10 Movies That Didn't Understand What The Fans Wanted

The belated fourth entry into the Indiana Jones franchise was hugely anticipated by fans, and despite netting both solid critical acclaim and a mighty $786.6 million worldwide, the fanbase was largely left crestfallen.

It's all downhill from that opening shot with the CGI prairie dog, honestly.

Though a surprisingly spry Harrison Ford was clearly game for another go-around and Steven Spielberg's direction turned out fine, Indy 4 is jam-packed with ill-advised ideas both offputtingly goofy and straight-up inane.

Hot off his success in Transformers, Shia LaBeouf was cast as Indy's obnoxious son Mutt, with the clear intent that he might take over the Indy mantle in the future.

Except LaBeouf's performance was more grating than charming, and in addition to audiences largely rejecting him - Tarzan swing and all - LaBeouf himself even trashed the film during its press tour. In what was a solid call for all involved, LaBeouf was then quietly fired from the franchise.

Elsewhere, there's the infamous, much-maligned sequence in which Indy survives an atomic bomb blast by hiding in a fridge - it's lead-lined, don'cha know? - and a plot centred around extra-terrestrials that feels a little too silly even for the barmy standards of this franchise.

Though hyperbole has certainly fed some of the fan disdain for the movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was ultimately a workmanlike sequel patently unsure of how to update Indy for a new generation. The obvious answer was - don't.