Frank Darabont's script for Indiana Jones IV, entitled Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods, is an archaeological wonder in its own right. However, we've received a bootleg copy of the script that's making its way around the internet, which is reported, but not confirmed, to be the real thing. We read it, and it seems pretty legit, or the person who is faking it is a terrific screenwriter. Either way, here's a review.
CAUTION: SPOILERS EVERYWHERE - IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN 'INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, READ THIS AT YOUR PERIL.
First off, the script is largely the same, storywise, focusing on the discovery of the crystal skull, as well as the lost city in Peru where the Gods were thought to live, only to discover that these "gods" were aliens with a culture advanced thousands of years beyond our own.
Also, Marion Ravenwood is in the script. In fact, she's featured even more prominently than in the actual film. And, yes, she and Indy end up married in the end. Oxley's there, as well as a double-crossing friend, and, to my surprise, the "nuking the fridge" sequence and the giant ants are there, as well.
However, also in this script are Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. and Sallah, making awesome cameo appearances that really help cement the whole history of Indiana Jones, and tie the whole saga together.
What's not in the script? Well, Shia LaBoeuf's character, Mutt, for one thing. There's no mention of a son and no appearance of one either. Now, while I didn't necessarily think that Mutt's character was one of the most egregiously awful things about the movie, his absence definitely makes room for more character development on Indy's part, and it allows the story to shine through, in opposition to the constant 'wink-wink-he's-his-son-but-neither-of-them-know-it-yet' portions of Crystal Skull that drove me nuts.
This script is awesome in exactly the places that Crystal Skull was lame. Just those few flips in the sequence removed all of the punch from this really excellent, well thought out, super exciting script, and rendered it vacuous and boring. In other words, Spielberg and Lucas chose the right story, but they neutered it to focus on the wrong things.
There are at least three awesome action sequences in this script, including a fighter plane chase that would have blown the doors off the theater had it actually happened on film. In addition, the double-crossing friend is a Russian, which makes the whole America vs. the Soviet Union thing work a lot better. Oxley's character isn't like a family pet, and there are some nods to the Indiana Jones mythology that really work well here.
Perhaps the biggest difference in the script is the treatment of Marion Ravenwood. First off, she doesn't spend the entirety of the story standing in the background grinning like she's happy to have a job. She's the Marion we came to know and love in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and her story arc is so much more believable in this script that it's a night-and-day experience.
Also, the aliens are mean. They're a legitimate threat, not fascinating, but terrifying, and there's an implication that they have been the reason that humans believe in God for the past several thousand years. The resolution of the plot is so much more satisfying here than in the actual film, and the script just shows that Lucas and Spielberg were too soft to make the choices that turned the plot a little dark and/or scary.
At the end of the day, Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods is 100% a better script than the one that was shot for the film. This would have been the right way to close out the series, and it would have been a return to form that no one could have expected, instead of a movie that everyone places just above the abysmal Temple of Doom in the Indy canon.
Comment(s)
I thought Indy 4 could have been a LOT worse. My biggest complaint wasn't with the story, but with the excessive CG. They used it in places it wasn't even necessary and it looked horrible. I expect better from ILM. I do think Mutt's character was foolish. He added nothing and that was the mistake they made there.
Also, I blame Lucas for any bad points. Spielberg has proven himself time and again to be a director that doesn't back off on content. Did you even SEE Saving Private Ryan? Lucas is the one who held this movie up for the last 5 years or so by constantly being unhappy with the way the story moved forward. And just think about the past. Which is more likely to screw up? The guy who brought us Howard the Duck or the guy who brought us Jurassic Park? At least Harrison Ford turned in the kind of performance we wanted. Just as I predicted though, LaBeouf was completely wrong for his part.
Anyone else that dares put Temple of Doom above the masterpiece that was the Last Crusade should have their still beating heart ripped out as they are plunged into the pit of lava which they love oh so much.
'Nuff said.
In the original Star Wars, the Force was spiritual connection in all things (God) but in the prequels, the Force was just bacteria in the blood.
Why the shift?
Personally, I kinda enjoy temple of Doom, but it really does not fit well into the Indie canon. Crystal Skull was pretty weak overall, but I don't think Shia/Mutt is to blame. The main problems were: the ridiculous tarzan sequence, Karen Allen having nothing cool to say, and Ox having nothing cool to do.
And speaking of that Tarzan sequence, everyone blames George Lucas. however, the true fault lies with Spielberg. He is the genius who put that lame-ass gymnastics sequence in Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World. This is basically the same sort of thing-- totally ridiculous and unbelievable.
i liked indy iv a lot ... i think the script d'alonzo liked would have pleased the critics plenty and alientated the people that go to movies to enjoy them ... the last thing i want from an indy movie is an alien life based critique on why people believe in God
Please. This is ridiculous. This movie was just as outlandish, fun, and entertaining as the other ones.
As far as the script went, I like the idea of Maryon being a more powerful character. In the end I'm just glad a new generation was able to experiance some of the magic I felt when I watched Crusade for the first time.
I'm not the only one who likes these. It's become hip to bash the heck out of Skull. To hear people talk you'd think this was the next Battlefield Earth, but there's a lot that like it. I know people that make fun who haven't even seen it...what sense does that make? I think fan expectations were just way too high. Skull is an entertaining adventure movie, nothing more, nothing less. It's not the 2nd coming and never claimed to be.
Crystal Skull is not a great film, but it's not nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. That said, Darabont's script (which I have read) would have made for a much better film.
david koepp, screenwriter of the crystal skull, adapted war of the worlds, spider-man, mission impossible, and jurassic park. hes not some lackey spielberg dug up to rip off darabont's old ideas. and the chances of spielberg and lucas taking what darabont offered and hiring a new guy to tweak those few plot points are slim.
just my two cents.
but i would love to read what darabont really wrote.
david koepp, screenwriter of the crystal skull, adapted war of the worlds, spider-man, mission impossible, and jurassic park. hes not some lackey spielberg dug up to rip off darabont's old ideas. and the chances of spielberg and lucas taking what darabont offered and hiring a new guy to tweak those few plot points are slim.
just my two cents.
but i would love to read what darabont really wrote.
It's a pulp movie but it's DULL.
No, I'm not one of those people who try to be hip by being cynical. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool genre dork, and nothing pleases me more than fun, exciting, sparkling adventure stories...but they have to be fun, exciting and sparkling.
Which, I sadly felt, "Crystal Skull" was not.
Where does one read this Darabont script?
Seriously?!?!? The great thing about this series is that each film stands on it's own as a great TYPE of movie. They could never make ANOTHER Raiders but they did a great job of capturing an Indy story with a different feel each time. Abysmal Temple of DooM??? You must be on crack.
Anyway, I would rather see that script become a movie in some sort of 'real' Indy IV.
david koepp, screenwriter of the crystal skull, adapted war of the worlds, spider-man, mission impossible, and jurassic park. hes not some lackey spielberg dug up to rip off darabont's old ideas. and the chances of spielberg and lucas taking what darabont offered and hiring a new guy to tweak those few plot points are slim.
just my two cents.
but i would love to read what darabont really wrote.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Indy IV. It's an OUTSTANDING movie that outshines most others in all of the usual areas for a Spielberg and Lucas outing: Plot, acting, effects, pacing... it's all here and all good.
The problem is, the younger generations are jaded. They simply will never find anything that pleases them, ever. A large part of that is that they have such impossibly high expectations for things.
I'm so very glad I'm not jaded- I'd rather be the one enjoying the vast majority of all the entertainment products I partake of, rather than this loud young crowd who simply love to hate everything.
Great Indy IV review.
david koepp, screenwriter of the crystal skull, adapted war of the worlds, spider-man, mission impossible, and jurassic park. hes not some lackey spielberg dug up to rip off darabont's old ideas. and the chances of spielberg and lucas taking what darabont offered and hiring a new guy to tweak those few plot points are slim.
just my two cents.
but i would love to read what darabont really wrote.
david koepp, screenwriter of the crystal skull, adapted war of the worlds, spider-man, mission impossible, and jurassic park. hes not some lackey spielberg dug up to rip off darabont's old ideas. and the chances of spielberg and lucas taking what darabont offered and hiring a new guy to tweak those few plot points are slim.
just my two cents.
but i would love to read what darabont really wrote.