Still, the movie is entertaining, moves fast, and doesn't tarnish the character's reputation as far as I'm concerned. Will I return to it as often as the first three? Not likely, but it's still an enjoyable ride. Do I want to see more Indy films? Only if A.) They hire LAWRENCE KASDAN to write it and B.) they can get it into production and released within the next year or two.INDIANA JONES IV Official Thread
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Monterey Jack
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Despite it's flaws, I'll take Indy 4 over those horrible Mummy/National Treasure movies any day of the week. Just to see Harrison Ford giving his first lively, completely there performance since The Fugitive and to hear John Williams' music is reason enough to enjoy it. Would I have done some things different? Surely. The whole "double agent" bit with Ray Winstone doesn't work at all because we've barely been introduced to him before he betrays Indy the first time in the warehouse (now, if it had been Sallah who had betrayed Indy, that would have had some actual dramatic resonance), and Spielberg's assurances of "as little CGI as possible!" was a bald-faced lie. Still, the movie is entertaining, moves fast, and doesn't tarnish the character's reputation as far as I'm concerned. Will I return to it as often as the first three? Not likely, but it's still an enjoyable ride. Do I want to see more Indy films? Only if A.) They hire LAWRENCE KASDAN to write it and B.) they can get it into production and released within the next year or two.
Still, the movie is entertaining, moves fast, and doesn't tarnish the character's reputation as far as I'm concerned. Will I return to it as often as the first three? Not likely, but it's still an enjoyable ride. Do I want to see more Indy films? Only if A.) They hire LAWRENCE KASDAN to write it and B.) they can get it into production and released within the next year or two.Unfortunately this INDY movie appeared to steal from the MUMMY/NATIONAL TREASURE movies. The whole "city of gold" thing and its destruction by a flood was right out of BOOK OF SECRETS, and the valley being completely inundated looked like a direct steal from MUMMY RETURNS.
Pretty sad with Spielberg/Lucas/Koepp swipe from the apostles. . .
Pretty sad with Spielberg/Lucas/Koepp swipe from the apostles. . .
JDvDHeise
"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."-Gene Wilder to Cleavon Little in BLAZING SADDLES
"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."-Gene Wilder to Cleavon Little in BLAZING SADDLES
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AndyDursin
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Though I preferred the first MUMMY and both NATIONAL TREASURE movies to this Indy film -- by a fairly large margin at that -- I'm not opposed to another IJ adventure, just to get the bad taste of this out of my mouth. To follow up on what MJ suggested:
-Kasdan writing would be great; what's he doing now after DREAMCATCHER anyway? (one of my fave bad movies of all-time).
-Kasan DIRECTING would be fine too. I think Spielberg had little interest in this film and directed it (as Lucas even suggested) just to "be along for the ride". Almost seemed as if he was just disinterested. Kasdan would be the next best thing and at this point in his career, so long as Spielberg gave the film his blessing, I can't see why not.
-No Shia LaBeouf. As little reference ought to be made to KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL as possible. And no fan wants to see "Mutt Jones" coming back, as Lucas even indicated in interviews it's Ford's series and nobody else's.
-In hindsight I also think they made a mistake bringing Karen Allen back. It was great for nostalgia and all but, in terms of a NEW sequel, I would've liked to have seen Ford playing off a younger heroine who he could've had some chemistry with. Marrying Indy to Marion really takes that away from any future installments, unless she comes back too. But I think we've already been down that road.
-Janusz Kaminski BE GONE!
-Kasdan writing would be great; what's he doing now after DREAMCATCHER anyway? (one of my fave bad movies of all-time).
-Kasan DIRECTING would be fine too. I think Spielberg had little interest in this film and directed it (as Lucas even suggested) just to "be along for the ride". Almost seemed as if he was just disinterested. Kasdan would be the next best thing and at this point in his career, so long as Spielberg gave the film his blessing, I can't see why not.
-No Shia LaBeouf. As little reference ought to be made to KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL as possible. And no fan wants to see "Mutt Jones" coming back, as Lucas even indicated in interviews it's Ford's series and nobody else's.
-In hindsight I also think they made a mistake bringing Karen Allen back. It was great for nostalgia and all but, in terms of a NEW sequel, I would've liked to have seen Ford playing off a younger heroine who he could've had some chemistry with. Marrying Indy to Marion really takes that away from any future installments, unless she comes back too. But I think we've already been down that road.
-Janusz Kaminski BE GONE!
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Monterey Jack
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Allan Daviau or Dean Cundey would be a better match to the style of the first three films than Kaminski's blown-out, lens flare-ridden backlighting (which is fine for "documentary-style" films like Saving Private Ryan or Munich, but didn't exactly scream "50's sci-fi B-movie" to meAndyDursin wrote: -Janusz Kaminski BE GONE!
). I realize that Spielberg has gotten to the age where he likes to lean on a very rigid, unwavering creative team each time out, but Kaminski is totally tapped out by this point. There are dozens of great DPs I'd love to see shoot a Spielberg movie. Hell, if the Coen brothers could drop Roger Deakins (on Burn After Reading) after leaning on him for the better part of two decades, then Spielberg can drop Kaminski for one damn movie.And, hell yes, let Kasdan get another crack at this franchise. I don't think it's a coincidence that the best entries in the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises have had Kasdan's name attached as screenwriter (not to mention the smallest amount of personal input from George Lucas). Or maybe dust off that rejected Frank Darabont screenplay for Crystal Skull and revamp it for Indy 5.
Is Darabont's script online somewhere? For all the problems THE MIST had, his work on his first two films is just incredible and I even have a soft spot for THE MAJESTIC, as well as his polish work on SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. I'd love to read what he turned in before Lucas threw a tantrum and rejected it because his input was minimal due to being busy with SITH.
[i]Anything[/i]would be better than what was foisted on us, and thanks for the Lucas quote about Spielberg's attitude. That is the only thing that could explain the shoddiness of the work on his end.
[i]Anything[/i]would be better than what was foisted on us, and thanks for the Lucas quote about Spielberg's attitude. That is the only thing that could explain the shoddiness of the work on his end.
JDvDHeise
"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."-Gene Wilder to Cleavon Little in BLAZING SADDLES
"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."-Gene Wilder to Cleavon Little in BLAZING SADDLES
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AndyDursin
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- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 8:45 pm
- Location: RI
I've skimmed through several early drafts and frankly none of them are all that great (and you wouldn't think they would be since all of them were tossed), even if they're somewhat better than what ended up on-screen.
Koepp's script really is like a "Greatest Hits" compilation of ideas, concepts and scenes from the Darabont draft, Jeb Stuart's draft, Jeff Nathanson's draft, and on and on. That kind of sums up the problem with the whole project.
They would've been better off just finding ONE writer with one idea, but the movie had too many cooks in the kitchen -- needing to pay reference to '50s greasers AND '50s sci-fi AND Saturday Matinee adventure.
It's the one problem you have with Indiana Jones in the '50s, the setting is so different that part of, if not the whole original intent, of the "franchise" -- paying tribute to '30s serials -- is eliminated by the setting being changed.
Koepp's script really is like a "Greatest Hits" compilation of ideas, concepts and scenes from the Darabont draft, Jeb Stuart's draft, Jeff Nathanson's draft, and on and on. That kind of sums up the problem with the whole project.
They would've been better off just finding ONE writer with one idea, but the movie had too many cooks in the kitchen -- needing to pay reference to '50s greasers AND '50s sci-fi AND Saturday Matinee adventure.
It's the one problem you have with Indiana Jones in the '50s, the setting is so different that part of, if not the whole original intent, of the "franchise" -- paying tribute to '30s serials -- is eliminated by the setting being changed.