Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull review

Sigh..... you know, even I'm getting a little tired of being in the minority. That usually means that I couldn't possibly bring up a film without getting into some annoying argument that often times drives me crazy. Like, I simply utter "Transformers 2", and everyone starts going ballistic! Some would say that being in the minority makes me unique as long as I give my reasons, but I'm in the minority of so many films these days that I start to wonder if my taste in films is adjusted properly.

With that said..... Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!

But before we get to that, let's take a look at the original Indiana Jones trilogy. The first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is often considered one of the grand daddies of action films, and for good reasons. The sets are well-constructed, the action scenes are innovative, the cast is tons of fun, and it's also very adventurous and very, very funny. The sequel, Temple of Doom, is definitely the silliest in the franchise, and I also thought some of the characters were pretty annoying; if you've seen the film, you know exactly who I'm talking about. Still, it's an enjoyable entry into the franchise solely for its action scenes. Then, there was the Last Crusade, which contained a bunch of elements from both of its predecessors and became what is IMHO the best in the franchise. It was definitely the funniest in the franchise, mostly due to Indy's father, and it was also very action-packed and tons of fun overall. It's ironic to think that the last entry into the trilogy is titled "The Last Crusade".

Well, 19 years later, a fourth film was sent out; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you can find a longer title, I commend you. Anyway, this is partially the work of George Lucas, a filmmaker who's considerably going downhill, thinking less about entertaining the audiences and thinking more about the box office gross each of his new films make. His Star Wars prequels are further proof of that; personally, I didn't think they were THAT bad, but they were pretty dull and unnecessary. And now that the Star Wars franchise is dealt with, he's going into his last resort with the Indiana Jones franchise. Well, if he's going to make it, it'd better be good, or I will see it as more of a cash-in!

Well, thank heavenly Jesus it was entertaining. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't have the same nostalgic value of the first three films, but it still contains a bunch of the other elements from the other three films; the fedora hat, Harrison Ford, tales of an ancient treasure, the John Williams theme, fighting against foreign forces involved in wars at the time (in this case, Russians)..... the only difference is that it's updated a little to take place in the 50's. The biggest update they made is that, instead of using the treasure hunting serial from the 30's, they use the serial of the 50's; UFO sightings, all these sci-fi movies coming out.... that's right, aliens.

The storyline begins when a group of Russians, led by a woman who has the same haircut as Johnny Deep's Willy Wonka, force Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, to find a highly magnetized box in Area 51; that's when you know it's about aliens. :P After escaping from a nuclear explosion by hiding in a fridge.... Wow, did I just say that out loud?....... he meets a boy named Mutt Williams, played by Shia Lebeouf, who gives Jones a letter from an old friend of his named Henry Oxley. He apparently went crazy after staring into a crystal skull he found near the Nazca lines in Peru. The skull is actually part of the thirteen skulls of Akator, also known as El Dorado, one of which went missing; whoever can return this skull to its rightful place gains its mysterious power.

While some people were thoroughly confused, I was able to follow this storyline without much trouble; though I do find the end message to be a little cheesy, but I won't spoil it.

The action scenes are, once again, impressive. They still contain that campy and popcorn-inducing spirit that the franchise has been known for. It would've been nice to see something a little more impressive since this came out in 2008, but whatever.

As for the performances, Harrison Ford may be old, but he still contains that cocky personality he's always had.... maybe not as much as before, but he's still got it. I was also surprised by the female cameo; if you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about, and you probably agree that it was a pleasant surprise. However, the rest of the performances were kind of dull. I liked Shia Lebeouf in the first Transformers, but here, it just looks like they told him to read off the script without any direction!

A lot of people complained about the use of CGI, but with the exception of the ending scene, I believe they only used CGI when absolutely necessary, like that scene where *SPOILER* those scorpions (or spiders, whatever) are chasing after them, and a bunch of them eat up that Russian soldier. *SPOILER* The rest is organic in my eyes.

I also didn't mind the triple agent thing as much as everyone else. I don't even feel like I have to explain it because I really don't see the problem. :/

So, in the end, did I enjoy the film? Yes. I know I'm once again in the minority about it, but I did enjoy the film. Where would I rank it? Well, it's nowhere near as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade, but while some parts are pretty silly, it's nowhere near as silly as Temple of Doom.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: 4.3/5
Temple of Doom: 3.5/5
Last Crusade: 4.5/5
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 3.7/5

As for Indy 5.... I think George is pushing it. I guarantee that within the next twenty years or so, we'll be seeing the Indy 500. XD

Thanks for reading, and good freakin night!