Mini Movie Review - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I had no idea what to expect going into Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I had seen the trailers and a couple of production photos, but I had avoided all of the early reviews. Typically I don’t mind know a lot going into a movie, but Indy is such an iconic character and a deep part of my childhood that I wanted to be surprised. So, after a 19 year layoff can Indy still deliver adrenaline and one-liners with equal skill? Will Spielberg and Lucas find a good way to restart the franchise? And will the adult version of me be as swept away as the kid was by the first three movies?

Yes, no, and close, but not quite. Harrison Ford manages to imbue Indy with the same charm, wit, and insolence that he’s always had. And he still manages to be a badass, even at the ripe old age of 66! It’s still fun to watch him stay one step ahead of bad guys, to see him use his whip to disarm gunmen and get out of tight spots, and to be the worst possible archeologist. I can certainly think of worse ways to spend $10.

While Indy is in top form, Spielberg and Lucas aren’t. Well, maybe Spielberg is. The film certainly looks like an Indiana Jones film. It has the airplane and map shots, the classic cinematography, and the quick, but not extreme, pacing. So maybe the directing is fine. What’s not fine is the story, for which the blame seems to go to George Lucas (along with Jeff Nathanson and David Koepp).

What’s wrong with the story? A lot. First, the backstory they give Indy to fill the 19 years is fairly ridiculous. Instead of hunting for antiquities, Indy worked with the US military to take down the Nazis and fight the spread of Communism. Um, what? Why would an archeology professor do that? I know he hates Nazis, but come on.

Ok, let’s say you overlook the backstory and decide to just go along for the ride. How’s the rest of the story? Um, not so good. Indy hunting aliens? Really? That’s the best you guys could come up with? I guess the religious artifacts were all found already.

I think the story is the primary reason that Adult Me wasn’t as captivated by this chapter of the Indiana Jones saga as Kid Me was by the first three. Then again, if you think of the plots of the first three movies, they’re pretty far-fetched too, so maybe Adult Me just has a harder time suspending disbelief.

After all this it may sound like I didn’t like the movie. Actually I did. Despite the contrivances I was swept along for the ride, and I enjoyed the mind. It’s a classic summer movie: don’t think too hard and it’s a lot of fun.

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