(no subject)

[tresjolie9]

This film would have been nice in 1990...



Honestly, in 1990, this movie would have been good, before a film could get away with having UFOs turn out to be the ancient evil, and not have the film reek like it was ripping off Stargate and The Ancients. Back then you could do a storyline about alien having a hive mind, and not feel like it being a rip off of Star Trek and The Borg. Also one note evil Soviet cartoon villains might have seemed so silly almost to the point of being laughable.

But this was released in 2008, and just felt like it was dated. I had no problems with Harrison Ford and Shia LeBeuf. But they could have done a different storyline? How about the main plotline being about an academic rivalry, Indiana Jones, and a rival US archaeologist. Write something similar to the Pilt Down Man incident, which has ruined the reputation of Indy's institution, The University of Chicago. Would have been nice if Indy were taking some flack in academic circles for some of his claims of the supernatural. I'm thinking of Mark Hamil for the snarky "anti Indy." The Crystal Skull is found, and throughout academia there are various claims about its origins. Indy thinks it is supernatural, perhaps the academic rival thinks it is something else. Take a page from the origins of Lost, the bad guys are mysterious, and no one quite knows who or what they are.

Comments

[servalan.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I was kind of having that weird Stargate disconnect, myself, when it came to Crystal Skulls, but there's a reason everyone's choosing that storyline, so I tried to go with it.

Hmmmm. I like your version a bit better though, but there wouldn't be much of an action flick feel, I don't think. Then you'd just have anti-Indy taking the place of the Soviet chick.

Okay, here was my beef with the Soviets: They weren't scary! At all. But they were rather competent. Very "please take over my country because the McCarthy-ite Feds are ridiculous and not focusing on the real issues here." As you say, there's been enough time between then and now. Was this someone trying to make a statement 60 years after the fact by having the Reds be . . . something less? I would've been happier exploring this political aspect. (Plus, if Indy was being watched by USA security, why didn't anyone follow him to SudAmerica?)

[tresjolie9.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I was kind of having that weird Stargate disconnect, myself, when it came to Crystal Skulls, but there's a reason everyone's choosing that storyline, so I tried to go with it.

What is the reason why everyone is picking that storyline? Does it have to do with certain archaeologists and people in those types of circles actually believing thing aliens helping with the pyramids? Aliens also helped on the lost city of Atlantis? I've heard that argument, about an alien species being responsible for the pyramids. But I've also heard the counter argument that saying that gives off the subtle implication that the ancient people of Egypt and Peru weren't intelligent enough to pull off that kind of intricate architecture. Thinking about it, if they were going to go in that direction, it would have been an interesting plot point in the film.

Hmmmm. I like your version a bit better though, but there wouldn't be much of an action flick feel, I don't think. Then you'd just have anti-Indy taking the place of the Soviet chick.

Hmm, I haven't thought of a way to bring the action into the flick and for some people Indiana Jones is about watching the action sequences, the stunts, and the outrageous ways the villains die. I will admit that I would have preferred a movie with more academic arguments then action sequences. Also you need a one note evil villain to die in some outrageous way. Maybe the one note evil person who gets it is the one responsible for faking some major discovery, setting back archeology and science, destroying their credibility, and being responsible for the denial of a few grants?

Okay, here was my beef with the Soviets: They weren't scary! At all. But they were rather competent. Very "please take over my country because the McCarthy-ite Feds are ridiculous and not focusing on the real issues here." As you say, there's been enough time between then and now. Was this someone trying to make a statement 60 years after the fact by having the Reds be . . . something less? I would've been happier exploring this political aspect. (Plus, if Indy was being watched by USA security, why didn't anyone follow him to SudAmer

ITA, I was also thinking of instead of making the Soviet scientists the one note evil guys, making them, not so evil, yes the KGB could be evil, yes horrible things did happen in Soviet Russia. But that does not mean that all Russians are evil. How about say a Russian character, who is also a brilliant archaeologist being one of the defenders of Indy's theory.

I didn't see the "please take over my country" aspect, because one of the major weaknesses of this film was because it was trying to do two things at the same time, feature evil one note Soviet villain as would be seen in a film of that era, while at the same time, retrospectively critiquing McCarthyism. This is feat that just can't be accomplished. Either point out both the flaws and weaknesses of the Soviet Union in comparison to the flaws and weaknesses of the US (McCarthyism) at the time. Or just go with Evil Soviet Villain, and forget about McCarthyism.

The "why didn't anyone follow him to South America," is something people on other boards are asking. I also read on the IMDB that this film was actually released in Peru, land of the Incas, not Mayans and people were very critical of Indy saying it was Pancho Villa's North Mexican men who taught Indy Quetchua