Indiana Jones

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

Indiana Jones, in newest form, is a couple of things all at once. First and foremost, it is definitely entertaining, despite its exhausting length. Entertaining the whole way through. And secondly, the CGI is maybe the best I have ever seen. George Lucas and Spielberg truly are masters of their domain.

However, story wise, here is the thing: Almost every scene in the entire movie is filled with implausibility, and inaccuracies. Take for example the opening scene. Russians infiltrate Area 51. They do this EASILY, with MINIMAL resistance. The reason why that doesn't work for me, is because I have watched the discovery channel special on how secure that military base is. It couldn't be infiltrated that easily. Frankly, I don't believe it could be infiltrated under almost any circumstance. If Russians during the cold war really HAD infiltrated it, it probably would have had some sort of self-destruct mechanism anyway.

This opening scene makes up the bulk reasoning of the movie. You name it: Surviving a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator (and then watching the refrigerator fly through the air and crash and bounce numerous times before Jones crawls out of it unhurt,) to scenes of swinging rope to rope with monkeys, to falling off not one, not two, but three major water falls in a car without getting hurt. Oh yeah, and how on earth do their enemies keep catching up with them instantly, without showing a scratch?

Having said all I have to criticize the movie, I still think it is definitely worth seeing. Despite some ridiculous plot holes, inaccuracies, and implausibility one after another, the movie is worthwhile. And despite its length. Why? Because the visualizations are just that good, and the story is that packed with adventure. There aren't too many good adventures these days, and seeing second rate CGI can be expected with almost any movie you see. But this is definitely first rate effects, and visually, classic spielberg.

Story wise it pretty much is, too, with maybe some obvious help on the script from one of the most ridiculous, and legendary filmmakers, George Lucas.

2.5/4 **

Kizzume · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject:

Good to know. It's a movie I really really look forward to seeing. As far as the unreal aspects, the last 3 movies had some of that going on too, especially Temple of Doom. I look at the Indiana Jones movies as being purely entertainment, and they have been quite entertaining in the past, and it's great to know they've kept up those traditions.

Did they keep some of the same cinematography and camera techniques as they did in the earlier films? Was it blatant that it wasn't originally filmed on film--how was the gamma of the movie?

tristanrobin · Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 142 Location: New Haven, CT USA

Another rec I'll heed.

I loved the old Indiana flicks - so I'll see this one for nostalgia's sake, if nothing else!

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

Kizzume · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject:

You could get similar results to what they're getting if you spent about $5,000 on a camera, which if you think about it, isn't actually that expensive. To get one of those Panavision film cameras and the cost of film developing is through the roof, and then trying to edit that, ugh, what a nightmare. What I was meaning about "gamma" though is that digital cameras pick up things differently than film cameras--the gamma balance (or the ratio between dark and light) is a little bit different than on film, but with processing it can be made to look virtually just like film.

technocrat · Joined: 04 Dec 2007 Posts: 216

I do say I liked the movie. I am glad I didn't pay for it, though. It wasn't as good imo as the older movies. It was much harder to follow, plotwise, and there seemed to be more confusing moments.

I can't say I liked the ending either. It was a bit of a let-down.

But I am a Indiana fanboy.

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

tristanrobin · Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 142 Location: New Haven, CT USA

aliens????

why did I read that post???? LOL

jq · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1124

Kizzume · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:24 am Post subject:

Well, I didn't read anything beyond the first paragraph of that, but I will later today after I've seen the movie Smile

Kizzume · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:16 pm Post subject:

It was great!

My ONLY complaint about the movie, and it's really getting nitpicky, is the way they faked lens flare and lens-based soft-focus filters. They used something that in gaming is called "bloom" a lot during this film, and the computer-generated bloom had a characteristic that was really noticeable to me.

I also felt that in the very beginning, the action sequence made him seem a little too tough (as in indestructible)--to me they should have had him seem weak at the beginning and strong by the middle, but that's another nitpicky thing. I really thoroughly enjoyed this movie.