I heard that the movie went overboard on stunts. I knew there were aliens. But I had no idea it was so flagrantly and fragrantly awful. I wouldn't have minded the alien angle, trite thought it may be. And by now we've all learned to accept that Hollywood can't make an action film without the hero running through a hail of bullets that never hit him, or even affect his hearing.
I usually don't even notice things like character development. But I guess this movie stunk so bad, and had so little to offer, that I just couldn't help but notice that Indy's son, and Indy's old war-buddy, were paper-thin.
And why can't they just make a good adventure flick anymore, without having the characters survive certain death in every single scene. IF A TRUCK LANDS ON TOP OF YOUR OPEN-TOP VEHICLE, AT LEAST ONE OF THE PASSENGERS WILL SUFFER A MAJOR INJURY. But no one was hurt. IF YOU GO DOWN THREE SIZABLE WATERFALLS IN A ROW, SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT. But no one was hurt. IF YOU INSIST ON USING THE MOUTH-END OF A VERY LARGE SNAKE AS A ROPE, IT WILL BITE THE EVER-LOVIN' OUT OF YOUR HAND. REPEATEDLY. But no one was hurt, and somehow the snake was not ripped in two. Edit: I forgot to add the bit of idiocy that set the tone for the rest of the film. Perhaps because the rest of the movie taught me to accept the idea that a common household refrigerator would have shielded Indy from an atomic bomb, and that the lead lining was soft, so would protect and cushion him, when he was flung a mile-and-a-half through the air and tumbled to a stop on the dirt.
And Indy's baby-momma has to have the world's worst survival instinct. When she saw the massive circular saw blade about to cut her truck in half, what did she do? She leaned TOWARD it. When she noticed that she was heading straight for the cliffs of insanity, did she stop, slow or turn? No, she floored it, and aimed for a scraggly tree that she somehow knew; a) she would able to park the vehicle on, b) would actually slow them down, rather than being swept aside, and c) would let them gently down into the water, rather than leaving them as low-hanging fruit for the Ruskies. But why were they going the same direction as the Russians, anyway? They had the Skull and all the friendlies, why not go the other direction?
One could go on.