Like most of you I grew up during the time that the Indiana Jones Trilogy was new and amazing. I eagerly looked forward to each new film and saw them all on the first day. Even the sub par Temple of Doom had any number of memorable moments. Thanks to the Sci-Fi channels Indiana Jones Marathon last week I came into Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls with the first movies fresh in my memory and the theme song playing in my head.
Fortunately I had read many of the reviews and heard from several friends not to go in to this one with my expectations too high. I think that is why I enjoyed the movie as much as I did despite the fact that nothing in the film really grabbed me with the kind of intensity of the more memorable scenes in the first films. I wont go into the plot of the film other than to say that it features an older Indy fighting the communists in one last grand adventure to return a crystal skull to its resting place in the legendary city of El Dorado. In typical Indiana Jones fashion this leads to a never ending series of chases and action set pieces culminating in the typical speilbergian special effects extravaganza of a climax.
Harrison Ford is excellent in this film and I think it is his charm and charisma that keeps the rather lackluster script and dialog from dragging this movie into the realms of the purely mediocre. I am not a huge fan of Shia Labouef but was surprised that he did a workmanlike job of playing the unlikably written Mutt Williams. Kate Blanchet was rather underutilized in her role as the soviet psychic torturer and primary villain of the film. At no point was she able to present the kind of powerful presence we have all seen from her in so many other roles.
The action and cinematography of the piece is good but not great and for some reason nearly all of the action scenes left me somehow feeling unsatisfied. Still it was a fun movie and I enjoyed my time in the theatre with Indy and his adventures. I cant say this is a film I would see again or buy on DVD. If it comes on cable some day I’m sure I will watch and enjoy it, but I wont feel that same excitement seeing it on the queue that I do for Raiders, or Last Crusade.
I recommend the film for an afternoons diversion, and a definite must see for Indy fans as Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is in full form here. However the lack of any compelling characters or plot surrounding him keeps me from giving it enthusiastic praise.
To provide some comparison, I have included portions of and links to two mainstream critical reviews, one positive and one negative to give you a good breadth of opinions to make your own judgment as to if this film is worth your hard earned 10 spot.
Stephen Hunter from the Washington post says:
It’s romantic manliness at its purest, almost but not quite schmaltz, ideally calculated to please true believers and ironic snorters at once.
Click here to read his full review.
Joe Morganstern from the Wall Street Journal says:
Sitting through Steven Spielberg’s slog down memory lane means waiting for surprise, waiting for delight, waiting for daylight after turgid trudges through Peruvian caves, and waiting for an abstract story to coalesce.
Filed under: Movies, Reviews | Tagged: Indiana Jones, Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls
i saw this movie and your review is the most ridiculous series of words I have ever seen. There was nothing wrong with the movie. It’s a great addition to the series and I will not be reading another review by you.
Sorry you did not like my review Clift, but I had to be honest to what I felt and although I enjoyed the movie I did not feel it lived up to the first three films. There are plenty of people who agree with you but there are a large number of reviewers especially in the Geek community who were much more harsh that I was.
I hope you will accept my opinion for what it is and we can agree to disagree on our feelings over the film. Perhaps you might find my next review closer to your own feelings.