Just got back from a late showing (after putting the boy to bed
). I didn't know what to expect given the wide range of views. I am a HUGE Indy fan and I really wanted this to be good.
I came away with some kind of vague emptiness after watching the film. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong. I liked it in a general kind of way but then I was hit by the absurdity of some of the stunt gags. The previous films succeeded because the stunts, although pulp fun, were almost believable. I mean a perfect example of that is the Myth Busters show dedicated to testing the plausibility of the inflatable boat scene from Temple of Doom. The stunt scenarios in Crystal Skull did not do a good job of suspending my disbelief (I wont post spoilers for those that haven't seen it). Some did work though and you got little rushes of previous movies but some just made you cringe.
One of my biggest criticisms beyond the stunts was something a little less apparent on screen. I think some of the emptiness I felt was a direct result of the "Lucasville greenscreen zone". There was a texture missing, a reality that is stripped away when too much is poured into artificially generated environments or compositing. It creeps up on you in a silent kind of way throughout the movie. Previous Jones movies had that visceral edge and sense of scale that only gigantic, tangible sets can give you. I also believe this is why some have criticized the movie for not being grand or epic enough.
That said, I still enjoyed the overall tone of the movie. The pulp was fine, the jokes and sense of play all fit. Shia wasn't bad and did not detract from the other performances. I liked the interactions between Jones and Marion (they needed more focused screen time together). It's definitely worth seeing in the theater and it will still sit proudly with my other movies
