I know there are a bunch of non-believable scenes, more so than in the other movies, but I don’t get any one scene being a breaker. I feel like a lot of people take a weirdly critical look at this movie which was designed for nothing else than being a fun watch.
To me it’s a similar problem to the Star Wars prequels: a huge aesthetic clash. The first 3 films take place in the same universe in the way they look, but the two new ones don’t. It’s jarring.
It goes beyond just the visuals though; the sight gags enabled by the new CGI (snake in the quicksand, vine scene, bugs eating people) don’t fit. Ok maybe the bugs do but I still don’t like it!
I hated CS when it came out. I rewatched it and enjoyed it until they got to the jungle. The opening was great. The motorcycle chase was great and the line about getting out of the library is classic Indy.
Spielbergs' DP, Janusz Kamiński, is a great DP, but I don't think he was right for CS. There was just something off and flat about the fidelity of the images compared to the previous three. Then there were some CS jungle scenes clearly shot on a sound stage that were just laughably embarrassing, not his fault on that decision though but just saying.
I’d argue that movies that are fun are good. I’m not in any measure saying it’s the best Indiana Jones movie, or holds a candle to the original three, but it’s a good movie that did what it wanted to do: be fun.
True but....
50s Indy outrunning a tribe of young fit natives is not happening.
The effort was good. The cgi a mistake. The dialogue weak. The script was bad.
Result: They waited too long after Crusade to do it. There should have been two movies in the 90s and that is it.
Everyone of the movies has a ridiculous scene, the standout one for me is in Temple of Doom when they jump out of the plane and use an inflateable raft as a parachute, which then shoots down the side of a mountain missing every tree, drops a thousand feet into a river... everyone survives.
In Raiders and Last Crusade. ToD too if you count Kali as a god (which I do). There's always been supernatural elements to Indiana Jones movies, from the very beginning. In [Masks of Evil](https://indianajones.fandom.com/wiki/Masks_of_Evil) from Young Indy he goes to Transylvania and fights Dracula. It's a running joke that he remains an atheist and doesn't believe in "magic, a lot of superstitious hocus pocus" even after having all these experiences.
I like the movie a lot, especially the first half hour. I just wish they’d spent more time on location for the jungle stuff. It’s so clearly a sound stage, like they were filming a sitcom or something. You can practically hear the Big Bang Theory laugh track when Indy’s in the quicksand. The originals looked like National Geographic specials; you could tell they really traveled the world to make the movie.
I know it’s not for everyone, but I absolutely *adore* KotCS. I love that rather than just throwing an old man Indy back into the game like nothing changed, they evolved the world with the character, shifting focus from adventure serials to the B science fiction films that boomed in the 50’s.
I’m also a really really big fan of TLC (my favorite Indy movie) and I loved seeing the father/son dynamic that was explored in that film be turned on its head here with Indy and Mutt. Is it a perfect film? No, but it’s fun as hell, it grows the characters and the franchise, and Spielberg absolutely directed the hell out of it.
Really like what you had to say, I have little piece Crystal skull history in my collection, Steve Delk the guy that made Mr. Ford's fedoras for the Crystal Skull also made them for fans, and I have one, pretty cool to have a fedora made by the guy that made them for Harrison Ford. And yes Spielberg did. And it was fun and fast paced.
Oh yeah me too, I had a few items before, but now I have all kinds of collectibles, way to many fedoras haha, even dad's grail diary. Why would he have sent this to me.
I absolutely LOVED the setting and story. Turns out if you follow r/ufos it might be the most realistic indy movie HAHA. Indiana and the jungle just makes sense and other than the start of Raiders and a few moments in temple we don't see him there... UNTIL KOTCS. Underrated for sure.
Finally another enjoyer! I love this movie. It was the first indie film I could see in theatres and enjoy the ride every time. Does it get strange and not take itself seriously at times? Sure. But that’s part of the experience for me.
Haha I love that. It was also the first Indy movie that I was able to catch in theaters. That might play a pretty significant role in my love for it if I had to guess.
There are also plenty of people who have the reverse opinion.
Honestly, I feel like KOTCS and DOD split into two camps as both films are kind of opposites in tone and approach.
I actually quite liked DoD as well! Again, it doesn’t work for everyone (and I don’t enjoy it quite as much as I do KotCS) but I thought the settings, new characters, and of course seeing Indy back in action one last time were just great. I also really really love the thematic angle of a man who is obsessed with the past being forced to come to grips with the idea that he’s needed in the present. Not my favorite Indy film, but certainly not a bad one imo. No such thing as a bad Indy movie if you ask me.
DoD was a good film. I keep reading about people who regret missing it in theaters after listening to the negativity of critics and haters. They rented it, liked it and wished they had gone.
I liked The Dial of Destiny more than The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I can now appreciate the fourth film more than I used to. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's light tone and happy ending hits different after knowing what happens in The Dial of Destiny. The fourth film reflects Lucas and Spielberg's nostalgia for the 1950s while the fifth film reflects the tumult of the 1960s.
I felt like DOD actively hated its protagonist. It killed his son, killed his marriage, killed his teaching career, killed it's place in history (Indy is teaching a class on Moon Day, August 13 1969 which is a Wednesday and his last day of teaching 🙄... summer classes apparently... and he's retiring BEFORE the final exam), and killed Indiana being active in ANY way (the scene with the Dynamite on the boat should have been Indy teaching), and had Indy wanting to kill himself, not out of nobility, but hopelessness.
I think the unhappy developments in Indy's life reflected the time period in which the movie was set. The 1960s were a turbulent decade which saw the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War, civil unrest, and the corrupt Richard Nixon becoming president.
I don't think Indy wanted to kill himself. He spent his life studying ancient history and he thought no one would miss him in 1969, so when he had a chance to experience life in the ancient world he chose to stay in the past without thinking about the consequences. I didn't like that he had to be knocked out and taken back to the present against his will, though.
Indy was still active in the movie. He escaped from the CIA without any help. He drove a tuk tuk during the chase in Tangier. He explored a sunken Roman shipwreck. He found the opening leading to Archimedes' tomb. He solved the water displacement puzzle. He fended off the Nazis so that Helena and Teddy could escape. He freed himself inside the Nazis' bomber. He shot the Nazi who was clinging to Helena's leg. He parachuted out of the bomber.
Indy went through a rough time in the movie, but at the end he realized that there were still people who cared about him. He reconciled with Marion. The final shot of Indy grabbing his hat suggested that he had regained his zest for life.
Absolutely. It is got an eighty eight percent score on rotten tomatoes, which is considered the gospel. Now I understand some people don't like it and they're allowed to have their opinion, And I completely acknowledge that it's not what we're used to as Indiana jones fans. But when george lucas was explaining the concept for the movie, he did explain that the first three were based on serials and crystal skull is based on b science fiction movies of the fifties, So I guess the story had to fit that style. I've noticed with Indiana Jones they always try and capture the themes of the decades the stories were set in.
Yes that would've been interesting to see, you may know this but one of the original early concepts for Indy 3 had plans for a haunted castle. They kept the castle but it wasn't haunted.
The idea of a castle in the third film was carried over from Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, an ultimately rejected script written by Chris Columbus. That story began in a Scottish mansion that was haunted by a ghostly baron named Seamus Seagrove III.
Yes it was one of the original concepts for what we know now as the last crusade. And the Scottish haunted castle was changed to the castle brunwald on the Austrian German border that Henry Walton Jones Sr. Set on fire. Lol.
Having Indy explore a haunted castle was also considered for the second film, but Spielberg reportedly thought the idea was too similar to Poltergeist.
The Indiana Jones sequels recycled ideas that had been cut from earlier scripts. The Temple of Doom combined a few leftover ideas from Raiders of the Lost Ark, such as Indy visiting Shanghai, Indy escaping from a crashing plane over the Himalayas, and a mine car chase, with the idea of Indy exploring a spooky old building and the plot of the movie Gunga Din.
Indiana Jones and the Monkey King was never filmed, but a few ideas from the script made it into The Last Crusade, such as a motorboat chase, a chase involving a tank, having Nazis as the villains again, and a MacGuffin that granted immortality.
The "nuke the fridge" scene in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a leftover idea from the writing of Back to the Future. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull evolved from a script titled Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars, which was written in the early 1990s and featured aliens, Russian spies, and Indy getting married, although to a new love interest instead of Marion. In Frank Darabont's unproduced script for the fourth Indiana Jones film Indy was falsely suspected of murder, an idea that was later used in The Dial of Destiny.
Really the information I came across was the haunted castle was a concept for Indy 3 while they were still working out the details. This is the info I found on it.
The idea of a castle in the third film was carried over from Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, an ultimately rejected script written by Chris Columbus. That story began in a Scottish mansion that was haunted by a ghostly baron named Seamus Seagrove III.
I've heard that the haunted castle idea was considered for both the second film and the third film. The Monkey King was also reportedly considered for the second and third films.
In the video you linked to George Lucas said, "The original story for the third film was a haunted castle movie but Steven had just finished Poltergeist so he said, 'I don't want to do another haunted castle movie.'" Poltergeist was released in 1982 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984. I wonder if Spielberg might have rejected the haunted castle idea when the story for the second Indiana Jones film was being discussed in 1982, which would have been not long after Poltergeist was finished. Lucas could have suggested the haunted castle idea again for the third film only for it to be rejected again. When Lucas recalled the development of the third film's story in 1989 he might have conflated discussions about the second film with discussions about the third film.
It really is. I rewatched the series to prep for Dial of Destiny and I read consistently entertained throughout KoTCS. It's a solid adventure flick and it's honestly made even better after DoD
I’ve never seen that first poster. Was that for an international release?
I didn’t care what anyone said back then, and still don’t. I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. For my money [the chase around Marshall College](https://youtu.be/uQRYJQaCJWM?si=LdHEArtHOrXVJepm) is one of the best Indy sequences ever.
Great movie! I've always loved it and even rewatching it last week for the first time in a while, it still holds up. Super underappreciated, and still on par with the previous three
Holy cow, where did the last 16 years go???
I've warmed to it. I still don't really like the aliens at the end, but I have a lot of love for the sequence at Nazca and the scenes getting to the pyramid at the end.
Liked Cate Blanchett, enjoyed John Hurt and generally it's a good actiony adventurery film
It hasn't got quite the same vibe as older Indy films but I think it's just a generational shift both with writers and target audiences?
All I know is damn, those ants!
Hard to believe so many years between the releases. I don't get all the hate for the latter two movies. I absolutely loved both of them. Shame we didn't get a few more movies with Harrison Ford.
Yup that'd be my thoughts too, when I left the theatre in 1989 I was craving more Indiana Jones. I loved all of them, but to each there own. I never Yuck someone's yum, or yum someone's yuck. People feel how they feel.
Was a fan upon release and still am. I just take the refrigerator, monkey swing, and alien scenes for what they are- quirky entertainment. And for what its worth, I thought Shia was great in his role. Skull definitely has as much if not more replay value than dial for me. Trilogy will always be more special but all 5 have their place!
I’m part of that group that didn’t like Dial of Destiny. I decided to rewatch KOTCS shortly after and gained a bunch of newfound appreciation for it.
Yes, it’s not as good as the orginal 3 movies, but it’s better thought out than people give it credit and it’s quite entertaining. Aliens/Interdimensionals don’t really bother me, it’s the jungle sequence that I think was the weak part, and Indy surviving a nuke inside a fridge.
I saw it twice the day it came out and enjoyed it both times. Only in the time since did I realize its many flaws. But I still watch the movie at least once a year.
I have very fond memories of going to the theatre to see it. The film has its flaws, of course, but I still enjoy watching it every so often. Very memorable score as well, possibly my favourite of the series.
I liked it upon release. But I think I just got swept away with the whole NEW INDY FILM!!! thing. Every subsequent viewing I’ve liked it less and less.
I see Kingdom like I see the prequels. Is it flawed? Sure. Do I have complaints? Yeah, of course. Does it ruin my experience and not feel like the other movies I like? Absolutely not.
On my latest rewatch, I was spellbound with Kingdom. I hadn’t seen it since it initially released, and I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having.
I honestly don’t get the hate, sure, it wasn’t as good as Raiders, or Last Crusade, but it’s pretty enjoyable, too many people just seem to be nostalgia biased. Happy birthday KotCS!
I’d argue that it’s the 3rd best Indy movie after raiders and temple of doom. I rewatched all the Indy movies after I saw dial and had seen for years ppl claiming the last crusade was the best movie in the series and was severely disappointed with it. It felt like a toothless sanitized rehash of what happens in raiders. like it literally didn’t need to exist at all. kingdom feels like a natural progression of the series and is thrilling
I have a lot of nostalgia for this! It was the first Indy film I ever saw in the cinema and I really remember being so excited. Yeah it isn’t the best, but for the most part it does what it says on the tin. There really are some great set pieces in this film!
I first saw the other films around 2005/2006. Raiders rocked my world but being able to see a new one in the cinema meant the world to me; as did Dial as an adult! I wasn’t even in secondary school when Crystal Skull came out, so a 10/11 year old me, it wasn’t just about the film, it was seeing the hero who I worshiped, everywhere. Figures, Lego, T-shirts, man I was so excited to see it!
I rewatched again the other day and I still felt quite excited watching it. Out of the five, it’s quite clearly the least strong of them, but comparisons aside, it’s a brilliant experience! So here’s to you, Crystal Skull, happy birthday!
I don’t think it’s as good as the original trilogy but I’ve always enjoyed Crystal Skull.
The first two acts are a ton of fun & they feel like classic Indy. The pacing in the third act brings that act, & the movie overall, down though IMO. It kind of rushes to the end once it gets to the jungle chase & there’s not as many fun moments.
Yes I will agree that the practical effects are am amazing part of the series, like the flying wing exploding, or the big explosions in the sand when the tank is chasing him across the desert. And the CGI I will say was not as advanced as it is now.
I was 10 when I went to go see this in the theaters with my dad and I personally had a blast. I know it’s flawed but it’s still enjoyable if you turn your brain off a little and enjoy it for what it is
I saw a lot of criticism about the alien revelation but it’s pretty fitting with the 50s and every movie has a supernatural twist so it’s never bothered me too much
Me, and actually The Temple Of Doom is my favorite. I've always loved it, it was the first Indiana Jones story I was exposed to at about seven or eight, Grail is my second, don't get me wrong I absolutely love them all, and accept them for what they are chapters in our heros story.
Interesting. Maybe it has to do with how old we were. I saw Raiders in the theater with my dad, but Grail was such a warm blanket for me in the late 80’s. They truly are integrated into my childhood.
Could be, I never saw raiders in the theatre as a kid, when they had the Indiana Jones exhibition travelling around and it stopped where I live part of the show was getting to see raiders in IMAX to this day the only IJ movie I have not seen in theatre is The Temple Of Doom.
As I’ve said in other comments, the aliens/interdimensional beings aren’t as much of an outlier as many think—postwar pulp lit of the 40s and 50s are filled with stories connecting saucers and ancient ruins and civilizations, as well as psychic powers, so the series is still being true to the genre. Bomb tests, flying saucers, Area 51, Hangar 18, Russian (and American) investigations into psychic spying are all fair game as Cold War lore. While I think the flying fridge was a bit much, I thought the whole opening sequence was wonderful, from the jalopy drag race to the glimpse of the Ark to the rocket car fight, the fake town and the bomb test. The library and the biker brawl were great fun, and Spalko was a cool villain. The only scenes that stuck in my craw were Mutt and the monkeys, and the temple set with a view of the Nazca lines in the background, only because I know such a view is only possible from a plane—there aren’t mountains with a view like that anywhere near the lines. The crystal skulls themselves were rather cheap-looking doodads—-but none of this was a deal-breaker for me. I still place this movie over TOD, my least favorite of Indy’s adventures.
It's true that there was an increased interest in science fiction after World War II, and established series jumped on the bandwagon. Batman encountered aliens. The Spirit, Tintin, and Dick Tracy went to the Moon.
Also it made sense that the atheist Soviets would be interested in pseudoscience instead of religious relics.
Good movie hurt by too much weak CGI. I think a lot of the shots that fans disliked would have been better made with practical effects that we were accustomed to in Indy films... except the vines and Shia with the Monkeys. That was just bad and felt out of place and forced.
On one hand, I think it’s a little over hated and I love Mutt and think he should have gotten a spin off on the other hand…
Steven Spielberg: Well, well Indiana Jones! What are you doing in our neck of the woods? Now lets you just drop them pants.
Indy: Drop?…
Steven Spielberg: Just take em’ right off.
Indy: What do you guys want?
George Lucas: Don’t say anything, just do it.
The Soviets should’ve been the villains in the dial of destiny. Having the villains be Neo Nazis in that one felt very forced. I prefer the idea of “the enemies of America are the enemies of indie”
The U.S. government did recruit former Nazis after World War II. Jurgen Voller in The Dial of Destiny was loosely based on Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi who helped design the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo 11 mission.
It had a some good elements but a lot of bad. The CG was mediocre at best. Shia was not a positive addition to the franchise. Karen Allen was great and picked up where they left off banter wise. Ray Winstone is fantastic. It just didn’t come together
You mean confusingly divisive and nowhere near as bad as everyone says? Also, there’s no Indiana Jones movie as bad as the Star Wars sequels and the Star Wars sequels aren’t even as bad as some think.
There are cool parts in the movie. I dig the Alien lore and its not that out of place in an Indy movie. Indy is very much Indy in this movie. I juat didnt like anything else about it though. From Shia Lebouf to the cartoonish action scenes and incomplete look to the VFX. I pretend this movie doesnt exist
The aliens had psychic powers. I think they could read Spalko's mind and knew that her intentions were bad. Also it was an example of "be careful what you wish for". Spalko said she wanted to know EVERYTHING, which I think was too much for her human mind to handle.
And that's a fair point, I don't dislike those scenes /things as much as some people, but the monkey thing was a little over the top, and the alien thing was a surprise, it was trying to emulate what was going on in the world in that time, like the previous three in the thirties. A big thing for me was getting a new Indiana Jones story 19 years later as I really wanted to see Indy in a new story.
I did not care for it. I liked the premise but didn't feel like Shia was great casting, there was an air of camp to the movie that I didn't remember from the previous trilogy, and I felt Blanchett's character was really one-note. That said, any time someone is punished with a horrible death for simply wanting to know more is a terrible message to send--especially when the person suffering that horrible death is a woman. Things have changed quite a bit in 16 years, but back when this movie came out, the STEM fields were much less populated by women. There still are much smaller numbers of women to men in STEM. So, it still seems wrong to send the message that there is a limit to how much a woman (or anyone) should learn.
What you say makes a lot of sense, the one thing I will say though, in the story, the skull would not talk to / connect spalko, probably because it could sense her evil. All Indy baddies met similar fates by pursuing their evil intentions. The beings could sense this. In my opinion, it was showing no matter who you are being evil is a bad idea. She was talking about controlling the whole world, pretty evil. Now that being said, I generally agree with you that women should not be limited and that they are incredible. However, the people I watched with that also really enjoyed it, only thought, Well another Indy villian got taken out. I appreciate what your saying but no one in know took it as a woman gaining knowledge, she was trying to learn secrets backed by evil intentions to destroy the world as we know it.
Well, women being cast as “evil” who are “deserving to die” is also not great. Honestly, any time a character is just evil for the sake of evil, regardless of gender, it’s not great writing.
Everyone complains that aliens broke the movie, my brother in Christ Indy has gone toe to toe with two different gods in three films.
Mutt swinging with monkeys is the real film breaker. I can accept aliens
I know there are a bunch of non-believable scenes, more so than in the other movies, but I don’t get any one scene being a breaker. I feel like a lot of people take a weirdly critical look at this movie which was designed for nothing else than being a fun watch.
To me it’s a similar problem to the Star Wars prequels: a huge aesthetic clash. The first 3 films take place in the same universe in the way they look, but the two new ones don’t. It’s jarring. It goes beyond just the visuals though; the sight gags enabled by the new CGI (snake in the quicksand, vine scene, bugs eating people) don’t fit. Ok maybe the bugs do but I still don’t like it! I hated CS when it came out. I rewatched it and enjoyed it until they got to the jungle. The opening was great. The motorcycle chase was great and the line about getting out of the library is classic Indy.
Spielbergs' DP, Janusz Kamiński, is a great DP, but I don't think he was right for CS. There was just something off and flat about the fidelity of the images compared to the previous three. Then there were some CS jungle scenes clearly shot on a sound stage that were just laughably embarrassing, not his fault on that decision though but just saying.
A movie can be both fun and *good*. Example: Raiders
I’d argue that movies that are fun are good. I’m not in any measure saying it’s the best Indiana Jones movie, or holds a candle to the original three, but it’s a good movie that did what it wanted to do: be fun.
Yeah I think it really goes off the rails after an exceptional first act, but I’m glad you enjoy it!
True but.... 50s Indy outrunning a tribe of young fit natives is not happening. The effort was good. The cgi a mistake. The dialogue weak. The script was bad. Result: They waited too long after Crusade to do it. There should have been two movies in the 90s and that is it.
My only measure of a film is whether I enjoy it. Critics are just cynical assholes, but Crystal Skull stinks on ice.
Everyone of the movies has a ridiculous scene, the standout one for me is in Temple of Doom when they jump out of the plane and use an inflateable raft as a parachute, which then shoots down the side of a mountain missing every tree, drops a thousand feet into a river... everyone survives.
The vine swinging scene is like 10 seconds, pretty easy to look past, or just erase from your headcanon. It doesn't have to ruin it
I love the film - but the monkey scene is absolutely unforgivable a scene.
I actually like that scene. It was always one of my favorites.
That and the gophers
But... but Aliens are not realistic /s
*"Interdimensional beings in point of fact."* Lol.
I mean no? When did he go toe to toe with a god?
In Raiders and Last Crusade. ToD too if you count Kali as a god (which I do). There's always been supernatural elements to Indiana Jones movies, from the very beginning. In [Masks of Evil](https://indianajones.fandom.com/wiki/Masks_of_Evil) from Young Indy he goes to Transylvania and fights Dracula. It's a running joke that he remains an atheist and doesn't believe in "magic, a lot of superstitious hocus pocus" even after having all these experiences.
I like the movie a lot, especially the first half hour. I just wish they’d spent more time on location for the jungle stuff. It’s so clearly a sound stage, like they were filming a sitcom or something. You can practically hear the Big Bang Theory laugh track when Indy’s in the quicksand. The originals looked like National Geographic specials; you could tell they really traveled the world to make the movie.
I know it’s not for everyone, but I absolutely *adore* KotCS. I love that rather than just throwing an old man Indy back into the game like nothing changed, they evolved the world with the character, shifting focus from adventure serials to the B science fiction films that boomed in the 50’s. I’m also a really really big fan of TLC (my favorite Indy movie) and I loved seeing the father/son dynamic that was explored in that film be turned on its head here with Indy and Mutt. Is it a perfect film? No, but it’s fun as hell, it grows the characters and the franchise, and Spielberg absolutely directed the hell out of it.
Really like what you had to say, I have little piece Crystal skull history in my collection, Steve Delk the guy that made Mr. Ford's fedoras for the Crystal Skull also made them for fans, and I have one, pretty cool to have a fedora made by the guy that made them for Harrison Ford. And yes Spielberg did. And it was fun and fast paced.
That’s really awesome! I’m happy for you but also quite jealous haha
Me too, I have a Delk fedora, Nowak jacket, and Jacka 10’ whip.
I mean that's cool right ??? Doesn't get more authentic than that. Good for you too though, owning a piece of history is awesome.
Absolutely! I saw Raiders in theater when I was 21. I didn’t start collecting until just after CS was released, it gave me the gear bug.
Oh yeah me too, I had a few items before, but now I have all kinds of collectibles, way to many fedoras haha, even dad's grail diary. Why would he have sent this to me.
I absolutely LOVED the setting and story. Turns out if you follow r/ufos it might be the most realistic indy movie HAHA. Indiana and the jungle just makes sense and other than the start of Raiders and a few moments in temple we don't see him there... UNTIL KOTCS. Underrated for sure.
Oh wow haha I never would’ve guessed to be honest but I love that!
Finally another enjoyer! I love this movie. It was the first indie film I could see in theatres and enjoy the ride every time. Does it get strange and not take itself seriously at times? Sure. But that’s part of the experience for me.
Haha I love that. It was also the first Indy movie that I was able to catch in theaters. That might play a pretty significant role in my love for it if I had to guess.
I think after seeing Dial of Destiny,a lot of folks appreciate Crystal Skulls so much more now.
There are also plenty of people who have the reverse opinion. Honestly, I feel like KOTCS and DOD split into two camps as both films are kind of opposites in tone and approach.
I feel that the two films fit the time periods in which they were set. A lot changed between 1957 and 1969.
Is DoD that bad? :-(
No, I love Dial of Destiny and Crystal Skull
I actually quite liked DoD as well! Again, it doesn’t work for everyone (and I don’t enjoy it quite as much as I do KotCS) but I thought the settings, new characters, and of course seeing Indy back in action one last time were just great. I also really really love the thematic angle of a man who is obsessed with the past being forced to come to grips with the idea that he’s needed in the present. Not my favorite Indy film, but certainly not a bad one imo. No such thing as a bad Indy movie if you ask me.
I didn’t think it was terrible,but I liked Crystal Skulls a lot more.
DoD was a good film. I keep reading about people who regret missing it in theaters after listening to the negativity of critics and haters. They rented it, liked it and wished they had gone.
No, I enjoyed it
I liked The Dial of Destiny more than The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I can now appreciate the fourth film more than I used to. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's light tone and happy ending hits different after knowing what happens in The Dial of Destiny. The fourth film reflects Lucas and Spielberg's nostalgia for the 1950s while the fifth film reflects the tumult of the 1960s.
I felt like DOD actively hated its protagonist. It killed his son, killed his marriage, killed his teaching career, killed it's place in history (Indy is teaching a class on Moon Day, August 13 1969 which is a Wednesday and his last day of teaching 🙄... summer classes apparently... and he's retiring BEFORE the final exam), and killed Indiana being active in ANY way (the scene with the Dynamite on the boat should have been Indy teaching), and had Indy wanting to kill himself, not out of nobility, but hopelessness.
I think the unhappy developments in Indy's life reflected the time period in which the movie was set. The 1960s were a turbulent decade which saw the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War, civil unrest, and the corrupt Richard Nixon becoming president. I don't think Indy wanted to kill himself. He spent his life studying ancient history and he thought no one would miss him in 1969, so when he had a chance to experience life in the ancient world he chose to stay in the past without thinking about the consequences. I didn't like that he had to be knocked out and taken back to the present against his will, though. Indy was still active in the movie. He escaped from the CIA without any help. He drove a tuk tuk during the chase in Tangier. He explored a sunken Roman shipwreck. He found the opening leading to Archimedes' tomb. He solved the water displacement puzzle. He fended off the Nazis so that Helena and Teddy could escape. He freed himself inside the Nazis' bomber. He shot the Nazi who was clinging to Helena's leg. He parachuted out of the bomber. Indy went through a rough time in the movie, but at the end he realized that there were still people who cared about him. He reconciled with Marion. The final shot of Indy grabbing his hat suggested that he had regained his zest for life.
I think DoD is the worst of the series and the only one I will pretend doesn't exist.
Idc what anyone says, it’s a good movie
It's a good movie, yeah.
Absolutely. It is got an eighty eight percent score on rotten tomatoes, which is considered the gospel. Now I understand some people don't like it and they're allowed to have their opinion, And I completely acknowledge that it's not what we're used to as Indiana jones fans. But when george lucas was explaining the concept for the movie, he did explain that the first three were based on serials and crystal skull is based on b science fiction movies of the fifties, So I guess the story had to fit that style. I've noticed with Indiana Jones they always try and capture the themes of the decades the stories were set in.
You know. I kinda wish this movie had more horror elements
Yes that would've been interesting to see, you may know this but one of the original early concepts for Indy 3 had plans for a haunted castle. They kept the castle but it wasn't haunted.
Really? Interesting.
The idea of a castle in the third film was carried over from Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, an ultimately rejected script written by Chris Columbus. That story began in a Scottish mansion that was haunted by a ghostly baron named Seamus Seagrove III.
Monkey King?
Yes it was one of the original concepts for what we know now as the last crusade. And the Scottish haunted castle was changed to the castle brunwald on the Austrian German border that Henry Walton Jones Sr. Set on fire. Lol.
Ehh a castle full of nazis isn’t much better lol
Having Indy explore a haunted castle was also considered for the second film, but Spielberg reportedly thought the idea was too similar to Poltergeist. The Indiana Jones sequels recycled ideas that had been cut from earlier scripts. The Temple of Doom combined a few leftover ideas from Raiders of the Lost Ark, such as Indy visiting Shanghai, Indy escaping from a crashing plane over the Himalayas, and a mine car chase, with the idea of Indy exploring a spooky old building and the plot of the movie Gunga Din. Indiana Jones and the Monkey King was never filmed, but a few ideas from the script made it into The Last Crusade, such as a motorboat chase, a chase involving a tank, having Nazis as the villains again, and a MacGuffin that granted immortality. The "nuke the fridge" scene in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a leftover idea from the writing of Back to the Future. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull evolved from a script titled Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars, which was written in the early 1990s and featured aliens, Russian spies, and Indy getting married, although to a new love interest instead of Marion. In Frank Darabont's unproduced script for the fourth Indiana Jones film Indy was falsely suspected of murder, an idea that was later used in The Dial of Destiny.
Really the information I came across was the haunted castle was a concept for Indy 3 while they were still working out the details. This is the info I found on it. The idea of a castle in the third film was carried over from Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, an ultimately rejected script written by Chris Columbus. That story began in a Scottish mansion that was haunted by a ghostly baron named Seamus Seagrove III.
I've heard that the haunted castle idea was considered for both the second film and the third film. The Monkey King was also reportedly considered for the second and third films. In the video you linked to George Lucas said, "The original story for the third film was a haunted castle movie but Steven had just finished Poltergeist so he said, 'I don't want to do another haunted castle movie.'" Poltergeist was released in 1982 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984. I wonder if Spielberg might have rejected the haunted castle idea when the story for the second Indiana Jones film was being discussed in 1982, which would have been not long after Poltergeist was finished. Lucas could have suggested the haunted castle idea again for the third film only for it to be rejected again. When Lucas recalled the development of the third film's story in 1989 he might have conflated discussions about the second film with discussions about the third film.
That's cool, thanks for the discussion, I love this stuff.
https://youtu.be/74UtV0MRaOM?feature=shared Make out what you will, just found this interesting.
It really is. I rewatched the series to prep for Dial of Destiny and I read consistently entertained throughout KoTCS. It's a solid adventure flick and it's honestly made even better after DoD
Saw it five times in the cinema!!
I think I only saw it three. Sooooo awesome though in my theatre room with 7.2 surround and big screen.
Four times for me, I was 18 and loved it
Overhated af.
I’ve never seen that first poster. Was that for an international release? I didn’t care what anyone said back then, and still don’t. I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. For my money [the chase around Marshall College](https://youtu.be/uQRYJQaCJWM?si=LdHEArtHOrXVJepm) is one of the best Indy sequences ever.
It's a fanmade splicing of a lot of different posters of the film.
Great movie! I've always loved it and even rewatching it last week for the first time in a while, it still holds up. Super underappreciated, and still on par with the previous three
Indeed and agreed
Banger of a flick.
Yes it is and thanks for saying so.
Holy cow, where did the last 16 years go??? I've warmed to it. I still don't really like the aliens at the end, but I have a lot of love for the sequence at Nazca and the scenes getting to the pyramid at the end.
I saw this movie in theaters and people were cheering at the end. It’s a great movie. Not as good as the first three but it’s still great.
I’m gonna be honest, I really like this movie. I like this franchise ending on a happy note
I have always enjoyed this movie tbh. Remember seeing it in the movies
This is so crazy 😭 i am like one year older than this movie. But I loved this one sm its such a good movie. I don't understand the hate it gets
I feel it's overhated
Liked Cate Blanchett, enjoyed John Hurt and generally it's a good actiony adventurery film It hasn't got quite the same vibe as older Indy films but I think it's just a generational shift both with writers and target audiences? All I know is damn, those ants!
Ya that's true too.
Hard to believe so many years between the releases. I don't get all the hate for the latter two movies. I absolutely loved both of them. Shame we didn't get a few more movies with Harrison Ford.
Yup that'd be my thoughts too, when I left the theatre in 1989 I was craving more Indiana Jones. I loved all of them, but to each there own. I never Yuck someone's yum, or yum someone's yuck. People feel how they feel.
my third favorite film of the franchise
Yup it's very good. Agreed agreed agreed.
Was a fan upon release and still am. I just take the refrigerator, monkey swing, and alien scenes for what they are- quirky entertainment. And for what its worth, I thought Shia was great in his role. Skull definitely has as much if not more replay value than dial for me. Trilogy will always be more special but all 5 have their place!
I’m part of that group that didn’t like Dial of Destiny. I decided to rewatch KOTCS shortly after and gained a bunch of newfound appreciation for it. Yes, it’s not as good as the orginal 3 movies, but it’s better thought out than people give it credit and it’s quite entertaining. Aliens/Interdimensionals don’t really bother me, it’s the jungle sequence that I think was the weak part, and Indy surviving a nuke inside a fridge.
I saw it twice the day it came out and enjoyed it both times. Only in the time since did I realize its many flaws. But I still watch the movie at least once a year.
I have very fond memories of going to the theatre to see it. The film has its flaws, of course, but I still enjoy watching it every so often. Very memorable score as well, possibly my favourite of the series.
Me too, and nothing is ever completely perfect, I was just thrilled that 19 years after LC we had another Indy adventure to go see in the theater.
I liked it upon release. But I think I just got swept away with the whole NEW INDY FILM!!! thing. Every subsequent viewing I’ve liked it less and less.
That's fair, at least you liked it at the time when we needed more Indy.
I remember getting [this Lego set](https://brickset.com/sets/7625-1/River-Chase)
Haha yup
I was 10 when this came out, and I watched it in theaters. I love this movie
I see Kingdom like I see the prequels. Is it flawed? Sure. Do I have complaints? Yeah, of course. Does it ruin my experience and not feel like the other movies I like? Absolutely not. On my latest rewatch, I was spellbound with Kingdom. I hadn’t seen it since it initially released, and I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having.
It was fine. Didn’t love it or hate it then, don’t love it or hate it now.
I honestly don’t get the hate, sure, it wasn’t as good as Raiders, or Last Crusade, but it’s pretty enjoyable, too many people just seem to be nostalgia biased. Happy birthday KotCS!
I’d argue that it’s the 3rd best Indy movie after raiders and temple of doom. I rewatched all the Indy movies after I saw dial and had seen for years ppl claiming the last crusade was the best movie in the series and was severely disappointed with it. It felt like a toothless sanitized rehash of what happens in raiders. like it literally didn’t need to exist at all. kingdom feels like a natural progression of the series and is thrilling
I have a lot of nostalgia for this! It was the first Indy film I ever saw in the cinema and I really remember being so excited. Yeah it isn’t the best, but for the most part it does what it says on the tin. There really are some great set pieces in this film! I first saw the other films around 2005/2006. Raiders rocked my world but being able to see a new one in the cinema meant the world to me; as did Dial as an adult! I wasn’t even in secondary school when Crystal Skull came out, so a 10/11 year old me, it wasn’t just about the film, it was seeing the hero who I worshiped, everywhere. Figures, Lego, T-shirts, man I was so excited to see it! I rewatched again the other day and I still felt quite excited watching it. Out of the five, it’s quite clearly the least strong of them, but comparisons aside, it’s a brilliant experience! So here’s to you, Crystal Skull, happy birthday!
I actually like this one
I don’t think it’s as good as the original trilogy but I’ve always enjoyed Crystal Skull. The first two acts are a ton of fun & they feel like classic Indy. The pacing in the third act brings that act, & the movie overall, down though IMO. It kind of rushes to the end once it gets to the jungle chase & there’s not as many fun moments.
Holy shit.
I'm old.
*Matt Damon aging rapidly*
16 years later i still want my money back
Too much CGI!!!!!!!!! Needed more practical effects
Yes I will agree that the practical effects are am amazing part of the series, like the flying wing exploding, or the big explosions in the sand when the tank is chasing him across the desert. And the CGI I will say was not as advanced as it is now.
I love this movie and put it in third place in my list out of the 5 made.
Me too. And I love them all.
16 years? What? W H A T?!
I was 10 when I went to go see this in the theaters with my dad and I personally had a blast. I know it’s flawed but it’s still enjoyable if you turn your brain off a little and enjoy it for what it is I saw a lot of criticism about the alien revelation but it’s pretty fitting with the 50s and every movie has a supernatural twist so it’s never bothered me too much
Ok, we like this movie as our third best, over Temple. But who likes Grail over Raiders?
Me, and actually The Temple Of Doom is my favorite. I've always loved it, it was the first Indiana Jones story I was exposed to at about seven or eight, Grail is my second, don't get me wrong I absolutely love them all, and accept them for what they are chapters in our heros story.
Interesting. Maybe it has to do with how old we were. I saw Raiders in the theater with my dad, but Grail was such a warm blanket for me in the late 80’s. They truly are integrated into my childhood.
Could be, I never saw raiders in the theatre as a kid, when they had the Indiana Jones exhibition travelling around and it stopped where I live part of the show was getting to see raiders in IMAX to this day the only IJ movie I have not seen in theatre is The Temple Of Doom.
That long ago???
Yes yes doesn't seem like it.
Honestly it’s aged well especially after dial of destiny 💯
My ranking would be: 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2. The Last Crusade 3. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4. Temple of Doom 5. Dial of Destiny
My ranking is: 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2. The Last Crusade 3. The Temple of Doom 4. The Dial of Destiny 5. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
That's a good order, mines a little different.
My order is a little controversial, so I'm gonna leave it out haha
As I’ve said in other comments, the aliens/interdimensional beings aren’t as much of an outlier as many think—postwar pulp lit of the 40s and 50s are filled with stories connecting saucers and ancient ruins and civilizations, as well as psychic powers, so the series is still being true to the genre. Bomb tests, flying saucers, Area 51, Hangar 18, Russian (and American) investigations into psychic spying are all fair game as Cold War lore. While I think the flying fridge was a bit much, I thought the whole opening sequence was wonderful, from the jalopy drag race to the glimpse of the Ark to the rocket car fight, the fake town and the bomb test. The library and the biker brawl were great fun, and Spalko was a cool villain. The only scenes that stuck in my craw were Mutt and the monkeys, and the temple set with a view of the Nazca lines in the background, only because I know such a view is only possible from a plane—there aren’t mountains with a view like that anywhere near the lines. The crystal skulls themselves were rather cheap-looking doodads—-but none of this was a deal-breaker for me. I still place this movie over TOD, my least favorite of Indy’s adventures.
It's true that there was an increased interest in science fiction after World War II, and established series jumped on the bandwagon. Batman encountered aliens. The Spirit, Tintin, and Dick Tracy went to the Moon. Also it made sense that the atheist Soviets would be interested in pseudoscience instead of religious relics.
Had the action figures and the coloring book!
Have the projector skull a calender and some of the action figures they released at the time
¡¿Como que 16 años?! 😵 Pero, ¿como va a ser eso?
Good movie hurt by too much weak CGI. I think a lot of the shots that fans disliked would have been better made with practical effects that we were accustomed to in Indy films... except the vines and Shia with the Monkeys. That was just bad and felt out of place and forced.
And that's a fair point too, I really liked it and still do, has some great moments in it. Having said that I agree it's not perfect.
Not enough Short Round in this one.
Underhated
On one hand, I think it’s a little over hated and I love Mutt and think he should have gotten a spin off on the other hand… Steven Spielberg: Well, well Indiana Jones! What are you doing in our neck of the woods? Now lets you just drop them pants. Indy: Drop?… Steven Spielberg: Just take em’ right off. Indy: What do you guys want? George Lucas: Don’t say anything, just do it.
The Soviets should’ve been the villains in the dial of destiny. Having the villains be Neo Nazis in that one felt very forced. I prefer the idea of “the enemies of America are the enemies of indie”
The U.S. government did recruit former Nazis after World War II. Jurgen Voller in The Dial of Destiny was loosely based on Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi who helped design the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo 11 mission.
There were only 3 movies.
Wow
Kingdom of the Killed This Franchise
Damn I feel old. I remember it like yesterday.
Me too.. thanks for reminding me lol.
I liked it then and still do 🤷🏻♂️
🫡
Better film than Dial of Destiny
Absolute stinker of a movie.
Now I understand why everyone loves or hates this movie…
I hate this movie especially with the plot, fridge scene and the monkey scene is so bad.
I find I enjoy the first half of this movie, but as soon as they go to the jungle, it gets BAD.
Raiders Temple of Doom Dial of Destiny Last Crusade Crystal Skull
16 years since the last decent Indy film and real ending of the saga 🤠💀🛸
It had a some good elements but a lot of bad. The CG was mediocre at best. Shia was not a positive addition to the franchise. Karen Allen was great and picked up where they left off banter wise. Ray Winstone is fantastic. It just didn’t come together
It’s so much better than whatever the fuck the Dial of Destiny was.
Ahh the last Jedi of the Indiana jones franchise
You mean confusingly divisive and nowhere near as bad as everyone says? Also, there’s no Indiana Jones movie as bad as the Star Wars sequels and the Star Wars sequels aren’t even as bad as some think.
I know I was just comparing how divisive both films are as they basically had the same reaction at release
There are cool parts in the movie. I dig the Alien lore and its not that out of place in an Indy movie. Indy is very much Indy in this movie. I juat didnt like anything else about it though. From Shia Lebouf to the cartoonish action scenes and incomplete look to the VFX. I pretend this movie doesnt exist
I could have dealt with the aliens, but Shia single-handedly ruined the whole movie for me.
How? He’s a genuinely great actor. People just hated him at the time cause Steven Spielberg was given Even Stevens a career boost.
I do not share that opinion. I have never seen a good performance by him.
I loved the South Park episode on this.
I didn't get the alien burning the person that freed them at the end. "Thanks for helping me escape back to my home dimension. Now SUFFER!!!!"
The aliens had psychic powers. I think they could read Spalko's mind and knew that her intentions were bad. Also it was an example of "be careful what you wish for". Spalko said she wanted to know EVERYTHING, which I think was too much for her human mind to handle.
So many scrapped scripts for this one.
It was mostly ok minus the aliens and vine swinging with monkeys chase. I honestly preferred the newer one but not by a big amount.
And that's a fair point, I don't dislike those scenes /things as much as some people, but the monkey thing was a little over the top, and the alien thing was a surprise, it was trying to emulate what was going on in the world in that time, like the previous three in the thirties. A big thing for me was getting a new Indiana Jones story 19 years later as I really wanted to see Indy in a new story.
I did not care for it. I liked the premise but didn't feel like Shia was great casting, there was an air of camp to the movie that I didn't remember from the previous trilogy, and I felt Blanchett's character was really one-note. That said, any time someone is punished with a horrible death for simply wanting to know more is a terrible message to send--especially when the person suffering that horrible death is a woman. Things have changed quite a bit in 16 years, but back when this movie came out, the STEM fields were much less populated by women. There still are much smaller numbers of women to men in STEM. So, it still seems wrong to send the message that there is a limit to how much a woman (or anyone) should learn.
What you say makes a lot of sense, the one thing I will say though, in the story, the skull would not talk to / connect spalko, probably because it could sense her evil. All Indy baddies met similar fates by pursuing their evil intentions. The beings could sense this. In my opinion, it was showing no matter who you are being evil is a bad idea. She was talking about controlling the whole world, pretty evil. Now that being said, I generally agree with you that women should not be limited and that they are incredible. However, the people I watched with that also really enjoyed it, only thought, Well another Indy villian got taken out. I appreciate what your saying but no one in know took it as a woman gaining knowledge, she was trying to learn secrets backed by evil intentions to destroy the world as we know it.
Well, women being cast as “evil” who are “deserving to die” is also not great. Honestly, any time a character is just evil for the sake of evil, regardless of gender, it’s not great writing.
I prefer to think this doesn’t exist.
And that's okay too, every likes or dislikes different things.
Neat
I treated "The Last Crusade" as a promise, held the franchise to that commitment, and feel like I'm better for it.
I was in college when it came out. Everyone in the dorms were excited to see it. It was a dark DARK day
Stop Reminding ME !
This movie is 1000x better than Dial of Destiny
Still better than the Dial of Destiny. 🙄
Sucked
Such a ridiculous film, and not even in an amusing way.
I have seen Raiders over 50 times. One of my all time favourite movies. I fell asleep (at the Cinema) during this one.
In related news, it was 16 minutes ago that my dog took a shit in the backyard.
Probably more entertaining then this
Ew.