I watched Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny last weekend. Seeing it made me want to revisit the series ā in particular the most controversial entry, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Maybe Iām just comparing it with DoD (which I found good but underwhelming), but I watched the whole thing and I honestly think that KotCS is a decent movie that doesnāt deserve the level of hate it receives.
Thatās not to say itās perfect, nor that it can go toe-to-toe with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Its flaws are obvious. The CGI is not great and never was. The fridge and ant scenes push my suspension of disbelief. Harrison Fordās age is a sticking point, and Spielbergās action sequences donāt feel as exciting as 80sā Spielberg. The parts where Mutt is repeatedly hit in the balls and when he swings on vines are downright painful to watch. And the inclusion of aliens (sorry, inter-dimensional beings) was jarring at the time.
But there are some redeeming factors, particularly in retrospect.
I genuinely enjoy the dynamic between Indiana and Mutt. Itās a good comparison to Sr. and Jr.ās dynamic in Last Crusade. I also think this dynamic has improved with time, as now we have the benefit of hindsight knowing that no, Mutt would not be taking over as the series protagonist.
The sci-fi elements donāt feel as jarring now as they once did. Two things have helped this: 1) Iāve had fifteen years to sit with the movie and get used to it. 2) Without spoiling anything, DoDās plot and mcguffin are mostly sci-fi with some borderline fantasy, which has helped make KotCS less of a black sheep.
Fordās age doesnāt bother me as much as it once did. I think the constant in-film jokes about his age really didnāt help this one. However, now that Iāve had a lot of time to get used to it - and letās be honest, knowing that heās in his 80s in DoD makes KotCS seem less extreme by comparison ā it just doesnāt stand out as much anymore. But this point is probably entirely cope so oh well. <Edit> Actually, on second thought, itās kind of nice to see a story with a 50-something protagonist still doing protagonist things. It does push my suspension of disbelief seeing him do a lot of his action-y things, but I suppose itās technically possible if heās in good shape. And as a 27-year old whoās been in my quarter life crisis for ten years, I find it life-affirming. </edit>
Finally, I like the story. The underlying story being told about the characters is actually pretty strong imo. I enjoy the arc of Indiana, Mutt, and Marionās relationships. And even though the main plot was panned at the time, in an age where every series is playing it safe and relying on nostalgia itās refreshing to go back to a movie that pushed the boundaries enough to get it wrong. Again, DoD, while not bad, did not handle the characters all that well, and played a lot of things safe. It lacked incredible lows, but it lacked incredible highs too.
Despite its deep lows, KotCS does deliver classic-Indy highs, imho. And thatās why, in this era of so many blah, safe movies, I think the fourth installment of Indiana Jones deserves reconsideration.
(I am totally not George Lucas)
Honestly, I think Crystal Skullās main problem is regardless of the quality of the movie, the franchise already ended.
The Last Crusade wrapped up the series perfectly (in my opinion) and even the title implied it should be the end (āThe Last Crusadeā referring to the most recent attempt to obtain the Holy Great and also Indyās final adventure). I know nothing happens which technically prevents another movie; but it bookends the series well by bringing back Sallah and Nazis from Raiders and it even literally ends with him riding off into the sunset.
It was written in such a way because Lucas and Spielberg didnāt have anything left to say with the franchise or character, and there was no fruit left on the vine (so to speak).
A lot of the issues people have with Crystal Skull come from it trying to do something new with the character and setting since the story was already completed in the previous installment.
All this to say I donāt think it was a bad movie necessarily, just one which struggles to validate its own existence.
Fair enough, Last Crusade was the original ending for the series. And you make a lot of other good points.
Personally, I like how KotCS brings back and resolves Indyās relationship with Marion. To me, thatās a very important resolution. But, that could just be me and my eternal crush on Marion haha! So I can see how others would disagree
It got way more hate than it deserved. I remember it more fondly than not. Itās better than many action/adventure movies of the same era.
I feel the same about it as I did when Episode I came out. Itās not the same as the old ones and never will be, but it has the same charm, and my inner child is thoroughly entertained. People get too caught up in the details. I watch a movie to be entertained, so if you gotta bend the rules a bit to make it happen, I am willing to handwave stuff away. Donāt forget the face-melting box, the immortal knight, the false AND holy grail, and so on. The series has always had one foot in the fantasy genre.
And remember, you are not the target audience any more. It is, has been, and always will be kids.
I remember hearing that it was mostly going to use practical effects. I thought that it would be refreshing, paying homage to the original seriesā¦ then I saw the film.