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| Thursday, September 9th
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| Movie Forums :: Reviews :: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
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Posted on 5/22/08
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
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That the film will be exciting and funny is a given, as is the assumption that it will inevitably fall a bit short of meeting its lofty expectations. What everyone wants to know is: does this "feel" like a real Indiana Jones movie? The answer is a slightly qualified "yes."
Both released and set 19 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pushes the series to new absurd heights. Indy's exploits have always been a little on the absurd side, of course, a fact which has contributed heavily to their charm. But if the previous films pushed the envelope of our incredulity, this one vaporizes it.
The less of the actual plot I reveal, the better. It should be sufficient to say that Indy is once again being compelled by unsavory characters in wartime to recover a supernatural artifact which they hope to misuse for personal gain. This time, the unsavory characters are the Russians and the artifact is the titular Crystal Skull. I will leave the skull's origin and powers to the viewer to discover, but its mere appearance gives a good deal away long before some of the characters have figured things out, though even the moment of their revelation is somewhat murky.
Tonally, Crystal Skull most resembles Temple of Doom. Both play down the epic feel and sense of revelation in the other two installments in favor of an emphasis on action and humor. There is still a degree to which Crystal Skull tries to approach the same level of plot intricacy of Raiders, but it largely falls flat. There are a number of obscure riddles involving symbols and wordplay that, at the risk of sounding blasphemous, feel like poorer versions of the clues in the National Treasure films. The approach is a fundamental miscalculation; audiences may be willing to suspend their disbelief when it comes to the power of ancient objects, but the clues still have to make sense (and be interesting).
These clues come largely from Professor Oxley (John Hurt), a colleague of Indy's who's disappeared. He seems to know all of the skull's secrets, but his knowledge has driven him mad. His inclusion is both unnecessary and exceedingly convenient, as he spends the majority of the film following the heroes around dispensing obfuscated hints about what lies ahead. Screenwriter David Koepp is said to have quilted the plot together from a number of other potential Indy screenplays over the years, and his stitches show a bit too often.
These complaints aside, Crystal Skull has a knack for getting the important things right. Director Steven Spielberg (who has a real future in Hollywood) said during production that he was foregoing CGI when possible in favor of matte paintings and more traditional stunt work. It would seem he ended up splitting the difference; a number of the film's backgrounds have that ultra bright super-sheen that became one of the hallmarks of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels. At the same time, the action sequences are more believable and exhilarating than almost anything we've seen in years. They are every bit as exciting and inventive as the sequences in their predecessors, and are the one aspect of the movie that feels completely seamless with the first films.
The dialogue is a mixed bag. Some of it is entirely pedestrian and lacks the bite and wit we've come to expect from the series. But just as much has that authentic Indiana Jones feel to it, and the film preserves the previous movies' wonderful sense of irony.
The supporting performances are good (Cate Blanchett stands out as the bizarre, multi-talented Irina Spalko), but in a film like this, the lead is all that really matters. Harrison Ford can still wear the hat and whip, and still has that sly Indy grin that says "I'm going to get out of this on sheer nerve, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." There are a few points at which his give-and-take is a little slower than it's been in the past, but he's still Indy, and in the end, that's all most of us need.
The rest of the supporting cast is adequate. Karen Allen returns, as does her chemistry with Ford. Shia LaBeouf plays her son Mutt, and while he fits comfortably into the role of sidekick most of the time, he shows he's capable of taking things into his own hands when need be.
LaBeouf's inclusion has many thinking (and Lucas openly suggesting) that he may be used as a device to continue the series now that Ford is likely nearing his end as an action star. Crystal Skull seems aware of this, and gives the fans a lovely moment near the end to let them know that, no matter what happens from here on out, there's only one Indy.
For all the analysis of the plot, performances, and effects, only two things really matter when judging Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: it is wildly entertaining, and it gives off the feeling you get when you see an old friend after a prolonged absence. They may have changed a little, and they're never quite the way you remember them, but you love them all the same, and seeing them again is cause for celebration.
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