If you believe what you read on the message boards, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (262 screens) is just about the worst movie ever made. There are a few recurring comments, which I will hopefully address one at a time. But first I just want to say three things. One, I loved the film. I saw it twice, and it made me very happy both times. Secondly, I'm not working for George Lucas or Steven Spielberg, and they're not paying me to write this. (If they were, I'd probably be vacationing right now.) Thirdly, I want to argue that most of the disappointed reactions to the film had to do with two elements that are not actually in the film. (More on this later.)

Released in 1981, 1984 and 1989 respectively, the first three films are high on my list of the greatest summer movies of all time. I love them dearly; I yield to no one in my love for them. Raiders of the Lost Ark is certainly the best of the series, but truthfully, beyond an unmatched level of craftsmanship and enthusiasm, it's not exactly a work of art. It doesn't have much to say about the human condition except possibly for something about the juvenile repression of grown men -- but even that much is indirect and unintended.

The second and third movies lost the serious, professional edge of the first, and concentrated a little bit more on cartoonish non-reality. Pauline Kael made a passionate defense of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in her 1984 New Yorker review, arguing that Spielberg opened himself up more and directed it with more unbridled, infectious fun. But whereas Indy's relationship with Marion Ravenwood in the first felt grounded, Indy's relationship with Willie Scott in the second is straight out of bad screwball. The Last Crusade makes improvements with the additions of the "Young Indy" character (River Phoenix) and Indy's father (Sean Connery) but adds an even worse female lead (Alison Doody) and even more bad jokes; it feels even less "realistic" than the second entry.

Finally, the DVD you've all been waiting for (yes, you, in the "Give Short Round a Spin Off Movie" t-shirt): Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray this October 14 (and not November 11, as previously reported). Indeed! Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Crystal Skull will hit in single disc or two-disc form on DVD and a two-disc Blu-ray edition. Additionally, a DVD boxed set called The Complete Adventure Collection (featuring the first three movies and the two-disc Special Edition DVD of Crystal Skull) will also go on sale. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the first three Indiana Jones films will be released on Blu-ray. So, pony up -- who'll be giving this one a second chance on DVD?

Full specs on both the two-disc Special Edition DVD and two-disc Blu-ray edition listed after the jump ...

Less than three months ago, Eugene told us George Lucas was hinting that his Indiana Jones franchise might continue on with Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) as the main character and that Indy (Harrison Ford) would be more of a secondary figure. But MTV Movies Blog now reports that Lucas has had a change of mind and instead plans to make a fifth installment with our beloved hero still in the lead. During promotions for the new Star Wars: Clone Wars movie, he apparently stated that, "Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones. If it was Mutt Williams it would be 'Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis' or something."

Could it be, as MTV suggests, that due to fans' dissatisfaction with Mutt and/or due to LaBeouf's problems with the law that Lucas no longer sees the character as a viable investment? Or did he merely come to his senses about how much more money the movie would make with Ford starring? Lucas says that "Indy 5" is still only an idea but that people are researching possible artifacts to base the movie around. Personally, I don't care what kind of MacGuffin is used, so long as the Nazis are the villains again. The commies in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just didn't do it for me. I know the temporal setting can't be WWII anymore, but Indy could always head back into South America and battle the Nazis who escaped to Argentina and Brazil and elsewhere.

A lot of us totally lost it while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when our hero hides inside of a refrigerator and survives government testing of a nuclear bomb. Some people went so far as to coin a new term, "nuke the fridge", which is akin to the now-well-known "jump the shark" term, only specifically for film series. It makes sense, though, that they'd be having even bigger issues with the scene over in Japan, where the movie opened mid-June. After all, the country did experience two atomic attacks at the end of WWII and probably understands the ramifications of such a blast better than any other part of the world.

According to the website Japan Today, film critics Ken Terawaki and Hiroo Otaka have been the most outspoken. Otaka wrote against the use of the scene in the movie magazine Kinema Junpo, noting that the scene narratively serves no real purpose and complaining that Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) goes about his adventures unscathed. He also points out that children today -- in both Japan and the U.S. -- are unaware of the real damage caused by a nuclear blast. Other people have been expressing their disapproval on message boards, including one on the film's Japanese website. Not everyone is upset, however, and apparently some people are coming back with the "it's only a movie" retort.

Just to be accommodating, I think Steven Spielberg should include the short documentary Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945, which graphically shows the effects of at least an atomic bomb, as a supplement on the Japanese version of the DVD.

[via Fark.com]

If you paid good money to see Jaws 3-D, Friday the 13th Part 3 (in 3-D) and The Man Who Wasn't There (the Steve Guttenberg 1983 version in 3-D) during their original theatrical runs, as I did, then you might understand why I've been so reluctant to board the new 3-D bandwagon.Those were awful movies and terrible 3-D experiences: ghost images everywhere, red/blue mix-ups, and constantly shifting focus. The stupid little 3-D paper "viewers" never fit correctly over my own prescription eyeglasses. Instead of inducing a sense of wonder, those movies made my stomach queasy.

But everyone says the new technology is markedly better, and I'm even more optimistic after reading Christopher Campbell's recent column on the wonders of Journey to the Center of the Earth in digital 3-D. I plan to see for myself this weekend, and in anticipation, I started dreaming about other movies that might really benefit from 3-D done right. To keep the list from becoming endless, the seven below could all be considered future cousins of Journey, adventures involving travel through time, place and/or space. All are proposed sequels or remakes or adaptations of published works, and, alas, all must be considered dream projects, at least as far as 3-D is concerned.

Put on your 3-D glasses before jumping onward to my choices, and please share your dreams in the comments.

Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark might want to look away right now as what you're about to watch could cause serious damage to your soul. A brief snippet from the upcoming Raiders of the Lost Ark Special Edition DVD has leaked online and, in it, there seems to be a little update from George Lucas. I kinda like the small touches added and think fans will get used to them after awhile. Yup, don't worry ... they'll just blend into the background. I mean, really, who cares about this old flick anyway? It's so ... 1981-ish. That said, I'm sure folks are already in the process of creating an "Indy Shot First" t-shirt. Check it out up top, then let us know what you think? Should we start a petition? Has Lucas lost his mind? And how could Spielberg agree to something like this? Sound off ...

[Thanks Matthew]

Apparently teens have short attention spans, evidenced by this year's nominees for the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, which were announced this morning. Looking at the first two movie categories, Best Action Adventure Movie and Best Actor: Action Adventure, all the contenders (including Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Forbidden Kingdom) are from either May or late April of this year. I guess this summer's other movies, like The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and Hancock will just be ignored, since they're too late for this year and won't be remembered next year.

Another related thing that was revealed: actresses were not too prominent in action movies of that same period, because the category for Best Actress: Action Adventure looks back a little farther to Abigail Breslin in Nim's Island, Rachel Bilson in Jumper and (whoah, December? that was so long ago) Diane Kruger in National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Well, this is an interesting find, Dr. Jones. Apparently, a PDF document claiming to be Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods, as written by Frank Darabont, has found its way online. There's no word yet on whether it's the real deal, and I haven't had the time to read through the whole thing, but it might be worth a look. To recap: Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Legend has it Steven Spielberg really liked his draft, but George Lucas did not. Thus, Darabont eventually left the project -- one he'd worked on tirelessly -- time went by, and David Koepp finally wound up with it.

But what happened to Darabont's unused script -- the one Spielberg apparently loved? Who knows. Some people say aliens took it one night when Darabont wasn't paying attention, while others believe it was buried with one of them rare crystal skulls in the mountains of Peru. Regardless, folks are saying it's now online and you can read it right here. I'd do it fast, though, because someday a crazy wild-eyed scientist or a kid (or an angry studio) might show up lookin' for that there script (which includes both Papa Jones and Marion, by the way).

Again, it could be an elaborate fake. Nevertheless, I suppose you now have something to read while on the shi .... ahem.

[Thanks IHoM]

The nomadic DVD peddlers in Chinatown and other urban areas seem virtually unstoppable, but that hasn't kept Hollywood studios from launching various attempts to prevent movie piracy. Boing Boing reports on the rumor that at least one theater has been silencing the soundtrack in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull throughout the film in order to mess with potential bootleggers trying to record the thing. If true, it's got to be one of the most brain dead attempts at security since the rise of quart-sized bags. When you really get down to it, most two-bit criminals with camcorders in their laps don''t really care if the quality of the movie they're recording suffers, since the resulting product will already feature lo-fi video, the overlapping sounds of laughter and other audience reactions, and silhouetted cameos from patrons venturing to the concession stands or taking bathroom breaks. With all that, the intermittent exclusion of music doesn't sound like a major concern for the bad guys.

Studio anti-piracy measures are notoriously ill-conceived. Premieres and all-media screenings often force critics and even the filmmakers themselves to undergo intense evaluations before they're allowed to enter the theaters, while films open to the public, where pirates are more likely to show up, don't take any precautions. Granted, multiplexes wouldn't help their business if attending them felt like entering an airport terminal, but that doesn't mean there isn't a better way to prevent the crimes from taking place. Anyone care to offer some ideas?

[Via Movie City News]

If you missed any of our special Indiana Jones coverage last week, here's a recap of what went down:

Discuss: So, How was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

Retro Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Retro Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Retro Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Cannes Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (James)
Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Scott)

Interviews: George Lucas, Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett
Interviews: Harrison Ford and Karen Allen

Cinematical Sevens:

Indiana Jones Influences
Favorite Indiana Jones Moments
Indiana Jones Knock-Offs
Who Else Could've Played Indy
Watching Indy Through the Years

Special Features

The Exhibitionist: Indiana Jones and the Lost Art of the Serial
Monday Morning Poll: Your Favorite Indiana Jones Sidekick
The Geek Beat: Illumination
Discuss: The Women of Indiana Jones
Jeffrey M. Anderson's 400 Screens 400 Blows - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Spielberg

More after the jump ...

It turns out that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are as much movie nerds as Quentin Tarantino and that their four Indiana Jones films are just as full of references and echoes. But while Tarantino discovered most of his favorites on video, Lucas and Spielberg probably saw many of theirs in film school on 16mm prints, many of which never made the transition to video. Last month our own Richard von Busack wrote a post about a rare film called The Secret of the Incas (1954), with Charlton Heston as a fedora-and-leather-jacket-wearing adventurer. (Another Heston adventure, The Naked Jungle (1954), is also a definite influence.) Richard found his info at TheRaider.net, which is where I also went to work on this list of potential Indy influences. Many of the titles they list are difficult to find, and I'm also trying not to give away crucial plot points in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so -- to quote Indy himself -- I'm making this up as I go.

1. Saturday Afternoon Serials
For those that don't know, serials were presented in front of regular features in 20-minute installments over a period of 12 weeks (mainly in the 1930s and 1940s), leaving off each time with a cliffhanger, to be miraculously resolved the following Saturday. Many of them are rentable today, and you can watch the entire 240 minutes in one sitting, if you so wish. To date, I've made it all the way through only one serial, though I've attempted many. Most reviewers credit serials as a major Indy influence, but few reviews actually name which ones. I've narrowed it down to five. The first two are Zorro Rides Again (1937) and Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), mainly for the swashbuckling hero's use of the bullwhip. These two are in the public domain and widely available on DVD and for download, but I'd suggest going with VCI Entertainment's DVD versions. The other three are examples of the "jungle adventure" subgenre: Perils of Nyoka (1942), Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943) and Perils of the Darkest Jungle (1944) -- although each has also been released under alternate titles.

It took 19 years and a whole lotta convincing, but we've finally reached the day we've all been waiting for (and talking about ... and talking about ... and talking about): Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has arrived in theaters -- and we want to know what you thought about it. You've read James' review, and Scott's review; now it's time to hear straight from you, the moviegoer: What did you think? Was it everything you'd hoped for and more? Did it disappoint? Were you on the edge of your seat the entire time; laughing, crying, high-fiving your friends? And where does this installment stack up against the previous three films?

Make sure to vote in the poll below, then feel free to discuss away in the comments section.

Sometimes there are props from films. Sometimes there are super-affordable replicas. And sometimes ... well, sometimes there are expensive fan creations. This one, however, is worth at least a mention, even though it is completely and ridiculously expensive.

Virginia505 on eBay created a life-sized Indiana Jones -- coming in at a whopping 6 feet. The fake Indy has the classic apparel -- jacket, belt, and the classic fedora, as well as props like his trusty whip and bits from all three films -- Staff of Ra headpiece, sanskrit cloth, and Grail diary.

This can be yours for the super-affordable price of ... oh, fifty thousand US dollars! And, if you're worried about someone outbidding you, there's a sweet and so-affordable Buy it Now price of $70,000! But have no fear, Indy fans -- shipping will be free. (Somehow, I imagine someone who spends 50+k on something won't be worried about shipping costs.)

Still, it's an interesting bit of fandom, if you happen to have the cash. You've got until May 27 to make your bid, unless someone grabs it through the Buy it Now option.

27 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark burst onto movie screens, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brings Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood back to the big screen: Reunited, as the song says, and it feels so good. What felt less good was the timing of the press interviews for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Paramount scheduled their Cannes publicity interviews the day before the press screening of the film. (Call me a traditionalist, but normally I like to see the actual movie before talking to the actors in it; I'm just funny that way.) Still, Ford and Allen were funny and disarming -- they seemed a little amused by the hypothetical questions and broad general inquiries the chain of events required -- and Cinematical was there to learn about Harrison Ford's take on the best parts of playing Indy, Karen Allen's musings on Marion Ravenwood's sex life and much more; Cinematical's questions are indicated.

I'm just wondering how your own excitement level is, returning to the Indiana Jones character?

Harrison Ford: Well, I'm very excited to bring another one of these spectacular adventures to the screen, and to work with Steven and George again. For the last twenty years or so, these films have continued to appeal to an audience, and young kids, as it becomes age-appropriate, have been introduced to the films on DVD by their parents, and to have the opportunity for them to see it full-scale in a movie theatre, with a big screen and big sound, in the dark with a bunch of strangers, and have this common visceral experience is a brilliant opportunity, so I'm delighted to be a part of it again.