over it. (guess "hate lucas" was still hip back then)

I tend to look at everything movie-related through the lens of necessity and believability, and in both cases, I think the aliens are a misfire. In the case of necessity, why did a franchise like Indiana Jones suddenly need aliens? I thought the whole point of going to an Indy movie was to see bizarre religious artifacts, watch a bunch of nazis get killed, and re-experience the childlike thrill of adventure movie serials from the 1930's and 1940's. Throwing in a bunch of UFO's is pointless in that regard.

In the case of believability, I get that the Indiana Jones franchise is not the best place for realism, but that doesn't mean that these aliens work for the franchise. They didn't even bother to keep things within the "movie serial" archetype. After all, there were plenty of sci-fi serials, and they could've easily given these aliens a Flash Gordon-esque twist. Instead, we get the cliched and generic "little green men" that we've seen in hundreds of other movies about aliens. So the effect on the viewer is that the film doesn't respect or honor the rules of an Indy movie. This is also the underlying reason why I think a lot of fans hate KotCS in general.

 

[Hymie]

Since it was set in the 50s they went with the classic sci-fi aliens which I thought was fine, but it was clear that Spielberg's heart just wasn't in the film, from the lazy shooting on sets and the overall bland presentation. The end with the aliens is unfortunate, as there could have been this big scene in the throne room where Spalko and them are confronted by the aliens and there's a big long drawn out conversation about the quest for knowledge and the dangers it comes with. As presented, the ending just sort of happens and feels rather perfunctory after all the time spent getting to Akator, they barely are there before they have to leave again. The ideas were there, but the original Darabont script got lost in Koepp's many rewrites and with the 'Berg's lack of interest in the project, it comes across as almost a parody of Indy.

Despite the middling reviews, I have faith in Mangold that even if the film doesn't deliver, at least it's made with passion.

 

[DonkeyKonga]

No one liked the alien twist of KOTCS?

The alien twist had the issue of spilling the beans half way through the movie by dissecting an aliens.

Had they saved the aliens for last the movie would have been fine. That's why I edited it so that you never really know if aliens are real untill the end. It's the worst narrative choice they could make.

 

[DonkeyKonga]

Since it was set in the 50s they went with the classic sci-fi aliens which I thought was fine, but it was clear that Spielberg's heart just wasn't in the film, from the lazy shooting on sets and the overall bland presentation. The end with the aliens is unfortunate, as there could have been this big scene in the throne room where Spalko and them are confronted by the aliens and there's a big long drawn out conversation about the quest for knowledge and the dangers it comes with. As presented, the ending just sort of happens and feels rather perfunctory after all the time spent getting to Akator, they barely are there before they have to leave again. The ideas were there, but the original Darabont script got lost in Koepp's many rewrites and with the 'Berg's lack of interest in the project, it comes across as almost a parody of Indy.

Despite the middling reviews, I have faith in Mangold that even if the film doesn't deliver, at least it's made with passion.

I disagree about indy 4 not being made with passion. It was weak and some terrible choices were made but a LOT of it was practical. It's just hidden by CGI gophers and monkeys. It actually looks better visually than most modern action movies that are full CGI fests when it's at it's best.

Expect part 5 to look worse than part 4. Mark my words.

 

[WilliamRedRobin]

why did a franchise like Indiana Jones suddenly need aliens? I thought the whole point of going to an Indy movie was to see bizarre religious artifacts

I think one of the main things that hurt this film is that not enough people know about the crystal skulls.
They are bizarre religious artifacts linked to aliens, but if you don't know that going in, it comes out of nowhere.

The Ark of the Covenant was explained at the beginning of the film, mysterious Asian voodoo is a common trope, and everyone knows what the Holy Grail is, so the first three movies were much easier to digest.
They could have explained the skulls better in the set up of the movie, but then they would have basically had to say "people say these skulls were made by aliens" and then act surprised when the aliens show up.
They should have just stuck to more well-known myths and legends.

 

[TM2YC]

FYI: I notice Vue Cinemas (in the UK) are doing a novel new promotion where they'll be showing "Mystery Films". The chance to "secretly" see a film early. You won't know what the films will be until they start but apparently you can have your money back if you bail within the first 20mins. The first one is on the 20th of June, one week before Dial of Destiny releases on the 28th. I've no info to suggest it will be DoD but it might be worth a punt if you're gagging to see this early.

 

[Masirimso17]

I disagree about indy 4 not being made with passion. It was weak and some terrible choices were made but a LOT of it was practical. It's just hidden by CGI gophers and monkeys. It actually looks better visually than most modern action movies that are full CGI fests when it's at it's best.

Expect part 5 to look worse than part 4. Mark my words.

It may be a higher highs, lower lows situation when comparing 4 and 5. 4 looks great at its best, but then you have dogshit like the jungle chase.

We'll see how 5 balances its practical effects and CGI.

On the topic of the skull being the McGuffin/aliens, I don't mind it at all. I like how they wove it in with Mayan mythology, the legend of El Dorado, and the geoglyphs. Just me though. I will admit the skeletons morphing into one alien being, plus the giant saucer is a bit... much. Then the movie tries to cop out of doing space aliens saying they're "interdimensional" even though it makes more sense for them to come from "the sky", in line with the geoglyph/Mayan stuff. But eh.

 

[DonkeyKonga]

It may be a higher highs, lower lows situation when comparing 4 and 5. 4 looks great at its best, but then you have dogshit like the jungle chase.

We'll see how 5 balances its practical effects and CGI.

On the topic of the skull being the McGuffin/aliens, I don't mind it at all. I like how they wove it in with Mayan mythology, the legend of El Dorado, and the geoglyphs. Just me though. I will admit the skeletons morphing into one alien being, plus the giant saucer is a bit... much. Then the movie tries to cop out of doing space aliens saying they're "interdimensional" even though it makes more sense for them to come from "the sky", in line with the geoglyph/Mayan stuff. But eh.

Yeah the reveal was terrible and basically raiders with her head exploding but less awesome. Also the alien looked extremely fake even by the standards back then. It felt 100 % like Spielberg letting George Lucas do his thing.