Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Everyone's favorite whip-cracking archaeologist is back, and I found myself trying to keep a very even keel as the lights went down for Indiana Jones' latest series of exploits: On one hand I didn't want to be "too nice" to the movie (nostalgia power does strange things to people), but I was more than willing to fall in love with the flick, too. Sometimes it's tough be a hardcore fan and an objective analyst at the same time. Fortunately, all that preparation was a waste of time, because while it's hardly the best of the series (not that we were expecting it to be), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull delivers an irresistible infusion of matinee-style mayhem that, really, we don't get enough of these days. If the movie suffers from a few slow spots, some action bits that really strain credibility, and a semi-clunky plot that simply goes from A to B to C, those gripes can be forgiven in the face of a total package that's this exciting, amusing, and just plain old welcome.

For those who choose to remain spoiler-free, I'll keep the synopsis sketchy: Basically, it's 1957 and good ol' Indiana Jones has fallen on rough times. He's been exploited by the KGB, berated by the U.S. government, fired from his university job, and left with little recourse but to head into the wild and get lost. But just as Dr. Jones is about to vanish, up pops a teenager who needs his help: An old ally of Jones' has been abducted while searching for a secret Incan temple -- and this assignment is all our hero needs to feel a bit better. There's a LOT more to the plot, but it's more fun to discover the secrets along with the characters. Suffice to say that most of Crystal Skull consists of Jones and his new sidekick Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) getting into all sorts of crazy scrapes with a tacky treasure hunter (Ray Winstone), a raving lunatic (John Hurt), a psychic villain (Cate Blanchett), and old girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Oh, and a giant crystal skull that just about everyone wants for themselves.

The movie feels like a comfortable pair of jeans that you thought were gone forever. With all the key people (namely: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford) in position, Crystal Skull is single-mindedly intent on giving you a whole bunch of entertainment for your $9.50. But it's the presence and performance of Shia LaBeouf that proves to be one of the film's best surprises. When I heard that Indy would be dealing with a late-'50s "greaser kid" as a sidekick, I pictured either a swaggering bully or an "odd couple" bickering partner -- but the kid turns out to be an effortlessly likable character: Capable and brave (but obviously lacking "adventure experience"), quick-witted and smart ... basically, a dryly amusing foil for Indiana Jones to deal with. And once Marion Ravenwood (the very welcome but slightly underutilized Karen Allen) gets involved, our three heroes have a lot of fun dealing with a much more "domestic" dynamic. (In other words, the actors are clearly having fun, and they strike a great chemistry together.)

As far as the new characters are concerned, the casting director excels while the screenwriter (or the editor) gets only a B-plus. Cate Blanchett has a ball as the evil Ukranian known as Irina Spalko. The actress brings a pulpy, tongue-in-cheek swagger to her over-the-top baddie that's just fun to watch. Too bad she's given little to do besides chase our hero around the jungle. Jim Broadbent pops in for a few scenes, replacing the late Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) as Indy's academic ally, and the always-great John Hurt is on hand as an adventurer gone loony -- but neither performer is asked to do much besides deliver plot points and lug a skull around. (John Hurt is essentially playing a human treasure map.) Ray Winstone contributes a few cool moments as a two-faced treasure-seeker, but his character (and his impact on our hero) is one of the flick's most confused components. One wonders why the character is even necessary when all is said and done.

To those who spent the last several years offering lame jokes about Indiana Jones and the Retirement Home, be prepared to eat some crow. Yes, Indy does look quite a bit older than the last time we saw him, and fine, it's kind of absurd to expect a 60-year-old man to do what Dr. Jones does. In the real world. In a series that offers vengeful gods, mine cart roller coasters, and immortal knights ... are we really going to whine about an actor with a few new wrinkles on his face? Ford does many of his own stunts here, plus he's aided by several stuntmen, a few CG tricks, and some masterful editing. Not once does this guy seem too old to be doing his thing. As far as Mr. Ford's actual performance is concerned, he slips back into the character with no effort whatsoever. Wiser and more weathered, but absolutely the same old Indy.

At this point you'd probably like a simple answer to a simple question: "Is it as good as the other ones?" To which I would answer "Yes, absolutely ... aside from the first one." To me (and many others), Raiders of the Lost Ark is right up there on a level with Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and The Godfather. In comparison, I consider Temple of Doom to be a stellar collection of action scenes that are punctuated by sub-par dialog and a horribly annoying damsel, while Last Crusade is a warm-hearted and creative adventure movie that suffered just a little bit from downright familiarity. So while I really enjoy Temple and Crusade, they don't hold a candle to their big brother. And Crystal Skull follows that arc to a tee: It's definitely got some over-clunky dialog, a touch of over-ripe "expositionzing," and at least one action beat that feels patently ridiculous, but complaining about those things (in the face of so much colorful fun) seems a bit greedy -- like opening your Christmas presents and then saying "That's it?!?!"

Ultimately, you certainly don't need this review like you'd maybe need a review of something small, indie, or festival-bound, since you already know full well if you want to see a movie called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you've made it this far, you probably just want to know what an old-school fan (who also happens to be a movie critic) thinks of the movie. Yes, I saw all three Indy flicks during their theatrical run, and more times than I care to mention. So with both sides of my brain (the geeky nostalgia side and the semi-smart analytical side) in working order, I can most assuredly recommend Indiana Jones Part 4 as one of the most comfortably entertaining adventure movies of the past several years. To expect any movie to live up to the Raiders standard is simply unfair, but Crystal Skull fits very excellently next to both Temple of Doom and Last Crusade.

For more on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, see James' review from Cannes.