Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

John and I saw Indy 4 with some mutual friends (and of course our lovely wives and daughters!) this past weekend.
Hmmm. I really wanted to like this movie!

The plot concerns Indy looking for some crystal skulls with some of his friends. The myth is that the skulls need to be returned to their original resting place, and that the person who does so will be given powers beyond belief. It’s pretty standard Indy plot in that respect.

I may spoil some surprises here, so if you haven’t seen the movie, please stop reading.
If you take the scenes individually, there is a lot to like about this movie. There are some pretty spectacular stunts, voracious ants, deadly snakes, waterfalls, villains, etc. etc., and the movie really catches your eyes from beginning to end. Oh, there is also an atomic bomb blast. But I think that in going for spectacle, the makers of Indy 4 lost the heart of what made the first and third films so very wonderful: the magic and myth of a great story, a tightly worded script and characters that you could root for and against.

In several spots, during this film, I caught myself thinking ahead, and invariably I was right. For example, 1) Bad lady with a sword. 2) Kid who likes playing with knives… surely these two shall meet in a dashing fight of steel against steel. And of course, the heroes are being chased while driving a car that looks like a boat on wheels. Where do you, oh reader, think this chase is going to end?

And this was the first Indy I can recall that stepped into a big puddle of cheese. Even Harrison Ford looked embarrassed when he uttered the line: “The skull told me.”

The cheese occurs again later when a “friend” of Indy’s falls over for no apparent reason and Indy has to use his whip in a completely “non-save” situation that immediately develops into a “save” situation. It’s supposed to occur the other way around guys!

Finally, this is the second climax to a movie recently that was just so-so for me. Remember what a big letdown National Treasure was ultimately when it came to the payoff? It felt that way with Indy IV. I wasn’t impressed with the climax at all.
Please understand me that I really enjoyed 85% of this movie. It is still better than most of the summer movies I’ve seen, especially counting was a horrible summer last year turned out to be quality wise. I guess I just hold Indy to a higher standard. I saw the first movie when I was in first grade, so in a sense I grew up with Indy. The first movie is perfection… it was nominated for a best picture for gosh sakes. The third movie was almost as good.  In my heart and in my mind Indy was always this amazing creature, this thing on a pedestal. It’s sad to see his legacy tarnished by such an imperfect finish.

So, in order then:  Raiders, Last Crusade, Crystal Skull, Temple of Doom

Rating:

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