Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Knowledge is Our Treasure

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the legendary character's big return to cinemas after 1989's The Last Crusade. Suffice to say, expectations were high for the famed archeologist's latest globe-trotting exploit.

And, for fans of the character, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did feature a lot of what made the original trilogy so great. What audiences seemed to be torn on, however, was its over reliance on CGI, goofy beats, and science fiction-based premise.

That didn't stop them from seeing it, though. On a budget of $185 million, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull grossed nearly $791 million worldwide. The detractors disenchantment with it did not effect the critics either. With 308 reviews, it sits at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This pod, like the public at large, was split on it. Some of us loved it and embraced it for what it was, while others couldn't get past its more pulpy moments.

That seems to be the plight of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Some will hate it for "ruining their childhood;" others will say it's just not up to the standards of the series; and some will just enjoy seeing another adventure with their favorite ass-kicking PhD. We suggest you do the latter.

Now, sit back, embolden your mind with an Indy themed Crystal Head Vodka Martini, and watch out for those darts! They're poison! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are seeing who can get launched the farthest by a nuclear blast in a lead-lined fridge!

This Week’s Segments:

• Introduction/Plot Breakdown – If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones. The hero is back! (00:00)
• Lingering Questions – The Double Turn Podcast channels Al Snow by carrying around an alien head, and then we discuss what worked/didn't work about Indy's big return. (32:12)
• The "Space between Spaces" Trivia Challenge – I challenge the field to trivia about the movie. (1:03:09)
• Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue "Hops and Franchise Entry Flops," with the black sheep of the Rocky Balboa saga, Rocky V! (1:10:12)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—the actual crystal skulls and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, Amazon Music, and more!