Review - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Studio/Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: May 22, 2008
Genre: Action/Adventure
Strong Points: Harrison Ford still using a whip, fantastic action scenes, excellent humor.
Weak Points: Major plot point feels a little out of place for Indiana Jones.
Technical Score: B+
Artistic Score: A
Final Score (not an average): B+
Moral Warnings: Plenty of action, a couple brief instances of somewhat gruesome violence.


I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Indiana Jones trilogy. I find them enjoyable. The movies are fun, but not something I would be compelled to see over and over again. I actually haven’t seen an Indiana Jones film in about a year, and then only because I was strongly urged to by a good friend of mine (who just so happens to be a fan of aforementioned trilogy). That same friend urged me to go see Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and I agreed. In retrospect, I'm quite glad that I did.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place in 1957, and, as such, a number of things are different from the Indiana Jones movies we know from the ‘80s. Obviously, there are no more Nazis. They’ve all been shot, or have committed suicide, or been rounded up and imprisoned. No more Nazis. Indy’s new foes to fight are the Russian KGB, led by the dazzlingly sinister Cate Blanchett. Fortunately, like the Nazis the KBG are also after some supernatural power to help them rule the world more easily. And Indy is also still more than willing to try to stop them and save for the world, so all is well.

As for Indy...well...he’s older. But while he may not appear as impressive as he did back in the ‘30s, not much about him has changed. The same Indiana Jones sense of humor remains intact, he can still think on his feet, and, strangely enough (and yet so predictable), he’s able to perform all the crazy stunts that he was able to do twenty years ago. Though sometimes with not as much flair and efficiency due to his old age. The whole age concept is played with throughout a number of the action scenes, and is also used in the dialogue, all bringing about some great laughs.

The directing style of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is also different, though this isn’t a bad thing. It was intended by Lucas and Spielberg for the film to be shot as a 1950s B-movie. This formula doesn’t add to the charm of the previous films, nor does it take away. Instead, it fits right in with the classic combination of over-the-top violence and witty dialogue.

And of course there have been many advances in special effects since 1989. Despite that, Lucas and Spielberg decided not to capitalize on the advances in special effects. They instead rely on the simple fun of the earlier films, and I applaud them on this decision. CGI is a significant part of the climax of the movie, but that followed with the script ending and really couldn’t be avoided. And it’s avoided through so much of the rest of it that this can easily be overlooked.

As for the acting, there are familiar faces to see and some new ones along for the ride. And everyone measures up to the hype. Harrison Ford has always been the backbone of the Indiana Jones series, and he certainly hasn’t lost his ability to play that character. He’s just as enjoyable to watch on screen as he was twenty years ago. The other familiar face is found in Karen Allen, Indy’s love interest from Raiders of the Lost Ark. She returns with the same role, helping play with the whole age concept with Harrison Ford.

I’ve heard numerous complaints about the choice for Indy’s son in Shia LeBeouf. I never was a big fan, having endured a number of episodes of the crap kid TV show Evens Stevens that Shia starred in. But after seeing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I couldn’t disagree more with these complaints. Shia brings a grand amount of humor and life to the character, sharing some of the same traits of his father, while possessing a few of his own that make him original. Standing next to Harrison Ford, it’s not to difficult to see him as Indy’s heir.

As the villain, Cate Blanchet is genius, creating a truly sinister and greedy character. Her Russian accent is perfection, her sharp eyes pierce the screen with intimidation, and she’s a heck of a fencer.

I’ll admit that while the story carried itself along effortlessly, the last fifteen minutes or so felt out of place and somewhat weak. Everything finishes up nicely enough, but the result of finding the treasure they’ve been seeking doesn’t quite fit within the whole Indy style. Even so, the rest of the film is so enjoyable that this is easily forgivable.

As far as moral content, Crystal Skull is rather clean for a PG-13 movie. There is plenty of action to go around, but the action is all for fun and is often sprinkled with bits of humor physical gags. There are, however, some dark, frightening moments that could definitely cause younger viewers to be scared. During one of the scenes of action, a soldier is eaten alive by fire ants, and there's a close up of his face and the ants entering his mouth. Another character has her eyes burst into very CGI flame. These two scenes of cruelty are as graphic as the content gets, but it's worthy of note.

There is a small dosage of language sprinkled throughout the film, but for PG-13 it was quite a bit less than I expected and was happy with this. Also, there is practically no sexual content, save for a kiss at the end of the film.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was ultimately a very pleasant surprise, and I find next to nothing to complain about. The entire film is fun, funny, and...well...fantastic, rivaling its predecessors with its charm.

--Zak Mellgren (zak@revolve21.com)


===== Second Spin =====
Indiana Jones has never been a favorite film series for me. So many pieces of the series fit my movie preferences, but the end result never gained favorite status in my mind. Still, I did have some fun with the old trilogy, and managed to work up the ability to hope for something great out of Indy 4.

Unfortunately, the film left me feeling let down. As much as I tried to accept the movie on its own terms, I just couldn't enjoy this movie in its entirety. I found the special effects/green screening to be incredibly cheesy if not downright terrible. The actual storyline was rather disinteresting. The action was still very fun, but it was even more ridiculous than the original movies were. It's as if, in attempt to recapture the spirit of the old films, the filmmakers shot right past their goal and landed in the territory of a second-rate film with a first-rate budget.

While I could recommend the original trilogy for a bit of fun and character interaction, I just can't recommend the fourth installment in the same way. Even though I wasn't a big fan of the trilogy, I still managed to feel like I got a license cash-in that really didn't come close to doing the Indiana Jones name justice.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)