Film Review

09 January 2009 04:50 BST

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Directed by Steven Spielberg, out now, starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, running time 124 mins.

In a nutshell...

The fedora is back!

What's it all about?

With the Nazis gone, Soviets step into their leather bad-guy boots and demand that Indiana Jones aids them in their evil quest to find a mythical crystal skull, possibly alien in origin, which could give the Kremlin incredible power over the West.

Indy discovers that his long-lost love Marion Ravenwood has been captured by the Reds, and with 50s greaser Mutt Williams teaming up as sidekick, endeavours to thwart the bad guys and save the girl.

Who's in it?

Harrison Ford once more dons the whip and hat as Prof. Henry 'Indiana' Jones Jnr, a role he still finds as comfortable and at ease with as he did decades ago. Older he might be, but bone-creaking he certainly ain't.

Cate Blanchett stars as bob-haired Irina Spalko, head of Stalin's parapsychology unit and all-round nasty communist. She obviously relishes this role opposite one of modern cinema's icons and does her best as a Russkie ice-queen.

Mutt Williams, son of Marion Ravenwood, is played by Shia LaBeouf. A 1950s greaseball with a penchant for knives and Harleys, Shia is as eminently charming as ever. Karen Allen makes a welcome return as Indy's love interest Marion Ravenwood, last seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

As an example...

(Both are surrounded by armed Soviets)
Mac: "This ain't gonna be easy."
Indiana Jones: "Not as easy as it used to be."

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

This is doubtful for any awards at the Oscars '09 – partly because Indy 4 was never made for them. The latest instalment in the Indiana Jones saga is a pure popcorn movie, full of flash and crash, and such cinema never does too well on Oscar night.

This will unlikely trouble Spielberg and Lucas however – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade grossed over £495 million worldwide, and Crystal Skull is sure to as well.

What the others say

"There are some splendid stunts and one authentic flash of Spielberg genius. But the whole thing looks a trifle pointless." - Guardian

"It's hard to conceive of another contemporary film that would please so many people today, but that's what Indiana Jones movies always did and what this one does right now. It won't change your life but, if you're in the right frame of mind, it will change your mood." - Empire

So is it any good?

Indiana Jones is a cinematic institution, an icon. Spielberg acknowledges that he is one of the few characters he has helped create that people will recognise by silhouette alone (along with the shark from Jaws and ET), so the prospect of a fourth instalment after nearly 20 years would have any seasoned filmmaker a tad intimidated. Add to this the recent 'leaked' viewings that received scathing reviews and the endless speculation over the star’s age, even Spielberg and Lucas could be forgiven for sweating a little.

Thankfully (so thankfully), it certainly is not the grave-robbing of Indy's reputation that some expected. Neither does it manage to scale the near impossible heights of the previous trilogy, but it undoubtedly manages to fulfil viewers' love of the weathered archaeologist and calm their fears.

Harrison Ford must have been heartily sick of people asking about whether his age would affect the physicality of the role, so it is must be dearly satisfying that he pulls of all the stunts with aplomb. Age may have drooped the jaw-line very slightly, but Indy still punches bad-guys with gusto and leaps energetically from vehicles. Spielberg mixes in the fun with pokes at his pensionable action hero ("What are you, 80?"), but Ford always has the dry riposte ready.

Karen Allen is charming as Marion Ravenwood, and the sparks still fly between her and Ford, showing why she is widely regarded as the favourite of all Indy's female interests. Her son, Mutt, is ably played by Hollywood now-man Shia LaBeouf, endlessly appealing and obviously having the time of his life.

Both Ray Winstone ('Mac' George McHale) and John Hurt (Prof. Harold Oxley) are fine actors and do well here, but their parts are just too small to make much of an impact.

Cate Blanchett steps easily into the Soviet boots and, once you manage to get past her teeth-gratingly awful accent ("You wvill tyell mye!"), she does perfectly well. Unfortunately Soviets just don't feel as truly evil as Nazis, and some of the previous underlying menace fades away.

There are of course down-sides. George Lucas may have been argued down by Spielberg that the CGI had to be kept to a minimum, but he still manages to squeeze in comical computerised gophers. The plot is also so implausible that you wonder what ideas were dismissed out of hand.

Indy and co. follow a legend that says that a crystal skull was stolen from a mythical lost city in the Amazon, supposedly built out of solid gold, and guarded by the living dead. Whoever returns the skull to the city temple will be given control over its power, and that's what the Reds are after. That's not too unbelievable (as Indy stories go) – but once aliens are thrown into the mix, the plot becomes so eyebrow-raising that even a staunch Scientologist would snort. The ending is slathered in American cheese and is unlikely to sit well with a less-cuddly-loving British audience.

There are relics of the past films everywhere; paintings of Marcus Brody adorn the university, Sean Connery is peering from picture frames (and he is obviously, achingly, missed from this film), the Ark peeking from within the warehouse. This film doesn't manage to live up to the previous instalments, but it does somehow remove the shackles of the past along the way.

The stunts are well done, the series has successfully moved on, and it proves that the Mummy and National Treasure franchises remain second rate. It may have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but Indiana Jones is still escapism at its best.

7/10

At the least, you'll leave the cinema with a smile and singing, "Dun-de-dun dahhhh, dun-de dahhhh, dun-de-dun dahhhhhh, dun-de-dun dun DAH... "

Melanie Green

"On its own this film would be average. After a trilogy preceeding it, it is awful. I liked that some of the original cast were in it and the references to the previous films of which there were hundreds. But, very unrealistic, has a "rushed" feeling - Not one of the greats." - Henry Rogers

"Great Stuff Greenie! Keep it up, I'm probs gonna see it next week!!" - Steve-o Puszyk

"Four makes a complete set! I have just seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and I thought it was really good. Steven (Spielberg) has recreated a fabulous atmosphere in the cinema although he is not hanging off the three pre-sequels of the fourth Indiana Jones movie. Harrison (Ford) revisits his character with maturity but a fresh craving for adventure with new character, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) introduced to the Dr Jones territory.

We also see a different side of Cate (Blanchett) in this movie, it is nice to see Australian actors and actresses rising to the best ability in Hollywood big screen movies. I have seen all three pre-sequels of Indiana Jones and I have enjoyed all of the adventures and I hope to see a fifth Indiana Jones. I encourage anyone to go see the fourth installment to the Indiana Jones movies because it is a great experience. Another good thing about this movie is that you don't need to have watched the three other Indiana Jones films because a new and different story is introduced to our imaginations. This movie is a winner! My Rating: 9.75 out of 10." - Rebecca Teague

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