Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
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Posted on 24 May 2008
by sarah
Summer blockbuster season is here, and who better to kick it off than the legendary Indiana Jones? Harrison Ford is looking his age, but is as dry-witted as ever as the archaeology professor who has a fear for snakes. Every time he cracks the whip, you're half afraid he'll hurt his hip but Ford's portrayal of Indiana can still charm the pants off anyone.
Almost 20 years since The Last Crusade, Indiana is dragged back into old habits with the appearance of Mutt (Shia LaBeouf, making a very Brando-esque entrance) who seeks his help to locate his mother and an old friend from college, Oxley. Apparently, Oxley was on the verge of locating the Crystal Skull, a mythical artefact that holds immense power which was stolen centuries ago from a city made out of gold. But who cares about the minute details of the crystal skull anyway? Have artefact, will travel. And that's exactly what Indie and Mutt does, dodging Russians (leading to a cool motorcycle scene), creepy crypt-keepers and giant ants along the way.
To say that the entire Crystal Skull journey was smooth would be a bit of an exaggeration. Some scenes that would've seemed cool when you were kid becomes totally cringe-worthy (come on, Tarzan vine-swinging?), and the dialogue is so hammed up sometimes that you burst out laughing at the completely wrong moments. The excess of CGI rendered some scenes extremely cheesy as well. Also (spoilerspoiler), the dabble into the realm of science fiction was a total damper. Spielberg and Lucas are more than known for their love of that genre, but couldn't they have left Indy out of it?
But those disappointments aside, the film is not one to miss. It scores extremely well on the popcorn factor and is escapism at its best. Crystal Skull is like an ode to the magic of movies. The film's adventurous spirit takes you to places you can't even imagine, with characters so over the top that you can't help but love them. And at the end of the day, we're still left in awe because Indiana Jones is how we remember heroes to be - tall, strong-jawed and cool as ice with none of the complex crap that today's anti-heroes are made of.
Cast Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen Director Steven Spielberg Runtime 124 mins Opens 22 May
10 comments
is it just me or did this really just suck balls?
it did suck balls and more even. it like, started sucking other stuff too cuz thats just how sucky it was.
also, someone should just shoot shia le beouf cuz he sucks big time.
worship the beef!
i felt really guilty wishing i was watching national treasure the whole time i saw indy 4. and what was up with the ending? i already saw that in The Mummy 2. indy really needs to step up the game. all the copycats over the last 20 years have upped the ante.
You know that one scene where that one character says that one thing to that other character? That was great :)
HippieChic is a dumbass
Actually this review sucks balls. Stop reminiscing on the old indie films and other copycat movies but focus on the movie itself.
Look up the word 'REVIEW' sara, is this like a klue syndrome? To say "oh he sounds like so and so.. and his movie was like so and so.."
No wonder the mag is slowly drowning in its own piss
errr... adam that's harsh. it's called a review..sara(h)'s review. you can write one if it'll make yourself feel better. but please don't tell me you liked the movie..reminiscing aside...it was pretty crappy don't you think? especially the END?! come on!! and in sara(h)'s defense i don't think anywhere in her review did she say ""oh he sounds like so and so.. and his movie was like so and so.."
i haven't watched indiana jones, but i have read reviews, and reviews review something, therefore, a reviewer is entitled to their own opinion. ever heard of rotten tomatoes? they're harsh too adam. maybe you should look the definition up. toodles.
omg that was cate blanchett? lol!