Indiana Jones IV Review

After a twenty year absence, Indiana Jones hit the big screen last week. I went with a group of friends to take in the adventure. Here is my review.

About this Movie: (Beware: spoilers are included in this review)
Indy is now twenty years older in the late 1950's. McCarthyism is at an all time high. The cold war is raging against the Soviets. Instead of the Nazi's trying to steal relics for power, the Soviets have bought into this game. They are after the crystal skull. This skull is not the typical religious symbol but rather something out of this world. In the process of chasing the skull, Indy joins up with a young protégé and a familiar face from the past.

What I liked about this Movie:
Indy is back. Indiana Jones is one of the greatest action series of all time. It is great to have another movie in this saga. It is nice to see the Fedora and whip back in action.

There were some great action sequences in this movie that are very typical for an Indy movie. The motorcycle chase scene is a lot of fun especially in the library. There is the car chase and skull exchange in the jungle that reminds me of the truck chase scene in Raiders. There is plenty of action in this movie.

Indy movies are known for their various creatures. There are snakes in Raiders, Spiders and bugs in Temple, and rats in Last Crusade. This movie has mammoth killer ants that know how to swarm. It is very cool.

I liked Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams in this movie. I loved how he arrived on a motorcycle dressed as Marlon Brando from the Wild One. It was no secret that he was Indy and Marion's love child but it played very well in the movie. They left it where he could take over for Indy on adventures in the future. In the end, Indy even calls him Junior when is a nice tribute back to Last Crusade.

Overall the affects in this movie are very good. The CGI is flawless in certain scenes. Effects have come a long ways over the last 20 years.

There are other fun geeky things in this movie. There is the return of one of Indy's previous love interests. There is the glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant in the Warehouse. Indy says the famous line from Star Wars (not "May the Force Be with You") that Harrison stated 30 years ago "I've got a bad feeling about this". I did applaud when this line slipped out of his mouth.

What I did not Like:
Some of the scenes were very similar to other movies of this genre such as the Mummy series and National Treasure. The ants were cool but reminded me of the scarabs from the Mummy. It appeared that they had trouble finding things that were real fresh for this movie.

This movie had a different feel than the other three. I think part of it is the setting in the late 50's. I did not like the Soviets as villains nearly as much as Nazis. I understand that Harrison is 20 years older so you have to make Indy older and this worked for the time frame but it just felt weird.

The CGI for the Prairie Dogs was bad. They reminded me of the gopher from Caddy Shack. They seemed completely pointless and out of place in this movie.

The atomic explosion scene seemed like filler to me. The fake people in a fake town was kind of fun but was not relevant. Indy jumping into a lead lined refrigerator right before the explosion and is blown clear of the site was completely unbelievable.

What bothered me most about this movie were the aliens. In the first 10 minutes we are introduced to aliens being the center of the story. I was confused if I was watching an Indy movie or the new X-Files movie. After the Inter-dimensional spaceship left, I half expected Indy to call Marion "Scully".

My Review:
I wanted to love this movie but I did not. But I did really like this movie. It was a fun popcorn movie. It was great to have Indy back. It had a similar feel to Star Wars Episode I for me. It is great to have a fabulous franchise back but the movie did not live up to the original trilogy. That being said, I enjoyed myself and found it worth the price of admission.

My Grade: B-


Here is what other reviews have to say:

IMDB User Rating: 7.3 out of 10
Rotten Tomatoes Fans: 64% Fresh
Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 78% Fresh
Rolling Stones: 2.5 Stars out of 4
E Online: A
Roger Ebert: 3.5 Stars out of 4

I am Iron Man

The summer blockbuster movie season has started. As usual, the month of May dishes out the fun and money making movies that will get no nod at the Oscars for acting. But as a fanboy, the summer movie season is a blast. Iron Man is the first to rocket onto the big screen for this summer.

About this Movie:
This movie sticks fairly close to the comicbook series. Tony Stark, ( Robert Downey Jr.), is the rich and famous owner of Stark Industries, which is a big weapon's manufacturer. He is taken by terrorists and forced to create a weapon. Instead he built his first Iron Man suit, powered by a device to keep him alive. His armor continues to evolve and change during the movie with some very humorous moments in the process. In the end, he fights against another version of his armor which is worn by one of the bad guys.


What I liked about this Movie:
It was complete gambit of a popcorn summer movie. It had a lot of action and appropriately placed humorous moments. It was very visually appealing with great special affects. It had a great story that stuck very close to the comicbook.

This was a great comicbook adoption. In the last 10 years, the comic industry has developed a lot of good to great adoptions of comicbook characters and stories, which I have enjoyed. But they have also had as just as many misses like the Punisher, Daredevil, and Hulk. Iron Man is the first group and it is one of the best. It is up there with Spiderman 1 and X-Men 1.

The cast is wonderful. The acting was really good for a popcorn movie. Downey pulled off the drunken rich guy (not a stretch for Downey) with no issues. Gwyneth Paltrow was a great Pepper Potts. The other actors are perfect fits for their roles.

What I did not Like:
In this movie, Jarvis is not the attentive butler but rather a computer system that runs Stark's home and the Iron Man armor. I also felt that his big "reveal" at the end of the movie should have waited for a sequel. Those minor details are the only things I could really complain about in this movie.


My Review:
This is a "super" movie that I fully recommend. It is fun and full of action and great special affects. The crowd laughed and cheered often during this movie.

It is rated PG13. It did seem appropriate for some children under the age of 13. I would recommend parents viewing it before letting their children go. It is much tamer than other PG 13 movies like Cloverfield.

Look for the great Stan Lee in this movie as a Hugh Hefner like character. (Not as funny as his role in FF2 but still very funny)

By the way, stay through the credits. Comic fans will love the implications of the post credit special appearance.

My Grade: A-


Here is what other reviews have to say:

Rotten Tomatoes Fans: 94% Fresh
Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 91% Fresh
Rolling Stones: 3.5 out 4 Stars
E Online: B+

Also check out: Strange Culture: 5 Reasons you will enjoy Iron Man