First reviews of new Indiana Jones film disappointing for fans

May 18 2008 By Steve Dinneen

THE first sneak reviews of the eagerly awaited Indiana Jones movie have appeared on the web - and they make worrying reading for fans.

The movie website aintitcool.com is known for being first with blockbuster reviews but one anonymous studio insider claims:

"This is the Indiana movie you were dreading seeing.

"I saw the two trailers and though I was excited to see the old man in action again, I was kind of worried that they seemed to be missing 'something'.

"That something was tension. During the whole movie, there was not a single moment that I thought our hero was in any sort of peril or even significant inconvenience.

"In most cases, you were so many steps ahead of the characters it was just an arduous wait for them to get through it."

Another nameless reviewer who has seen the movie - produced by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg - which has been shrouded in secrecy until its first public screening in France tonight was also unimpressed.

He wrote: "The entire audience was holding its collective breath, waiting for the breakthrough moment that would signal Indy's triumphant return to the top of the geek heap.

"That moment never really comes. Not to say it's a bad movie - just an unnecessary one.

"The problem is Lucas, Spielberg and Ford try far too hard to give everyone what they think they want.

"It's about trying to recapture lightning in a bottle - nothing about this film stands on its own.

"It's constantly leaning on the past, hoping we don't notice that it does not bring anything new to the franchise.

"It felt like going to a family reunion where everyone was forced to watch a slideshow or old home movies instead of getting a chance to catch up with each other."