WolfAtTheDoor's Miscellaneous Movie Review (country, rock, albums, doors, French)

**Janszoon** · 04-07-2009, 11:45 AM

It was definitely interesting to read the impressions of someone just watching these movies now, but I disagree with a lot of what you said about them. I'm sure a lot of our differences of opinion come from our different viewing experiences. You saw one new movie and three old movies in a row, on DVD I assume for all of them. I saw each of them when they were new and all but Temple of Doom in the theater.

Like a lot of people Raiders is my favorite. A big reason for this is something that you didn't touch upon in your review: it has the best female lead, by far, of any of the movies. Actually, I'd go even further and say it has the best supporting characters of any of the movies. Marion, Belloq, Sallah, Dietrich, Satipo, Katenga, even that big bald guy he fights by the plane are just such colorful characters to me. One of my biggest gripes about Temple of Doom—aside from Willie being so annoying, which is everyone's gripe about that movie—is that it has so few interesting supporting characters. Look at Mola Ram for example, such a boring villain. He has surprisingly little screen time, very few lines and there's really not much more to him as a character than a scary costume. Give me Belloq from Raiders as a better foil for Indy any day of the week. Hell, even Donovan from Last Crusade is better.

Hey, so did you catch Dan Akroyd's cameo in Temple of Doom by the way?

WolfAtTheDoor · 04-07-2009, 12:22 PM

I didn't actually! I'll have to look for him now... what part of the movie was he in?

And the only film I saw in the cinema was the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, but it was much better viewing it as part of the series as I had more of a feel for Indy's character. I probably don't appreciate Marion as much as the old Indiana Jones fans because I'd already seen her in Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, where obviously people were already meant to know how she was important to the series. She wasn't introduced to me in the way that she was to viewers in the 80's, so maybe that's why her character impacted on me a lot less.

And as for Mola Ram. He rips out peoples hearts.

**Janszoon** · 04-07-2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfAtTheDoor

I didn't actually! I'll have to look for him now... what part of the movie was he in?

He's right near the beginning. After they escape from the nightclub, they go to the airport and talk to a guy with an English accent right before they get in the plane. That guy is Dan Akroyd. I must have seen the movie twenty times before I noticed this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfAtTheDoor

And the only film I saw in the cinema was the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, but it was much better viewing it as part of the series as I had more of a feel for Indy's character. I probably don't appreciate Marion as much as the old Indiana Jones fans because I'd already seen her in Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, where obviously people were already meant to know how she was important to the series. She wasn't introduced to me in the way that she was to viewers in the 80's, so maybe that's why her character impacted on me a lot less.

That's probably a big part of it. I thought they made her way less interesting in Crystal Skull. She's such a booze-swilling badass in the first movie. I like her a lot better that way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfAtTheDoor

And as for Mola Ram. He rips out peoples hearts.

Yeah but that's about it. Belloq is so much more of a character. And he's such an arrogant jackass I just want to smack him every time he's on screen. I love it.

WolfAtTheDoor · 04-07-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

He's right near the beginning. After they escape from the nightclub, they go to the airport and talk to a guy with an English accent right before they get in the plane. That guy is Dan Akroyd. I must have seen the movie twenty times before I noticed this.

That's probably a big part of it. I thought they made her way less interesting in Crystal Skull. She's such a booze-swilling badass in the first movie. I like her a lot better that way.

Yeah but that's about it. Belloq is so much more of a character. And he's such an arrogant jackass I just want to smack him every time he's on screen. I love it.

Just another Nazi though... I think what I was expecting with the Indiana Jones series coming into it was the opening scene of Raiders, just repeated... temples, exploring, risky puzzles. Raiders wasn't really like that after the first scene was finished, much of it was spent in the daytime, outdoors, in a bustling environment. For me, Temple of Doom had the environment I was expecting and the one that I wanted from the movies. And the powerful, destructive, shamanic villain.

**Janszoon** · 04-07-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfAtTheDoor

Just another Nazi though... I think what I was expecting with the Indiana Jones series coming into it was the opening scene of Raiders, just repeated... temples, exploring, risky puzzles. Raiders wasn't really like that after the first scene was finished, much of it was spent in the daytime, outdoors, in a bustling environment. For me, Temple of Doom had the environment I was expecting and the one that I wanted from the movies. And the powerful, destructive, shamanic villain.

Er... Belloq wasn't a Nazi. He was a French archeologist. In one scene he even makes a point of talking about how he's using the Nazis to help him get what he wants but he couldn't care less about them.

Also, I don't know what to tell you about your expectations there. I mean they are what they are but they don't really match up with what the Indiana Jones movies are all about. It's kind of hard to fault them for that.

WolfAtTheDoor · 04-07-2009, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Er... Belloq wasn't a Nazi. He was a French archeologist .

The bloke with the hat and the glasses?

EDIT: I've just googled him, got completely the wrong bloke.

WolfAtTheDoor · 04-07-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Er... Belloq wasn't a Nazi. He was a French archeologist. In one scene he even makes a point of talking about how he's using the Nazis to help him get what he wants but he couldn't care less about them.

Also, I don't know what to tell you about your expectations there. I mean they are what they are but they don't really match up with what the Indiana Jones movies are all about. It's kind of hard to fault them for that.

You can't fault them for it no, but obviously having never watched any of the Indiana Jones films, I was always told I should by those who had. I'd practically heard the plotlines of the stories already, just by people explaining them to me in conversation. And most people drew a comparison with Tomb Raider to help me out... so you can see how I'd be given the impression that this bloke just, well, had adventures in temples. And I was all geared up for that and on paper it sounded brilliant, but I was just a bit disappointed when I actually saw them.

Aside from Temple of Doom, which was just on the level of brilliance that I expected.

**Janszoon** · 04-07-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfAtTheDoor

You can't fault them for it no, but obviously having never watched any of the Indiana Jones films, I was always told I should by those who had. I'd practically heard the plotlines of the stories already, just by people explaining them to me in conversation. And most people drew a comparison with Tomb Raider to help me out... so you can see how I'd be given the impression that this bloke just, well, had adventures in temples. And I was all geared up for that and on paper it sounded brilliant, but I was just a bit disappointed when I actually saw them.

Aside from Temple of Doom, which was just on the level of brilliance that I expected.

Heh. Well I guess if you're starting with Tomb Raider as a point of reference I can see how you'd get there. Temple of Doom is definitely the most videogame-like of the series.

04-07-2009, 11:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	It was definitely interesting to read the impressions of someone just watching these movies now, but I disagree with a lot of what you said about them. I'm sure a lot of our differences of opinion come from our different viewing experiences. You saw one new movie and three old movies in a row, on DVD I assume for all of them. I saw each of them when they were new and all but Temple of Doom in the theater. Like a lot of people Raiders is my favorite. A big reason for this is something that you didn't touch upon in your review: it has the best female lead, by far, of any of the movies. Actually, I'd go even further and say it has the best supporting characters of any of the movies. Marion, Belloq, Sallah, Dietrich, Satipo, Katenga, even that big bald guy he fights by the plane are just such colorful characters to me. One of my biggest gripes about Temple of Doom—aside from Willie being so annoying, which is everyone's gripe about that movie—is that it has so few interesting supporting characters. Look at Mola Ram for example, such a boring villain. He has surprisingly little screen time, very few lines and there's really not much more to him as a character than a scary costume. Give me Belloq from Raiders as a better foil for Indy any day of the week. Hell, even Donovan from Last Crusade is better. Hey, so did you catch Dan Akroyd's cameo in Temple of Doom by the way? __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

04-07-2009, 12:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
WolfAtTheDoor ironing your socks Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: I'm in a rocknroll band. huh. Posts: 396	I didn't actually! I'll have to look for him now... what part of the movie was he in? And the only film I saw in the cinema was the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, but it was much better viewing it as part of the series as I had more of a feel for Indy's character. I probably don't appreciate Marion as much as the old Indiana Jones fans because I'd already seen her in Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, where obviously people were already meant to know how she was important to the series. She wasn't introduced to me in the way that she was to viewers in the 80's, so maybe that's why her character impacted on me a lot less. And as for Mola Ram. He rips out peoples hearts.