Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review
By Karen Dahlstrom
Keeping Up With the Joneses
After an extended absence, Harrison Ford returns to one of his most enduring roles: Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. Led by director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is the fourth installment of one of the most popular series in film history. "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" catches up with Indy in 1957, during the height of the Cold War. While the previous films ("Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade") were inspired by films of the 30s and 40s, the fourth episode places us smack dab in the Atomic Age — a time where nuclear bombs, creepy monsters and alien invasions infiltrated every suburban movie screen.
Nearly 20 years have passed since we last saw Indiana Jones don his trademark fedora and bullwhip. But rest assured, Dr. Jones has been very busy during that time. In addition to his archeological pursuits and part-time professorship, Indy managed to snag a few medals in WWII and moonlight as a secret agent with the OSS (the CIA as we now know it). Now nearing retirement age, he's a bit crankier, more old-fashioned and fiercely patriotic. (Kind of like your grandpa, if he was also wicked with a bullwhip and had a high tolerance for pain.) But just because he's getting older, doesn't mean he's given up the adventure business.
We first see Dr. Jones as he is pulled from the trunk of a car in the middle of the Southwestern desert. Kidnapped by KGB posing as U.S. soldiers, Jones and his sidekick, Mac (Ray Winstone of "
Beowulf") are forced to find a mysterious crate stowed away in a vast (and familiar-looking to "Raiders" fans) military warehouse. Led by the ruthless Dr. Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, sporting a severe bob and even more severe Russian accent), the Soviets are not ones to take no for an answer. Indy locates the crate, but escapes after leading the Russians on a wild chase through the warehouse and onto a nuclear testing site. Though in his 60s, Ford handily recalls the Indy of old, with plenty of whip-cracking, one-liners, gun-slinging and close shaves.
The incident at the warehouse draws the suspicion of the FBI, who suspect Dr. Jones of some kind of collaboration with the Soviets. As a result, Indy finds his teaching job at Marshall College in jeopardy. Under pressure from the government, the dean, Charles Stanforth (Jim Broadbent) has no choice but to let him go. But before Dr. Jones can leave town, he is stopped by Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). Dressed up like Brando in "The Wild One", Mutt is the rebellious greaser type who knows his way around a switchblade but has probably never been in a fight in his life. What Mutt lacks in experience, he makes up for in bravado as he makes Indy a proposition he can't pass up.
Mutt enlists Jones' help to locate his mentor, an archeologist named Professor "Ox" Oxley. His mother (whom he claims is a former acquaintance of Jones') is being held by a group looking for an ancient Meso-American crystal skull, rumored to possess mystical powers. Only Ox knows the skull's location, but he's since disappeared. In exchange for his help, Indy could make the find of the decade. Deciphering Ox's set of cryptic clues, Indy and Mutt make their way to South America. There, they pick up Ox's trail — heading right into the path of the Soviets and Dr. Spalko. Indy and Mutt are captured and taken deep into the Amazon, where they are reunited with Ox (played by John Hurt) and with Mutt's mother — and Indy's former flame — Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
As Indy and Marion immediately begin to bicker and squabble, it's apparent that the years have done little to dampen their chemistry. Reprising her role as Marion, 50-something Karen Allen has lost none of the sass or spark that made her one of the coolest action heroines of the 80s. Watching her have a go at Indy makes one yearn for the days when actresses were chosen for their personality and acting ability rather than their bra size. (Something to keep in mind, Mr. Spielberg, the next time you're tempted to put Megan Fox in another movie.) Marion may have given up fist-fights and whiskey shots, but she's one tough mother.
From sheer luck, our group manages to make a break for it into the wilds of the Amazon. From here, the action is fast and furious, with several well-paced and exhilarating set pieces. Racing to reach the temple of the crystal skull before the Soviets, our heroes must face a breakneck chase through the jungle (reminiscent of the speeder chase in "Return of the Jedi"), a harrowing trip down the Amazon River, shifting loyalties and the cast of "
Apocalypto" before they reach their destination. However, as the action sequences go full throttle, the plot gets mired in quicksand. Written by David Koepp ("Jurassic Park", "
War of the Worlds"), the screenplay is riddled with excessive exposition and plot points. As each new element is added — the Communist threat, blacklists, mind control, the atomic bomb, conquistadors, Mayans, aliens, dart-wielding Amazonian Indians — the story becomes harder to track. This confusion is further complicated by endless references to other Spielberg/Lucas films wholly unrelated to the franchise, from "Duel" and "American Graffiti" to "Star Wars", "Catch Me if You Can" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Yeah, we're somewhat familiar with your body of work, fellas. Whether out of laziness or self-indulgence, such reminders are entirely needless and don't serve the story in the slightest. But story problems hardly seem to matter. The plot is basically just an excuse to see Indy back in action.
And back he is. For the moment, at least. Recently, George Lucas announced the possibility of the Mutt character taking the lead in the fifth installment of the series, with Indiana Jones returning in a smaller role (much like Sean Connery in "The Last Crusade"). However, it's clear from "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" that there's still plenty of life in Dr. Jones. Before you hand it off to the Clearasil set, could we maybe get one or two more from the old Indy? The AARP buys tickets, too. Why shouldn't they have a hero to call their own?
