Homer's Travels: Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Monday, May 26, 2008

Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Sunday was a day of recovery after our moving sale. what better way to relax then having my blog friend GeekHiker drive up for some lunch and a movie.

GeekHiker (GH) arrived a little late but had a good reason to be. He was having issues with his neighbors. The Wife had school work to catch up on so she bowed out of lunch and the movie. GH and I went to Pirates for some lunch. Pirates usually has good food but for some reason the food was not that great on Sunday. My chicken sandwich was soggy and the fries were limp. I was a little disappointed. I guess the Sunday lunch crew are not as good at the week day dinner staff.

*** Spoiler Alert ***
*** Do not continue if you are planning to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ***


After some good conversation over mediocre food, we headed to the movie theater for an afternoon showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have liked most of the Indiana Jones movies but none have been as good as the first - Raider of the Lost Ark. The latest chapter just didn't do much for me. It was entertaining but there was nothing special. The thing that irritated me the most was the Sci-Fi direction that the movie took. The other three Indiana Jones movies revolved around mysterious religious artifacts - The Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and sacred Hindu stones. This one ... well, there was some religious themes, but the secret behind everything was more scientific than mystic. It just didn't feel like it belonged with the other three movies.

As I've gotten older, I have also become pickier. The sound of thunder and the sound of an approaching storm when they are in the Nazca Plain just was wrong. The Nazca Plain is on the northern edge of the Atacama Desert - one of the dries places in the world. Other things just felt wrong or were retreads of scenes from other movies (Tarzan, Return of the Jedi). I was expecting better.

After the movie, GH and I talked outside the theater for another hour or so before we parted ways.

The food and the movie were ... just OK. But the day was saved by the conversation I had with GH. The conversation covered too many things to list. I think we were trying to fit stuff in since this would probably be the last chance we have to talk in person once I move out of state. Of course, GH is alway welcome to stop by in Omaha. Our guest room will be ready.

5 comments:

  1. Amen!

    The Tarzan theme was totally lame. The sci-fi ending left me kinda.... blah. Especially after it didn't follow suit with the previous three movies. Entertaining, yes... but I was expecting MORE after waiting so long.

    I think they tried too hard...

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  2. A-Ron: Welcome to Homer's Travels. I hope the trip from GeekHiker's place was a pleasant one. :-)

    I'm glad you agree. I was wondering if it was just me. I agree that they tried too hard.

    The ol' passing of the torch thing at the end was a little irritating too.

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  3. As I said to GH I found (and it's ridiculous I know) that this one was just too implausible. My reaction was along the lines of "Oh come on".

    I did like that they had Indy actually age and in the end, for fluffy fun, it was an alright movie and worth the cost of a matinée.

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  4. (Do I need a "spoiler alert" notice for a comment? hmmmmm)

    I have to say that, for completely unexplainable reasons, I found it more enjoyable the second time around. Go figure.

    It was also interesting that I could pick out the spots where the film stopped working for me. Like the example Aaron cites above, up until that point, the chase scene basically worked, but the Tarzan moment just pushed it a bit over the top.

    As for the ending, I kept thinking "didn't I see this at the end of "The X-Files" movie a few years ago?".

    But I still found it more fun the second time around. Who knows, maybe knowing what was coming, I over-analyzed it less and enjoyed it more?

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  5. GH: The movie was entertaining. It just didn't live up to expectations - an impossible task.

    I often find that the second time around is more enjoyable. You notice more little details.

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