Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Question: Why did the nuke fridge scene cause so much controversy?

Answer: People felt it was ridiculous and cartoonish, even by Indiana Jones standards. Even if it was possible to survive a nuclear blast via the lead lining of a fridge (it's not), or that the fridge would simply be thrown away rather than be melted/torn apart like everything else in the vicinity (it wouldn't), the impact of being flung what appears to be a mile or so through the air, then violently crashing into and rolling over the ground, would certainly kill anything inside. The controversy arose because usually, in "classic" Indy films, the fantastical elements were exactly that: fantastic, magical, and/or supernatural. This was presented as taking place in our reality, with no "power of God" or magic spells, and for many, that was just too much disbelief to suspend.

Answer: Another problem is that people couldn't articulate what they didn't like about the film, and point to the "Nuke the Fridge" scene as a quick example of what they think is bad about it. In the realm of Indy, it's really no more outlandish than jumping out of a plane in an inflatable raft like in Temple of Doom.

It's considerably more outlandish. The raft scene was recreated/reviewed by Mythbusters, and they found that the raft floated down at a mere 22 mph. It would be hard/impossible in real life to stay on the raft, sure, but if you buy that bit of movie cheekiness, it would definitely slow their descent enough to survive, especially since they land a) on a slope and b) on soft snow. The fridge scene, however, has no such saving grace... it's completely ridiculous and unrealistic in every detail.

Question: Does anyone know for sure if Harrison Ford wears the same hat in each movie or are there multiple copies. I'd like to know for sure, not speculation or guesses.

Grumpy Scot

Chosen answer: Not only does he wear a different hat in each movie, he wears several different hats within the same movie. After Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford was given the original hat, which he personally helped the costume designer give its old and worn but well-loved appearance, to keep for his own.

Phixius

Answer: There were not only multiple Indy hats used in each movie, but multiple styles and sizes of Indy hats used for various scenes. In "Raiders," for example, Herbert Johnson hatters in London produced 45 copies of the hat for use in that movie alone. Those hats were used by Harrison Ford himself, his stand-ins and stuntmen. In dark scenes, where lighting was critical, Ford wore a version of the hat with a modified brim to accommodate facial lighting; and, in the daylight "Basket Chase" scene in Cairo, the style of hat is noticeably different with a slightly wider brim. The hats vary greatly from movie-to-movie, as well, with variations in brim, crown and felt color. By the last movie, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the hat is distinctly different from the original used in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Charles Austin Miller

Question: What did Dovchenko shout in Russian when he was being dragged into the nest, just before getting devoured alive? Did he yell "Help me!" or "Somebody help!"?

Answer: He's screaming "Help me!"

Question: After the skull is placed on the body, what did Marion notice about the eyes?

Answer: Smoke started coming out of them.

lionhead

Question: At the beginning of the film, the Russians steal the body of the alien from the warehouse. Later in the film, after Indiana Jones gets the skull from the body of the conquistador, he gets captured by the Russians. Spalko pulls the skull out of the alien body and sets it on the table to do the whole "look into the eyes" scene. After that scene, and they escape the camp, the group is carrying around the skull from the conquistador in order to return it to the temple. So, what happened to the skull they pulled from the alien's body? Did they steal the body to get the skull for the sole purpose of having someone stare into it to experience the mental stimulation? Did they just ditch it afterwards?

Answer: There is no definite answer in the movie, but it probably ended up in a remote research facility in Siberia. Or perhaps Hruschevs' private collection. They stole the skull from the warehouse because they thought it was important in finding the alien vessel.

Question: Perhaps I've forgotten some details from The Last Crusade in the years since I've seen it, but shouldn't Henry Sr. not be dead in this movie, because he drank from the Holy Grail which gives immortality?

Answer: Yep, you've forgotten some details. The Knight specifically states that the immortality bestowed by the Grail is limited to those who remain within the shrine. Jones Snr left the cave, ergo, no immortality.

Tailkinker

Question: In the United States, why was the film released on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday or Friday?

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: Because the film had a global release date, and premiered the same day in every country in the world. Obviously, the studio felt this was the best day to do it.

Twotall

Question: In the ant-attack scene, why did the Russians decide to back their truck up to the edge of the cliff and then use ropes to escape over the cliff to an uncertain fate? This defies logic. They still had at least one working vehicle (the truck) that had just engaged in a high-speed chase - they could have easily jumped aboard the truck and quickly driven out of the danger zone.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: The Ants could crawl over anything and everything at rapid speed. They knew it would be a long shot to drive past them without getting consumed.

Answer: Yes. It was retrieved from the Lucasfilm Archives specifically for use in the film. It also appeared alongside George Lucas in a promotional photoshoot for the film.

Question: In the military warehouse scene at the beginning of the film, the huge sliding doors are designated "51" in numbers 30 feet tall, on the inside of the warehouse doors. If you were already on the premises of a top-secret government base, and already inside a top-secret government warehouse, why would you need a 30-foot-tall numerical designation inside the building?

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: The filmmakers are employing some "artistic license" here so that the audience will know that this is the famous "Area 51." They have to be obvious about it.

raywest

Question: When Irina speaks to the Russians, is she really speaking in Russian? And could anybody translate anything for me, like in the warehouse scene?

msmall724

Chosen answer: Ok i found out thread on the indy forum with the translations: http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=15558&highlight=russian+translation.

msmall724

Question: On different websites I have found tonnes of information about Irina, like where she was born and what she did in her life. Where do people find this information? I know it's not in the film.

msmall724

Chosen answer: It is common for information about characters and plotlines to exist outside a movie. Oftentimes the screenwriters have created a back story about the characters that does not appear in the movie. This information may be disseminated to fans through the movie studio's official web site, in interviews, through DVD commentary, and so on. Also, with popular series like Star Wars, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc., the accompanying novels provide additional information about the characters and plot that does not appear in the movies. Of course, fans also create their own backstories and myths about favorite characters which often gets passed around on various web sites and other sources as verified fact.

raywest

Chosen answer: It's unknown. Presumably they dismantled the campsite and left.

raywest

Question: I heard that, originally, the relationship between Indiana and Mutt was going to be unstated and ambiguous (rather than being outright confirmed). Is there any truth to this, or is it just rumour?

Answer: Just a rumor. The earliest drafts involved a daughter, who was obviously later changed to a son, but the intention to reveal the child as Indy's was always present.

Phixius

Question: In what town or city were the scenes where Indy is supposed to live and work actually filmed?

raywest

Chosen answer: They were filmed in New Haven, CT and Yale University.

Michael Piscitelli

Question: At the beginning of the film, when Indy's first shown, he says "Russians" upon seeing the Soviets. Weren't the Soviets just called Soviets and not Russians (since the Soviet Union still existed)?

Answer: While "Soviets" would probably be considered the official term, "Russians" was still widely used as a descriptive term, as Russia was by far the largest and most dominant state in the Union. The two terms were effectively interchangeable during that period.

Tailkinker

Question: The Soviets are led to the temple by a trail of dropped "bleepers". Is this a reference to the trail of M&Ms that Elliot leaves for ET in "ET"?

Answer: Doubtful. Dropping breadcrumbs was in in Hansel & Gretel. The breadcrumbs here are just fancier.

Rlvlk

Question: When they are in the Soviet jungle camp, Indy is shown an alien whose skull is crystal on an 'operating table.' But I thought the last crystal skull was in the bag the Soviets were holding onto. If that's the case, then they had two crystal skulls, not one, right?

Answer: They had at least one skull (and body) from the spaceship crash in Roswell, but they needed a specific skull - the one from one of the original alien visitors.

Rlvlk

Question: I'm aware of Indy's ophidiophobia, but how much will snakes play into the film? Sharing the same phobia, I don't want to spend the whole film trying to avoid watching snake-related scenes.

Cubs Fan

Chosen answer: Based on what little we've seen, namely what's in the trailers, there seems to be very little on the snake front. There will undoubtedly be at least one moment somewhere in the film, but there's no indication that snakes will be a major focus of the storyline.

Tailkinker

Question: Why in the world does the traitor let go of Indy's hand when the ruins are collapsing? This seems like suicide, and he doesn't seem like he suddenly feels so guilty that he doesn't want to live.

Answer: He's a greedy bugger who wants to try to get the treasure.

Factual error: In the warehouse scene, the lights and other metal objects are affected by the box's magnetic field. Yet the soldiers easily lift the box into a metal truck to load it and slide it forward. If the box's magnetic field was as strong as suggested, it would have dragged the soldiers forward as it was magnetically attracted to the truck, and it would have taken much more effort for them to slide it onto the truck bed once it was stuck there.

More mistakes in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Dean Charles Stanforth: We seem to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.

More quotes from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Trivia: In the Mayan temple, Indy comments "I have a bad feeling about this." This line was a running gag in George Lucas' Star Wars saga, and was used by Harrison Ford at least once. (01:46:10)

Cubs Fan

More trivia for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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