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By Jamie Ruby
 Opening in
1957 in
Nevada, the first part of the movie surprisingly takes place at an Area 51 hanger where Indiana Jones has been taken by the KGB, led by Irina Spalko, played by Kate Blanchett. The hanger warehouses top secret items, such as the Ark of the Covenant, which makes a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance. Under duress
Indiana leads them to an alien body, complete with crystal skeleton, from the
Roswell crash ten years prior.Much of the movie is typical scenes of Indiana and his companions being captured and escaping time and again, this time from the Russians, including impossibly surviving an atomic bomb as well as other farfetched feats such as riding over waterfalls.
Indiana is contacted by a knife toting teen, “Mutt,” played by Shia LaBeouf, whose mother and mentor have been kidnapped and have sent a letter to
Indiana for help. Thus begins the quest for the crystal skull, and its apparent link to psychic phenomena, which takes the characters all the way to
South America.
With the return of
Indiana’s old flame and twists of logic that one should come to expect from an Indiana Jones film, the movie keeps a consistently quick pace, filled with harrowing escapes and witty remarks; however, some of the jokes only a true Indiana Jones fan can truly appreciate.
While the effects in the movie were believable for the most part, there is not the amount of special effects one is accustomed to seeing in a typical blockbuster movie. The fight scenes seem very choreographed and somewhat lacking in realism, but fit well as a throwback to the previous films.
The puzzles and quest are a big part of the film, including historical references as well as supernatural elements. The script itself feels somewhat repetitive of the other movies in the franchise, as we’ve seen it all before, although the plot of the movie has definitely taken on a strong science fiction influence with its talk of aliens and inner dimensions, which although it is somewhat complex, is often not believable.
Even with the somewhat lackluster script and a few cheesy lines, the performers of the movie were well cast, with a standout performance by young actor Shia LaBeouf, and as one would expect, a solid performance by Harrison Ford. The cast also features Kate Blanchett as the sword wielding villain, as well as John Hurt as Professor Oxley and Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood.
Almost twenty years from the last installment, Indiana Jones is still going strong; however, it may not meet the expectations of some fans of the franchise. Even with its eccentricities, and somewhat lacking originality, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is still an action-packed movie that is worth seeing that both old fans and new can enjoy alike. |
