Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls: Build Credibility with Your Audience
0 comments Posted by Aric Mitchell at 10:38 PM
Over the years, the Indiana Jones franchise has taught us how to build pacing and dramatic tension in storytelling. Unfortunately, the new lessons from the latest outing are of what NOT to do, which is truly tragic considering the storied history of its predecessors.
I will try not to dwell on my firm belief that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the sole perpetration of one George Lucas hiding behind the names of Stephen Spielberg and David Koepp, careful not to garner further negativity in the piecing back together of his reputation.
Spielberg and Koepp are both far too intelligent and accomplished to be responsible for the dreck of a motion picture this turned out to be. Whatever Lucas has on them, however, seems to work as they are taking responsibility, leaving filmmaking’s answer to Darth Vader with nothing but a co-story development nod… I guess reputations need not be worried about when you’re taking the rap for a man as powerful as Lucas.
But fans aren’t stupid.
The current 64% Tomato-meter reading on Rotten Tomatoes says it all. Common filmgoers for whom these movies exist are, for the most part, disappointed, and they’re blaming Lucas more than any of the rest of the triumvirate. In case you haven’t been to school in a while, a 64% translates to a D on the trusty report card. Hardly something those of us with parents or ambition care to take home to mother.
After 19 years, one would think the premise could have more creativity behind it, and those responsible for creating the character in the first place would be getting wiser, not dumber. But alas, it takes only 10-15 minutes of the new installment for fans to realize age does not necessarily bring wisdom… yes, sometimes we get stupider.
This brings us to our lesson for today – how to keep credibility in your fiction. A series such as Indiana Jones brings with it tons of fun, out-of-this-world excitement. The first time around we had the lost Ark of the Covenant; the second time it was the sacred Sankara stones; the third it was the Holy Grail; and this time, it’s the crystal skulls of unknown origin.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these prized objects as the focal point of their stories, and in the previous three cases, execution was pitch-perfect. But ten minutes into Crystal Skulls, I was rolling my eyes, shaking my head, and giving up on any hopes that it would turn out decent.
How come?
After all, I love the Indiana Jones character. I was prepared to forgive any shortcoming (within reason) this film might have, deciding that I would ultimately like it even if I had to make myself. Truthfully, expectations were low after seeing the preview, but I was still convinced there would be enough of good old Indy present to win me over. Unfortunately, those dreams were fried the minute Dr. Jones stepped into a lead-lined refrigerator, which subsequently crash-landed after being airlifted hundreds of feet by the blast. As if Indiana Jones could have survived the blast itself in his lead box, the crash landing would have killed him.
The scene completely defies every law of physics, and leaves viewers wondering what the hell they’ve just witnessed. Is the close-up on LEAD-LINED supposed to compensate for the fact that Indiana Jones falls a minimum of ten stories in a hard, rickety box, and walks away with nary a scratch on him?
Lucas and Spielberg claim they set out to make a 50’s sci-fi type B-movie, but they did so using a character grounded in reality by his previous adventures with the one small exception that he’s limited by age. Also, the environment is subject to 1950’s history, knowledge, and technology, meaning some ground rules apply to fantasy elements.
The atom bomb, we know through history, was powerful enough to obliterate two enormous cities and cause years of suffering to follow once inflicted on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet Indiana Jones is near the point of impact and survives within the confines of his flying fridge after plummeting hundreds of feet to earth.
Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is knocked off an elevated road in the thick of the jungle, where he manages to catch on to a dangling vine, which is certainly possible… but to hit it with just the right amount of momentum to swing to the next and the next and the next strategically placed vines via hokey CGI idiocy? Please.
In the past, Indy would get in to some pickles, but there was always a plausible way out that led to some thrilling escape, expertly photographed with the best technology currently available to convince us he just did exactly what it looked like he did, creating the necessary suspension of disbelief so we can accept the story.
Not so here. This is the worst of the worst, and while CGI is hardly a factor in writing, it reminds us here that our audiences are comprised of people… real living, breathing, people, the simplest of whom are still complex creatures. You do something stupid like what is seen here, and rather than be thrilled, they’ll feel insulted.
When writing a work of fiction, whether grounded in reality or floating in the clouds of make-believe, remember your environment carries with it certain ground rules. You can obviously get away with more in a futuristic setting. But when it takes place on planet Earth, certain limits must never be broached.
The audience knows this world. They live in it. Don’t try to set your story in their world, and then tell them certain common sense rules don’t apply. If you do, they may not hate you for it, but your story won’t be so lucky… of course, if you’ve already got a franchise of three spectacular and successful films with over 25 years of history behind them, feel free to ignore all my advice and keep doing things your way. Audiences will continue to check out your morbid curiosities.
For the rest of you, stick to the ground rules, and maybe you’ll one day arrive at a $311 million worldwide box office? Until then, focus on good storytelling, and realize that not all make-believe is make-believe.
I will try not to dwell on my firm belief that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the sole perpetration of one George Lucas hiding behind the names of Stephen Spielberg and David Koepp, careful not to garner further negativity in the piecing back together of his reputation.
Spielberg and Koepp are both far too intelligent and accomplished to be responsible for the dreck of a motion picture this turned out to be. Whatever Lucas has on them, however, seems to work as they are taking responsibility, leaving filmmaking’s answer to Darth Vader with nothing but a co-story development nod… I guess reputations need not be worried about when you’re taking the rap for a man as powerful as Lucas.
But fans aren’t stupid.
The current 64% Tomato-meter reading on Rotten Tomatoes says it all. Common filmgoers for whom these movies exist are, for the most part, disappointed, and they’re blaming Lucas more than any of the rest of the triumvirate. In case you haven’t been to school in a while, a 64% translates to a D on the trusty report card. Hardly something those of us with parents or ambition care to take home to mother.
After 19 years, one would think the premise could have more creativity behind it, and those responsible for creating the character in the first place would be getting wiser, not dumber. But alas, it takes only 10-15 minutes of the new installment for fans to realize age does not necessarily bring wisdom… yes, sometimes we get stupider.
This brings us to our lesson for today – how to keep credibility in your fiction. A series such as Indiana Jones brings with it tons of fun, out-of-this-world excitement. The first time around we had the lost Ark of the Covenant; the second time it was the sacred Sankara stones; the third it was the Holy Grail; and this time, it’s the crystal skulls of unknown origin.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these prized objects as the focal point of their stories, and in the previous three cases, execution was pitch-perfect. But ten minutes into Crystal Skulls, I was rolling my eyes, shaking my head, and giving up on any hopes that it would turn out decent.
How come?
After all, I love the Indiana Jones character. I was prepared to forgive any shortcoming (within reason) this film might have, deciding that I would ultimately like it even if I had to make myself. Truthfully, expectations were low after seeing the preview, but I was still convinced there would be enough of good old Indy present to win me over. Unfortunately, those dreams were fried the minute Dr. Jones stepped into a lead-lined refrigerator, which subsequently crash-landed after being airlifted hundreds of feet by the blast. As if Indiana Jones could have survived the blast itself in his lead box, the crash landing would have killed him.
The scene completely defies every law of physics, and leaves viewers wondering what the hell they’ve just witnessed. Is the close-up on LEAD-LINED supposed to compensate for the fact that Indiana Jones falls a minimum of ten stories in a hard, rickety box, and walks away with nary a scratch on him?
Lucas and Spielberg claim they set out to make a 50’s sci-fi type B-movie, but they did so using a character grounded in reality by his previous adventures with the one small exception that he’s limited by age. Also, the environment is subject to 1950’s history, knowledge, and technology, meaning some ground rules apply to fantasy elements.
The atom bomb, we know through history, was powerful enough to obliterate two enormous cities and cause years of suffering to follow once inflicted on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet Indiana Jones is near the point of impact and survives within the confines of his flying fridge after plummeting hundreds of feet to earth.
Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is knocked off an elevated road in the thick of the jungle, where he manages to catch on to a dangling vine, which is certainly possible… but to hit it with just the right amount of momentum to swing to the next and the next and the next strategically placed vines via hokey CGI idiocy? Please.
In the past, Indy would get in to some pickles, but there was always a plausible way out that led to some thrilling escape, expertly photographed with the best technology currently available to convince us he just did exactly what it looked like he did, creating the necessary suspension of disbelief so we can accept the story.
Not so here. This is the worst of the worst, and while CGI is hardly a factor in writing, it reminds us here that our audiences are comprised of people… real living, breathing, people, the simplest of whom are still complex creatures. You do something stupid like what is seen here, and rather than be thrilled, they’ll feel insulted.
When writing a work of fiction, whether grounded in reality or floating in the clouds of make-believe, remember your environment carries with it certain ground rules. You can obviously get away with more in a futuristic setting. But when it takes place on planet Earth, certain limits must never be broached.
The audience knows this world. They live in it. Don’t try to set your story in their world, and then tell them certain common sense rules don’t apply. If you do, they may not hate you for it, but your story won’t be so lucky… of course, if you’ve already got a franchise of three spectacular and successful films with over 25 years of history behind them, feel free to ignore all my advice and keep doing things your way. Audiences will continue to check out your morbid curiosities.
For the rest of you, stick to the ground rules, and maybe you’ll one day arrive at a $311 million worldwide box office? Until then, focus on good storytelling, and realize that not all make-believe is make-believe.
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