Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

[ All User Reviews ] Previous | 4 of 1814 | Next



Overall Grade: D

Story: D-



Acting: C



Direction: C



Visuals: B-


top 10 reasons why you shouldn't see this movie
by stanleyenge (movies profile) May 22, 2008
101 of 149 people found this review helpful

1. Spielberg is a genius, but his effort in this film was weak, rushed, and uninspired. Anyone who has studied filmmaking knows what I'm talking about.

2. The editing of the movie was not done with any true effort, passion, or creativity.

3. The writing was subpar and the plot was confusing and ridiculous. I heard sarcastic yawns from the audience many times during the movie.

4. The special effects, by today's standards and Spielberg's standards, were cut-rate and boring.

5. The cast had no chemistry whatsoever. The characters were not developed, and thus I could not connect to them. The female antagonist failed to inspire any fear or loathing. The Karen Allen character was wasted and misused. Indy and his son had zero bonding chemistry.

6. The violence was too tame. "Raiders" had gritting visuals that send chills down your spine. This latest Indy film was very tame and had to work hard for the PG rating.

7. The action sequences were very, very weak, especially when you consider the almost non-stop rush of "Raiders". In fact, I could chose one scene in the original "Raiders" (the truck scene, the bar shootout, the opening scene, or the final scene)and watch that over and over again for an hour and 45 minutes and be more entertained than watching the Crystal Skull in its entirety.

8. The locales were not exotic and the cinematography was half-rate.

9. The ESP E.T. storyline was absolutely stupid.

10. And lastly, father time has taken its toll. Karen Allen and Harrison Ford looked real old in this movie. In my teen years, I remember Karen Allen being one of the most naturally beautiful creatures to walk the earth, and Harrison was a rugged stud. Now, they just look old, and it makes me feel old, and uncomfortable, if not sad, at the ravages that Father Time has in store for all of us.

Alas, I will have to rent Raiders and get the bad taste out of my mouth