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Steven Spielberg and George Lucas madethe bluff decision to tamper with the legacyof their near - perfectIndiana Jonestrilogy in 2008 with a fourth movie , Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . As with most belated sequels ( except forthe really , really great ones , likeBlade Runner 2049 ) , it was wildly controversial among fan of the original films .
The addition of aliens and fridge - nuking to the Indy lore did n’t do the movie any favors , while the visible aging of Harrison Ford made it insufferable to completely retake the disembodied spirit of the originals . Kingdom of the Crystal Skullis not a arrant movie , but it ’s also not a total tragedy .
Right: Shifting To The Cold War
After makingSchindler ’s List , Spielberg vowed to never satirize Nazi again , so the scoundrel in the fourthIndiana Jonesmovie were always going to be dissimilar , but the team plunk a corking option .
Shifting to the Cold War era volunteer up a whole raw esthetical following the WWII - era original trilogy , as well as accounting for Harrison Ford ’s material - life ripening , and the Soviets made an intriguing young forcefulness of hostility .
Wrong: Aliens
mighty off the bat , aliens did n’t belong to in anIndiana Jonesmovie . This is hardly a raging take , since it ’s been said a million times , but it is true . Shifting to the Cold War earned run average was a smart move , and U.F.O. conspiracy were a huge part of the climate at that time , but it was a real stretch .
The in the first place Indy movies had deal of supernatural elements , but extraterrestrial are n’t supernatural . If alien life arrived on Earth , it could be explained by skill — the power of God channeling through the Ark of the Covenant could n’t . Indy and sci - fi do n’t mix .
Right: All-Star Cast
Cate Blanchett had as much playfulness playingthe moustache - twirling villainy of Irina Spalkothat she ’d later have as Hela inThor : Ragnarok , while John Hurt and Jim Broadbent are perfectly cast in their delightfully eccentric persona .
Wrong: Ridiculous CGI Set Pieces
The set pieces in the originalIndiana Jonestrilogystand among the unspoilt in activity cinema . There ’s limpidity of apparent motion , imaginative twist , no confusing cuts , it ’s driven by character , the fight choreography is acute , but it also harks back to pulpy old adventure serials — it ’s just gross .
All that die out the window whenKingdom of the Crystal Skullbrought a toxic combining of Harrison Ford being too honest-to-goodness to throw punches and CGI technology approaching its peak . This led to heed - numbingly ludicrous CGI set pieces like Shia LaBeouf swinging around the jungle with his digital rascal friend .
Right: Harrison Ford’s Enthusiasm
It ’s punishing to get Harrison Ford enthused about much any longer . He bluntly say fan who involve himStar Warsquestions that he does n’t like and he phone in most of his execution . However , work with Spielberg and Lucas on anotherIndiana Jonesmovie blarney out his long - torpid exuberance on the fixed ofKingdom of the Crystal Skull .
Far from the beat out dashing hopes of seeing Bruce Willisphone in a public presentation as John McClane inA Good Day to Die Hard , it was a delight to see Ford return to the role of Dr. Jones . He even give to the forcible side of the part as much as he could .
Wrong: Predictable Plot
The original threeIndiana Jonesmovies had unpredictable plots withshocking twists every few minutes . Rather than being generic megahit , they recaptured the spirit of the old adventure serial publication they were inspire by , telling the stories in digestible lump with plenty of penetrating , surprising turns along the way .
But inKingdom of the Crystal Skull , the filmmakers just go through the movement ; every plot of ground compass point can be seen coming from a naut mi aside . If it was n’t for the natural process , the moving picture would n’t be exciting at all .
Right: John Williams’ Score
As always , John Williams write an awe-inspiring melodic grievance forIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . Just as he did with theStar Warssequel trilogy , he attractively recapture the spirit of the original movies in his new medicine .
Williams record a new version of “ The Raiders March,”commonly known as theIndiana Jonestheme , forKingdom of the Crystal Skulland it vocalise crisper than ever .
Wrong: Casting Shia LaBeouf As Indy’s Son
For some reasonableness , around the mid-2000s , Steven Spielberg saw the light of the next with child movie star glinting in Shia LaBeouf ’s middle and decide to shove him down moviegoers ’ throats . After give him the lead role in theTransformersfranchise , which he exec - bring on in its other days , Spielberg cast LaBeouf as the boy of Indiana Jones inKingdom of the Crystal Skull .
The approximation was for Indyto pass the torchto his son to persuade on the franchise , but LaBeouf was horribly miscast in the persona .
Right: Bringing Back Marion Ravenwood
break the tradition of kick in Indy a Modern love interest in each movie , Kingdom of the Crystal Skullbrought back the great Karen Allen to reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood fromRaiders of the Lost Ark.
It was also a impudent move not to make her a damsel in distress like she was inRaiders . InCrystal Skull , Marion actually get in on the action and play a cardinal persona in each set piece .
Wrong: Nuking The Fridge
A scene in which Indy escape from a nuclear blast by hide in a refrigerator made it to the final potation of the script , got approved by both Spielberg and Lucas , go through storyboarding , previsualization , shooting , editing , VFX , and a cluster of screening , and in all that metre , no one said , “ flow on , permit ’s take this part out , it ’s really silly . ”
Even if a fridge actuallywouldprotect Indy from a atomic detonation , that does n’t describe for the 1,000 - foot trip into the sky he takes after the flak . Hurtling to the worldly concern from that pinnacle in a fridge would ’ve kill him if the nuclear dud did n’t . This agonizing scene top to “ nuking the fridge ” being coined as a “ jumping the shark ” alternative reference to enfranchisement tiredness .
NEXT : Spider - Man : Homecoming — 5 thing It Got Right ( & 5 It Got Wrong )
