Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

When word came out that a fourth installment of Indiana Jones was on its’ way, people were understandably skeptical. After all, the last trilogy George Lucas updated didn’t turn out so well.

The fact that Steven Spielberg is at the helm of this picture offers some reassurance.
Harrison Ford, 65, reprises one of his iconic roles as Indiana Jones, professor of Archaeology by day, international adventurer by night. Ford trades in his watch and pension for his trademark fedora and bullwhip.

In “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” nineteen years have passed since the last movie. The film immediately thrusts the viewer into the world of the 1950’s, courtesy of Elvis Aaron Presley’s “Hound Dog,” which was at the top of the charts around the time of the movie.

Gone are the Nazi scientists searching for the power to conquer the world. Replacing them are the Cold War-era Russians searching for the power to conquer the world.

Cate Blanchett (“The Aviator”) plays a Russian colonel who is obsessed with the possibilities offered by psychic warfare. While her accent falters at times, she does very well playing the evil-yet-seductive women that Indy seems to always come in contact with.

Shia LeBeouf (“Transformers,” “Disturbia”) plays a James Dean-style greaser, complete with leather jacket and motorcycle. He nervously combs his hair, doesn’t back down from anything, and does all the other things that round out the characters from “Grease” and “West Side Story” among others.

The character of George “Mac” McHale, played by Ray Winstone (“The Departed,” “Beowulf”) seems to be a last minute addition, a double-, triple- and quadruple- agent who is a shadow, passing in and out of the narrative without leaving any sort of lasting impression. Winstone plays his part well, but the writing for his character just isn’t up to snuff.

The movie continuously beats you over the head with the fact that it takes place in the fifties. The presence of Nazis in the previous films made it clear when the previous films were taking place, they didn’t go out of their way to reinforce the fact that it takes place in the forties.
All the varsity jackets, pleated skirts, Everly Brothers’ tunes and milkshakes with multiple straws in them serve to make this film a nostalgia piece, which doesn’t jive with the spirit of the original movies.

Indiana Jones was based on the adventurers from the early part of the 20th century who existed in pulp magazines with serialized stories that played out from week to week.

The movie’s main weakness is that the film seems content in simply bringing back the nostalgia of the previous films, without adding anything new.

Ford looks very fit for his age, and the script doesn’t take it easy on him in terms of stunts. If it weren’t for LeBeouf calling him ‘gramps’ constantly, his age wouldn’t even be relevant.

The movie wants to emphasize the obvious age distance between LeBeouf and Ford, even to its’ own detriment. While the serial adventurers that Indy is based on were always timeless, this film seems determined to make him a dinosaur.

While it might save us another two movies, making a second trilogy (like Star Wars), this ageism really takes away from what could have been just another classic Indiana Jones adventure. Lucas and Co. seems resigned to the fact that Indy is past his prime and the movie is going to appeal to fans of the franchise.

Maybe it was the universal panning of his new Star Wars trilogy that made Lucas and his team so gun-shy, or maybe he just doesn’t have the energy to throw himself into a new epic.

Either way, the film is entertaining. It’s too bad the producers didn’t go for a home run, they seemed content with hitting a single, albeit a single that will net hundreds of millions of dollars.
The vibe is there, but the insistence on reminding the viewer that Dr. Jones is the old man and LeBoeuf is the young turk just gets old, pardon the pun.

Anyone who liked any of the previous films will undoubtedly want to see it, and maybe will even enjoy the film. It’s just a little sad to see the bar set so low.

Rating - $7.00