You're Wrong About Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

#indianajones #lucasfilm #disney
It's bad. Yeah I better not see people try to say I'm implying otherwise, but I'll do my damn best to defend this film against the unfair criticisms it's faced in the past 16 years.
Actually Andrew: / @actuallyandrewyt
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:19 - History
4:42 - Nuke the Fridge...
5:29 - Heroes
10:14 - Villains
11:41 - Aliens and Setting the Record Straight
14:08 - Outro

[@SheevTalks]

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull utilizing new antagonists and new mythology both befitting the era in which the movie is set is always gonna be way better than just reusing the Nazis for no reason.

[@StephenLeGresley]

It makes sense to me that they would use the soviets given the time period and it shows how evil never goes away it simply changes to another source. I think the most recent movie should've had Indy going up against the CIA showing how America has become its own evil in the world.

[@derrickstorm6976]

So what? If everything else in the movie is shit then the movie is bad

[@theAverageJoe25]

I really feel like I’m the only person in the world who not only doesn’t hate but in fact enjoys crystal skull

[@TheSEAempire]

I love it, as with the other Lucas and Spielberg Indiana Jones film. Good to meet a fellow fan!

[@theAverageJoe25]

@@TheSEAempire I will admit that I don’t think it’s as good as the previous 3 films but I do think it’s a pretty solid film and I like films with the 50s-60s space era.

[@jgsgreenroom552]

I'm with ya too, Average Joe. LOTS to enjoy in this one.

[@czzp77]

​@@TheSEAempireI also love this film, the only complain are fake-looking effects in my opinion. And aliens/spaceships don't really match Indy's world I believe.

[@lloyd8499]

While I personally don't think Kingdom of the Crystal is a bad movie, I do think it's severly over-hated, and I love seeing/hearing people finally debunk the unwarranted hatred for this movie and explain how, even if it isn't good, it isn't as bad as people say. I recently found you through your critisism videos on Doug Walker's Pirates of the Caribean trilogy, and I may stick around with the level of quality I've found on this channel 👍

[@TheSEAempire]

Thanks!

[@jamestolbert1856]

I actually enjoyed this! I don’t know why people think this is a bad film just because it’s different. It’s like the same way people don’t like the Star Wars Prequels, they’re different. That’s what makes good. Different but cohesive

[@sammontgomery9575]

The treasure was knowledge… the knowledge of how good this movie looks in black and white.

[@keineahnung6184]

I always found it weird how much people complain about the plot holes in this movie and then act like the traps in Last Crusade make perfect sense

[@vaggos2003]

Here is my solution: criticize both.

[@Don-Scrima]

Yeah, I watched all of them with consistent standards and came to the conclusion that all of them but Raiders are pretty bad.

[@leroyjenkins9807]

It seems like many attempts to revive francishes in recent years have made people look back upon what was critically blasted in the past in a new light.

[@vaggos2003]

True, but that new light sometimes can be bias or nostalgia.

[@merafirewing6591]

I do enjoy Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when I first watched it. The nuke the fridge part is hilarious, but yeah it's up there along with the life raft in Temple of Doom.

[@captaingeneroddenberry8439]

I still don't care what people say or said about Kingdom I love the movie. Love seeing George, Steven, Harrison, and Karen Allen's return. The fact that it is 27 chapters in the series and watching the young Indiana Jones Chronicles is part of his life from when he was born in 1899, childhood, into young adulthood of him joining the Belgium army in WWI and straight into the events of Temple, Raiders, Crusade, and Kingdom. The fact seeing a well seasoned Indy is amazing and setting him in the late 50's during the cold war, birth of the teenager, the atomic age is perfect. I like mutt and seeing the return of Marion than at the end to see Indy marrying her and now has a family is indeed the real ending not the cash grab and disappointed of Dial of Destiny.

[@andre.mateus]

I never understood the hate this movie gets. It feels like an Indiana Jones movie (unlike Dial of Destiny).

[@isaacbenzing5686]

Ive actually always liked the first half or two thirds of kingdom of the crystal skull quite a bit. Like the diner fight scene followed by the chase through the college is just pure classic indiana jones style fun action, it never goes too overboard or too tame. I just think that once they get into the jungle and meet marion it starts going downhill.

[@Farfaramir]

Just commenting on one stuff The ending of Last Crusade is not just a preference thing, the symbolism of a hero riding to the sunset as a way to close a story is not invented by this film. It's a common troupe, so saying it's a personal preference to consider this a good way to close the saga as if merely subjetive doesn't consider how this scene could be interpreted. Obviously, no one is saying there shouldn't be more movies after (or at least I'm not saying this) but ignoring the meaning of the scene specially in the adventure genre and the old movies and series that inspired Lucas and Spielberg, and pretend is just a aesthetic thing, it's actually incorrect. Not of the other movies has something like that. As you say, Riders was supossed to be the only one; and I don't see how Temple scene which takes place before the last movie and also ends with Indy just celebrating with a lot of kids could be a image to close a saga (even if it could as well be the last film). Haven't finished the video yet, it's good, and I'm just writting this more a friendly debate, but that part of the video did bother me.

[@TheSEAempire]

Fair enough

[@Good100]

I watched all four movies for the first time one right after the other, so I had no nostalgia when I watched Crystal Skull. When I was done, I could tell it was mid, but then I looked at criticisms people had, and it was almost all sins that the original three, including Raiders and Crusade, also committed.

[@christopherroberts7293]

Indy 4 ends with him putting his own hat on after taking it from Mutt. A nice send off to the character keeping him in place as the main character. Indy 5 was setting up a Disney + show for an actress no one likes

[@Planag7]

I didn't mind her in that Amazon show. She just didn't work for the film and as a family "friend"

[@GeorgePerforms]

Excellent video on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and I agree with you when you say Raiders, Last Crusade, and KOTCS is the loose trilogy of the films.

[@Verebazs]

Lucas and Spielberg took inspiration from Carl Barks's Donald Duck comics for Indy, so frankly cartoonish BS like the inflateable raft or the nuking the fridge fitt the premise perfectly.

[@indianaCurtis]

Part of the problem with KOTCS is that Gen X audiences wanted to relive that nostalgia/rewind back to happier days when this and star wars were new and so were they but when it sunk in that it's impossible to "go home again" coupled with the problem of the movie just not being all that good in its own right (I love KOTCS warts and all it's the one that introduced me to this character and franchise) but yeah it's the same problem as was the star wars prequel trilogy....also Temple of Doom being touted off as a "classic" or "part of the classic trilogy" is a fallacy in itself I like the movie fine but it's not a "classic" like just because you were like 7 or 8 years old and watched it when you probably shouldn't have been and thought you were doing something naughty or getting away with something doesn't make it a classic it hasn't aged well in certain areas and is way more iffy than even back then...overall great video! Cheers! 😊

[@BuzzardPlanet97]

I’ve always preferred Crystal Skull to Temple of Doom. Temple has some more impressive set pieces but I find the characters really annoying and I start to zone out in the second half every time I watch it, which rarely happens to me when watching movies

[@captainvader921]

For me, Crystal Skull is a good movie, and I don't think it deserves all the hate it got. I was pretty much just agreeing with you for the majority of the video (except on Zootopia, though I haven't seen that movie in ages, and I don't remember what I thought of it), but that last bit about Raiders, Crusade, and Skull being a trilogy, really made me think. I love Temple, but it's also really strange how it tells a story that none of the other movies reference (Dial briefly mentioned it, but I don't count that as canon), and characters like Short Round and Willie are exclusive to this one. And yeah, it's a prequel, like you said. The other three movies being a trilogy actually works really well the more I thought about it, and I'm honestly really glad you've brought up an idea that could be seen as a hot take, but makes so much sense.

[@DanielS2001]

Honestly, I think the Crystal Skull was kinda okay, especially when you look at it in comparison to the films of the timeframe the story is set. It's not a great film. To me, it's an okay film. But, still better than Dial of Destiny. And I will watch Crystal Skull a thousand times over before I'll ever watch DoD again.

[@Planag7]

Captain America agree on points when he came to how the story came together of course I was initially nervous after seeing like clips and interviews where the story was originally going to be (the wild part of me wouldn't mind giant ants and stuff!) But yeah besides the meme of all swinging monkeys and things about LeBouf himself, I liked the character. I did NOT like them killing him off in that last movie. Yes yes, Vietnam etc. But, it really soured the rest of the movie after and yeah -_- I need to watch the video and all the way I do disagree on one or two of conclusions I will say that I appreciate you explaining that spelling them out for me. It does help my brain understand lol

[@DCMarvel2009]

Is it odd that I never heard that Temple of Doom was supposed to be a prequel to Raiders until just recently? It’s weird, but yet it makes sense to me.

[@zeylo4220]

I've always loved this film. It fits right in with the other 3 and I never understood the hate. What blows my mind even more is how Indy fans praise Dial for being the "perfect ending" whilst shi*ting all over this movie

[@TheSEAempire]

Yeah that is just insufferable. All Indy 5 did was backtrack on his character and build him back up to a lower place than where he was left before.

[@rct3isepic]

Personally, I don't think any of the Indiana Jones movies are bad. I liked Crystal Skull and I actually really liked Dial of Destiny. I actually prefer Dial over Temple of Doom. I highly disagree that it's a cash graplb with nothing good in it, and that the time travel is actually that out of place

[@StephenLeGresley]

For me I really only enjoy Raiders (Even with the revelation that Indy is a Pedophile) and Last Crusade. I saw Kingdom when I was a kid and even though the fridge scene took me out of the film, the rest didn't really see like the epic disaster most people claimed it was. Ok maybe Mutt swinging with the CGI monkey and the Tarzan scream was a bit too far lol I will never bash someone for liking a movie I think is terrible, I'm not going to change my mind because of it, but I'm not going to call them stupid or anything either. One of my fave movie is Transformers 1986 ffs LMAO.

[@TheSEAempire]

Easily the most nuanced take I’ve seen against the film. I respect the hell out of that.

[@StephenLeGresley]

@@TheSEAempire I have this radical solution for people who don't like a particular movie or show. It's called "do not watch it". I know it's deceptively simple advice, but normally when people go around bashing other people who liking something, it doesn't change anyone's mind it just makes and enemy out of them. Ok in fact here's another approach that might work. If I ran into someone who for example's sake likes the Ashoka show (i just had a minor stroke writing that sentence) I wouldn't bash them for it. I would show them Star Wars content that I think is good in the hopes they like it as well. I can't force (not a pun) someone else to change there opinion and I don't need to. If I can get them to like the OT or Andor or some of the best pf Rebels and Clone Wars then I don't need to change their minds anyways. They can still watch Ashoka all they want but now i would have even more content that I could enjoy with them.

[@ericgeddes3353]

I get it. I have never enjoyed watching The Dark Knight which is ironic given that Batman Begins is my favorite superhero film. I respect all the craft that went into The Dark Knight the top notch acting the writing the directing the shots but I have never enjoyed myself watching it. It's too dark and depressing for me. If you disagree that's fine it's just my personal teste.

[@collinsblakely9847]

Well done, extremely salient arguments all around! Changed my mind on a few things being “objectively” bad

[@GeorgePerforms]

I take full responsibility for the clip at 8:19 into the video.

[@rampantrambling8178]

Idk what was the point of killing off mutt only to create another character that fufulls the exact same gosh darn role. Killing off mutt couldve been interesting if given a little more focus.

[@MrGuitarfreak132]

My only real criticism with the film is the inclusion of aliens. I just don’t like it. I do think they should have stuck with religious artifacts personally. But that’s me.

[@LemonDrop-zt9xx]

Great video lad. I must be one of the few people who actually liked Crystal Skull when it came out. I'm glad it's getting a bit of love. Btw can you link your friends youtube channel please? I tried searching for it but all I found were videos of Andrew Tate.

[@waynesolo]

Yeah. I pretty much agree with ALL of your points. Great job!

[@TheSEAempire]

Thanks!

[@christophergillette7167]

The more accurate criticism is, the more it relies on objective vs subjective, the more useful that criticism. So I am grateful for the points you raise.

[@francise8698]

You know that Red Letter Media said the crystal skull was mixed and even liked Mut

[@TheSEAempire]

That’s great, they’re still the root of most of the disingenuous and vapid criticisms that currently infect the current critical sphere so I’m not gonna give then too much credit.

[@francise8698]

@@TheSEAempire idk man, for someone who said they hates it when people judge them without even watching your videos. You maybe shouldn't judge other people without, you know.... Watching their videos

[@TheSEAempire]

I have, many times infact. My point wasn’t directly about hating Mutt, it was about generally conflating “I didn’t enjoy this” with “this is bad”.

[@francise8698]

@@TheSEAempire idk what to tell you man. The impression I got was that you accused RLM of mindless hating on Mut and the KoCS. Maybe you that's my fault for being stupid, maybe you should have made it clearer. You're a small channel though you'd appreciate my feedback but if you just want to argue about it I have better things to do with my life and I assume so do you

[@TheSEAempire]

I appreciate the feedback, and I don’t mean to argue, but all I’m saying is my point still stands regardless of which elements they consider good or bad since it’s about the form of criticism they’ve started on KZbin.

[@ilikepigeons6101]

yes exactly EXACTLY!

[@oscarstainton]

To this day, I still think much of the hate towards Mutt Williams was out of the fear that Shia was replacing Ford and many short-sighted fans only seeing him as Sam Witwicky in an Indiana Jones film. While Mac is not the greatest character in the film, by far, I do think there was potential to play up the angle that he was Indy's equal who made enough wrong choices that cost him dearly in the end. I can picture Tom Selleck, who almost played Indy, playing into that.

[@wardbjerregaard5155]

It has its Luken quirks

[@noachlive]

I wonder how this video looks in black and white...

[@IsaiahAmos017]

Indiana Jones is kind of like Star Wars movie comes out that’s bad people get mad that it’s bad but years later another one comes out it’s bad and people say it’s good now and it happens again i’m sure when they make Indiana CGI Jones six with AI Harrison Ford people are gonna look back on the dial of Destiny and think that one wasn’t so bad too

[@Oppen1945]

Atleast there's stuff to like in the Prequels. What's there to like about the Dial of fucking Destiny?

[@CaptainBuilder707]

am i the only one who liked this film before the fifth film?

[@DrummerDucky]

naaah, a movie is just a movie, some piece of entertainment bound to be forgotten after its consumption. 100% of its quality is my own personal enjoymnet.

[@TheSEAempire]

Nope, that’s entirely incorrect. Personal enjoyment and objective quality are two very different but equal conversations and should not be conflated. A film is a tactile craft that is made and consumed and can (and should) be discussed in a critical sense with impartiality and consistent standards applied, of which this film barely had when it released.

[@LastGoatKnight]

Just curious. Never liked the series that well. Just to boost the algorythm

[@TheSEAempire]

🫡

[@Alejandroigarabide]

This film is so underrated, and Temple of Doom is so overrated. Thank you!

[@Wubster649]

This movie is overhated

[@theshenpartei]

This movie is a guilty pleasure film for me and it’s way to over hated.

[@usapostate23]

I enjoyed it well enough until they got to the jungle, then it turned into a bad videogame.

[@TheSEAempire]

Ok…?

[@usapostate23]

@@TheSEAempirepretty simple statement, why are you confused?

[@TheSEAempire]

Well I’m not sure what you mean by that.

[@usapostate23]

@@TheSEAempire That at least a 1/3 of the film is hot garbage. Mutt swinging thru trees with monkeys… 3 waterfall drops… aliens thrown in with zero significance… shitty CGI and Looney Tunes logic… easily the weakest final act of the first 4 movies. I remember seeing this in theaters and the audience getting up in abject silence afterwards. Not in any way close to the reaction LAST CRUSADE had where the theater clapped afterwards. Hell this film may be better than DIAL OF DESTINY but I’ll never know because the disappointment of CRYSTAL SKULL killed any desire I had to see further live-action Indy films.

[@TheSEAempire]

I can get most of those criticisms, they’re fair enough, but the aliens one I disagree with. They have the same amount of significance as any of the other films mystical overseeing forces. Like the skull is the artifact belonging to them, and much like the Ark, the Sankara Stones, and the Grail, they cause said overseeing power to defeat the main villain.

[@ChilianaJones]

"Just because you didn't like the film doesn't mean it is a bad movie" Then goes on and criticizes 'Dial of Destiny' and calls it a bad movie. lol.

[@TheSEAempire]

Where’s the contradiction? Dial of Destiny is a bad film regardless of if I enjoy it or not. I made a whole video on that if you’d like to hear me out instead of being disingenuous.

[@ChilianaJones]

@@TheSEAempire 'Dial of Destiny' is not a bad film. It is not perfect but it is not bad. It is YOUR OPINION of it that says it is a bad film and you are welcome to do so but just because YOUR opinion of it is negative doesn't make it a bad film as a whole.

[@TheSEAempire]

But a film can be bad objectively. You seem to think the word “opinion” means a personal perspective that is not factual, when in reality an opinion can be substantiated with facts and evidence. The sun being a star is an opinion, one backed by evidence that points to it having shared traits with other stars in the universe and meeting the base definition of a star. Likewise, Dial of Destiny is a bad film for utterly failing at characterization, as I went over in a previous video that you really should watch in order to not make a fool out of yourself here.

[@6tiple6ix6afia]

The irony of you putting "cope" in the thumbnail

[@TheSEAempire]

What of it?

[@charlesman8722]

All this to defend Mid? Lol it’s an ok movie at best people wait decades for just “Ok” of course they’d be mad. Mutt is hated cause he’s both Shia AND the implications he was supposed to replace him. And yes the Last Crusade was the last movie cause they didn’t seem to be in a hurry to make another one.

[@TheSEAempire]

Emotions have no place in an objective analysis, so the critics who shit on the film letting their emotions take over had failed at their job, so my hope is to set the record straight a bit. And criticizing a film for the external view of an actor is also criticism in bad faith, as with reading something that isn’t there since Mutt was very clearly not supposed to replace Indy. They actually poke fun at that idea at the end of the film. And no, simply because they took a break between filming doesn’t mean that was the actual ending. That’s such a hilariously weak argument.

[@willemdafuck8433]

One thing I really appreciate about the film is how rich it looks, it doesn’t look flat or bland like dial or destiny and when they use practical sets and action scenes it looks fantastic The film looks both amazing and crap on a scene by scene basis

[@merafirewing6591]

Yeah.