Take Your Hate Elsewhere--Indiana Jones Still Rules

Ever since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out, all I've heard from fans of the franchise is how disappointed they were and how it didn't feel like an Indiana Jones movie. South Park even had a recent episode where they created a metaphor implying that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg "raped" Indiana Jones (called The China Problem, which you can watch right here). Well, I have something to say to all of you: you are wrong.

Here me out before you condemn me for my arrogance. I'm well aware that an opinion is just that and has no true answer. There are no factual statements to back up what I'm going to say, but your arguments are flawed and I'm going to tell you why.

Here's the main thing I've heard from most people. (Spoiler alert!) It's usually something along the lines of, "Aliens? That's so silly. Aliens don't belong in an Indiana Jones movie! How dare they tarnish this series with such a preposterous story!" Please. Even my brother-in-law (love you man!) said that aliens just don't fit side by side with what happened in the other films because they had more of a grounding in reality. Let's go over this "reality" film by film.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (or just Raiders of the Lost Ark depending on how old school you are) followed Indy as he sought after the Ark of the Covenant. The climax had spirits flying around, which killed everybody and melted their faces off.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom had our hero infiltrating the lair of a religious cult that performed human sacrifices by digging into their victim's chest, pulling out their heart, and then descending them into a pit of Hell.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade had Indy chasing after the Holy Grail, only to find it had been guarded by a knight who had stayed alive well past a normal life expectancy due to the power of it, but when you drink out of a false Holy Grail, you age rapidly and die. Indy then uses the real Holy Grail to heal his wounded father.

So you're telling me that those are grounded in reality? You're telling me that aliens are too "out there" for an Indiana Jones film? Really? What makes the inclusion of aliens any more wacky than spirits that melt faces, a cult who rips hearts out of chests, and cups that either kill you or grant you life? If anything, aliens are a more realistic representation of what an explorer of Indy's caliber could discover.

Don't get me wrong. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not up to par with the original trilogy. Those films are all terrific and can stand side by side as equals. Crystal Skull is a distant fourth. It doesn't even come close to capturing the magic of the first three, but that doesn't mean it's not a fun movie. I loved seeing good ol' Dr. Jones put his trademark fedora and whip to use again.

Look, sometimes the story went awry and yes, some of the action scenes were a bit much (particularly the three consecutive waterfall drops and the vine swinging with monkeys). Still, aliens fit right into the mythology of this character and his adventures just as much as the other three. There is nothing about aliens that is more outlandish than anything presented in the original trilogy.

Granted, the quality isn't the same, but it seems people don't really know why. We all had high expectations going into it and it sucks that they weren't met, but what were you really expecting? It had been nearly 20 years since the last Indy film. There was no way they could recreate the excitement we felt when watching the other three movies for the first time.

Do me a favor. Watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull again. Throw away your preconceived notions, empty your brain of your original opinion and just watch it for what it is. It isn't great by any means, but it's a fun film that just wants to give you enough over the top action and thrills to keep you firmly planted in your seat for two hours. How could you argue that it does anything but that?