Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is brought into a plot by the Soviets to recover a series of crystal skulls which have otherworldly power. He teams with young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) to stop them before they harness that power for world domination.

Review:

Tim: I want to say that I absolutely love the Indiana Jones movies. There are few movie heroes I would consider putting ahead of Jones on an all-time best list. I was also wildly excited about this movie, coming nearly 20 years after the last installment. I had every reason to love this movie, and yet, I could not get over my disappointment. Yes, I am so glad this movie was made, but it is easily the weakest of the franchise. While I liked Temple of Doom, I never thought any Indy film would supplant that as the series' weakest. This film achieves that ignoble status.

I am not sure what happened in the 19 years since the last film came out, but it appeared as if Harrison Ford forgot how to be Indiana Jones. In this film, I couldn't shake the belief that I watching Ford trying to be Jones, instead of Ford actually being Jones. Ford looked like he was just trying too hard and not completely succeeding. Still, even when not at his best, seeing an older Ford as Indy was still a sight to see.

The supporting cast is good, although not as memorable as some of the previous films. We do miss some of the previous characters, and Karen Allen isn't enough to satisfy us. I actually liked the addition of Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams. He has some terrific moments, and he has some perplexingly bad moments. He easily has the low point of the film (and indeed, the entire franchise)- when he's swinging through the jungle like Tarzan, surrounded by monkeys. I bet this was George Lucas' idea, and it is one of the worst ideas in the history of humanity. I hated this scene. I was also surprised by how ineffective Cate Blanchett was. When I heard about her casting, I was excited. However, she is easily the weakest and most forgettable villain in all four films.

The movie does infuse some interesting life by making this film not about tracking down religious artifacts, but otherworldly ones. There are also some great moments- Indy's escape in the warehouse, the motorcycle chase, the killer ants scene, and a few others. However, there are also inexplicably stupid moments, like characters pulling off ridiculous feats that defy logic. Far too much of this movie defied ordinary logic, and it detracted from the experience. I also didn't really like the film's concluding scene, especially the business with Indiana Jones' hat. This is another example of a dumb addition that hurt the movie.

While I was disappointed with this movie, I still enjoyed it. The story is interesting, and I'd watch an Indiana Jones movie no matter what. I loved seeing the older, wiser, and slower Indiana Jones. One of my favorite lines is when someone says "This isn't going to be easy." and Jones replies "Not as easy as it used to be." That is such a classic exchange and a classic Indiana moment. Alas, there were too few of these to go around, and the movie, though good, is the worst in the series.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Blade Runner, The Fugitive, Sahara, National Treasure