The Writing of Indiana Jones was a Sh*t Show

Finding a MacGuffin is hard. Let’s talk about how difficult it was to write Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, from George Lucas trying to convince Steven Spielberg to use aliens to Frank Darabont getting zero credit for the final film.
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In the entertainment world, there are millions of dollars on the line and troubled productions are bound to happen. Whether it's big egos, bigger budgets, or just plain bad luck, we are going behind-the-scenes on these disastrous, never ending, and sometimes dangerous productions. From the creators of WTF Happened To This Movie?, It Was A Sh*t Show is a video essay/documentary/podcast series looking at some of your favorite films and tv shows, and why they were such a nightmare to make.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - George Lucas’ Indiana Jones
01:31 - Temple of Doom Struggles
02:06 - Indiana Jones and the Monkey King
02:44 - Ending with The Last Crusade
03:19 - The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
05:07 - Aliens and Crystal Skulls
05:39 - From Serials to B-movies
07:21 - Steven Spielberg Resists, Harrison Ford Waits
08:15 - Indiana Jones and the Lost Continent
09:03 - Indiana Jones and the Saucermen from Mars
09:48 - Indiana Jones and the Sons of Darkness
10:34 - Indiana Jones and the Saucermen
11:23 - Internet Rumors Go Overboard
12:38 - So Many Fake Scripts…
13:55 - Reigniting the Passion for Indy 4
15:02 - Lucas Hires Frank Darabont
15:46 - Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods
18:04 - Indiana Jones and the Atomic Ants
18:33 - Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds
19:23 - Sean Connery’s Return
19:53 - Smooth Production, Chaotic Fans
22:10 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
22:53 - Fan Backlash and Shia LaBeouf’s Defense
24:31 - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Sources:
Ain’t It Cool News: bit.ly/45vvFPO
Ain’t It Cool News: bit.ly/3IJTPMN
Box Office Mojo: bit.ly/3WceSNl
CHUD: bit.ly/3WzD3FO
The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: bit.ly/45zmbTF
Collider: bit.ly/43iLIhW
Details: bit.ly/45OGuwL
Empire: bit.ly/43sFgFq
Empire: bit.ly/43qIGs3
Empire: bit.ly/438qPGv
Empire: bit.ly/3WKmMOf
Empire: bit.ly/45CyHlt
Empire: bit.ly/3C3xrtQ
Entertainment Weekly: bit.ly/42dHQOo
Fox News: bit.ly/3MGpJea
The Guardian: bit.ly/42fDXZ8
Hollywood Reporter: bit.ly/3q8Aheq
Hollywood Reporter: bit.ly/3WL8ZXL
Huffpost: bit.ly/3WFCXN4
IGN: bit.ly/3pWXnF1
IGN: bit.ly/3Wy3RX4
LA Times: bit.ly/43vJxYr
LA Times: bit.ly/42dKALL
LA Times: bit.ly/42eMVpN
LA Times: bit.ly/3C3wi5A
MTV: bit.ly/3BuyAKO
MTV: bit.ly/428pr5t
MTV: bit.ly/3MFQFuL
New York Times: bit.ly/3MNp1fc
Rotten Tomatoes: bit.ly/3MxBrsN
Script Apart: bit.ly/3oInCP7
SpielbergFilms: bit.ly/439qzak
Tales from Development Hell: bit.ly/439tf7Y
Vanity Fair: bit.ly/437FiCG
Vanity Fair: bit.ly/3qirirb
Variety: bit.ly/3IRvogD
Variety: bit.ly/3ozVe1B
Variety: bit.ly/45xWMd2
Variety: bit.ly/42bRiBY
Featured Footage:
Black Panther (2018)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Congo (1995)
Die Hard (1988)
The Dark Knight (2008)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
The Fugitive (1993)
The Goonies (1983)
The Green Mile (1999)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Independence Day (1996)
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Indiana Jones films (1981-2023)*
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Iron Man (2008)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-2009)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Lost in Space (1998)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
The Man from Planet X (1951)
Men in Black (1997)
Minority Report (2002)
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Poltergeist (1982)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943)
Seinfeld (1989-1998)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Spy Smasher (1942)
Star Wars films (1977-2019)
South Park (1997- )
Supercop (1992)
Ted Lasso (2020-2023)
The Terminal (2004)
Them! (1954)
THX 1138 (1971)
Unbreakable (2000)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996)
Zoolander (2001)
Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939)
* and special features
AFI Lifetime Achievement Award
Barbara Walters Special
Bobbie Wygant
Collider
Entertainment Tonight
History Channel: Ancient Aliens
Inside the Actors Studio
MTV Video Music Awards
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Post Mortem
Today
Music:
John Williams - Indiana Jones original soundtracks
Bo Burnham - Welcome to the Internet
Ryan Hudson - Sh*t Show Theme
#itwasashtshow #indianajones #harrisonford

[@TunkTheTank]

Whoops. Said Temple of Doom was 1985. Oh well. But as John Cleese says "an infallible sign of intelligence is to be able to distinguish between the important and the trivial." ^ this is for everyone who comments, thinking they "got me."

[@il100374]

Hey Temple of Doom came out in 1984, not 1985.

[@1BrknHrtdRomeo]

@@il100374 Read what he said there again...but slowly.

[@punchieouchieguy]

You also dissed my man Tobe Hoopdreams. He tried his best :"(

[@davidjames579]

Can you go back and Greedo Shot First that line?

[@jeromevaleska2014]

@@1BrknHrtdRomeor/woosh

[@TheCommandoSnail]

Lucas: "They're not aliens! They're interdimensional beings" Spielberg: "Okay, what do they look like?" Lucas: "Aliens!" Spielberg: "This fuckin guy"

[@nanoglitch6693]

In all fairness, that's what a lot of people believe the "aliens" people supposedly have encounters with actually are.

[@alexdawson4571]

That's probably my favorite thing about the making of Indy 4; Spielberg's attitude of, "Okay, fine! But I'm only doing this for YOU!!!"

[@linewalker]

😂 BFF

[@thisfreakingguy3833]

......

[@THEODSTKING117]

@@alexdawson4571that was essentially his mindset for the whole Indiana jones franchise

[@haydenlane9600]

My favorite thing I've heard about the fourth Indy movie is it's a movie everybody wanted to see, but nobody wanted to make

[@thomasjohnson1885]

Seems like a Mr. Plinkett saying

[@giulioscanferlato9693]

Except Harrison Ford apparently

[@WallyHolland]

I watch red letter media too

[@Michael_Marinelli_]

​​​​​​@@thomasjohnson1885it straight up is

[@JediKnight207]

What does it mean? Does it mean the 4th movie doesn't exist?

[@daelen.cclark]

The fact that rumour came from someone wanting to prove to his mother that tabloids lie all the time is kinda funny to me.

[@lakelandbuzz2252]

Sad to say mate, if someone believes the daily mail to begin with, they're probably too far gone.

[@daelen.cclark]

@@lakelandbuzz2252 I have a bit of hope for some.

[@curtismantle]

@@lakelandbuzz2252while all other newspapers are highly trustworthy of course 😂

[@jacksmith7881]

Glad to see the Daily Mail has never changed

[@dantheanimator5072]

@@lakelandbuzz2252you mean “if someone believes what [insert any and all news media] puts out……”

[@alexmaverick6647]

I like the first half of Crystal Skull reasonably well. The opening Area 51 scene is fun and mysterious, the chase on the college campus is shot magnificently, the scene where Indy and Mutt explore the tombs in Peru feels very in line with the series. After that though, the film nose dives off a cliff and doesn’t even feel like the same person was directing it anymore.

[@dongulio5539]

As a Peruvian, I have to adamantly disagree with you, the way the movie gives the western world an impression that we’re all still tribal and believe in aliens is 100% accurate, I pray to my alien god every day

[@davidjames579]

@@dongulio5539 I for one, welcome our Alien God Overlords.

[@dongulio5539]

@@davidjames579 praise the weird headed ones

[@jahimjauh-hey5653]

​@@davidjames579it's no match for our future robot overlords.

[@il100374]

THIS

[@sinjinreed2091]

A lot of these fan-scripts actually sound really cool.

[@sebastianrosa7935]

Somone should think about adapting them into novels honestly.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

​@@sebastianrosa7935orveven adpt them into comic boks cznnyou ijgine indina Jones and king Arthur in ssne sentences

[@enjoyyoursleep1]

fans would make a bad CEO, they'd give other fans through their writing, everything theyu want, at what ever cost. This is why directors and studio executives rarely get along.

[@kristianfagerstrom7011]

All of them sound better than the actual script.

[@jordanbridges]

​@zacharyjochumsen9677 were you drunk when you commented? 😆

[@DewitNow]

Honestly, the backdrop of the 1950's, the Cold War, and the popularity of aliens during that time period was really promising. It all comes down to the execution.

[@dantraficonte8752]

Agreed completely. The UFO stuff was never the problem it was just the way they revealed them and also LaBeef’s character just wasn’t good

[@MrMejia187]

Yesss. The alien stuff was too nonchalant. Needed to dangle clues here and there and rip the bandaid off for a bit at the end.

[@CameronM1138]

@@MrMejia187 yeah, revealing that the aliens were 100% definitely real halfway through the movie with no fanfare was the movie's biggest mistake. None of the macguffins in the other movies are shown to actually have powers until the climax, it's just hinted at.

[@Parker--]

Yes, they should have taken the aliens idea out back and executed it against the wall immediately then come up with a better idea.

[@TheAwsomeSawse]

If Crystal Skull came out in the 90s it would be remembered very differently. I also think out of all the potential McGuffins, Excalibur and The Garden of Eden are the strongest concepts.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

@theaswesomesawse can you imagine indin Jones with excaliber or indin jobescfjghting giant atomic ants

[@iLikeTheUDK]

What about Atlantis? There was already the LucasArts adventure game that Hal Barwood conceived and wrote, and it's already quite cinematic as it is. It would just take more character developing scenes and some streamlining and decluttering and it would adapt to the screen so well

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

The Hollow earth from one of the Indy books wasn't a bad idea

[@white-dragon4424]

What they don't realise is that Excalibur's from Celtic mythology, not Norse.

[@dennisr6385]

Speer of Destiny would have been the only good follow up.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

I love how he acknowledges how blatant it is that Spielberg ghost directed Poltergeist. That made me laugh a bit ngl.

[@davidjames579]

Ghost Directed. Tee Hee.....

[@LaurenceQuint]

That's a rumor that needs to die.

[@Mr_Kenneth]

No way Tobe Hooper directed Poltergeist. It has Spielbergs directing style all over it.

[@LaurenceQuint]

@@Mr_Kenneth Except he did.

[@bluerobin7051]

Apparently, Tobe Hooper and most of the cast disagrees with that description.

[@joki9121]

I think one of my big problems with Crystal skull was how it looked. Everything looked very airbrushed and set piece. Like in raiders, you get the desert and the sunset with all the people digging or going through the market places. It really threw me off. Shia was also not a great pick. I love him in other things, but this was not it. Also aliens.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah, there was way way too much bluescreen and comp'ing in Crystal Skull. It *looked* fake, which did nothing to help people maintain suspension of disbelief. Even like at 24:19, what should have been a simple shot just looks wrong somehow because there's something wonky about the lighting.

[@diamond_dogs]

The 4K version is an improvement visually

[@davidjames579]

I was quite miffed at how much stuff that isn't there. The first three films and the TV Series shot around the world, and look and feel so atmospheric. Plus you don't have the late Douglas Slocombe's marvellous old school cinematography.

[@tonym.8069]

Right, its sorta ambigious what the fuck came out of the ark, I think doing something similar and not blatantly alien aliens would've been neat. I rather the aliens be gray skin but much more humans like than idk gray god aliens or whatever they were. I did like the twist their treasure wasn't just treasure it was knowledge, sorta reminded me of the dragon-owl spirit from Avatar who was an insane bibliophile

[@PlaySA]

Basically everything George Lucas couldn't live without. And I agree. It had no reality to it. The original trilogy was definitely campy and sometimes unrealistic, but still WAY more grounded than Crystal Skull.

[@DeadLikeMeJ]

If only Spielberg would have held is ground for longer :( Atlantis film could have been magnificent, shame Lucas was so obsessed with Aliens we could have had more Indiana films with Harrison when he was younger :(

[@tek_soup]

yeh, funny how the best selling most loved films, sequels take forever. not anymore which is good.

[@matte-d349]

I mean, there is no reason Atlantis and Aliens couldn't have been combined in some way. It's a damn shame!

[@MrZachtheKingsfan]

It sounds like Spielberg was just so done with Lucas pestering him about a 4th Indy movie for 18 years, he just caved and went with the “interdementional beings” story Lucas wanted to write

[@white-dragon4424]

It makes you wonder why Lucas didn't direct it himself, seeing that he's supposedly this film making genius that his bootlickers all claim he is.

[@MrZachtheKingsfan]

@@white-dragon4424 I don’t think Lucas likes to direct unless he absolutely has to. He tried to get other people to direct the prequels (like how he did with the OT), and they all turned him down. Including Spielberg.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@MrZachtheKingsfan Not liking to direct certainly shows in his work. Watching him direct is like watching a member of the undead.

[@laserbeamlightning]

@@white-dragon4424 Spielberg is the better director. Period. End of story. Lucas is a good idea and businessman but that’s where his involvement should begin and end as in this case his idea drove them off a cliff (and the characters)

[@stevenportillo7353]

​@laserbeamlightning to be fair, the Star Wars prequels were not at all good either back in its hay day. I would not say he was a filmaking genius then even now.

[@biggsducklighter6171]

I kinda respect Lucas for just digging his feet in, saying "I want aliens," and not budging for 18 years. Like Darabont said, that's next level stubborn.

[@xzonia1]

If only he'd spent that 18 years writing a phenomenal script for which aliens were essential. Spielberg would've said yes in a heartbeat to that, and we'd all have been happier. I did like that Marion and Indy finally got married, though. Lol :)

[@FD98HZMT]

“No version of the film will live up to fan expectations, a fact proven time and again by sequels separated by decades” Top Gun: Maverick- hold my beer

[@johnnydkota5709]

Please no. That’s the last thing anyone wants is Hollywood rehashing old movies over and over again. Top gun wasn’t a franchise, just a summer blockbuster that the studios weren’t desperately trying to milk money out of every five years

[@leithaziz2716]

How long was the gap between Fury Road and the last Mad Max film? Cause that's a great movie as well.

[@johnnydkota5709]

@@leithaziz2716 That’s a fair point

[@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettin]

Blade Runner 2049 - and mine

[@DrasticFox2004]

Halloween (2018)?

[@pyguy7]

I think it's really uncool how George Lucas fired Frank Darabont because he hated the script, then proceeds to use near ALL of his script beats and still has the audacity to remove Frank Darabont from the credits. What a disgusting low blow.

[@assymptoad4989]

Wrong, there are only 3 Indiana Jones movies.

[@michaelhawk6077]

I never disparaged Indy 4 because of the Nuked fridge scene.... To me, it was one of the better aspects of crystal skull.

[@function0077]

I loved the 1st 3 Indy movies. I just wish they made more sequels before Harrison Ford got too old. Ford was already too old for the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

Maybe its just me, but i cannot suspend my disbelief when it comes to watching an action/adventure movie with an 80 year old lead.

[@BrunoMalmann]

hey, at least most of the time he wasn't even the lead, we got HELENA SHAWWWW YEAHHHH EVERYBODY WENT TO THE CINEMA TO HER AS THE LEAD HELL YEAHHHH

[@scottb3034]

i think that's the biggest issue more than anything. a 1980s Ford probably sells the movie better...in which case it was probably best to retire Indy before 4 or 5 and keep him to books and video games.

[@spear1504]

Probably, all though many fans of the series would going miss new upcoming movie if he just retired

[@slackstarfish8133]

George Lucas is a great example of someone who has stumbled onto greatness, while being kinda terrible at the same time.

[@white-dragon4424]

Lucas suffers from "The Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome when it comes to his reputation for being a film making genius.

[@OrgaNik_Music]

Lucas is an ideas man who absolutely needs someone who has the guts to tell him no beside him.

[@benclark4823]

@@OrgaNik_Music and yet that didn’t happen despite Spielberg being the director. 🤦‍♂️ So much for the argument that “George Lucas” needing someone to tell him “no” about his own fictional story’s in order to be “good” nonsense. 🤥

[@sarov7658]

And disney only stumbles with his property

[@white-dragon4424]

@@sarov7658 The reason was because the patient was dead on arrival. Lucas killed it with the PT. The rushed conclusion of ROTJ also didn't help when it came to continuing the story with the ST movies.

[@TeensierPython]

Lucas got used to having people say ‘yes’ to everything and couldn’t take no for an answer to his dumb ideas in both SW and Indy.

[@benjaminbierley2074]

This, was his BIG failing, his wife was also an influence that, to my understanding, helped curb some of his less-than-stellar creative instincts, and by the time of the prequels, they were divorced...with some arguing that part of the motivation for the special edition was to alter the films going forward such that contractually she didn't get any more money from them, as she was receiving royalties from the original films in their original form. For those new to the fandom reading this, watch the behind-the-scenes for episode 1. It becomes clear pretty quick that the talking heads around him are all yes men nodding along. It's both horrible and fascinating to watch. There is even a moment Lucas himself realizes "they" might have messed up...and these yes men continue to NOD along to his every word.

[@Connor17199]

​@@benjaminbierley2074they were getting divorced during ROTJ. All I have to say about that is... Ewoks. Also she won an Oscar for star wars but George didn't 🤣

[@al112v4]

I'm glad he's no longer around SW or Indy by that matter.

[@tonym.8069]

Yeaaaaaaaaah thats a fair point

[@Y.Moroboshi]

Yeah, the one thing I'm getting from this video is that Crystal Skull happened because George had a shitty idea and no one had the gumption to tell him to drop it. There are a ton of possible mcguffins he could have gone with (I really liked the idea of Excalibur, even if it was a fan idea and not something Goerge came up with), so the fixation with aliens was something that should have been bonked out of George's head.

[@lovehatecomments]

Wow. I wish Spielberg had put his foot down for Darabont's version. Can't know if it would've been an awesome Indy movie but maybe better than what we got?! Thanks Ian for another great one. This would've been a real fun one with the gang as a podcast.

[@LaurenceQuint]

Podcast? Nah, the visuals are fun!

[@lovehatecomments]

@@LaurenceQuint It makes for a better video, yes. Can't beat the commentary and fun with Jenirae and Clint imo.

[@peterpidrak9501]

The Valhalla script sounds cool, but honestly Indiana Jones racing Soviets to find Hitler’s occult bunker, would tie it in rather nicely with the first three movies while still moving it forward in time.

[@white-dragon4424]

Wasn't that the concept which included Excalibur? If so, then I think someone should inform Lucas that Excalibur is Celtic myth, not Norse myth...

[@JsscRchlDrsy]

I didn’t mind the idea of showing inter-dimensional beings at all. The crystal skull may not be a historical McMuffin, but the idea of beings like the Annunaki who possibly came thousands of years ago to help mankind is in Sumerian writings. I thought it was a great idea. I think some of the execution and choices made for the film were off. I still enjoyed the movie.

[@admiralseabass8993]

This is my take. It's trendy to blame Lucas for the alien idea but Spielberg dropped the ball big time in the execution.

[@gergokun7154]

Rigth? Like people were fine with actual magic but not with aliens?

[@angelcitygirl]

There are only three Indiana Jones films. He rode off into the sunset with his dad and friends. Perfect ending. ❤

[@SLIDESPOT]

More proof Spielberg, despite JAWS being my favourite film of all time, is a better director than I tend to place him. He knew it was a bad decision to do anymore Indy films. I wish he took more of a stand vs Ford and Lucas.

[@xsniperx366]

Please don't leave us without these videos for too long again!

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Sorry. They’re hard. They take time. And they don’t pay the bills.

[@pedroaguilera7129]

@@ItWasAShtShow Appreciate the work you put in, also the podcast is great

[@mrshmuga9]

@@ItWasAShtShow Just wanted to say I appreciate the roadmap visual tracking the history between scripts and fan scripts. Nice job!

[@ItWasAShtShow]

@@mrshmuga9 Thank you! You're the first to mention it.

[@Gmthekiller]

@@ItWasAShtShow massive respect for you bro

[@valthenvega2434]

It feels a bit rage inducing to look back at how things went. George was wrong, it wasn’t fan backlash. It was his absolute stubbornness to yield and drop the almost-cynical alien thing, and be more open to accept a nice-enough script his friend Steven Spielberg had taken a liking. If he wanted aliens, he should’ve made Episode 7, not an Indy film.

[@scottb3034]

or fans could just be more consistent...that's a thing too. People hate the fridge nuking but have no issues with surviving a skydive with simply an inflatable raft. And the Sankara Stones are really a better Macguffin than Aliens/Crystal skull? Not saying Indy 4 was the best movie but it isn't nearly as bad as some claim nor is it far out of line from the series....at least Temple of Doom. Raiders and Crusade are their own thing and shame the other 3 movies because of their brilliance.

[@HaterOfReddit]

I really really liked how you added the visual at the bottom of the videos when showing people and the subject of what they did on the said movies/shows you are talking about! This is a fantastic change and I hope you have it in every video from here on! Keep up the great work!

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Maybe... haha. There were a lot of names being thrown around in this one, so I wanted visualize it somehow to keep it straight.

[@HaterOfReddit]

@@ItWasAShtShow That's exactly why I liked it so much, I'll be honest I am quite dumb and having this as a reference to always see when a new person shows up is a great visualizer! I watched the Bourne Identity video the other day, and even though there wasn't a lot of people involed, I sometime had to backtrack to really make sure I was following it whole completely! This change really helped, keep up the great work!

[@mrshmuga9]

Those other scripts sound better than what we got. George’s stubbornness knows no bounds.

[@white-dragon4424]

You know Lucas was badly bullied at school? Hmm...I wonder why?

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

@@white-dragon4424Ok, this is taking it too far. Lucas is a twat, sure, but encouraging bullying? come on.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@tomaszskowronski1406 I never once encouraged bullying. However, I can see what personality traits attracted the bullies.

[@wesleykim6523]

14:51 Ever since I watched the making of videos on the DVD special features, I will never forget the reaction Steven Spielberg had to George Lucus’s Extra-dimensional beings idea!

[@Gum_Cuzzler]

I don’t even think the aliens in Indy 4 were the problem. It was how ostentatiously they were presented, showing up at the end with a big dumb CGI alien after a final act already filled with over the top cheesy crap. Like, the supernatural stuff in the Indy franchise was subtle and mysterious. Maybe aliens could have worked if you had just had a bit of goddamn restraint with the concept and maybe just have like one saucer show up at the end or something.

[@arandompasserby7940]

Ironically, they should have handled the aliens in Indy 4 the same way Speilberg handled the aliens in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind

[@anotheryoutubeaccount9852]

The Last Crusade, was the last one for me. It was called "LAST" Crusade for a reason. The Crystal Skull by the way,, was an A-Team episode from 1986.

[@thevaccinator666]

The last crusade for the Holy Grail, in reference to the first crusades made centuries earlier, which I think are mentioned in the film. But it was probably a double meaning also, yeah.

[@JSwag_Reviews]

Temple of Doom is so underrated especially how fresh it feels the first time I had never been that edge of my seat in an action movie.

[@il100374]

That bit at the end about Chris Pines was hilarious 😂 Love Harrison Ford lmao, I'm in tears

[@DanCummins]

For me, it was over when Steven chose to use Janucz Kaminski as DP. If you look at all the other movies he's shot with SS, they all have that 'look' - which is great for something like Minority Report or War of the Worlds, even Saving Private Ryan, but that desarated hazy look feels completely out of place on an Indy film. Doug Slocombe's photography in the first 3 had an old-school almost technicolor pallete of high contrast and sharp colors. Doesn't matter that Kingdom was shot and edited on film if it's not lit right on the set. I love Kaminski's style in other movies, but he was just a wrong choice for Indy. I feel like if they had Dean Cundey or *gasp* Roger Deakins or some other more 'analog' looking DP, that movie would have been recieved SO much better, and even with the over-reliance on CGI, would still have felt more of a piece with the orig trig.

[@ItWasAShtShow]

I completely agree with this.

[@CookieMonsterJams]

They mostly have corrected the look to be more in line with the old movies on the 4k Bluray and the recent Disney + release.

[@watzumoro]

bro. Lucas didn't change his mind about aliens in so many years even though someone like Spielberg told him it was too much... Anyway, I think if they had left the aliens a mystery, it would have been better. not show them, leaving them in the void, a dark room or whatever makes us draw our own conclusions about what happened and so

[@thrillcollectors]

I wish you guys could somehow upload a video every day I can’t get enough of these. Truly great content thank you for the awesome work you guys do.

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Every day?! These are exhausting! Haha

[@OnlyDanFN]

great video as always mate. love the effort you put into these and the lil edit clips are great...

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Thank you kindly for watching!

[@noticiasinmundicias]

Dude you are about my favorite youtuber ever PLEASE MAKE MORE STUFF my anxiety needs it.

[@Karlach_]

Loved the video man I appreciate all the work you put into them so thank you!

[@AmusedWalrus]

Love this series and love Indiana Jones, keep up the good work!

[@kevinmajorca]

There is only 3 movies in the series tho. The Last Crusade was an amazing send-off to Indiana. I'm glad they left it at that and didn't soil the legacy of such great character.

[@dac5782]

I'd say there's only four, though. Crystal Skull had it's flaws, but it was still an enjoyable movie with good send-off for the series; Jones gets to have one last adventure and marries the love of his life at the end of it. At least to me, there's more of a sense of "resolution", as it were, with the ending rather than the classic "hero rides off into the sunset". It's not that great of a movie, but it still has a place in the series.

[@crocodileguy4319]

​@@dac5782I'd say there's 5 Indiana Jones movies though

[@crocodileguy4319]

Dial wasn't that bad

[@ironmatto3]

There's 5, stay mad.

[@dac5782]

@@ironmatto3 And I found the redditor.

[@gremblegrombletheclown6157]

I always look forward to your new vids! Thank you for creating such entertaining and interesting content :)

[@willadeefriesland5107]

I really like your choices of other films' clips to illustrate the various possible story ideas and speculations. Isn't it amazing how many there were...

[@TummyAche128]

I absolutely adore how you're able to compile all these details that I had no idea about!

[@alm5992]

I didn't hate the story of Crystal Skull as much as I hated the horrible CGI.

[@Katranga]

Great stuff as usual! I came from the podcast feed to watch it here bc I wanted the visuals 😊 also I didn’t know there was a 5th one coming out, but it makes sense now because this is the 3rd Indiana Jones video from KZbinrs I follow in the past 2 weeks lmao

[@Anubis-hl6wh]

great video as always I never young indiana jones was a show, I read all of the novels from that series. I how informative your videos are, I miss the other two from your show & your funny dynamic. Thank you for a excellent video & for helping me through the work day

[@theetreyleager]

As a man who has grown up with Indiana Jones, I can say I enjoyed Crystal Skull, it does truly feel like an Indiana Jones movie looking back, I hope the new one can at least capture that element.

[@thrillcollectors]

The sheer amount of different titles the fourth film had over the years should’ve been be a sign to just maybe just leave it well enough alone. Especially when you know how easily the original trilogy all seemed to fall into place

[@TaylorMade4Zero]

Great video as usual.

[@muttpost]

Love these videos, keep it up!!! 😎

[@anotherdrummingenigma2882]

Ironically, even though he liked playing Indy more than Han Solo, he brought a lot more energy and character to the role in Force Awakens than he did in Crystal Skull.

[@TheNameisPlissken1981]

Actually, Phil Kaufman and George Lucas only worked on Raiders together in the mid to late 70s. They put it away when Phil went off to direct The Outlaw Josie Wales with Clint Eastwood (to which Clint fired him and directed it himself). Kaufman's involvement with Raiders ended there. George didn't work on it again until the late 70's when he got Spielberg involved, then Steven hired Kasden after reading Larry's Continental Divide script that Spielberg ended up producing. The three day story session where the Raiders script was hammered out is on line and consists of Lucas and Spielberg spit balling while Larry takes notes and tosses out the occasional idea (I suggest every true Indy fan read this transcript, it's amazing).

[@DerFinder]

14:32 to 14:52 is my favourite moment from any interview with Steven Spielberg xD it reminds me of me and my friends when where argueing and stuff, I can imagine their conversation so well xD

[@clownnookie]

Darabount's script was probably stellar. It's just the Lucas stinks at what he does.

[@hellfire5108]

Lucas has some good ideas and then he can come up with really stupid ideas. Amazing.

[@yahwehswarrior]

i waited ages for your video to be uploaded man

[@frankcarlosanaliza]

Great video!!!

[@compatriot852]

I find it funny how they wanted to go with something more "realistic" and went with aliens. You'd think El Dorado or the 7 cities of gold would have been enough considering these are much more well known Latin American myths and not ridiculous like the crystal skulls/aliens that were forced in

[@bluerobin7051]

Clearly, you dont understand George Lucas' brain.

[@lifewithoutfudge]

This may seem a little nit-picky, but the only criticism of this very well-made, well-researched video is that the 1953 War of the Worlds, while rather quaint to modern eyes, was very much a big-budget A-movie of its time. It won an Academy Award for Special Effects and was nominated for two more, Sound and Editing, and was one of the highest grossing films of that year.

[@poolboyofficial7148]

You guys should seriously do a podcast on “the thing (2011)” I heard it was a production disaster with a very large amount of the films creature effects being done practically and then last minute changing it too CGI… I think the history of “the thing” would be an interesting and fascinating tale too speak of… really love the podcast, ran through every episode within a week. Good work guys! Can’t wait for more!

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Definitely on the list! Glad you’re enjoying the podcast!

[@misbehaven1237]

Love the video, and I love how the thumbnail has changed like 4 times now lol

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Hey, only 3 times! It’s the only way to see if jumpstart the algorithm, because the video isn’t doing, as well as I’d like.

[@misbehaven1237]

@@ItWasAShtShow totally understandable, and it's a real shame because it's one of my favourites on your channel

[@ItWasAShtShow]

@@misbehaven1237 Aww thanks!

[@jtgd]

“So, he runs into a nuclear testing site and jumps into a refrigerator”

[@RaviNayyar]

well, it's lead-lined - doesn't that count for something?

[@antitoastthe2nd]

I’ve been infected with a disease Every time I see you guys upload, my hand instantly clicks it without warning

[@JackDespero]

That reminds me of my doctoral thesis. I had two supervisors and often they would ask me to correct stuff that the other had suggested.

[@yazid6301]

Man these videos you made are so fucking great

[@doctoradventure413]

As time has gone on I think I've warmed up to Crystal Skull more than when it came out. It's a 7/10 movie in a series with a 9/10 and two 10/10's so it feels a lot worse than it actually is. I think it's over reliance on cgi is my main criticism. I love how the dynamic Indy and Mutt have is really similar to the dynamic he has with his father in Last Crusade.

[@thegreatpiginthesky3904]

Temple of doom is a 10/10 you bastard

[@doctoradventure413]

@@thegreatpiginthesky3904 love temple of doom but it’s definitely the weakest of the original movies

[@thegreatpiginthesky3904]

@doctoradventure413 well atleast it's original. Last crusade is raiders 1.5

[@doctoradventure413]

@@thegreatpiginthesky3904 what? The only similarities that I can think of between Raiders and Last Crusade are they fight nazi’s and the mcguffin is a Christian artifact. My problems with Temple of Doom are that they have Kate Capshaw constantly screaming and more importantly the culturally insensitive dinner scene. The movie is great and I love it but those things detract from the overall experience for me.

[@WolfStrife]

Great video! And I am surprised at how many bad titles they came up with, I would think it would be easy to title an Indiana Jones adventure😅

[@lanceash]

"Indiana Jones and the Never-Ending Search for Profits..."

[@starwarsroo2448]

Interesting Ford's initial reply to Lucas about having aliens in Indy and how it needed to be kept in ancient artifacts. Unfortunately whatever the problems with story etc they messed about for far too long and imo he was too old to play Indy in 2007

[@BRUIN1821]

My favorite channel, I feel so blessed when we get movie history uploads from you

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Glad you enjoy them!

[@NickTrulino]

couldn't agree more. i always watch these as soon as they're available. best researched channel on the site.

[@ItWasAShtShow]

@@NickTrulino Thank you!

[@thatguynipz7454]

George lucas creates some of the most iconic film ideas that influence generations. Also lucas: forces aliens into historical fiction adventures

[@echoowl7742]

"There are only 5 Indiana Jones Movies" - Lies. There are 3. I refuse to accept any film past Last Crusade as an Indiana Jones film.

[@Talis7212]

LOL I love that Harrison constantly says the names of newer leading men wrong. "Bryan Gosling" "Chris Pines"

[@QUIRK1019]

This channel ought to have 10x its current followers.

[@Ryglado]

Yeah. Thanks a heap, George. We could have had several better movies if he wasn’t so stubborn.

[@TellySavalas-or5hf]

Lucas has thrown the story away. With its alien creatures and Russians. No, it really was a movie that went downhill fast.

[@cw4143]

Loved the Lucasarts Indy Adventure games homage. :D

[@Ken-xj5gh]

I love watching these videos. Could you do one on the dc movies?

[@ItWasAShtShow]

In the future, yes.

[@jmp7140]

I never understood how aliens is too much of a stretch but immortality, ripping someone’s heart out and them still living, and melting faces is okay and totally reasonable

[@CameraX_FNAF]

Idk man, this is a universe where a box contains ethereal spirits, being able to live without your heart and a cup that heals and makes you old. Aliens definitely wasn’t a stretch.

[@punishedbarca761]

I think the subconscious divide between mysticism and science fiction is the reason. It's like adding a UFO to a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Personally I liked the idea but the execution was horrible

[@scottb3034]

Let's not forget surviving a skydive in only a thin inflatable raft. It's simply because the 7 year olds then became 30 year olds when Crystal Skull arrived. Same phenomenon as people loving a cartoon growing up but finding out it wasn't as good as they remembered as an adult.

[@gamestation2690]

@@scottb3034 People have forgotten their suspension of disbelief as they got older.

[@scottb3034]

@@gamestation2690 yeah that's a big part.

[@Pnoman73]

I’ve always thought the writers of the Uncharted game stories could’ve come up with an awesome script.

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Hard disagree.

[@TheAmericanPrometheus]

Writing for a video game and writing for a movie are two different beasts, but I think Amy Hennig could've pulled it off.

[@tylerthomas7763]

The uncharted games took inspiration from Indy. They also took inspiration from mummy too. Nathan drake is kind of like Indy in some ways but wildly different.

[@JSwag_Reviews]

@@ItWasAShtShow Yea especially with Druckman writing the script blech, but if it was Amy Hening or Druckman AND Straley then yes.

[@JSwag_Reviews]

@@TheAmericanPrometheus Druckman and Straley I always felt were the better combo. Druckman is a wonderful story idea man, but his politics get lost in the execution, Amy Henings idea for UC4 to have an evil brother was scrapped due to the fact it’s been done before, also Amy’s script didn’t have a twist like chapter 15 going into 16 did.

[@colormefrankenteddy]

The big problem i had, was the pay off wasn't worth it at the end. With the alien saycer just taking off. I haven't watched it in a long time. I might have to rectify that.

[@loganford3921]

I had a good laugh a couple weeks ago while I was playing Heavy Rain cause one of the scenes was straight out of 10:46 nuke the fridge scene.

[@AnthologyOfDave]

Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and Kennedy: "Lets make a new horrible Indiana Jones movie!" Everyone else: "You belong in a museum!" God have mercy on us.

[@daelen.cclark]

This comment will be kept out of museums and forgotten.

[@pduidesign]

Video: no version of the film would live up to fan expectations. No sequel separated by decades has ever done so… Top gun Maverick: cough cough

[@aleksanderzaremba9695]

8:45 This man was ultimate chad

[@George_M_]

So you're saying #5 is going to have a Scottish castle for sure this time.

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Hahaha! Let’s hope!

[@davidjames579]

@@ItWasAShtShow They filmed at Bamburgh Castle, a famous and dramatic looking castle, in England but near The Scottish Border.

[@andrewwebster4348]

If memory serves me correct, Lucas had mentioned aliens as the reason behind the supernatural aspects of relics like the ark as far back as the writing of Raiders of the Lost Ark. So I feel like Aliens has always been his thing.

[@OrontesRM]

I admit I wish the 'sword of Arthur' script was real...

[@markpender5286]

I have watched almost all of these and couldn't believe I forgot to sub..

[@ItWasAShtShow]

Forgiven.

[@TeensierPython]

I want to know more about Kathleen Kennedy. Do a story on her. I want to know how she got so powerful and why everything she was in charge of has turned to crap. What did she know/do to get in with Lucas?

[@johnnydkota5709]

Who cares?

[@LageYouTube]

​@chuckbuskeeNo. She was just in the right place at the right time and people just tolerated her. She's not highly skilled in anything

[@ItWasAShtShow]

You haven’t the slightest idea of what a producer does. “She’s terrible at her job!” Produces ET, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Roger Rabbit, Gremlins, every Indiana Jones, Star Wars (including Mandalorian and Andor).

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

George Lucas is the master of ruining things.

[@MooreCruising]

Don't you mean Disney

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

@@MooreCruising No. The Star Wars prequels and Crystal Skull were awful.

[@zayanything3124]

@@crixxxxxxxxxand the sequels and Indy 5 also sucked

[@mtank30]

Nice CASINO ROYALE '67 shout out. And speaking of Bond.... DANIEL CRAIG ALERT at 3:42!

[@ItWasAShtShow]

First one to notice!

[@romin7255]

Though it will never be the same as the three original episodes, I happened to enjoy the fourth iteration. Apart from the ridiculous look of the aliens at the end and the not-so-good son character, (and ridiculous sword fighting, and ridiculous Tarzan-monkeys scene ) it had some of the maestria of the original trilogy...

[@frontup-dave]

"There are only five Indiana Jones movies." Bold to say that we even acknowledge or deem that anything exist beyond Indiana Jones riding off into the sunset with his father and Sallah, rightfully deserved...

[@headofcosmospictures1232]

And Marcus Brody

[@gracefulnachos]

Not really bold. The other movies are canon. Genuine fans agree

[@DayLateGamerWill]

@@gracefulnachos Highly debatable, considering the cluster-fuck the new movies are....

[@gracefulnachos]

@@DayLateGamerWill Not debatable whatsoever. The movies are canon. You don’t decide what’s canon, the people who make these movies do. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is good. You’re just mad that it’s not as good as the originals. Dial of Destiny looks like it’ll be as amazing as the original trilogy. They’re not cluster fucks. They’re great and you’re a little bitch

[@markjackson6431]

the Indiana Jones franchise should’ve had more movies. like one in 1993, one in 1998 or 1999, and two in the 2010s. plus Ford always preferred this franchise compared to Star Wars

[@MisterStuzy]

The aliens just didn’t work, it somehow lost that strange mythical feeling and went sci-fi which for some reasons feels jarring

[@gamestation2690]

It's still about a higher power.

[@DrasticFox2004]

Nice video.

[@nethaendafendr]

Whilst I do like KotCS, I do think that it's not nearly on the level that the previous 3 films are, mainly because it doesn't do much to Indy's character we haven't already seen, hence it isn't much more than another adventure. I hope Indy 5 does give a fond farewell to the beloved legend.

[@danhardcastle]

Temple of Doom was '84.

[@oXRaptorzXo]

Read pinned comment

[@danhardcastle]

@@oXRaptorzXo The pinned comment was added in response to my comment!

[@oXRaptorzXo]

@@danhardcastle I doubt your the only one who commented this but sure

[@danhardcastle]

@@oXRaptorzXoNot the only one. And it's "you're".

[@oXRaptorzXo]

@@danhardcastle you should take the quote in the pinned comment to heart. That’s all I will say.

[@DerFinder]

now after indy 5 I really appreciate indy 4 a lot more... still both are nothing compared to the og 3

[@haamulubechooka6908]

5 is garbage

[@HugoSoup57]

@@haamulubechooka6908Dial of Destiny is decent and better than Skull