-Indiana Jones: Crystal Skull Kingdom
Western cowboy hat, a leather jacket, plus a whip in his hand-Indiana Jones has become a legendary hero on the big screen like 007. But since the third Indiana Jones film was released, 19 years have passed. Just as people thought the legend was over, the three giants Spielberg, Lucas and Harrison Ford gathered again to create a new Indiana Jones in one episode. Such a lineup certainly brings unlimited expectations to the audience. Now that the film is released, it has made a big profit at the box office, sweeping the global box office of 630 million U.S. dollars. As an action-adventure film, "Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is undoubtedly quite enjoyable, not inferior to the blockbuster movies in recent years. However, if you are a fan of the Indiana Jones series, or expect this movie to be remembered like the first three episodes, then I am afraid you will be a little disappointed. You see, great director + powerful behind-the-scenes production and screenwriter + huge financial support + gorgeous cast lineup = a good movie that is selling well at the box office, but it is impossible to guarantee that it will become a classic. Compared with the previous three movies, we not only clearly felt the old age of Uncle Ford, but also felt a certain decline in Lucas and Spielberg-to borrow a line from an old domestic film: "It is not our army is incompetent, it is the Communist army. Too cunning."-It's not Indiana Jones that is bad, it's the Jones of the past who defeated the Jones of the present.
Scenes (7 points)
Spectacular scenes are one of the signatures of the Indiana Jones series. I remember that when I watched the first "Ark of the Ark", I was shocked by the scene of chasing people with huge rocks at once! At the end of the film, the magical scene after the opening of the Ark of the Covenant, the people falling into the river from the high-altitude cable bridge in the second "Ark of Devil", and the battle between Jones and the tank in the third "Jihad" are all left. I was deeply impressed. The wonderful thing about the Jones series is that it does not rely on CGI special effects to perform, like those blockbuster films of the 90s, but uses live shooting, stand-in performances, and physical props to create a sense of reality in the scene. The fourth film still follows the style of the first trilogy that uses as little special effects as possible, but even so, 30% of the special effects shots are completed with the help of CGI.
This "Crystal Skull Kingdom" action scene can score 7 points. In the beginning, the warehouse melee could only be said to be average. With old Ford’s already apparently slow skill, he was able to jump on the box without hitting a single shot, and he was able to knock two strong boys out of the car with two punches on the left and right. To go, we can only attribute it to the poor quality of Soviet special forces. While showing that the sword is not old, the old Jones also reminded us of the importance of knowledge, such as using ammunition powder to find highly magnetic objects. Unfortunately, Lucas obviously did not perform well in physics. He should go back to the chapter on magnetism in middle school. Restudy!
The explosion of nuclear weapons seemed very weird. Although the Jones series has always been fascinating, it still feels weird this time when it is directly connected with things such as UFO aliens (note the box they opened in the warehouse). , Marked from Roswell, that is, the legendary flying saucer fell to the ground). The scene of this nuclear explosion is extremely spectacular, far exceeding the scene of the nuclear explosion in "Terminator 2" by James Cameron (his model is made of paper and wood). Don't you still believe that Old Jones can escape a nuclear explosion by getting into the refrigerator. After all, they are people who have drunk holy water.
The car chasing scene has always been the highlight of the Jones series. Spielberg's characteristic is intense chasing coupled with exaggerated and interesting accidents. Motorcycle and car chase on campus, the KGB Jones was pulled from the motorcycle into the car, then give this guy a throwing punches from the other side of the window and climbed out on a motorcycle ......
movie's most exciting action scenes to calculate the Half of the jungle battle: the two sides drove parallel cars, Jones' son and villain Elena bounced around in the two cars, fighting with swords at close quarters; Jones was chasing in the other car . Then they crashed into the most vicious animal on the planet: the nest of army ants. After a fight, Jones drove straight down the cliff with an armored car, fell straight on a tree on the edge of the cliff, and then slid into the river! Although the whole paragraph is not compact enough, it is very ornamental.
Role (6 points)
We know that the charm of 007 comes from his elegance, demeanor and mystery, not the little gun or the famous car he drives. Compared with 007, the Indiana Jones series is only strong or not weak in character charm. Ford has created this literate, talented, humorous and adventurous guy, as well as his often enthusiastic but wrong-doing helpers (with his father as the most), and those villains full of evil spirits. ——Of course, including the "Joan Girl" who ventured with him, which made the film very vivid.
The most outstanding role in this episode is undoubtedly the Soviet female agent Elena Spark played by Cate Blanchett. Her snoring Russian English, a sharp saber, a wavy hairstyle, and a gray-blue military uniform like a political cadre are all very eye-catching. The image of Elena comes from the villain Rosa Kleber in the second part of "Love from Russia" in 007, the head of the former Soviet intelligence agency. Later, she joined the Ghost Party and almost wiped out Bond’s coldness with a knife. Face female evil star.
Although Kate's acting skills are amazing, but in this film, the villain Elena still did not show her particularly fierce or ruthless. The characters set in this episode are relatively vague and gentle, not as distinctive and personal as the first three parts. Mark's repeated mutinies were abrupt, and he couldn't figure out whether he was for money or something else; Professor Oakes was always so nervous.
Mute, played by Shia Labov, was supposed to be the key figure in this episode. But this role is not as good as Sam in "Transformers". Apart from being a little bit ridiculous and loving to quarrel with Old Jones, there is nothing to boast about. I always feel that Labov's performance is somewhat incompatible with the overall style of the film. The rivalry of the father and son is far less sparkly than the old Henry Jones and Henry Jones II in the third part-think about the scene of the two being tied together after being seduced by the same woman, dad still remembers Teaching Jones "I told you not to believe in beautiful women", the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes.
The performance of the father-son relationship in this film is very simple and flat, except that the two of them had a little spark at the beginning-in the tavern, Jones made fun of Mut, because "Mutt" has the meaning of an idiot and a dog, but Jones probably forgot, in " In "Jihadist", old Henry once said that the name Indiana comes from the dog named "Indiana" in their family. When Jones learned that Mutter was actually supposed to be Henry Indiana Jones III, his first sentence turned out to be to Mutter’s mother: "Why didn’t you let him finish his studies!" But most of the time, you really are. I couldn't see where Mutter continued Jones' temperament.
Script (6 points)
You know, this is a movie that has been brewing for more than ten years and the script has been changed countless times. Picking up the events during this period is enough to produce a book, and the plot is absolutely tortuous and lively. The screenwriters who have just passed by include Knight Sharmalan, Tom Stoppard, the screenwriter of Shakespeare in Love, Frank Darabont, the director of Shawshank’s Redemption, Mission Impossible and Spider-Man. The screenwriter David Cap, Hollywood star screenwriter Philip Kaufman (character), the screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (story) of "Happiness Terminal" and "Embarrassment", and of course Lucas himself, Each is a top master. This kind of film with many screenwriters tossing over and over, generally has two results: one is that the later screenwriters surpass the predecessors, the more they change, the better; the other is that they become quite mediocre, but without losing-because all personal characteristics and brilliance will be cut off Lose.
Among them, the script written by Frank Darabon is very different from the current version: there is no female villain Elena played by Kate, and there is no Jones’ son Mutter; on the contrary, there is one more brother of Jones (this role focuses on Kai Wen Costner will play); Jones’ father, Henry, will appear as a small role; Professor Oakes is not so thin; Jones’ old friend Marlene will have quite a lot of roles...
This version of the script has a lot of Jones and Ma Lyn’s emotional drama, for example, Marlene asked him why he didn’t contact him, Jones replied that he heard that Marlene moved to Hollywood to marry a top director (is this alluding to Kate Capshaw and Spielberg? ?) It is said that there is a scene where the giant snake swallows Jones in the script! In the second half, Jones will shoot at aliens, and then say "Welcome to Earth"-Lucas didn't like the script and rejected it. Darabont is said to be "very disappointed."
We can't say that Darabont's script will be made into a very good film, but it seems to be slightly better than the current script: although the plot of aliens, refrigerators in nuclear explosions, etc. still exist.
The idea for this film now comes mainly from Lucas. Initially, "Indiana Jones 4" wanted to be set against the former Nazis, but after "Schindler's List", Spielberg did not want to describe the Nazis in a relaxed comedy way. Harrison Ford also felt that the Nazis This idea has been exhausted. Lucas also felt that since the film was set in the 1950s, he should describe the Cold War. Later, he heard that Stalin had been very interested in the Crystal Skull, so he decided to use the Soviets as the villains in the film. Then he tirelessly promoted his concepts of Area 51, aliens, and crystal skulls to Lao Si and Lao Fu. In the end, he couldn’t wait any longer (Ford made it clear that if it can’t be released in 2008, he will not Played Jones), the film was set to its current tune. The screenwriter David Cape explained that I hope Jones 4 is similar to the first one, with a mix of comedy and adventurous styles, but not too dark like 2 or too cartoony and funny like 3. It sounds very good, but in fact, this film does not seem new. The golden city of Peru and the aliens are old ideas. Instead, they learn from the Jones series of "National Treasure", from the "Declaration of Independence". The hidden treasures to the "Book of the President" and the Golden City under Capitol Hill are quite eye-catching. Today, when series of adventure movies such as "Tomb Raider", "National Treasure", and "The Mummy" have appeared one after another, Jones 4 will inevitably make people feel that there is a lack of brilliance.
Regarding the script, there is a short story: John Hurt asked to read the script before signing. Of course, he knew that most actors would think like this: "Spielberg's movie! That is God's production." But John Hurt said: "Well, even if God makes a film, I have to see how it goes." So, the film company specially sent someone from Los Angeles to London to bring Hurt with the preliminary script. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Hutt got the script and read it. At eight o'clock in the evening, the people waiting here took the script away and flew back to Los Angeles. In fact, is it so necessary? We really didn't feel any surprises from the movie.
Smile point (7 points)
Who can forget the hilarious plots in the Jones trilogy? I still think of the scene where Jones threw the Nazi officer out of the airship and then said the phrase "No Ticket!" If Jones loses humor, what will the world be like? As a new Jones movie, "Crystal Skull Kingdom" is pretty good at this point. Although the old Jones is a bit weaker, he still has a taste for playing with humor.
The first point I saw in the film was a joke in that cafe: Jones took Mutter to a cafe to sit down, and Mutter took out a drawing and gave it to Jones. At this time, the two KGB guys who were staring at them came up and used guns to force them. As they went out, Jones said to Mutter: "Hit the boy who is drinking next to him." Mutter punched him. This one was wearing a college uniform. The boy fell to the ground immediately, and then the boy’s girlfriend knocked Mutter down with another punch (the girl was played by Spielberg’s daughter Sasha Spielberg). A group of school boys who came with him were about to rush in, but on the other side there was a group of guys in leather jackets protecting Mute, who was dressed in the same leather jackets. A melee began, and the two culprits slipped away in the chaos...
Although Ford’s skills have been slow, his sense of humor has not been reduced by half. It is still the kind of smart, sharp and calm ridicule, such as Dangmuth. Telling Jones in a fuss that he was bitten by a scorpion, Jones calmly asked: "A big scorpion or a little scorpion?" Mutter yelled, "Big scorpion, big scorpion!" Jones continued to answer calmly: "The bigger the scorpion, the less poisonous it is. Wait. Tell me if you bite the little one." —The old guy is really bad!
Also, when Jones and Marlene were trapped in the quicksand, Jones was like a professor in the classroom, trying to explain the structure of the quicksand, but Marlene scolded him back. Of course, Marlene is not much better than Jones at this point. When her son stood in the middle of the two speeding cars and fought with Elena fiercely, the mother actually got Jones's essence instructing: "Go away. Point, pay attention to the posture." It seems that the members of the Jones family have such a bit of untimely humor.
But in general, the humorous elements in this episode are not particularly prominent, not as natural and smooth as the first three parts, and unexpected. Some of the traces of laughter are so strong that they are even unreasonable. For example, Jones was stuck in the quicksand, and Mutter was in a hurry, and he found a big snake as a rope to pull him—somewhat funny, but they were in the jungle at the time. Is there no suitable branch? That’s all, then Jones showed a particularly fear of snakes and asked Mutter to call the snake a rope before they dared to close their eyes to catch it. Oh my God, is this the Indiana who bravely rushed into the snake array in "Ark of the Ark" NS?
Nostalgia and Tribute
As a series of movies, Jones 4 naturally has many connections with the first three movies. Since the film is set in the 1950s, the style is very nostalgic, and the tribute to the old trilogy, Spielberg himself, and Lucas are everywhere in the film. Some tributes will remind us of the content of those classic works, but too many tributes will make people feel a little bit old. Below, let us enumerate the tribute in this film-
Jones mentioned the Obi-Wan club, this bar was originally a funny tribute to Lucas by Spielberg in the second part.
The alien image at the end of the film is obviously a tribute to "Third Kind of Contact".
When Jones runs out of the house in the nuclear weapons test zone, you will see the address of the house marked "138", which is a tribute to Lucas’s "THX 1138"
Indiana Jones’s signature line "Trust Me" It didn't appear in this episode, but Marlene said it.
In this film, the way of using planes and trains to superimpose maps and red lines to express the journey is continued.
In the films directed by or participating in the production of Lucas, there are often characters who say "I have a bad feeling", including Obi-Wan in Star Wars 1 and 3, Anakin in Star Wars 2, and Star Wars 4. Luke and Han Solo in Star Wars, Princess Leah in Star Wars 5, C3-PO in Star Wars 6, and Jones in this episode.
Shia Labov's costume is a tribute to Marlon Brando in "The Speeding Party".
In almost every Jones film, there will be a principal interrupting Jones's lecture, and the fourth is no exception.
Museum curator Marcus Brody played a very important role in the previous work, but the actor who played him, Denom Elliott, died in 1992. In this film, you will see tribute and nostalgia for him in many places: when the camera passes over Jones’ table, you can see photos of Sean Connery’s father Jones and Marcus Brody; and later the KGB His car crashed into a statue in the academy. It was Marcus Brody. The text under the statue indicated that Marcus Brody was the dean of the academy from 1939 to 1944.
If you expect this Indiana Jones to become an action-adventure classic like the old trilogy, I am afraid you will be disappointed, but it is undoubtedly very lively and interesting just to look at it as a blockbuster movie. After watching this film, I can’t help feeling that the Big Three are a bit old. If you continue to shoot like this, it is difficult to guarantee that the Jones series will not get worse and worse like the Jurassic Park series. At the end of the film, Shia Labov picked up Jones' hat on the ground, as if she wanted to put it on by herself; Old Ford walked by, took the hat back calmly, and put it on. At this time, you know that he is the forever Indiana Jones, the one who can always bring you magical adventures. So, you suddenly believe that the next time he will bring you excitement and surprises, and start looking forward to the next adventure.
View more about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull reviews
