Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of .... spoiler spoiler spoiler

::!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!::

...of Aliens

I saw the new Indiana Jones last Friday. Over the top action, fun archeology, screaming fan girl college students, sounds like a real Indiana Jones movie! But this one has inter-dimensional aliens. Not space aliens mind you, inter-dimensional aliens. Space aliens would just be silly! I'm not clear on what the difference is. Aliens are aliens. I was really enjoying the movie, even the gibbering crazy guy they were schlepping around. Though I wonder how the traps and mechanisms were all reset when Indy and Co. arrived, yet obviously people had been in there since they were created. Up until the Russian woman addressed the alien skeleton and told it "I vant to know everyzing!" and the skeleton turned to face her. Then the room started turning, a portal to another dimension opened, most everyone escaped, and there is was... A flying saucer. I repeat. A flying saucer. I must have missed something in the plot. How did the skull of an inter-dimensional alien in South America end up crash landing in Roswell NM? Hello, Plot Device.

I'd recommend the book over the movie so far, though I'm not far into reading it still. When they're in the warehouse at the beginning, in the movie, Indy whips the gunpowder in the air and it flies through the air to the crate. In the book (by James Rollins), Indy tosses the gun powder and it falls in a line on the floor pointing the direction. That's far less dramatic, but far more believable. Indiana Jones isn't about being believable, but the other ones never went this far. Even when there was a guy that could reach into your chest and pull out your still-beating heart and show it to you.

On another movie note. I watched Star Wars IV again the other day. Sorry, but I never realized what crap that movie is. Emo Skywalker's aunt and uncle are slaughtered and he barely sheds a tear. Then Obi-Wan is slain in honorable combat with his old nemesis/student and Emo's crying up a storm. At the time it was a landmark in special effects, but the story and acting are crap.