Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: David Koepp (screenplay), George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson (story)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen
Over the last few years we’ve seen quite a few iconic movie heroes come out of retirement to deliver one final kick at the can, and although these belated sequels have typically yielded mixed results, they have succeeded in proving one important thing: nostalgia is a very valuable commodity within the realm of Hollywood these days. Once enough time has passed, people will turn out in droves to reconnect with their favourite characters again, regardless of how good the movie might be.
And so, given that George Lucas and his Star Wars prequels have probably been the single biggest influence in this regard, it doesn’t seem that surprising to find ourselves ready to sit down and watch a fourth Indiana Jones movie almost 20 years after the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. There has been plenty of talk about whether or not Harrison Ford might be too old now, or if the new age of computer-generated special effects might contradict the feel of the first three, but I think what’s really important is whether or not there is another story worth telling here. In the end, I really don’t think there was, but I still can’t deny the thrill of seeing Indy back on screen again.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens with Dr. Jones and his friend Mac kidnapped by the KGB, who are looking for a mysterious crate in a military compound. The first 10 or 15 minutes of the movie delivers a decent adrenaline rush, but it takes Harrison Ford some time to shake the cobwebs off and fall into a rhythm with the character again.
As you may have heard, there is a part of the movie’s plot that includes some paranormal elements, and while I won’t reveal where exactly this goes, I will say that I was a bit thrown off by the idea of immediately linking Indiana Jones with things like Area 51 and Roswell. It reeked of something that had first been written 10 years ago, back when The X-Files was at the height of its popularity, in an attempt to cash in on a similar concept.
Luckily, soon after that, Shia LaBeouf enters the picture, and things immediately pick up. I know some people have been worried about his involvement in the film, and are against the idea of him taking over the franchise one day. I haven’t been the biggest supporter of LaBeouf either, but I’m definitely growing to appreciate his charm and comedic talent. One thing about Indiana Jones is that he needs a good sidekick to play off of, and LaBeouf has great chemistry with Ford. He plays a 50’s greaser who rides a motorcycle, and although it initially seems a bit goofy, he really made the movie work for me. In fact, the motorcycle chase scene that occurs shortly after his introduction is probably the high point of the film.
Before long we meet up with the KGB again, and things start to get clunky. Cate Blanchett is enjoyable in her role as the Russian Irina Spalko, but as the movie’s main villain she isn’t particularly memorable, and wasn’t given much to work with. Despite a few more spectacular action sequences along the way, the movie builds to a somewhat sloppy, if not completely ridiculous, ending that is sure to leave a lot of people disappointed. Is it just me, or does every summer blockbuster suddenly throw common sense and logic out the window three-quarters of the way through? It’s a little too far out there, and while I might have embraced it more in another movie, it seems to go against the spirit of the Indiana Jones series.
Harrison Ford is at his best when he’s doling out sage advice to Shia or bickering with Karen Allen (yes, in case you haven’t heard, Marion Ravenwood makes her return in this flick). He can still handle a whip well and holds his own in a fist fight, but there’s no doubt that he looks old and sometimes a little bit awkward on screen. They do have some fun with his age, but for the most part they don’t draw too much attention to it. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I found it hard to pin down the time period of the movie. Even though it’s obviously supposed to be the early 50’s what with the whole “I like Ike” thing, I kept getting confused and thinking it was closer to modern day. They don’t do much with the film as a period piece, at any rate.
Despite all of Spielberg’s reassurances that the movie would not be overly reliant on CGI, and that he and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski had studied the original films and tried to find ways the replicate their look, there’s no getting around the fact that the movie does feel digital and artificial at times. It’s not a huge drawback, and in many ways it’s unavoidable, but be prepared for plenty of composited backgrounds and some CGI creatures. The one scene where they really did go overboard, however, was the “Shia LaBeouf: Lord of the Monkeys” interlude. Can we blame Lucas for that one?
For me, Crystal Skull is definitely the weakest of the Indy films, and somewhat comparable to Temple of Doom with its uneven pacing and arbitrary plot progression. It’s kind of hard to believe that this is the screenplay that they all finally settled on after years of being unsatisfied. Still, throughout the movie, there were some amazing set pieces that had me completely in awe, and more than enough adventure and intrigue to capture that classic Indy feel. I just have a sneaking suspicion that there are also a lot of things in the movie that, once the excitement dies away, are likely to become a wee bit embarrassing in hindsight. — Sean
SCORE: 
Recommended If You Like: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Live Free or Die Hard, Stargate
