Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last night after a long day at work (you know my day job) I finally made it to the screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Previously I had loved two of the three Indiana Jones movies, the one that I didn't like was...you guessed it....The Temple of Doom which showed Indians as people who eat chilled monkey brains. I know Spielberg rolls with the ET, but he should probably take some time out and visit India and learn a few things. Anyways different movie, different decade and since then Spielberg has made some really good movies so its water under the bridge. The fact that I've seen the previous three Indy movies at least 4 times each would tell you how much I anticipated the 4th one. So without further adieu let me say that this movie did not disappoint me. I really enjoyed watching Indy 4, although I might not rent it or watch it again like the previous ones.

Indy 4 has everything which you as an Indiana Jones fan would expect - a near impossible task for the professor, the soundtrack, the 1950s map with the red lines drawn for flight paths, characters with wit, crazy commies, double crosses, creepy crawly insects and some really awesome chase scenes. All good right, but then you ask yourself the question, did Spielberg even think about this movie at all? It seems he just took the template from previous Indy movies and added different colors to it. I sort of understand why he would do that because when remaking a classic like Indiana Jones you walk a fine line between "staying true to the soul" and "being formulaic". The way you judge this movie will truly depend on what you expected out of it. If you wanted to see an entirely different take on Indy, you'll probably be disappointed, however if you are one of those sworn Indy geeks you'll probably love it. I was somewhere in between and more on the "I loved it" side of the spectrum. With the growing influence of movie geeks throughout the social media, I think Spielberg, thought its much easier and a better financial decision to 'stay true to the soul".

Harrison Ford was amazing. It never feels like its been 19 years since the last one, probably because he looked kinda old even then. The chemistry between him and Shia Lebouf is great. It would be interesting to see if this movie's fans would accept Shia as the next Indy if they ever passed the baton. Maybe after he finishes school and gets as smart as Indiana Jones himself. Cate Blanchett does a fine job as the Soviet agent who has been sent to use Indiana Jones to find the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and control its paranormal powers to win the cold war. The other characters are not developed as much, but are pretty much role players that do their bit well.

Back to "staying true to the soul" aspect, I think it helps the movie in being "different" from all the super hero movies we've been seeing in last few years. This is one of those franchises that defined adventure movie genre. Since the last Indian Jones movie I can't remember any good adventure movie to come out of Hollywood (Sahara was just plain bad). So cheers to good ol' fun. The look of the movie give a very authentic 1950s feel (as far as I remember I think that was the decade) with costumes, cars, hair styles basically to every last minute detail. Which not to undermine but is kind of expected from a director like Spielberg.

I won't go into the story much because I don't want to spoil the ride for you. It's a fun-filled ride, though unbelievable at times, but fun nonetheless. I would definitely recommend watching this movie this weekend to all of you who are still looking for things to do. Certainly worth 3.5 stars.