A look back to 2008 and the magazine coverage of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL in the various British (and American) film magazines...
VANITY FAIR FEBRUARY 2008
Well, this was our first proper look at INDIANA JONES and the first part
of LUCASFILM's multi layered promotional attempts for the film after
months during filming in which so much had been successfully kept secret.
Who better to launch the look and feel of the film to the public than VANITY
FAIR, and who better to show it's first posed studio photography than the
respected, legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, who also bought the same
kind of visuality, style and gravitas to the previous STAR W ARS Prequels
when they too had covers and features within the magazines pages.
From the all-important cover, we get our first proper glimpse of
Harrison Ford in the film, back in the familiar Fedora and leather jacket
we'll associate him with forever, and, for a 65 year old, I hope I look as
good if I ever reach that age. The inside pictorials are also nice
though they still don't reveal a lot (i wonmder just how much great
photography Leibovitz took that we'll just never see!!). It's great to see
Marion (cheeky Karen Allen) back in a terrific spread picture on a bike with
Shia (is he or isn't he Indy's son?) LaBeouf as Mutt, and it's equally
inspiring to see the first official picture of Cate Blanchett as the
villainous Agent Spalko from the film. If ever there was an actress who
can make a part her own, with a distinctive style of her own as well, it's
Blanchett-the rapier hanging down by her side also promising some dangerous
action involving her against Indy and the gang. We knew John Hurt was being
kept secret, but where were the pictures of loveable Brit rogue Ray Winstone?
As for the inside feature article itself, well it's VANITY FAIR so it's
a good one- detailed, complex, accurate, and written by someone who knows and
loves his INDY lore. And it's intriguing to see where Lucas and Spielberg,
as interviewed, will be taking this new, final INDY film as it enters
the age of Russians, communism, the atom and flying saucer men- an interesting
move on the latter that would elicit cheers from Ed Wood Jr if he were
still alive today! Lucas already had worries during the interview (presumably
conducted around late Summer 2007) that the film will receive a critical
backlash upon it's release, but we all know, having seen the trailers, and
the genuine feel that the film IS an INDIANA JONES adventure, that this ain't
gonna happen.
REVIEW RATING: A tasty start to the main course- 8/10
EMPIRE MAGAZINE MAY 2008
ISSUE
Well, of all the UK film magazines unleashing their big gun cover and
features on INDY, this one has to be the most in-depth and satisfying to
read-primarily because of the huge access the EMPIRE magazine team have to the
film-makers at LUCASFILM, DREAMWORKS/ AMBLIN, and their special relationship
with Steven Spielberg (a big fan of EMPIRE since they did a major celebration
of his work a few years back that he enjoyed reading). If anyone could have
opened the doors to them for exclusive access to the cast and crew, escpecially
with regards to a press loathing Ford, who really only does interviews when he
really needs to, it would have been Spielberg.
The actual main feature article on the making of the new film,
though ever enthusiastically written by STAR WARS/INDY/LUCASFILM resident
EMPIRE expert Ian Freer, and carrying some nice factual quotes on the
legends of the real Crystal Skulls located around the world, is really
only very average, however, and bolstered out with speculation
and quotes (EMPIRE have a way, whether you like it or not, of taking four or
five quotes with someone on a transatlantic call or a quick hello on a
soundtage/ backstage party and literally making a fifteen pages spread out of
them with additionaly fan boy info and backgroud stuff), as is the
unspectacular layout, which has very few exhilirating photos for such an
exciting action adventure spectacle to come-most of which would have already
been seen in European film magazines around the same time or several weeks
beforehand due to their different release dates to the UK, of which newer images
haven't yet been released from embargo by the time the magazine was being
put together.
Bypassing the enjoyable but hollow cover feature, the real gem
of this special issue is the exclusive making of INDIANA JONES diary/
supplement which has special photo shoots with many of the cast and crew who
helped to make the trilogy the success it still is today (and they
even managed to get an interview with comic illustrating legend Jim Steranko
(who did the conceptual art), though, guys, where was Robert Watts? Y'know he
worked on all three of 'em!!). The specially done photo shoots by EMPIRE are
terrific, as are the personal remembrances by the behind the scenes-there's
nothing really new on INDY's history here to be added, but the genuine love all
these people have for the saga, as well as the hard work and dedication by the
EMPIRE team in putting the supplement together (if only their STAR WARS
ones had been as good!!), is there for all to see. It's a great
celebratory piece- nicely designed, great photos, weighty text that means
something-that booklet alone makes it an essential purchase.
REVIEW RATING: Whip-tastic, but only for the supplement- 8/10
TOTAL FILM - JUNE 2008 ISSUE
Great cover, eh? It certainly succeeded in getting me to buy it. But
what about the inside, I hear you ask. Well, parts of it are better designed,
and it has better stills within it's feature pages, than the previous
month's EMPIRE special-obviously their having more time to get pictures in from
LUCASFILM than their rival, but I have to say the same kind of access that
EMPIRE had for their supplement sadly doesn't come into this teritory's inside
features,and it all seems shorter than I was expecting. There are some
good interview quotes, especially from the film's final writer, David Koepp,
and the always friendly Producer, Frank Marshall, though you can
also see that some quotes, for Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg, have been
pinched from other sources like internet documentaries on INDIANAJONES. COM,
rather than new material. But the whole thing just feels to me like
it could have been better. More of a case of we've done the best job we can
with what material has been made available to us, and in the time
allowed. It's okay, but when you see that cover, I was expecting something
to blow me away the likes of the magazine's previous CASINO ROYALE issue
of 2006-now that really was a great magazine coverage wise, with photos and
information I hadn't seen bfore or since.
REVIEW RATING:This is really for the cover (and the bonus DVD which
has the first INDY trailer on)- 6/10
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY - ISSUE 988/989
APRIL 25TH 2008
Its that time of the year, when the popular film/TV and media American
entertainment magazine brings out its legendary summer movie preview double
issue edition-these issues are always keenly anticpated, highly sought
after and soon sold out, its content brimming with new photos and tasters of
the summer films, and presented with a nice easy to read style of prose
that really makes you want to see the upcoming films. Great cover photgraphy is
also a given and this issue is no excepton. You couldn't get a better
movie for your cover than the KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and the selected Harrison
Ford image selected is of excellent quality.
Though there's nothing much actually new photo content wise,
the article is nicely put together, doesn't rely on just a couple of quotes to
string it out and the style is a good mixture of fan boy and professional
journalism. And, being an American magazine, they have the best access to the
studios, film-makers and stars that the other European titles just
aren't able to get, though Cate Blanchett is strangely under represented (a
deliberate decision by the chameleon actress, perhaps?) in most of the fim
articles we've read regarding how she took on the part of Spalko. The feature
artcle also delves into areas of the production I wasn't aware of, and, like
some of the other magazines, talks about the development hell the film
went through in order to reach the silver screen.
Additionally, there is a fun little Q and A interview spread
(more of which can be found on the EW website) with Spielberg and Lucas
discussing many topics, such as growing old disgracefully, the making of the
film, and Lucas jokingly calling Spielberg "a Luddite" for not using
digital technology.
As well as Indiana, there are also excellent feature articles
and pictures for a whole wealth of movies I also plan to see this year
(including IRON MAN, THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE, PRINCE CASPIAN, SPEED
RACER, WANTED and THE HULK. Another busy year for the summer blockbusters
(though the CLONE WARS movie is strangely
under-represented-basically, only a half colum and no pictures!!) . Though
obviously we're all buying the issue for INDY, this edition of
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY is not only an excellent primer for the movie, now a few
mere weeks away, but also creates a genuine fun state of mind for watching
other blockbuster movies for the rest of the Summer. Let's hope they're
all as good as our favourite Archeologist's adventures!
REVIEW RATING: Great fun!!- 7/10
