05.21.08
Advanced Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
This is a spoiler free review.
Unlike so many fanboys tomorrow night I had no butterflies in my stomach walking into the NY Premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. My history with the character stems mostly from catching all three films as they were endlessly repeated on HBO through out my childhood. I never took to Indy the same way I took to the Star Wars franchise so I took my seat with less than zero expectations. I never did had much affection for the character but something about this old dog showing me new tricks won me over in a big way.
It’s almost redundant to say that Spielberg brings his A game to the table since you hardly expect him to bring anything else. Yet with his recent hit or miss projects one wouldn’t be surprised if he yawned his way through Crystal Skull the same way he did when he directed the sequel to Jurassic Park, The Lost World. Instead what we get is a genuine excitement coming from in front of and behind the camera by all involved. Shia Lebeouf may seem calm and cool but you could tell that he’s as giddy as hell to be standing next to Harrison Ford. Speaking of Harrison I will say that in the first 30 minutes I was put off by some obvious “hide the face” stunt man work. There was just no way a man his age was pulling off some of those stunts. While it tries to excite the audience by showing some classic Indy moves it’s a disservice to a film that is trying to sell us on a much older Indiana Jones.
It wasn’t until about an hour into the movie that we get the first really truly exciting set piece, the jeep chase through the jungle. This is a scene that builds on itself in new and surprising ways and since it didn’t involve Indy doing anything extraordinary it felt more real to me. It also gives Mutt Williams (Shia Labeouf) a big chance to show his stuff as an action adventure sidekick. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, a sassy and as lovely as she was in Raiders of the Lost Ark. She’s given a few good moments that put both a grin on her face and yours. Kate Blanchet phones in a rather boring clichéd villain in Irina Spalko. A Russian femme fatale who is seeking the Crystal Skull to give the Communists a new weapon in the cold war. Befitting of the battles of ideologies the power of the skull does fit into the political turmoil of the time. The score by John Williams is welcoming without any of the pandering we had felt watching Superman Returns. The music plays the same role it did in the previous films enhancing the sense of joy and excitement and isn’t abused to stir a sense of nostalgia from the audience.
Once the jeep chase revs you up the rest of the film just takes off leading to the big finale. Now this is where some are going to either love the film or hate it. I won’t give away any spoilers involving the Crystal Skulls but I will say that it really isn’t too different from the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail. What we’ve got here is another ancient artifact that may or may not have mystical magic powers. The nature of this secret will be a source of controversy for many fans, as it seems to be mixing one genre inside of another. I personally felt that if you can buy God coming out of a box and killing all the Nazi’s than this really shouldn’t be too different.Kingdom of the Crystal Skull wins me over as an action adventure movie first and an Indiana Jones movie second. Breathe easy fanboys Crystal Skull was well worth the wait.
4/5
