Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Theaters)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was not what I had expected it to be. I guess after nineteen years of waiting, the anticipation had grown so much that my expectations had grown exponentially with it. After watching films such as Rocky Balboa and Rambo return with such huge success, I had expected Spielberg to deliver something close to epic, and couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed about the film overall.

The movie however wasn’t a total wreck and the heart of the film was still intact. It had the same feel of its predecessors as well as the nostalgic value most Indy fans were looking for. The return of both Harrison Ford and Karen Allen really helped to solidify the film and bring back some of that romance we saw in the original. Ford returns of course as Dr. Henry Jones, an archaeologist with a knack for getting way over his head during his quests to discover the undiscovered. Ford remains the same charismatic character as in the previous films with the small addition of his recently acquired salt and pepper hairdo.

Allen makes her comeback as Marion Ravenwood. We haven’t seen Marion since the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, yet even with her extended absence, both Allen and Ford interact very well together. You can see that the chemistry between both actors had never been lost. Finally there is Shia LaBeouf. LaBeouf who solidified his mark in the blockbuster movie Transformers, did surprisingly well in this film, and actually provided some good comic relief as Jones’ sidekick.

The storyline was decently written but there were some inconsistencies as the movie developed and the flow wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked it to be. I also understand that the Indiana Jones series is a fantasy adventure, but this film really pushes the limits of fantasy and reality. Some of the sequences that occurred in this film were just completely unrealistic and I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. Perhaps the other films were just as far fetched as this one, but as a grown man watching this movie, it was just a little too far out for me.

Synopsis:

Everyone’s favorite archeologist adventurer dusts off his hat and trusty whip for yet another globetrotting trek as Indiana Jones returns to the big screen nearly 20 years after racing for the Holy Grail alongside his father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Harrison Ford reprises his role as the iconic, snake-loathing screen hero in a sequel that also finds Karen Allen returning to the series for the first time since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, and Shia LaBeouf round out a cast that also features Cate Blanchett in the role of villainous Russian operative Agent Irina Spalko. Steven Spielberg calls the shots on a script penned by David Koepp (and adapted from the screen story by executive producer George Lucas). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide