Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

In a fit of honesty I'm going to admit it... I don't really remember much of the old Indiana Jones films. I think Indiana Jones is cool but honestly, I really don't remember what happens in any of the films and I never really watch them when they're on TV. There, I said it, I'm not really a fan. With that out of the way, on to the review...

I was looking forward to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was quite disappointed with Iron Man and it's going to be a while till a new Transformers movie (yay!) so I was hoping Indiana Jones would do the business... It kind of does, I liked it anyway, it was a big bag of popcorn fun but it was no Transformers, no siree.

Anyway, to be honest, there isn't that much I can say about Indiana Jones I think. I'm sure you all know the story by now, an intrepid professor who globe-trots around the world stumbles into trouble and then takes off to try and solve the great mystery. Unfortunately for him he keeps bumping into people who want him dead.

Reviews on the whole have been quite mixed I think, quite a few people don't seem to like the end, not the very end... the other bit... and it's really put them off the film. Personally, I'd read a good bit about crystal skulls a few years ago from a variety of sources so I was fairly familiar with where the legend goes so sure, no bother. Also I'm ready to forgive all kinds of outlandish stuff and even inconsistencies as long as it's entertaining and Indiana Jones fits the bill there.

What did I like about it? I liked the relationship between Marion, Mutt and Indy, I thought that was done well. Shia LaBeouf was great... and I'm not just saying that because he was in Transformers. Not really sure what Indy's buddy was doing there (the guy at the start, I forget his name) but sure whatever... I don't really let surplus characters annoy me too much either. There were also a good few great action scenes, some people were saying it looked over CGI'd, personally I didn't notice that much and apparently there was less than in the usual blockbuster so I've no complaints there.

Oh, I never commented on Harrison Ford! He totally still has it. ;)

Anyway, I'm waffling again... final score - a solid 7.5/10.

The 5 Best And The Absolute Worst Of 2007.

I haven't really seen any movies lately as I've been pretty busy with work and everything and I've trying to develop a quick rate graphic but it's not going well... However, it's been a while since I've posted so I thought I should write something, thanks to Auri for the suggestion!

Without further ado and in reverse order...

#5 - Superbad

Good comedy, very funny. Go rent it now. There's really not that much I can say about it... simple story, endearing characters, good laugh!

#4 - Saw IV

Like 'em or not, you can't deny that the Saw films have staying power. As you can see from the position on this list, I like 'em. I really they are the best of the genre at the moment and believe me I've seen a lot of the rest of the genre, the Saw films definitely are the best... Word from the wise, don't ever watch Monster Man... and this is coming from someone who's happy to watch the worst of the worst...

#3 - American Gangster

Solid drama, interesting story, well told. Been called into question lately but I still think it was very good film, very strong performances. And I didn't hate Russell Crowe in it so that's a major achievement on his and the directors part.

#2 - The Darjeeling Limited

I'll have to write a proper review of this film when I buy it on DVD and watch it again but anyway... I love Wes Anderson - The Royal Tenenbaums is my favourite film - however I have to admit (very quietly) that I had been somewhat disappointed with The Life Aquatic. Not the case with The Darjeeling Limited, it's very much a Wes Anderson film in the sense that it has the weird characters, the little details, the strangely out-to-time feeling... I could go one but like I said, I should write a proper review... so I'll leave it at that.

#1 - Transformers

What can I saw about Transformers, not since Snakes On A Plane had I been so desperate to see a film on the big screen. Admittedly Snakes On A Plane wasn't that long ago... but I really wanted to see Snakes On A Plane. Anyway, really I had been waiting to see the Transformers in the cinema since I was a little girl and when it finally happened it did not disappoint. Giant robots people! Giant robots! Sure the plot's a little hokey but that ain't the point, the effects were amazing and the efforts of the actors were admirable. I was pleasantly surprised that Michael Bay actually bothered with the people, so often in big budget action films you see characters cast by the wayside (see the film below for a prime example of that!) but I think Bay got a good mix going here... Anyway, great film, if I see another as good in the next 12 months I'll be surprised!

#1 Worst - Spider-man 3

I loathed Spider-Man 3, not just because it was a poor film, or because it rounded out a poor trilogy but because it could have been so much better. You only have to at the X-Men films or some of the Batman films to see what you can do with a comic book story.

The first film was alright but then they apparently went mad, forgot about characters, threw together some half assed villans and decided that if we were completely dazzled by sand effects, we'd never notice that the characters were made of paper.

I really felt that this particular film was excellent example of how not to do a big budget action film... and action films aren't that hard to do... expectations aren't that high... mine weren't that high after Spider-Man 2 but this was still so very disappointing.