First Official Indiana Jones 4 Trailer Debuts Online

Posted by on February 14th, 2008   Filed under: Action, Fantasy, Trailers

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Here it is… the big moment you’ve all been waiting for. The first trailer Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has finally hit the web! It’s actually more of a teaser trailer, but there’s still plenty of actual footage for fans to drool over. Yeah, Harrison Ford looks pretty old but it’s hard not to be excited at what they’ve given us here. Right off the bat they allay any concerns we might have about Harrison Ford not being able to do action scenes, and of course, they throw in plenty of that trademark humour as well. That said, something about the trailer did feel a little off to me. I don’t know if it’s the fact that the action scenes seemed a little too over the top, or if it’s the fact that some of the sets seem artificial. Whatever. I’m just going to enjoy this for what it is, because who actually thought we’d finally see another Indiana Jones film on the big screen? Indy returns on May 22nd.

» Related Link: Yahoo!: Indiana Jones 4 Trailer



  • James

    Sean, how can you actually have any hesitations on what you just saw. This looks awesome!

  • Smells like Superman Returns, I think it was the overuse of the score that did it.

    I’m not sure I like the self-referential humour… It feels like in Die Hard when Bruce Willis was making fun of himself all the time. I guess it’s at the point now where you don’t expect him to be able to do anything, so it can’t be a poignant moment when he fails at something. Instead it’s a joke. I’m probably being cynical. It does look very elegant, signature Steven Spielberg shot of the hat being picked up, and moving over to the shadow on the car. Not sure about the native-looking people in the cave though. Stuff like that has no effect on me, it’s void of any charm.

  • Yeah, I think Superman Returns and Live Free or Die Hard are two very apt comparisons here. Believe me, I’m still excited, but it certainly isn’t going to feel the same as the first three movies.

  • Man I stumbled into that… I need to structure my comments (read: brain) better.

  • Yeah, I’m completely sold on this. I have zero complaints about this trailer.

  • Primal

    Well its a good thing that John Williams won’t edit the film to fit his music whereas John Ottman had the power to do that in Superman Returns.

    I was a little skeptical and didn’t know if of having another Indiana Jones was a good idea, but now I am actually pumped to see this. The trailer looks awesome.

  • Bob The Slob

    there was that interview where spielberg said he want everything, the directing, lighting, filmstock, cinematography all to be the same as the first three movies, and how modern day action junkies that are obsessed with bourne wont like the stepping backward. reading that gave me goosebumps, he couldnt have said anything more perfect. This trailer, to me, confirms it.

  • I dig on Bob’s comments. I think the problems with Indy 4 will like elsewhere over pacing, directing and lighting…no worries there. It’s the pandering to the audience i’m worried about, and the fact that much of this trailer feels like a greatest-hits reunion tour of locations recycled from the first three films (each of which had their own original look) is a bit worrisome.

  • typo – “like elsewhere” should read “lie elsewhere”

  • Well if the only reason he’s going back is to recreate the old ones, then all it is is pandering to an audience, and ultimately a cashgrab. He should do it because he feels there is something to be done with it that could be interesting. But I guess everybody wants to have a good time, and this is a vacation for everybody involved I imagine. I think that any hope of Janusz Kaminski having any influence on the look of this new Indiana Jones film has been squashed, for better or worse. It would be unlike Steven Spielberg to deliver a product that wasn’t 100% worked through and through though. Like Coca-Cola, he will deliver what people expect.

    I do remember reading that (rather candid) interview with him, talking about how he feels that people like Paul Greengrass sacrifice things like geography in order to create a pulsating sensation to the action sequences. I agree with him – but I can’t really say I thought any of the action in this trailer looked particularly mindblowing.

  • “But I guess everybody wants to have a good time, and this is a vacation for everybody involved I imagine.”

    Funny that Oceans 12 was sort of this thing, and they ran with it into total meta-experimentation. I do not have as high hopes with Indy4.

    I agree with the coca cola. People didn’t want “new Coke” and likewise there won’t be any re-invention of the wheel. And people will be happy.

    I just think that this is a so unnecessary considering the three films we already have are enough.

    …

  • I understand where Sean is coming from when he said something seemed off. Don’t get me wrong this teaser did exactly what it was supposed to do, and that’s get me super excited, but it seemed like Indy was just a little too good to be so old. It’d be like if Rocky got back in the ring with Floyd Mayweather and kicked his ass in two rounds.

    But it’s only a teaser so i could be way off.

  • Experimentation eh? I wouldn’t call Ocean’s Twelve an experiment. They seemed to be making fun of their own fabricated celebrity culture more so, than experimenting with what makes film and what makes reality, and when they crossover.

  • I really hope this is the last outing. The trailer looks good to me, but Indy is getting a bit old.

  • I think it will definitely be the last outing for Harrison, but from what we’ve heard, Shia may carry on the franchise afterward.

  • Bob The Slob

    its Steven Spielberg directing an Indy Jones flick…what do you want…all arguments taken into consideration it will trounce almost 98% of the rancid slop being released into theaters today as far as quality, not to mention…um…it has INDIANA FUCKING JONES in it. I admit that I was presold on this, mainly because the indy trilogy is my favorite THING ever, and Spielberg was still directing and then made it clear he didnt want to UPDATE, just ADD. I realize many have lost faith, but I still believe that the “Beard” delivers the best quality mainstream entertainment. like i said…presold…with an extra ladel of geek-gravy on top.

    P.S. as far as Ford being too old to be doing any of this, I would direct your attentions to a statement by Josh Hartnett regarding training for a fight scene during the shooting of Hollywood Homicide (the movie’s shittieness aside), i believe he said that harrison punches like a train, and he couldnt knock him down if he tried, which was embarassing considering he was almost 40 years older then josh…I read the statement on IMDB in like 2004, he made it after the movies release.

  • Bob The Slob is the Indiana Jones/Steven Spielberg equivalent of Transformers’ John Campea.

  • Bob The Slob

    Sorry. I love Indiana Jones. I loathed transformers. If that helps. Also, my favorite movie of 07 was by far There Will Be Blood.

    Prepare for sarcasm: Sorry for optimistically reviewing a trailer of a mainstream movie. I must worship Ryan Seacrest and Michael Bay. How silly of me. Now if you will excuse me I need to go charge my cell phone so the speaker function will be powerfull enough to work during a showing of THE EYE when nothing scurry is happnin’… end sarcasm, GET IT!!! I told you what the joke is and when it was taking place, just like in my favorite movie of the year…MEET THE EPIC MOVIE DATE SPARTANS!!!…END SARCASM.

    If there was a god, then I would ask forgiveness, but since that isn’t happening…should I ask the anal retentive art house elitists for it?

  • Hey Bob, I’m a big Spielberg fan too, and I think your excitement for the movie is justified. I can’t speak for Henrik, but I was mainly trying to play devil’s advocate here. All I can say is that the trailer didn’t get my blood pumping as much as I thought it should… it still looks like a lot of fun though.

  • Bob The Slob

    sean, thanks for the reply. I have nothing wrong with someone saying they didnt dig the trailer, but calling me nothing more then the moronic equivalent of an apologetic Transformers fan is a bit much. I dont really want to live in a work where you should apologize for love RAIDERS OF THE FUCKING ARK and anything associated with it…seriously thanks man, thanks for the honesty as always on the site and with your stuff.

  • Bob The Slob

    typo: live in a WORLD. not work.

  • Hey mate I’m not judging, you can like whatever you want! You definitely don’t have to beg forgiveness from me, there’s no law saying I have to be impressed with you for you to be a valid human being. If I were to judge though, you are alittle capital letter happy.

    I don’t get the Ryan Seacrest connection though… Does John Campea worship him? In all fairness, I think it’s not as much him you emulated, as much as the general opinion of Transformers leading up to its release date over on his site. That’s just so long to type.

  • Bob The Slob

    I will admit, I sometimes have an unhealthy addiction to the capital letters.

    I wasn’t begging forgiveness, more of a joking “sorry.”

    The only reason I invoked the named of Seacrest is just to make reference to the average stereotypical loves of the current mainstream pop culture viewers…American Idol, Transformers, Cell phone worship, thinking Epic Movie is humor…you know, sad but true stuff as such.

    I regretfully did not visit this site until after transformer’s release, in fact it was Sean (or one of the guys on this site) I believe who sent me a message on Youtube in response to a video I made slaughtering Michael Bay’s newest masterpiece telling me that with mine and my buds opinions…”we weren’t alone.” So I was not here for the build up on this site, just the brutal hatred that followed its release which kept me coming back for more. I don’t mind you comparing my enthusiasm, however I think the content here is a bit more dignified then what we were dealing with when talking Bayformers. Honestly don’t you think my joy is a bit more justified and grounded considering the character and filmmaker and history then someone being giddy over the director of Pearl Harbor making an 80’s cartoon into a celluloid vomiting festival?

  • Bob The Slob

    no hard feelings henrik. I just really hated every minute of transformers, and yes I wish Shia was not in Indy4, only because of his assoiciation with it.

  • Yeah I guess the no holds barred enthusiasm may be a bit more defendable with Steven Spielberg as opposed to Michael Bay. Even as someone who doesn’t think Spielberg ever does anything really interesting, his mindless action movies are way above Michael Bays in terms of elegant filmmaking and integrity towards its characters. Jurassic Park definitely beats the crap out of Transformers. I think if I was pressed on the issue though, I would watch Pearl Harbor over 1941.

  • Bob The Slob

    I am all about opinion man. If you dont like what Spielberg is cooking, that is fine (sorry for the metaphor). We probably like alot of the same films actually, Spielberg is my most cliched and mainstream love, but I grew up with the guy’s films and know almost every cut of most of them. I don’t hate Bay either. I mean 1 or 2 of his movies are mindless, but fun, and they are always well produced, shot, and edited. For a former soft core porn director he isnt too bad, I would expect worse. The problem is the fact that he is working at all and not some other unknown who could do better. However if he has to direct movies, then my expectations will be really low, and he usually meets them, but rarely goes so far below that it feels insulting (they are set very very low). Its more the content thats the problem. I would choose 1941 however, because I couldnt take sitting through Pearl Harbor again, ever, and I hated it way before that Team America song.

  • paulie

    Wow just wow is all i have to say every thing in that trailer just looked refined,It looks like indy at his best. my b-day is may4th so this we make a pretty good belated b-day present…..

  • “I think that any hope of Janusz Kaminski having any influence on the look of this new Indiana Jones film has been squashed, for better or worse.”

    How so? He worked on Jurassic Park 2 and it certainly wasn’t squashed then.

  • Looks like it’s going to be a hell of a good time in the theater on May 22. That’s all I’ve got to say.

  • “…the three films we already have are enough.”

    Says who? Also, there’s nothing wrong with pandering to your audience if that’s what they want. With Indiana Jones… pander away. I want to be returned to my childhood and judging from the trailer, this looks like this could be the first film in history to do it.

    I watched the trailer about 100 times today and love it more each time. I just became super-jazzed about seeing this.

  • Johan

    Dear Henrik,

    I wish you didn’t comment on this site.

  • Jay C: I’m basing it on the fact that this trailer looks exactly like the other three Indiana Jones films.

    ‘Dear Johan': I’m tempted to tell you to go fuck yourself with a rake, but maybe if you could explain why you feel that way, something could be done.

  • I recently watched the mindscape of Alan Moore and he said something that I thought was pretty clever on his part. I’m paraphrasing but basically what he said was that the job of the artist is not to give what the people want. If the people knew what they needed, they would be artists themselves. The job of the artist is to give the people what they need. I agree with him.

  • Ugh, that comment was supposed to be an answer to: “there’s nothing wrong with pandering to your audience if that’s what they want.”

  • Well I loved everything about the trailer, apart from the release date as it is still too far away. I especially like the shot of Indy putting on his hat shown in silhouette against the car.

  • I tend to agree with the statement that pandering to the audience is somewhat of a waste of time. I want to be stretched. Yes. Even in an Indiana Jones film. One can dream.

  • And at the risk of sounding like a cheap shot andrew, I think our difference on this on is why we conflict opinion/ranking wise on Pixar’s Cars (pandering) and Ratatouille (stretching).

  • Goon

    “in fact it was Sean (or one of the guys on this site) I believe who sent me a message on Youtube in response to a video I made slaughtering Michael Bay’s newest masterpiece telling me that with mine and my buds opinions…”we weren’t alone.”

    it was me.

  • Goon

    “And at the risk of sounding like a cheap shot andrew, I think our difference on this on is why we conflict opinion/ranking wise on Pixar’s Cars (pandering) and Ratatouille (stretching)”

    I like to be stretched, but always walking into something expecting to be stretched is only setting yourself up for disappointment from otherwise fun experiences… I mean, I still think you’re going to walk out of Enchanted with the idea that it wasnt subversive enough…

  • ….that is, if I ever walk INTO Enchanted…

    :)

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  • James L.

    I think the trailer looks good. Spielberg doesn’t need to anything for the money. He doesn’t have to make films if he doesn’t want to. But he continues, because I assume, he still loves it. If Spielberg was really being that cynical about making another Indy flick, he wouldn’t have taken so long to get the script right. I think every director goes in to making a film with the best of intentions and I think that’s what he’s doing. It’d be difficult to get up every day to make something you didn’t believe in. And, for some directors starting out, I’m sure that’s been the case. But Spielberg can do whatever he wants. So, I think he’s making it because he really wants to. I hope I enjoy it as much as the others.

  • WT

    It will be interesting to see how this film fares years on since the last outing, the series has lasted the test of time, so we can only hope.