Top Ten Guilty Pleasures Part 2

4) Indiana Jones 4-I'll be honest: I don't think Crystal Skull is the worst Indy film. That honor falls to Temple of Doom. I love Temple's villain and Short Round, and the final twenty minutes (mine cart chase and onwards) is top notch. But the film really doesn't hold up for me. Now, Skull is pretty weak as well, but I found it to be more in line with the Indy formula than the second one, not to mention it had Marion in place of the annoying Willy Scott. I think the reason people hate it is the aliens, but honestly the idea of the aliens didn't bother me so much as the execution. It was the '50s, so a lot of the decisions Lucas and Spielberg made were because of the setting. Russians as villains, Indy having a greaser kid, the aliens tying into the plot through psychic crystal skulls coming from El Dorado, all that was just a result of translating Indy into a Cold War environment addressing the sci-fi B movies of the time instead of '30s adventure serials. I was down with all of that. The nuked fridge scene? Yes, it was ridiculous, but that one moment where Indy's silhouette is shown against the mushroom cloud? Badass, and really visualizes how Indy is now in a different time period. The revelation that the warehouse from Raiders was Area 51, and that Indy helped excavate the Roswell crash were great plot twists that I enjoyed seeing. With that said, the villains weren't too strong, Shia Labeouf had some nice banter with Indy but wasn't all that convincing as his kid, Marion was dull, and the final act felt more like a Star Wars film instead of an Indy flick (did the aliens really have to disappear in a UFO if they were "interdimensional beings"?). So yeah, the film got out of hand towards the end, but I still found it an enjoyable enough adventure, and despite his age Harrison Ford still rocks it as the Man With the Hat. So despite its numerous flaws, I still enjoy Crystal Skull. Seriously though, it doesn't really matter if the film was good or bad. Nothing, I repeat, nothing will ever top the brilliance of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

3) Alien vs. Predator 1 & 2-These films will never compare to the brilliance of Alien, Aliens, and Predator, simply because as iconic as these monsters are, they're not as interesting unless they're up against Sigourney Weaver or Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the first AvP film was my introduction to these creatures, and both films have many badass moments that are great action beats even if they don't hold up as films. The Predator vs. Alien Queen in the first film and Predator vs. Predalien in the second film were highlights for me, and when I see these films on TV I watch them knowing full well they're not great.

2) Spider-Man 3-I LOVE the first two Spider-Man films, as they were my introduction to not only Spider-Man's world, but the world of comics and superheroes in general. I was so hyped for SM3 I could barely contain myself when the film came out. Sandman, New Goblin, and Venom going up against Spidey? I nearly pissed myself. The first couple times I watched the film I loved it, but upon repeat viewing the flaws began to be more noticeable. Venom was underdeveloped, Sandman was a wuss, Harry's amnesia was pointless, the love drama was crap, and Emo Peter was unspeakable. But despite all of these flaws, I can't come to hate the film that capped the story arc started with 1 and 2. It's like Return of the Jedi: you know it's not as good as New Hope or Empire, but it completes the arc and you accept it despite its flaws. I love the origin sequences for Sandman and Venom, and when Spidey first puts on the black suit, it was awesome. So yes, the film is disappointing, but I still find some entertainment from it despite its weaknesses.

1) Star Wars Prequels-Most people hate this trilogy because it "raped" the legacy of the first three, but that wasn't the case with me. I grew up at a time when I could watch all six Star Wars films and appreciate all of them without looking for changes in quality. I considered myself privileged for being able to see the complete story, regardless of whether it was presented non-chronologically. As I grew older, I realized the prequels lacked the story and character moments of the originals, but even now I still can't hate them as most of the Internet has. Jar Jar is horrible, but Darth Maul is awesome. The love story is atrocious, but the Yoda/Count Dooku duel is unforgettable. Darth Vader's "NOOOOO!!" moment was embarrassing, but the Mustafar duel was the most epic lightsaber fight of the entire saga. So while the prequels have a lot of mistakes, they have just enough "wow" moments to still be considered watchable by me, and I still accept the prequels as Star Wars canon knowing full well that they will never reach the heights that the originals had.