Attention: Spoiler Alert!
The main event on my calendar for this Memorial Day weekend was seeing Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I did, Saturday night. Honestly, I’m not sure what to think of this movie. Something seemed a bit...off. I really can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that Harrison Ford is getting old, which means I’m getting old and I just don’t want to accept that. Now let me start by saying that no matter my problems with this movie, I will love Indiana Jones till the bitter end. My love for that series is the same as for Star Wars. I made a vow to love, honor and cherish Star Wars for better or worse and I have that same philosophy with Indiana Jones. I may think Spielberg and Lucas make some ridiculous choices for these films but I’ll continue to watch regardless.
The movie takes place about 20 years after Raiders, at the height of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. So the enemies for this film are of course, the Russian Communists. The Russians have managed to infiltrate the US Army to locate a top secret alien corpse which, with the help of the kidnapped Dr. Jones will point them toward this all powerful crystal skull. Jones escapes, teams up with Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who needs his help to rescue his mother and the two head off to South America for adventure. The Russians are hot on their trail and Indiana and his new side-kick become entangled in all sorts of trouble.
Here goes my critique. For starters, Spielberg and Lucas chose an artifact that no one knows anything about; a crystal skull that gave ancient Incas a powerful civilization. The plot was entirely based on “alien archaeology," which I’m not too terribly keen on. Apparently some aliens visited the ancient Peruvians and gave them the treasure of knowledge but then this particular skull was stolen and I guess that’s what led to their downfall? I’m not too sure. I'd have to watch the movie again to make sure those details are right but you get the point. I know recently alien archaeology has gotten a lot of attention but I just could not relate to it at all. I remember watching Raiders as a kid and getting chill bumps because it was spooky. You don’t mess with the Ark of the Covenant! I think that’s what this movie was lacking. For me, this crossed over into too much sci-fi. I fully expected someone in the group to whip out a whistle of some sort and toot some magical notes to satiate the aliens/other-dimensional beings. I guess I’m miffed because while the plot was interesting, it wasn’t plausible. Plus, I don’t think people have been searching for a crystal skull for centuries. I’d have gotten more into the movie if they were hunting for the Fountain of Youth or Atlantis or something.
Prior to seeing the movie, I was pleased that Marion Ravenwood was brought back into the mix. She was feisty as usual but she and Indy began fighting immediately upon meeting and it was just annoying. Then for the rest of the movie, she ran around acting like a silly lovesick schoolgirl. It’s alright, I guess. I’m just glad Indy rekindled his romance with her instead of starting up something with Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). Obviously, Marion is the one he’s meant to be with in the end.
The one scene I really could’ve done without was the at the beginning, where they’re in a secret military warehouse and we get a shot of a damaged box exposing the contents of the Ark. Thank you, George and Steven for reminding us all just how awesome the 1st movie was but frankly, I much preferred that to be a mystery for my own imagination.
Still, this was a fun movie and it did manage to capture the charm and adventure of the previous Indy flicks. Cate Blanchett made a worthy villain; I thought and there was lots of action and plenty of classic Indy humor. If you're a true fan, you'll get some entertainment out of it or at least some nostalgia. I can’t hate on it too much, it’s Indiana Jones after all!
