Originally Posted by
Udaman
Overall, I was slightly disappointed...but I too went in with pretty low expectations.
Let me say, that I think Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the top 10 movies ever made. Along with Star Wars, it helped show me the power of movies, and in terms of action it redefined what a thriller really was. It also blended in great writing and action with genuine humor (the scene where Indy pulls out his gun and shoots the guy with the sword is one of best moments on film...ever).
The second one I found horribly disappointing. It was much more dark. The special effects seemed forced and looked fake. The storyline was not believable. Yet it was still fun.
The third one I enjoyed a great deal. Connery added a tremendous element to it, as was the focus on what made Indiana tick.
This one I would put miles behind the first, pretty far behind the third, and slightly better than the 2nd.
What I liked - the action, and especially the nuclear detonation scene. I thought the ants were pretty cool. Some of the fight scenes (while hard to truly believe) were at least done well. I thought his son did a decent job filling a really tough role. The humor was well done (especially the snake, and Indy when he found out that Mutt was his son).
What I didn't like - the bad special effects (at the very end with the saucer, it looked 100% like they were in front of a blue screen), the return of Kate - that just didn't work for me.
What I hated - the storyline. So completey dumb. Aliens? Are you kidding me? With all the history of great artifacts, they had to make one up? The unbelievable escapes - people shooting machine guns at close range and hitting nothing. Going over waterfalls with large rocks at the bottom. Really, really dumb. And most of all, the writing. "They occupy the space between spaces." "Knowledge was their gold. Their gold was knowledge." Literally, the entire theater I was in was laughing at that.
Again, overall it was fun. I wouldn't want to see it again in its entirety, and I won't. Meanwhile, I can't wait to show my kids Raiders of the Lost Ark soon and remember what a wonderful movie that was.