Hello fellow intrepid world travelers. It was a few weeks ago that I had the chance to see the 4th in the Indy series, yet another return of 80s brethren onto the 21st century screen. Finally, I have a little time to write up my review, so here goes nothing.
Let's get one thing straight, the anticipation of a film of this magnitude is incredibly difficult to live up to and as such makes it almost impossible to be as good as most fans would hope. Now with that in mind, we leap straight back into the world of Jones. Of course this time out, it's the 1950s, 1957 to be precise. We find our world weary hero at a "landmark" of sorts, where many relics are kept. Suffice to say that the Russians, our villains for this adventure or Nazi-lite as I refer to them, want Dr. Jones to find a clue that will lead them to the fabled Crystal Skull.
Eventually Indy escapes all this while surviving an almost ridiculous event, and yet by now we should expect this of our pulp hero. It occurs early on so you're either going to go with it or not. Either way, it will serve as yet another reminder that Ford is old now, and it's the 50s, so just keep that in mind. Just as Harrison is being accused of assisting the Red Menace, Mutt Williams shows up, aka Shia Lebouf, to get Dr. Jones' help. Seems a certain Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured/gone missing. Of course this is all tied together as Oxley was looking for (and actually found) the Crystal Skull. Mutt and Indy get a quick little joyride through the school in a fun chase scene that gives Marcus Brody a chance to take down some Russians posthumously. Mutt is a near card-carrying Greaser, leather jacket and motorcycle at the ready, not to mention a trademark comb.
Together they travel down to South America, beginning the main part of the adventure that leads them in a race against the Russians for the city of gold itself: El Dorado. This is the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where when united with the other 12 skulls, um well, something will happen. I won't spoil if you haven't seen it by now, but suffice to say that KOTCS takes a certain departure from standard Indy fare. It does fall well in line with the times it takes place in, but it may leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who love Raiders and Last Crusade. Anyway, enough of the plot, let's analyze the cast.
Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, it's as simple as that. Even at this age, he still evokes cool confidence, intelligence, and whip-crack (pardon the pun) smarts. Shia isn't too bad as Mutt, but when we find out who he really is, well that will either have some questioning if it's a good idea or if he's capable of the role. Still I think he does a fine job, just not exceptional or anything. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, and while she clearly looks older in that "whoa haven't seen you in like 20 something years" look, she almost looks like she's having too much fun in the movie. Hey I would too, but little seems to bother her and she has at least a half-smile through almost all her screen time. Hurt is fine as Oxley, a professor gone cuckoo by the Skull. Cate Blanchett is our villain, Irina, leader of the Russian group. You almost don't recognize her and I enjoyed her sword fighting and playful accent. As always, the Indy villain bites off more than they can chew and Indy knows when to call it quits before they do.
The joy of the film comes not so much from the story, but from the characterizations we've come to love. The book and fist smarts, the sense of adventure and witty one-liners, the crazy chase/fight scenes, creepy creatures, and of course snakes, which probably evoke the funniest joke in the film. There are bits that may either go too far or be too ridiculous, but that is up to the beholder. Personally, I found an enjoyable little romp back through the best adventure character I've ever known.
With all that said, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets a deserved Silver Medal of Part-time Archeology. To me, the film cannot live up to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark or my personal favorite, Last Crusade. It is however, still more fun than Temple of Doom, and should get at least one chance to see it in theaters. Just hearing that famous Raiders March and seeing Ford in the hat once again is nearly enough.
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2 comments:
I just wish the big finally had been a little less silly. I was really willing to go along with it all until we hit the last room and it was just sooooo unimpressive. All that work for a bunch of plexy glass skeletons in a circle. And, the most over the top villain blunder of all time. It was like a cricket at the bottom of my milkshake.
What surprised me was that this film had the best use of archaeology even if they used a discredited theory.
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