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Web exclusive: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PG-13, 3.5 Stars

The long-awaited fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series is finally here, a mere 27 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark and 19 after the last sequel. Based on early reviews, it appears the debate over whether producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg deliver the goods will be lively and prolonged. I had a good time, good enough to give the extravaganza three and a half out of five stars, after flirting with four stars for a while.

I'll address what bothered me in a few paragraphs, but first I want to offer you a couple of suggestions. The big one is to lower your expectations. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is very entertaining, but it's unrealistic to expect the third sequel to the landmark 1981 film to pack the punch of the original. That said, I'd probably rank this one second out of the four. Not too shabby.

My other suggestion is that you just relax and let the movie happen. There is a lot to keep nitpickers busy here, but don't let your enjoyment of the film be derailed because a part of it rubs you the wrong way. You'll have plenty of time to fuss about the annoying stuff with your friends later. Have fun first.

Now about the actual film ...

Crystal Skull is set in 1957, the correct number of years since the last installment in the series. The story? There is an object desired by many, both good and evil. Soviet officer Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, employing a dandy Natasha accent) wants it. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) gets it. The chase is on.

Along the way, the Jones entourage grows to include Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), a leather jacket-clad The Wild One wannabe who keeps fussing with his ducktail hairdo; Professor Oxley (John Hurt), an old colleague and friend who is currently quite whacked-out; and George “Mac” McHale (Ray Winstone), a rival archaeologist and friend.

Most importantly, Indy is joined midway through the adventure by Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), his ally, sparring partner and love interest from the first film. What a treat it was to see Allen again, sporting a grin just as winning as Harrison Ford's. While all the wild set-pieces kept me engaged, my favorite parts of the movie were the exchanges between Ford and Allen. Their chemistry is the one aspect of Crystal Skull that lives up to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

About those set pieces. The Indiana Jones series is built on outrageous, outlandish action set pieces that could never, ever happen in real life but are a hoot to watch in the homage-to-old-time-Saturday-afternoon-serials context. Lucas and Spielberg most certainly knew what was expected of them in this department and they deliver big, crazy, intricately choreographed action scenes galore. Some will argue that a number of the set pieces are too over-the-top even for an Indiana Jones flick. I can only repeat my suggestion that you try not to let your enjoyment of the film be blunted because you thought a scene was too unrealistic.  

That said, let me nitpick just a little. First, Harrison Ford should never try to be funny. The charismatic actor can be a riot when he plays his character straight, but when he tries to do shtick, the results are generally a tad embarrassing. Regardless, how about this guy? Sixty-five years old and he pulls it off as an action hero. 

What else bugged me? Mutt combing his hair over and over. The behavior isn't amusing the first time and it's flat out grating the third. If this character is designed to be an Indiana Jones for the next generation, the filmmakers should remember that while Indy has a great sense of style, he doesn't primp. 

Computer-generated imagery plays a huge part in the movie and that's fine, but I wish that Spielberg and company had made more token nods to reality in some of the more outlandish action scenes. For example, in the waterfall episode, would it have hurt to have shown the group that went over the edge separated after the plunge, or at least struggling in the water a bit?

Finally, if there is an Indiana Jones 5, a little more focus on non-crisis character interaction would be appreciated. 

I could go on. I won't though, because I'm trying to set a good example. The bottom line is this: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull makes mistakes, lots of them, but damned if it doesn't work anyway. Argue all you want about the characters, the pacing, the use of CGI, the effectiveness of the set pieces — hell, I'll join you — just don't try to convince me that this isn't big fun.