Indy Returns in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (No Spoilers)
Written: May 22 '08 (Updated Sep 21 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Return of a likable character. Entertaining movie with good cast.
Cons: Another snake. Plot could be too different for some. Has a slower start.
The Bottom Line: I really enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and think that fans of the Indiana Jones movies should give it a chance.
dragonfire88's Full Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Despite the numerous snake appearances in the Indiana Jones movies, I have really liked them. There has been talk for years of a fourth movie being made for years, but nothing was happening. I was very happy when I heard that a fourth movie was definitely being made and I have been looking forward to seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
I do not intend to give away any spoilers in this review, but I do want to briefly talk some about the plot. I am only mentioning things that were shared in the trailer and I will not given away anything specific when I discuss different elements of the movie. There could be spoilers for the previous movies if this one is watched first. People who would prefer not to know anything specific about the plot should skip this paragraph.
**Minor Plot Discussion**
Indiana Jones found himself in a situation he didn’t want to be in when members of the Soviet military, led by Irina Spalko, decided that they needed his help to find a certain artifact in a secret government hanger. Indy managed to get out of that mess, but it still ended up causing him trouble. A young man named Mutt Williams turned up looking for Indy. Mutt needed Indiana’s help to find Professor Oxley, the man who had helped raise him who also happened to be an old friend of Indiana’s. Indy headed off to Peru with Mutt to find his old friend. Along the way, Indy was reunited with Marion and had to deal with Irina and her plans concerning a crystal skull.
**End of Minor Plot Discussion**
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was set in 1957, almost twenty years after the events from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indiana was older, and that was acknowledged a few times. He didn’t seem to like how certain things had changed over the years. There were a few connections back to the earlier movies that I did enjoy seeing. A few minutes were taken to mention Indy’s father and Marcus without going into too many details. Marion being back did help to tie this movie back into the previous movies, especially Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The fact that the same well known theme was used also helped to connect the movie to the previous ones. The newer pieces of music sounded a lot like the music from the other movies and it did fit in well.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did get off to a slightly slower start that ultimately was needed to set up what was going to happen. It wasn’t completely clear what was going on at with certain things at that point, but everything made sense as the movie progressed. The plot wasn’t simple since there were several things going on, but it wasn’t really complex either. I had no trouble keeping track of what was going on. I thought the plot was interesting and entertaining, though certain aspects of it will probably be too different for some viewers. Those few aspects might be considered out of place for an Indiana Jones movie by some people. There was a little bit of mystery connected to the crystal skull and I did think there were a few suspenseful moments.
Indiana ended up heading off on an adventure that he hadn’t been planning on, something that has happened to him before. The Soviets felt that he could help them find what they were looking for, and they didn’t have a problem forcing him to help with threats. He managed to get away from them once, but got pulled back in once he met Mutt and learned that his old friend Oxley had gone missing while searching for a particular artifact. I felt that Indy’s search made for a fun adventure, though a few things were a bit silly. The movie was more light hearted, and there were some funny moments here and there without it being as funny as some of the previous movies.
I thought that there was a decent amount of action in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The first action sequence turned up fairly early in the movie and it was a bit like some situations that Indiana had been in before. There were more action scenes as the movie continued, including an entertaining chase involving a motorcycle. Indiana did get into some fights again and he still managed to hold his own even though he was older. I think he did end up getting hurt more than he had when he was younger, which only makes sense and actually helped to make things more believable. The violence really wasn’t that graphic, though there were a few somewhat disturbing things that happened. Those disturbing things are probably why the movie was rated PG-13. I have read that Speilberg wanted this movie to have the same look as the previous movies. I think he succeeded with that goal. Things were done without CGI as much as possible as well. There were a few moments that were obviously done with CGI that weren’t as realistic. Two things in particular did seem to go a bit overboard.
Even before seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I just knew that at least one snake was going to turn up. Indy’s issues with snakes has become as much a part of his character as his hat and whip, so it would have been unlikely for at least one not to turn up. I was dreading that because of my own issues with snakes. I kept anticipating when one would turn up, and then I was completely surprised when it finally did since it was in such an unexpected moment. It was more humorous, but it still freaked me out enough that I had to cover my eyes. I’m just thankful it was only one snake and not more. Scorpions and huge swarms of fire ants turned up, as well as some monkeys. The scorpions and fire ants were only mildly creepy.
At first I wasn’t sure what to think about Marion returning, but as I thought about it more, I came to really like the idea. She was the only logical choice of a female character to bring back. Marion was the best of the female characters from the first movies. She was able to handle the situations without standing around and screaming like a useless idiot. It was really nice to see Marion and Indy interacting again. They had a way of bickering in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark that they returned to as soon as they were reunited. There were some issues that the two had to work out, which added an interesting element to the movie. It was nice to see a woman closer to Indy’s age instead of one young enough to be his daughter. I just wish she had been in more of the movie. Karen Allen handled the part really well.
Indiana was basically the same as he was in the previous movies, only older. He still had the same ideals and was still teaching. Even once he was in the middle of the new adventure, he would take some time to explain things to Mutt. The had become a different place, and Indy seemed to still be trying to adjust to some of the changes. Harrison Ford still fit the part perfectly. He is older, but that fit in fine since the movie acknowledged the fact that Indy was older. Ray Winstone was around in several scenes as Mac, another old friend of Indiana’s.
Oxley and Indiana had gone to college together and had gone on several adventures when they were younger. The men hadn’t seen in other in many years, but Indy didn’t hesistate to try to find him. Oxley didn’t seem that coherent most of the time, but it did fit in with what was going on. John Hurt was fine in the part. Mutt was the young, somewhat rebellious man who sought Indiana’s help to find Oxley. Mutt was impulsive, which did cause him to end up in some interesting situations. The character fit in very well and I liked Shia LaBeouf in the part.
Irina was in charge of the Soviet military men who after the crystal skull for some reason. She was very determined to succeed, and she had a hunger for what she believed the skull would ultimately give. She worked pretty well as a villain. Cate Blanchett was good in the part. Jim Broadbent turned up in a few scenes as Charles, the dean of the college where Indiana taught. Charles took over the position after Marcus Brody. I did miss Indy’s dad and think it would have been nice if he could have turned up, even just briefly. I did read that Connery was approached about being in the movie - though I have no idea how big his part would have been - but he decided not to because he was enjoying his retirement so much. I was glad that Henry and Marcus were mentioned.
Main Cast
Karen Allen - Marion Ravenwood Cate Blanchett - Irina Spalko Jim Broadbent - Dean Charles Stanforth Harrison Ford - Indiana Jones John Hurt - Professor Oxley Shia LaBeouf - Mutt Williams Ray Winstone - ‘Mac’ George McHale
Steven Speilberg - Director
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull wasn’t quite as good as the first movies, but I still thought it was a very entertaining movie. It is a fun, enjoyable adventure movie that fans of the earlier movies should give it a chance. Since it has been so long since the last movie was released, the expectations for the movie are very high. That may cause some people to end up disappointed.
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