Ah Indy, how we've missed you. On Friday May 23rd I went to the movies with eight other friends to take part in the Phenomenon that is the new Indiana Jones movie. Prior to seeing this movie I refused to partake in any reviews, articles, spoilers or discussion about the movie and its prospects. I wanted to go into this one with no preconceptions other than my own eagerness to enjoy this movie.
Obviously I am an Indiana Jones fan and I still get goose bumps when the scene fades from River Phoenix to Harrison Ford in the first few minutes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Most people reading this post have probably already read the reviews and possibly have heard reports from their friends. This review is for those people and for those people who have not yet hear anything about the movie.
First a little background into the inspiration behind Indy. The movies were originally inspired by the action serials of the thirties, intrepid men seeking adventure, fighting Nazis, and treating woman as objects. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg did a really great job with the first three movies of capturing the spirit of their inspiration. However for this movie, Harrison Ford has obviously aged so they decided to take this opportunity to upgrade the motivations behind the movies.For Indy 4, they decided to advance the Indyverse by 20 years and move from the adventure serials of the thirties to the sci-fi/ area 51 content from the 50s. This motivation and intentional shift is something that should be kept in mind while watching this movie. It will change your perceptions.
Crystal Skull begins much as you would expect, right in the middle of the action,Indy has been captured by some horrible Nazis no wait, I mean Russians and the film is set in the fifties in the middle of the cold war. After the reveal of a mysterious alien object that introduces the hook of the movie in a very Indiana Jones Fashion (think the introduction of the Arc in Raiders), an overly extended action sequence ensues in which Harrison Ford shows us two things: 1. that he is still attractive and 2. that he is definitely getting a little too old for this type of thing (watch the punches, sometimes it looks like they are trying to hit the wall rather than hit Harrison) After all this, Indy ends up in a fifties era bomb site community and is saved from death and irradiation by a set of dubious circumstances (hey if you didn't suspend your disbelief before you came into this movie you were asking for it).
Onward to the college setting where Indy meets Mutt (Shia Labeouf as a motorcycle driving greaser with a comb obsession) and is told that Mutt's mother along with a mutual friend have been kidnapped and Mutt's mother Marion (Karen Allen's character from the first movie, the character has obtained a new last name thus making it so that Indy has no clue who she is until he finds her) sent Mutt to find Indy.At the top of the second hour Marion is reintroduced. Any more than this and I will be giving too much away but needless to say Indy goes to find Marion and solve the crystal skull question with many puzzles to solve, action sequences to survive, and ruins to explore along the way.
I have to say I was worried about the introduction of Shia Laboeuf but he really did a good job and managed to stand his ground pretty well with Harrison Ford and Karen Allen who obviously have a history together.
By far the highlight of this film for me was the interaction between Marion and Indiana. Karen Allen and Harrison Ford's chemistry really clicks in this movie and their scenes together are charming and fresh. Every time they were on screen together it brought a smile to my face. Karen Allen honestly made this movie for me.
Many people have criticized this movie for its alteration of the franchise and have suggested that this movie is harmful to the Indiana Jones name. I however disagree.
The ending takes some belief suspension and again I suggest you remember about the sci-fi hook and the stories that this movies is based upon. While the last hour seems sentimental and sometimes a bit over the top when taken in context of the other films and the new approach it is easy to see this movie for what it is... an Indiana Jones movie.
I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a B+. It is good entertainment for both fans of the Indiana Jones franchise and people who just want to see a good movie.
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