Will someone please, PLEASE, beg George Lucas to retire?

[Frank Cannon]

Saw "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" last night. Hoo boy.

Trust me, going to see this movie in the theater is not worth the money you will spend on the gas it takes to drive there. I kept thinking as I watched it that I could have had a much more pleasant and less expensive evening spent somewhere else... ANYWHERE else.

Don't listen to those who say that this movie doesn't suck, that it's just a victim of "high expectations". It sucks. And my expectations weren't that high going in, because I remember what a tower of shit that the "Temple of Doom" was. This movie is worse than that.

George Lucas, if by some amazing chance you are a DUer and just happen to be reading this, I have enormous respect for you and what you've given to the art and science of filmmaking. But you have made a LOT of money, enough for many lifetimes. You can do what the vast majority of us cannot do (and that we long for so much): retire and take it easy. Take up fly-fishing. Start a charity. Travel the globe drinking champagne, driving the world's fastest cars, and banging $10-G-a-night hookers. Cook for elderly shut-ins. Just please, PLEASE stay the fuck away from a movie screen. Thank you.

[Nickster]

1. I didn't have quite the violent reaction that you did, but I agree that George should consider

other paths. It just feels to me like he went way overboard with the new electronic toys and he can't see how brilliant his work was without all the high tech gimmicks that he's employing now. I felt like I was watching the newer Star Wars while watching Crystal Skull at times.

[Frank Cannon]

2. Yes, this movie was very comparable to "Phantom Menace"

In its surreal parade of glorious, computer-generated, empty-headed bullshit.

George Lucas is an "idea man". Unfortunately, for every good idea he has, he has a few thousand crappy ones, and he has lost the critical skills to determine which is which. He apparently can no longer hire people to do that for him, either.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

3. I loved it!

It was the best Indiana Jones since the first, imo.

[Frank Cannon]

4. I'm glad you liked it.

Can you send me my money back?

[TZ]

5. Well I know Orrex agrees with you..

judging by the multiple Indiana Jones sucks threads he's started (no kidding I think its like 3 or 4)

[Auggie]

6. Lucas lost it years ago. What's Spielberg's excuse?

He has as much if not more clout than Lucas.

The whole film is a disaster: Lighting. Editing. Pacing. Continuity... My wife (film major) even thought the score was weak.

The thing is, I REALLY, REALLY wanted to love this movie.

[Frank Cannon]

9. I wanted to love it, too.

I was majorly disappointed.

[Orsino]

7. Stephanie Zacharek at Salon found much to enjoy.

I can't really argue with someone who's seen the movie, but surely there was something of merit in the flick?

It's really ToD bad? That'd be a shame.

[Frank Cannon]

11. It's worse than ToD bad

If you go to movies in the theater to see all the bright, shiny colors and fast edits, you won't be disappointed.

But if you want to get anything else out of the experience, you'd be much better off looking elsewhere. Speed Racer, maybe (although I haven't seen it). Iron Man, for sure.

As far as anything of merit, I might count Harrison Ford's performance. He really seems to be trying to bring you back into his Indy character and make you care about everything that's happening in the movie. But even he seems tired and bored by the whole thing.

[Taverner]

8. You are missing the point - his movies weren't that good to begin with

Star Wars...Raiders of the Lost Ark - these movies only seemed good because we watched them as kids, or we were coming out of the horrible movie slump that was the 70's. Before Star Wars, the best Sci Fi movies were "2001" (which was great, better than Star Wars even) and Logans Run (no need to comment here).

[Frank Cannon]

14. Star Wars raised the bar for special effects for science-fiction movies

I can't deny Lucas the contributions he's made to the technical aspects of film, but he is absolutely inept when it comes to story, character, or anything else. I realize that now.

[Taverner]

15. Yes - three words : Howard. The. Duck.

[LucyParsons]

10. I thought it was good, BUT

the final scene (the very last one, that seems to have been written after Nora Ephron took over), was the WORST ENDING EVER. So disappointed. Sentimental, pat, a betrayal of the character, a cop out. :puke:

Though, I don't really see how it was a drastic departure from the other films - they're all ridiculous, no? Personally, I liked Last Crusade the best.

[Frank Cannon]

12. "Raiders" and "Last Crusade" were nowhere near as bad as this

I have no problem with suspension of disbelief. And I know the "Raiders" series has always played with that. But this movie didn't draw me into the characters and/or story enough to make me begin to believe in anything. It was just a mess.

[LucyParsons]

16. True. I can see that.

The plot was also so convoluted that I wasn't really sure what we were supposed to be hoping would happen next, at points.

And I didn't like the crazy guy AT ALL. It would've been much better (read: less cheesy) if he had winked at Mutt at some point to let us know it was all an act to fool the Soviets. Having him as some sort of crazed, otherworldly cypher was just too much, and badly written.

Edited to add: I don't think I am particularly thick person, and the whole crystal skull/alien thing was never really clear to me, either.

[Hayabusa]

13. And the TV screen!

He's going to ruin the continuity set up by the comics and novels created in his Star Wars world (some of which are better than the movies, in my opinion) with the upcoming TV shows.