Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

From what I can see, the “Star Wars” prequels changed so much that is coming out of Hollywood. Films and franchises long since concluded are being rebooted or being extended like “Star Trek”, “Sherlock Holmes”, "Planet of the Apes", etc. To make a long story short, Harrison Ford was interested in the late 90’s in making a new Indiana Jones film and so he approached George Lucas to see if it was possible. Lucas had an idea and it took a while but Steven Spielberg eventually got on the reunion wagon. Many other filmmakers joined the venture included beloved composer John Williams and Michael Kahn who has edited all the Indy films. This film is not as good in my book as the first and third films but having said that, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a lot of fun and belongs in the franchise. The story is fun to watch and to see unfold. The characters are well designed and the actors do a good job of bringing them to life. Even though the science fiction in this film is not what we are used to, there is good reason for it. I usually don't like it when a franchise changes genre but it is justified in this case I believe. This movie was made for the fun and that is what is most important. I never got to see a new Indy film in the theaters and this film gave me the chance and for that I am grateful.

The three year intervals between Lucasfilm movies continued with this film because when "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was released, it had been 3 years since the release of “Star Wars: Episode III”. Even though nothing came out in 2011 from Lucasfilm, Spielberg with Peter Jackson gave us something quite satisfactory and in the same genre as Indiana Jones. I thought things would take longer for “Indy 4” and so it made me happy to see this film come out in 2008. It is fitting that Lucas made this film after the Star Wars prequels. I loved seeing a new Rocky movie and it is fresh to see Indy in a different decade than the other films. This film is suffering the same fate as the Star Wars prequels and I feel that most of my reasons as to why those movies were not very well accepted apply to this film. First reason: "Indy 4" has a different setting and characters than the previous films but the filmmakers didn't have much of a choice in many of their story decisions. Because almost 20 years have passed since the last Indy film, this movie set in the 50’s because Harrison’s age demands it. This affects a lot of other story elements. As the previous Indy films (set in the 30’s) reflected the 1930’s and 40’s movie serials, this film should reflect a popular form of entertainment of the 50’s. The B movies with aliens and monsters is what Lucas went with. When I first saw this film, I was puzzled by the extensive use of aliens until I learned the aforementioned reason. It makes sense to me now. Also, because this film is set in the 50’s, the Russians had to be the bad guys. We needed a suitable replacement for the Nazis. I have heard from somewhere that the Russians were looking at paranormal advantages over the US in real life just as the Nazis before them were looking for ancient artefacts. We have the character of Mac representing McCarthyism or the fear of Soviet dominance. Many people didn't like Mac's backstabbing nature but they forget that Elsa was working for the enemy in "The Last Crusade". On the lighter side of things, many of the sets at the start of the movie look like Norman Rockwell designed them. South America as a location is full of legends such as El Dorado and so I feel that is a great bedtime story for Indy to explore. My point is that the film had to be set in the 50's and that determines many things story-wise. We also needed to go to a new location. The second reason why this film is becoming snubbed by long-time Indy fans is that today's audiences are blockbuster savy. The Indy trilogy back in the 80's was harmless fun and so is this fourth film. What has changed are the audiences. Third reason: Lucas is a technology-loving storyteller and it was a good thing that in this case, he was balanced by Spielberg's talent as a director. My final reason as to why people do not care for Indy 4 as much as the prievous films is that expectations were too high among fans and many are too vocal about their disappointment on the net. This is the most important reason I feel. The Internet makes it possible for one person’s opinion to be read by so many and everyone loves a fight. If any negative criticism existed in the public concerning the classic films, it took a while to circulate around the world back in the 80’s. Professional critics and writers alone had the resources to express themselves to a vast audience and they had nothing but good things to say about Indy. Most of the critics in 2008 liked this movie. Because of the Internet, fans now have the same reach that critics do if not a farther reach and let’s face it: public fans are usually not experienced enough to judge a movie. Even this writer admits that his bachelors degree in media arts in not enough to make a correct judgment call. I am also bias towards the filmmakers involved. If all you read bad criticism, chances are you will succumb to it (why does that sound familiar?). I personally choose to make my own opinions.

The filmmakers wanted to do another character piece like with the third film and they establish Indy as somewhat of a loner now that his father and old boss have passed on. Indy needs a family. The film is not as funny as “The Last Crusade” but there is a lot of subtle humor and irony. I love the references to past films. Most of the humor comes from the father and son relationship in the film but unlike in “The Last Crusade”, it is the relationship between Indy and his son. Indy must now go through what his father did in spending time with his son. Mutt differs from the ways of Indy just as Indy was different from his father. We get lines from Mutt like “Don’t call me son” and “This is intolerable” from Indy of all characters. Another ironic moment is when Mutt laughs at his clever motorcycle antic as Indy fails to be impressed. I guess Indy is only impressed when you take out Nazis while on a motorbike. I find it funny that the KGB agents find themselves in the middle of a protest against Communism. Just like Indy’s name comes from a dog, Mutt’s also has canine origins. Finally, we all are familiar with the line: "I have a bad feeling about this." Other things I have noticed or learned about “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” make it charming. The phrase "I like Ike" was really enjoyable. I love how Indy is a WWII hero and even though the exposition scenes in this film are not as fun as in past films, I like how crystal skulls were incorporated. I like it whenever characters in a movie use an important prop as an improvised weapon. Mutt uses the skull at one point to fight with. The special effects are of course more advanced than the last film and that changes the feel of the film also. I don’t mind that very much because times are different. Not everything was CGI and that is good. Spielberg even filmed this movie on film, not digitally so the film would fit along its predecessors. Because of advancements in using flying wires, Harrison is still able to perform much of his own stunts. That in my book is what is more important. Those on the stunt crew had worked on such films as “Saving Private Ryan”, “Casino Royal” (James Bond is still influencing the Indy franchise today) and “The Bourne Ultimatum”. It must have been fun for them to work on an Indy film. Many fans did not buy the fact that Indy could survive a nuke test in a fridge. Sarcastically speaking, I suppose they are right. It does feel kind of stupid in a franchise with a golden chest that has the power of heaven inside and a cup that can bring everlasting life. Also, if Indy could survive getting punched in the head over & over and come out it with little blood or damage on his face, then I am sure he can survive a nuclear blast.

Many people were concerned with Harrison’s age but don't forget about “Air Force One”. That film proved to me that Harrison’s age was not important. Also, he was able to fit back into that character very well. When I heard that Shia LaBeouf was in the film, that was what concerned me most about this sequel. In both "I, Robot" and “Transformers”, he did a lot of yelling, talking and panicking and I did not want a character like that in an Indy film. I forgot though that Mutt is not Sam Witwicky and that Shia as an actor can become a greaser if he wants to. I loved Shia in this film. Cate Blanchett did well as the villain and is quite beautiful for me in this film. Her looks in “Lord of the Rings” was striking as in other films she has been in but I have just not been very struck with her beauty until her role as Spalko. I like how Karen Allen is back and Jim Broadbent’s character is a nice substitute for Marcus Brody. John Hurt and Ray Winstone should be noted as well. As a fun fact, the young man that Indy talks to in the library after the motorcycle chase is played by Colin Hanks.

I do remember quite a while ago when they announced this film and it turned out different than I thought it would be. As long as Ford, Spielberg, Lucas, John Williams and others were involved, I am satisfied. We had action, adventure, humor and fun in this film. Everyone in front and behind of the camera had fun and you can feel it. They went to great lengths to stay true to the old films and reference the popular sci-fi films of the 50’s. The sci-fi in the film was new and normally I don’t like it when the genre changes from that of the first film in a saga. This time, I don’t mind it because the filmmakers had a good justification for it. If this film concludes the saga, let it be. This film does not ruin the other Indy movies and I hope that Spielberg continues to have fun making films.

4 Stars