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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal...
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| Homer Yen... |
 Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:21 pm |
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"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - It's Not the
Years; It's the Mileage
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
After 19 years of hibernation, our favorite fedora-wearing,
adventuring archeologist is back. Wow, after all these years, our
handsome treasure-finding hero is old enough to have a son, wise
enough to recognize past regrets, and still durable enough to graduate
from battling relic-seeking enemy Nazis to relic-seeking enemy Cold
War Russians. For Indy, time crept on; the state of the world
changed; but the look and feel of the movie have managed to retain its
Olde-Indy charm. In fact, Director Steven Spielberg did not modernize
the photography in order to retain the comic book style from the
previous films.
There's something about the ba-ba-ba-baaa-ba-ba-baaa theme music that
just evokes a nostalgic sense of excitement in me. Yes, I'm excited
to hear the Indy anthem again. I was also excited about the versatile
Cate Blanchett playing the slinky, rapier-wielding Ruskie Bad-Girl.
And a bulked-up Shia LaBeouf is well-cast as a reluctant partner who
needs Indy's help to rescue his mom. But was I excited about the film
overall? Well, maybe I've somewhat outgrown the playfulness of the
Indiana Jones world. Indy hasn't really changed. But, I did.
Harrison Ford, even at age 64, is still pretty lithe despite the
against-all-odds quest that he is now embarking on. Ford spent three
hours a day at the gym, and subsisted on a high-protein diet of fish
and vegetables, thus building his body into a condition where he could
perform his own stunts. Maybe his physical prowess has lost a step.
But he still possesses his wit, that dashing smile, and his
inexplicable ability to escape from all manner of danger. Our hero
manages to survive hostile tribesmen, a series of crazy freefalls, and
even an atomic blast. As Indy slyly notes earlier in the film, the
best type of archeology happens outside of the library.
The story does not veer very far away from the style of the first
Indiana Jones in 1981. Instead of a mysterious Ark, the object of
interest is a Crystal Skull. The Russians want to get their hands on
it. Indy needs to stop them. Always fun is the romanticized history
lesson that accompanies the sought-after object. This time, there is
mention of a hidden city within the Amazon, a
technologically-advanced-but-now-extinct-superrace, and mind-control
powers that can be channeled with the artifact. But the story
stretches itself in weird ways when it starts to hype up the
paranormal and other elements that push this towards the realm of
science-fiction. At some point, it almost stops being an Indiana
Jones flick, and becomes more like a better episode of the X-Files.
The film is not without its delights. The opening sequence is exactly
in synch with what we might expect from an Indiana Jones film. And
Shia LaBeouf highlights what is arguably the most interesting pursuit
scene you'll see this summer. On the downside, too much CGI wizardry
is used which makes this look too comic-book-like. And, it doesn't
move as effervescently as you might hope. And shouldn't someone take
a camera along to document their progress?
Anyway, 27 years have gone by since the first Indiana Jones adventure.
Yet, I'm glad Indy is still around. Sure, he's aging. But, he's
still active, loves life, enjoys an adventure, and has an indomitable
spirit. How can you fault anyone for that?
Grade: B-
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3 |
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