Why The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Is Steven Spielberg's 'Weakest' Indiana Jones Movie

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is considered by astir fans to beryllium the worst Indiana Jones movie, and based connected comments from erstwhile Lucasfilm brag Kathleen Kennedy, we present cognize wherefore it turned retired the mode it did.

Warning! Spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull follow.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, directed by Steven Spielberg with a communicative worked connected by Star Wars creator George Lucas, sees Harrison Ford reprise his relation arsenic the iconic adventuring archeologist successful a hunt for a telepathic crystal skull located successful Peru successful 1957. Helped by Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and their son, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), Jones yet witnesses otherworldly beings permission our magnitude successful what precise overmuch looks similar a flying saucer, giving the content it was astir aliens each along.

In a diagnostic connected Spielberg and his movies by Vulture (paywall), Kennedy and Lucas sermon the difficulties they and others faced making the movie. First up, cinematographer Janusz Kamiński admitted helium failed to recreate the look of the erstwhile Indiana Jones movies established by Douglas Slocombe, calling The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull "by acold was the hardest movie I’ve ever done successful my life."

Kennedy said The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a pugnacious accumulation not conscionable for Kamiński, but for Spielberg and Ford, who she said were "struggling" with it due to the fact that they didn’t privation to bash a "Raiders movie that progressive aliens," and "kind of got into a fight" with George Lucas astir it.

Lucas told Vulture: “I wanted it to beryllium benignant of a War of the Worlds benignant of thing. Harrison said, ‘I’m not going to bash different science-fiction movie.’ And Steven said, ‘I’m not going to bash different science-fiction movie.’ I said, ‘Steven, this is cleanable due to the fact that it’s the 1950s, erstwhile flying saucers were a full thing,’ but helium said ‘no.’ We did astir 5 scripts, and yet Steve and I compromised: ‘Look, what if they’re not aliens but from different dimension.’”

Kennedy said Spielberg and Ford went on with Lucas’ idea, but they “were not 100% onboard.” And that’s the basal origin of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ending up arsenic the worst of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones movies.

“That’s wherefore the movie, retired of the 4 that Steven made, is the weakest,” Kennedy said. “And that’s wherefore Harrison was truthful profoundly committed to Destiny. He didn’t privation that to beryllium the end.”

Lucas went connected to sermon the final, divisive changeable of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, wherever the interdimensional beings alert distant successful an alien-like craft. “Steven enactment that past changeable in, wherever they get into a flying saucer and instrumentality off,” Lucas said. “He was rationalizing it by saying, ‘Well, they’re going to different dimension. They person to get determination somehow.’ I said, ‘It looks similar a flying saucer.’ He did marque a science-fiction movie aft that, and Harrison did an alien movie.”

After Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came retired successful 2008, astir thought that was it for Ford playing the role, but helium returned erstwhile again for yet different entry, 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Here, Kennedy is suggesting present the mode The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull went pushed Ford to privation to bash The Dial of Destiny.

Earlier this year, Kennedy indicated it whitethorn beryllium immoderate clip earlier we spot different Indiana Jones movie, insisting: “I don’t deliberation anybody is funny close present successful exploring it.” Three years connected from The Dial of Destiny, Lucasfilm has yet to bespeak that a follow-up is successful the works.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].