Viewed in
2008
Premise
After nearly 20 years, Harrison Ford reprises his role as the greatest movie archaeologist. This time, it involves some crystal skulls.
Who should watch
Fans of Indiana Jones movies.
Thoughts
While it was not close to 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' or 'Last Crusade', thankfully, it was leaps and bounds better than 'Temple of Doom' (which never happened). The style of this film was most like the third film of the franchise, in which it involved family matters and it was goofier than scary.
What I liked best about the film was that they brought back Karen Allen as Marion. Throw in Shia LaBeouf as Indy's son, and you have some humorous family bickering, harkening back to the repartee of Connery and Ford. I also enjoyed the film poking fun at itself, Ford's age, and making references to previous films. The great Cate Blanchett had some over-the-top fun as the Russian enemy.
The action and special effects were top notch. However, my knowledge that Ford was way too old to do action scenes made the action seem less believable. Back in the day, I believed that was Indiana/Harrison, but here, my heart said 'stunt double/computer graphics'. Same with the special effects. While a sea of man-eating ants was quite impressive, it could not bring chills like real tarantulas crawling on Alfred Molina's back.
The story basically sucked. This was a letdown, considering the writer, David Koepp, has written some good stuff. I also blame Spielberg for relying on computer graphics too much. While I enjoyed the dialogue and comedy, it felt un-scary and ridiculous. Also the themes did not feel very Indiana Jones-like.
Despite these flaws, it could have been worse. There were plenty of shout outs and entertaining scenes of action and comedy to make this film a fun time. As a fan of this franchise, I was glad they made this film.
What I would change
Made the story return to its supernatural/religious artifacts roots.
