Star Reviews - Film Criticism by Sebastián Zavala

According to sites like comingsoon.net and boxofficemojo.com, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has grossed a massive $311.1 million worldwide in just five days. It also grossed $126 million during the four-day weekend in the U.S., making it the second-best Memorial Day weekend release, only after last year’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Man… I knew Indy was gonna make tons of cash, but I wouldn’t have expect it to do that well. It seems people are eager to the see the movie, even on weekdays – yesterday’s gross was pretty good too. Considering the quality of the movie and the fact that Indy has millions of fans all over the world, Crystal Skull should have legs and continue grossing lots of money throughout the week. “And what about Sex and the City?” you might say. Well, I just don’t think the return of the “fab four” will defeat Indy in the box office. It might attract the female crowd, but I’m pretty sure most people will actually prefer to watch Indy. I personally am gonna watch it for a third time this weekend.

And talking about me seeing the movie… if you’ve read my review, you already know I really liked the film. But the thing is, now that I’ve watched the movie twice, and read lots of articles and stuff, I’ve started to think more about its flaws. Maybe if I were to write the review today, I would give it a 8.5 out of 10 instead of a 9. It’s weird, I know, but rest assured: I don’t plan to change my review. That specific article is valuable as a record of my first impression of the flick. If when I first saw the movie I thought it deserved a 9, then it deserves a nine.

Something that I would be eager to change, though, is the paragraph in which I talk about my native country, Peru. I said that the film got many facts about Peruvian culture right, but now that I’ve talked to my parents and done some research, I’ve discovered mistakes: Nazca doesn’t have an airport, the lines of Nazca shouldn’t be seen from the mini-temple Indy arrives in, the nuns that appear in Nazca have the incorrect dresses, and the most obvious ones that, for some reason, I didn’t notice in my first two viewings: Oxley shouldn’t be communicating to the skulls in Mayan at the end of the film because he ain’t in Mexico; he should be speaking something closer to Quechua or Aymara. And also, the Temple of the Crystal Skull is a pyramid. Sorry, Spielberg and Koepp, but there are simply no pyramids in South America. I guess they got confused between Incan, Mayan and South American cultures… they should’ve done more research.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has its faults, but it ain’t a bad movie. It’s full of humour, action sequences, one-liners, great characters, amazing acting (Harrison’s great!) and, all in all, it got me pumped-up and excited, even during my second viewing. I hope it grosses tons and tons of cash and that it ends up as the most successful movie of the year. Why? Well, economical success would make it more probable for a fifth Indy flick to get released. If you ask me, Harrison is not too old, and I would be really excited to see a fifth Indy movie. If you haven’t seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull yet, you should. It isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t really resemble Raiders of the Lost Ark (it’s more on the vein of The Last Crusade), but it manages to entertain in ways most summer movies can’t.

On a side note: I won’t be able to post a review for Sex and the City this week because its Peruvian release hasn’t been announced yet. Not that I’m particularly excited by its release…

Finally, after years and years (19, to be exact) of waiting, the fourth Indiana Jones movie has arrived in theatres. I actually saw it before its worldwide commercial release (on a May 21st 10 pm showing), but after the major critics had seen it in the Cannes Film Festival. In short, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull fulfilled my expectations. It's by no means a flawless movie, but it entertained me and excited me like very few other films have done before. If you wanna know exactly what I think about it, read my review. It's longer than my average article, and it's full of spoilers, so if you still haven't seen the flick, I would advise you to read it after watching it.

Now, regarding major critics... I just can't understand why some of them are being so overly-critical with this new Indy flick. I know I'm not the most famous critic out there, but I couldn't help being entertained by the movie. It's got tons of WELL-SHOT and EDITED action, a very interested - and, yes, convoluted - plot, great performances, believable (for the most part) special effects, and tons of excitement. Alas, some people don't seem to enjoy the movie as much as me. I don't believe they're wrong; on the contrary, one should respect the opinion of other people, even if they're exactly the opposite of one's. But that doesn't mean I can't help being surprised by their arguments...

Some say it's too unbelievable: believe me, NO Indy movie is totally believable. Each of them have their own cheesy scenes (remember the Hitler scene in The Last Crusade?) and, inside the movie's context, I believe most of the over-the-top scenes work. (Except the infamous "Tarzan scene"; people who have already seen the film/read my review will know what I mean.) Others say it's boring: well, forgive me, but I didn't find neither boring nor lame. It was exciting, and it got me pumped-up. Other people say it doesn't feel like an Indy movie: well, considering it's got Ford and Karen Allen, and that it was directed by Spielberg, it did work for me as an Indy film, and it worked marvelously. Lastly, other critics are saying there's too much CGI. Yes, I admit there's some CGI, but unlike other lesser motion pictures, the special effects in here serve the purposes of the story, NOT the other way round. Granted, they're not exactly perfect, but neither were the ghosts in Raiders.

Well, I can't do anything about it, can I? I just have to respect the opinion of these people. Fortunately, they seem to be the minority. With a 80% (fresh) rating at Rotten Tomatoes, Crystal Skull seems to be liked by the majority of critics, and reviews and opinions in fan sites and news websites are, for the most part, positive. Additionally, last night when I went to see it with my girlfriend (who, by the way, loved the movie), audience reaction was really positive. There were "oooh"s and "aaahs" during the most exciting sequences, and laughter during the funny/witty scenes, and one could feel the excitement of the people inside the theatre. It was a great experience, and I left the theatre really satisfied with what I had just seen.

So yeah, my final verdict is that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a real Indy movie, a really exciting and fun ride. Believe me when I tell you that you'll have tons of fun while watching it in theatres. How well will it do in the box office? It will obviously led the top ten this weekend, and I hope it'll be the most financially successful movie of 2008. It should. How much will it gross these five days? If you wanna be realistic, one could predict $140 million, more or less, but... hey! Who know, maybe it'll gross more. Given the overall quality of the picture and the expectations from audiences all over the world, it should make tons of cash. Yeah, I really liked Indy IV, and for those you didn't... well, I guess you have you own reasons. For for those who did or those who are sure they will... try to watch it as many times as possible in theatres. I personally will watch it four times, and I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy all four viewings.

Well, I know it's old news, but I just really didn't expect Speed Racer to do that bad at the box office. Granted, it was panned by the majority of critics - for the record, I actually liked it -, but it had tons of merchandise and publicity and stuff, trailers and ads were everywhere, and the character is well-known enough for people to go and see the actual movie. So what happened? Well, if you've read my review, then you know my opinion: adults seem to enjoy this flick less than younger people because of its crazy style and over-reliance on CGI. This was confirmed when I went to see it for the second time, this time with my mum. She hated it. She even feel asleep. I, instead, enjoyed the movie's silliness for the second time. I guess one have to be of a certain generation to enjoy Speed Racer, so when parents watched the trailers, they didn't feel compelled to take their children to watch the film. And small kids, not knowing who the character is - too old for them - weren't exactly begging their parents to go. It still surprised me, though, that it ended up in friggin' third place, and that the moronic Cameron Díaz flick actually earned more money.

It's just a pity. I really liked the movie. Hope it succeeds in the home video market. It'll be difficult for Warner Bros. to recover the reported 300 million bucks (which were spent both for the movie and the marketing) they spent on Speed Racer. If you ask me, the Wachowskis have blown it. Big time. Oh well...

Another blockbuster that has underperformed is Prince Caspian. The flick is pretty good, but although it hasn't done as dismally as Speed Racer in the box office, it nevertheless has earned less money than what both analysts and Disney had calculated. $50 million is not bad, but considering the fan base these films have and the money these big companies have spent on it, it should have earned much more. Until now, the only really successful blockbuster has been Iron Man, and maybe it's got to do with the fact that it's an original flick. Maybe people are sick of sequels, and that's why Caspian has underperformed. Although this theory of mine would be proved wrong by Speed Racer's crash at the box office, it could be kinda true. Besides, Caspian isn't precisely a masterpiece - one has to take into account that some films get popular thanks to word-of-mouth "advertising." (Although, as Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third proved last year, quality doesn't always have everything to do with box office success.)

And what about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Well, it hasn't been released for the general public yet (I'm gonna watch it on Wednesday on a 10 pm showing, and I'll post my review on Thursday), but early reviews have been pretty good. As of now, it's got an 80% rating on rottentomatoes.com, with a 83% "cream of the crop" rating. That's not bad at all. It really makes me excited that most critics have liked it, actually; I'm pretty sure I'm gonna friggin' love the movie. One review that did disappoint me, though, was James Berardinelli's. As most of my readers know, he's one of my favorite critics, but this review of his was just... disappointing. It seemed as if he was overanalyzing the movie too much and being too picky, something that prevented him from enjoying the movie. He's always been really picky with the Indy sequels (he actually doesn't recommend Temple of Doom, and believes that Last Crusade is only average), but his KOTCS review is just too biased and picky. Oh well, can't do much about it, can I? I'll just have to wait until Wednesday night.

So yeah, until now, this summer season has been pretty varied. Iron Man's been a huge success, Speed Racer was a box office disaster, and Prince Caspian has done well, but not as good as many people were expecting. If you ask me, I expect Indy IV to be this year's biggest success. Why? Well, it's been receiving positive reviews, it's one of the most beloved characters in history, it has been marketed like hell, and there's tons of anticipation from audiences all over the world. Plus, it's Spielberg, Ford, Blanchette, LaBeouf and, to some extent, Lucas. I just can't wait to see the freakin' movie.

At last, I'm back. I had a great time in the jungle, believe it or not. I won't bore you with the details, though. What's important is that I'm back to post more reviews in my very own movie site. I will post a couple of picture so you can have an idea of how it was in there. I'll only post four, but if you're interested in my trip to the wilderness - who knows why, maybe you're curious about the Peruvian jungle - and have a Facebook account, just add me as a friend and you'll be able to see my Tambopata albums. There're a couple of pretty nice photos. Anyway, here are the pictures:


I'm the fourth guy from left to right.	Hehe, an "artistic" pic.

A view of the jungle.	A bullet ant. Very dangerous.

That's it for my trip. This is not a blog site, so I hope you liked the pics.

Concerning films... well, as you might have noticed, the day I arrived from the jungle I went to theatres and watched Speed Racer. I must say this time I don't agree with the majority of critics. Speed Racer is by no means a bad movie. I was entertained, thrilled, marvelled by the awesome computer graphics and racing sequences and, in short, I had a great time with the film. I think younger people will enjoy it more than adults, so if you're interested in the flick, read my review. It's a pity it hasn't done as well as expected in the box office, though... (although one can't say Iron Man doesn't deserve victory.)

Well, I'm still pretty tired, so I this commentary will be pretty short. Expect some more reviews this week and, of course, my review for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian during the weekend or, maybe (just maybe) on Friday night. Trailers look pretty cool, and early word-of-mouth says that the film's much better than the first part. Can't wait to see it.

And in ten days... Indiana Jones...

Sebastián "GG" Zavala

I don't have much time - it's pretty late at night here in Peru right now, and I shouldn't go to sleep too late - so this post will be short and simple: I'm gonna be absent the whole of next week? Why? Well, I'm going to the Peruvian jungle with my Biology school teachers and twenty other students, in order to take part of an ecology project. We're going to a place called Tambopata, and we're staying at the lodge called the "Tambopata Research Center." (Yes, in English. Google it if you want to.) It's gonna be pretty cool - I've already been in Tambopata three years ago, but in a different lodge - and I guess we're gonna have lots of fun researching and looking for different insects, plants, rodents and maybe - just maybe - big, wild mammals. I'm gonna go there from tomorrow 'till next Saturday, so yeah, I won't be able to post anything at all for one whole week. I guess my first review after I return from the jungle will be that for Speed Racer - it will be available for your reading next Sunday, so you know when to return to the site.

Concerning Iron Man - well, it's one hell of a movie, as most of you must already know. If you wanna know my humble opinion, check out my review. It is definitely one of the most entertaining, intelligent and, in short, better-made superhero films I've seen in recent years, and I just can't imagine anyone not enjoying it. You've all probably seen it already, but if you haven't... what the heck are you waiting for?

Well, I gotta go. I'm parting tomorrow really early - my plane leaves Lima at 9:45 am - so I should get going to bed now. Wish me luck, guys. I'm gonna be in the wild, so I hope I don't get eaten by a puma or something. See you - ? - in a week! Have fun, be safe, and be sure to return to the site next Sunday.