Movie Review: Indiana Jones & the City of the Crystal Skull

I felt that, since this was the first time I've actually made a trip to the theater to see a movie (at a whopping $9 for a single ticket!) in nearly 2 years, I thought I'd mark this relatively monumental occasion by sharing my own thoughts on the latest Indiana Jones outing...

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crytsal Skull
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LeBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Rating: ***

I will admit to having approached Indy's latest outing from the "cautious camp": while I was excited that Indy 4 was finally being made, it was pretty clear that there was no real need to make the film apart from satiating fan desires (and, of course, to make money, because it turns out that Spielberg, Lucas and Ford are quite poor...) That being said, my expectations were low, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this latest outing -- which pits whip-cracking, wise-cracking archaeologist/adventurer Henry "Indiana" Jones (Ford) against the KPG, South American natives and a horde of special effects -- an enjoyable, if somewhat familiar romp.

After a rollicking chase sequence through the fabled "Area 51" in the scene's opening sequence in 1957 -- wherein Indy and his partner Mac (Winstone) are harassed by a KPG super spy Irina Spalko (Blanchett) and her minions -- Indy finds himself pulled along with a young biker named Mutt (LeBeouf, displaying a surprising amount of charisma) in a quest to track down a fellow archaeologist, Oxley (Hurt). This quest takes Indy into some unfamiliar territory when the truth of what "Ox" discovered, and what it could mean if that discovery falls into Russian hands.

Let's break it down simply:

What worked:
* Ford still kicks a$$ as Indy, even after all of these years. The cadence of his performance is a bit different, but once you fall into step with "Indy senior" it's easy to stay on track with him through the rest of the film.
* Karen Allen still kicks similar a$$ as Marion, and the scenes between she and Ford are wonderful.
* Blanchett as the villain. Spalko may be fairly generic, but Blanchett infuses her with acerbic wit and real menace. She's easily the best villain in the series since Tot in the original Raiders.
* LeBeouf. I hate to admit it, but he was a nice addition to the film, and if LeBeouf can keep himself out of trouble I think he has a very promising future in Hollywood.
* The setting/theme. Some people will be bothered by where Indy 4 winds up, but it all worked for me. As the film is set in 1957, Lucas and Spielberg really play up the pulp aspects of the period, plumbing through their collection of "Amazing Stories" magazines with aplomb: the Red Scare, Area 51, Roswell, fear of nuclear weapons and a general sense of paranoia all find their way happily into the film.

What didn't work:
* Too much CGI. I'm not a fan of CGI in the first place, but I can forgive moderate, effective use. It had no place in a series known for its groundbreaking stunt work; Spielberg relied on it far too heavily, particularly in the film's centerpiece action chase (which was good, but it would've been better if it wasn't so painfully obvious it was all taking place on a green screen).
* Ray Winstone's "Mac". There was nothing wrong with Winstone's performance, but in addition to being a flat character there just doesn't seem to be much use for him at all -- he doesn't contribute to the plot, doesn't provide any strong conflict, and in the end even vanishes in a fairly low-key fashion in a scene that might as well have been lifted from "The Mummy".


Overall, this was a fun film, and for the sheer spectacle worth seeing in the theater (provided you can avoid paying full price, unlike myself).

With any luck, I'll catch "Hancock" here in a few weeks, and "The Dark Knight" after that. In the meantime, next up I'll post some actual "writing" on my so-called "writing blog".