Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

• Directed by Steven Spielberg
• May 18, 2008 (Cannes) / May 22, 2008 (US)
• From a story by Jeff Nathanson and franchise creator George Lucas
• Based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman

Indiana Jones along with Marion Ravenwood and their son Mutt race against a Soviet spy with mental abilities to find a telepathic crystal skull somewhere in Peru.

I was not thrilled with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when I first saw it. Indiana Jones and space aliens do not mix. He works best when he is after items that are more spiritual and less Star Wars (though Star Wars can be quite a spiritual experience). Not just that but Indiana Jones began his career in the time of Nazis and as villains those work best for him. Soviets and communists in general not so much but mostly because communism is viewed much more favorably today than it was even say 40 years ago.

This is only my second viewing and honestly I enjoyed it better than I did the first time. While it’s not as good as Last Crusade (which would have been a great way to close things out) it is fun but closer to fan fic than an Indy movie. It mixes history and UFO mythology with a dash of the paranormal into a mostly entertaining if at points awkward mix. As such it often leans a little too much too much into the silly.

For the silly. Cate Blanchett as the villainous Soviet telepath Irina Spalko has an accent reminiscent of Pavel Chekov. Being a psychic researcher played into things the Russians were doing at the time but that accent makes it difficult to take her seriously. As a villain she wasn’t bad but it’s that accent that just threw it for me. Blanchett is a fine actress and she knew better than to sound so silly (or should have) so I’m curious if this was a decision by Spielberg or even Lucas.

John Hurt plays Indy’s old friend Harold ‘Ox’ Oxley and for much of the film is comedically crazy. Another strike against this movie. Being disturbed by what you encounter is fine. Consistently being a punchline because of what you saw is not. That is because while this is a lighter film series, it is not comedy and such a portrayal is ill fitting.

And I am not sure how Marion (Karen Allen) not telling Indy about his son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) is supposed to reflect on her character. She had her reasons but ultimately those reasons border on spiteful. All the reasons seem to stem from anger and hurt emotions. Which begs the question of why even consider marrying someone like that?

Aside from that it was great to see Karen Allen back as Marion Ravenwood. She is the best female fit for Indiana Jones. As an actress, Allen more than holds her own on screen with Ford and as a character Marion was still crafted as Indy’s equal. She was not strong because Indy was weak, but she was as strong as Indy was.

It was great to see Ford as Indiana Jones again. Raiders is an action classic with the following two close behind. Indiana Jones is possibly one of the best characters in film history. Ford does great as expected but was too old here. This was the movie that started to put me in the camp that they should recast the character for any proposed future films much like what was done with James Bond. Ford moves and often sounds like a crotchety old man rather than as an adventure character.

Mutt starts out a bit as a 50s rebel and then is just along for the ride. Mutt screams and stumbles almost as much as LaBeouf did as Sam Witwicky. All that was missing was “Optimus!” He never rose to the part as a serious character and even faded into the background ultimately becoming superfluous to events. Once he gave Indy the letter that got the story rolling, he was absolutely unnecessary.

On of the things the previous movies had going for them were the lack of CGI. The brain generally knows when it is watching fakery and too much of the keyboard mutes the feelings built by the action. CGI certainly has its place, but it should be used sparingly. Between the UFO at the end and the aliens and some of the action shots you watch the impact is muted. CGI should be used to smooth out and enhance, but not be the default measure.

And some of the sets, well, look like sets. Specifically that graveyard they go into. Maybe it’s because they just didn’t put enough effort as they did elsewhere such as the ancient temple, but I am left thinking the whole time that I am indeed watching a movie and not being an omniscient individual experiencing the story with Indiana Jones and Mutt.

Crystal Skull doesn’t have the breezy fun of the first three. It’s enjoyable, but it doesn’t have that special something those others did. There’s just something a little extra about them. Maybe it’s because of the time they came out in and the age of those behind them. We all change as we get older and that affects the creative process.

There are acknowledgements of the past such as pictures of Henry Sr. and two nods to the late Denholm Elliot as Marcus Brody. I appreciated those and they were either bittersweet or comedic in connection to those characters allowing them to still be a part of things though they were not there.

This is a good adventure story but only a passable Indiana Jones story. It feels thirty minutes too long with an unnecessary character or two like Ray Winstone as George “Mac” McHale. Great actor and he did well but everything he did could have been covered by Spalko with her abilities.

What makes this an acceptable watch are the ultimately good characters facing off against the decidedly evil. There are no shades of gray other than a moment meant to comment on the paranoia of the time. And there is enough nostalgia to get you through the rough moments.

While I would not have picked aliens Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is still entertaining enough that you should you decide to watch you will not feel too bad. I though think you can skip it though.