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Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones is back on the big screen, and the new film proves to be just as good as its predecessors.
It’s been nineteen years since the last Indiana Jones movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Now, on the heels of films such as “Rocky Balboa”, “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Rambo”, the fedora-wearing, whip-cracking archaeologist adventurer makes his own return to the big screen, with producer George Lucas, director Steven Spielberg and star Harrison Ford all there to make it happen.
Contrary to what some may think, this film was NOT done on a whim to join in on the craze of reviving “80s action icons. “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” has actually been in development since 1989 after the “Last Crusade” finished and hit it big at the box office, and Lucas himself even stated that he wanted to do a total of five films. However, problems with finding a proper plot device that major players Lucas, Spielberg and Ford could all agree on hampered the development, so the series was pretty much considered ended. But hope must”ve remained, as Ford stated that he has been keeping in shape all these years on the hopes that the good Dr. Jones would make his return. It’s unknown whether the success of the new “Rocky”, “Die Hard” and “Rambo” flicks helped speed up the development, but a script was written, all the players came back and we, the fans, got a worthy new entry to the “Indy” saga.
Very appropriate to the real passage of time, the new film is set in 1957, nineteen years after “Last Crusade”, and the villains this time around are the Russians, led by the sinister yet stunning Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett. After he’s forced into helping them steal mysterious remains found in New Mexico from a military hangar in Nevada, Jones finds himself in a race with the Russians to track down the legendary city of Akator (aka El Dorado), where it is said to hold the path to ultimate power and knowledge, with a mysterious crystal skull being the key. Joining Jones is street-smart greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), who needs Jones’ help in tracking and rescuing not only his mother, none other than Indy’s old flame Marion Ravenwood (the returning Karen Allen) but his mentor Harold Oxley (John Hurt), a colleague of Indy’s who himself had been searching for the city and the skull. Along the way, surprising secrets about the otherworldy truth behind Akator and the skull are revealed, along with some very personal ones for Indy.
Much anticipation has been building for this movie since it was announced, and fans will not have to worry about whether it lives up to its predecessors. “Kingdom of the Crystal” has all the proper elements of an “Indiana Jones” film: plenty of action, more than a few dotes of comedy to provide some laughs (most of which provided by Ford’s sharp wit), some bits of suspense and drama, an impromptu history lesson or two and an adventure that goes into the paranormal (though this time a little different than previous adventures). Fans of the first three films will definitely enjoy it, and even those who are getting their first taste of the saga will find themselves liking this new one. Contrary to belief, though, some knowledge of the first three films will help, thanks not only to the return of Allen as Marion (the first time an “Indy girl” comes back for another movie, I don’t think even James Bond has had that), but also other little bits and pieces that pop up here and there. There’s even a reference to the TV series, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”, properly cementing the show into the story continuity. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you’ve seen the movies and the TV series, you’ll know them when you see them.
The film has a great cast to help the story move along. Obviously there’s Ford, who as mentioned kept in shape in anticipation for another turn as Dr. Jones, still whip-cracking and fighting with the best of them, and seems to be much older and wiser following the last few years. Strangely, he also seems a bit more skeptical this time out, scoffing at some of the ideas behind the skull. This is a bit surprising, given all that Indy’s seen and hunted after in his previous adventures, but I guess some things are a bit much even for this archaeologist. Karen Allen even proves she’s still got it as Marion, bringing back the love-hate relationship the two had in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and doing her own bit to help out.
The new additions to the cast really help round it out. Cate Blanchett is an excellent villain as Spalko, who beliefs are opposite those of Jones, thus making her an excellent foil (she’s even a rather believable Russian). John Hurt is enjoyable as Oxley, who’s actually rather crazy through most of the film but pulls it off greatly. And then there’s Shia LaBeouf as Mutt, a kid who doesn’t think much of Indy at first sight but changes his tune after seeing Jones in action. LaBeouf even manages to prove his own as an action star, sword fighting with Blanchett during an intense chase scene and being a much tougher character than in his previous works. It’s this combination of old and new that help progress the film and make the story all that more interesting and fun to watch.
Probably one of the more interesting things about the film is the time frame, 1957 America, in the early days of the Cold War and the Communist Threat. The paranoia of the time is quite visible, as seen with the FBI cracking down on Indy to determine his actual role in the events that kicked off the film and his loyalty to his country. There’s even a glimpse of an anti-Communist rally at the college where Jones teaches, complete with a sign sporting that ever familiar phrase, “Better dead than Red”. Some might compare this to current times and the post-9/11 world we live in, which I can admit is rather easy, but those folks would obviously have not studied their history properly and known that’s just how it was back then. And given that comparison to the current time, it seems rather scary to think how history seems to repeat itself.
As great as the whole movie is, I do, surprisingly, have one thing to complain about it. Nothing major, just a bit of dialogue between Indy and Marion as they discuss their relationship (while escaping capture, no less). She asks if there were any other women that Indy had been involved with, and he admits there were a few (Elsa from “Last Crusade” obviously comes to mind), but they all had “one problem”. Of course, the problem was “They weren’t (Marion)”. I’m thinking it was needed to keep things going, and this is Indy we’re talking about, not exactly the most romantic man alive, but still rather cliche and predictable. Also the only thing that made me groan and shake my head, but otherwise enjoy the movie.
As a fan of action movies in general and Indiana Jones in particular, I found this to be a great movie, well in tune with the previous films and a worthy new chapter to the saga as a whole. Old fans will also enjoy it, and new fans will as well, thus keeping the spirit of the series alive. Now if only Lucas could give us a new set of “Star Wars” movies…
Released by: Paramount Pictures/Lucasfilm, Ltd
Starring: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Cate Blanchett (Irina Spalko), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), John Hurt (Harold Oxley), Shia LaBeouf (Mutt Williams)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Score: 8 out of 10
