Thankfully casual fans of the series – and those who pay no attention whatsoever to internet rumors – can go into Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with no more info than the briefest synopsis and get just as much enjoyment/aggravation (depending on your point of view) from what may just be the last of the Indiana Jones movies as those who’ve been keeping up with developments these past 19 years. The Indiana Jones movies follow a simple formula, even though they try and confuse matters by throwing in red herrings and other nonsense. Indiana Jones is always the hero, there’s always some ethnic group billed as bad guys, and whatever both sides are after will eventually wind up in Indy’s hands following some truly death-defying stunts. Throw in a love interest and a sidekick and that’s all of the Indiana Jones movies in a nutshell. The fourth film is not much different, although the wrapping’s a lot fancier. The effects alone on Crystal Skull probably cost more than the budgets of the first three films combined.
Set in 1957 when America considered the Red Menace to be a real viable threat to our way of life, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens with the Russian army forcing their way onto a top secret military base and into a secure warehouse in search of one specific box. The expert the Russians need to help them discover the location of the box is – you guessed it – Dr Henry Jones Jr aka Indiana (although that's actually his family's dog's nickname, not his). Led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) a hard as nails, ‘take no prisoners unless it’s absolutely’ necessary kind of gal, the Russians think they’ve got Indiana Jones under control but fail to realize Indy doesn’t cooperate with people who’ve kidnapped him. Although he’s now getting up there in years, Indy’s one giant step ahead of the Russians when it comes to escaping impossible situations. A bunch of Russians holding guns on him wouldn’t have stopped Indy 20 years ago and it doesn’t stop him now. Guns, jeeps, hand to hand combat, and even a nuclear test can’t keep a good archaeologist down.
Fast forward through a patch of storytelling that sets up the actual adventure, and Indy’s off to Peru with a kid named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf in full Marlon Brandon regalia) to track down the Crystal Skull of Akator. Mutt’s mom and a friend of both Indy and Mutt’s family, Professor Oxley (John Hurt), are being held against their will by the very same Russians Indy’s already encountered (proving it is a very small world, after all).
The Cast
Harrison Ford looks every single one of his 65 years but he’s still in fit enough shape to pretty much sell the action scenes. When he whips out the bullwhip, it’s easy to forget two decades have gone by since the last Indiana Jones adventure. Plus, Ford scowls and chomps out dialogue just as well now as he did 30 years ago, and that’s nearly as big a part of the character as his action heroics.
Shia LaBeouf would appear to be the heir apparent of the Indiana Jones franchise, but not so fast… Ford’s not quite ready to pass the torch to the much younger generation just yet. If there’s another Indiana Jones film and if it doesn’t take 19 years of haggling over the script to get into production, then Ford will probably be the one donning Indy’s trademark fedora and cracking the whip, rather than LaBeouf. LaBeouf’s good, but not Indiana Jones good.
It’s a pleasure to watch Karen Allen back at work, and she delivers her wisecracks with the same strength and humor as she did in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In a smaller supporting role, John Hurt does a fine job of playing a man who’s lost his mind. And Ray Winstone, while basically relegated to being just along for the ride, adds a little oomph to some fairly dry scenes as a guy who is and then isn’t and then is – who can keep up? - Indy’s friend.
Page 2: The Bottom Line
