This summer marks the return of everyone's favourite tomb-raiding, fedora-wearing, treasure hunter -- one Indiana Jones.
Let me start by saying that when I saw this at the Cinema I hated it! Raiders of the Lost Ark has long been my favourite film of all time, and I felt that Speilberg, Lucas and Co had simply, and literally, lost the plot with this outing. Did we really need Aliens in an Indy film - and whats this with him having a kid. It felt tired, wrong and a parody of its predecessors! However....
despite my better judgement I went out and bought the DVD anyway, and guess what! Its not that bad afterall. Actually its quite exciting with some excellent set pieces, gripping action and a story line which, (if you are prepared to simply sit back and accept it for what it is) is actually very engaging. Possibly the best thing about the film was the idea to bring back the sorely missed Karen Allen (from Raiders) and as she smiles her way through the adventure you can't help but smile with her. I still remain disappointed at the choice of subject matter, but that aside this, on DVD at least is a welcome addition to the Indy Saga. Oh yes - don't forget the extras, which are comprehensive and very entertaining. Infact I would recommend watching the material about the ideas and concepts for the film before the film its self. It does help to put it all in context. All in all - welcome back Indy.
Exit stage left Rambo, McClain & Balboa; for its time for an old friend"s long awaited return: before Bruce Willis waged his one-man war in a tower block, before Stallone drew first blood twice or secured his rematch with Apollo Creed, there was Henry Jones Jr. a.k.a. "The Man With The Hat" a.k.a. Indiana Jones! Archaeologist, professor, adventurer; an aloof ladies man armed only with his trusty whip and a quiver of wry one-liners: Indiana Jones is essentially Han Solo on Earth, a role that plays to Harrison Ford"s unique abilities as an actor, for "Empire" magazine weren"t wrong, when they put him on top of their late 90s list of Hollywood"s "100 Greatest Movie Stars". Its" hard to believe its been two decades since we last saw Indy on screen, and though the years have been quite kind; screenwriter David Koepp cleverly pre-empts any ageism with jovial jibes directed at Ford"s OAP status, lines like: "...not as easy as it used to be", "same old same old" and Shia LaBeoufs "what"re you; like 80?" pepper his script with the kind of good humour we"ve come to expect from this franchise (though those CG gopher shots were bordering on stupid). Its 1957 (good use of real-time / narrative-timeline, as "The Last Crusade" was set in 1937): Indy & MI6 operative Mac (a surprisingly flat, uninspired performance by Ray Winstone) are kidnapped by Russian secret agents, led by sabre rattling Stalinist Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchet on fine form), and ordered to recover a mysterious artefact from Area 51; the site where they stashed the Ark of the Covenant at the end of 'Raiders...' (the Ark itself also makes a cool, blink-and-you"ll-miss-it cameo). "Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" sees our hero engaged in a variety of Cold War shenanigans; from his somewhat implausible escape from an A-bomb testing facility to being blacklisted in a McCarthy-esque witch hunt, in fact, so enthralling was the Communist subplot, that I was half expecting Edward R. Murrow to show up and wish us all "good night & good luck". An unwieldy storyline and reasonably imaginative action sequences, add up to some far out hokum about an all-powerful Incan skull believed to be alien i.e. Djinn or Annukai in origin. Its tough to submit an analytical treatise on the merits of Indiana Jones, when all you can really hear in the back of you of mind is Da da-da-da dada da, yet "Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" works surprisingly well, though in many ways, Indy IV like running an emulator and playing old ROMs; its the same old game; only brighter, faster and perhaps a little flashier than it used to be. Sean Connery and the late Denhom Elliot are tastefully acknowledged on screen, though I would"ve loved to see Connery return, as "The Last Crusade" is my favourite Indy outing. John Hurt puts in a fine performance as loopy prof Dr Oxley, Karen Allen (who, like Ford, has aged gracefully over the last 20 years) revives Marian Ravenwood from "Raiders..." whilst Shia LaBeouf"s Elvis coiffed greaser Mutt (Indy was named after his dog, hence Mutt) makes for an amiable, often humorous, sidekick. But how does "Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" compare to its much loved, now legendary predecessors? "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is, to many, the definitive Indy picture, and it"s true; there"s a rough-hewn, reptilian grime & grit to that movie (e.g. poisoned arrows, snake pits, vengeful spectres etc) which was absent in later years. But lets not gloss over the badly scripted, overacted, unmitigated disaster that was "Temple Of Doom", which only has a place in our DVD collections because, like it or not, its part of the original trilogy thus gets in by default. "The Last Crusade" was, for me, an ideal blend of heroic hi-jinks, action, adventure and old school romance, with a perfectly acceptable ending (no sequel set ups or money spinning machinations, just Indy, Henry and Salah riding off into he sunset). One of the main issues this time around, was the absence of any real sense of danger; time, it seems, hasn"t just taken its toll on Indy"s reflexes, but depicted most of the perilous pitfalls our protagonists have to encounter e.g. those giant ants debuted in "The Scorpion King", Peter Jackson"s Skull Island was far deadlier a jungle terrain than "Kingdom"s" Amazonian trail whilst the final, cyclonic metamorphoses was a scene from "The Mummy Returns" and so on, which is why so much of this picture"s success rests on 65-year-old shoulders of one Harrison Ford. For Spielberg & Lucas wouldn"t have had a movie worth seeing if Harrison was even a little off his game, fortunately, Ford doesn"t miss a step, turns on the old magic and puts many a younger action hero to shame, with his spirited and convincing performance. "Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" is a good movie, which should appeal to fans and newcomers alike, though the filmmakers seem to have had the foresight to handle hints at a sequel with tongue planted firmly in cheek. A fitting farewell to an iconic adventurer (lets thank our lucky stars he didn"t go out like Captain Kirk) though its" high time to hang up the hat, and call it a day.
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Harrison Ford dusts off his infamous brown fedora for another Indiana Jones film, which is once again made by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The year is 1957, and Indy is on the run from a team of Russian spies led by a rapier-wielding Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). The Russians want Indy to help them locate an ancient artefact that they believe can be used as the ultimate military weapon. Indy manages a narrow escape, and tries to return to his life as a professor of archaeology, but he soon bumps into a '50s greaser named Mutt (Shia LeBeouf). Mutt's mother, as well as one of Indy's longtime friends, have been captured somewhere in Peru. Mutt and Indy hop on a plane to the country, where they manage to track down both Mutt's mother, Marian (Karen Allen), and Professor Oxley (John Hurt), but they also find themselves surrounded by the same scheming Russians. The Russians have found the artefact they were seeking, but Indy now knows its secret and dangerous powers. With the help of Mutt, Marian, and Oxley, he races to return it to its rightful resting place.
The fourth film in the Indiana Jones series starring Harrison Ford. Set at the height of Cold War paranoia during the 1950s, the story finds the intrepid archaeologist involved in a plot involving Soviet agents. They want Indy (Ford) to find a legendary crystal skull that is said to grant the owner supernatural powers. If the Soviets get their hands on it, they will be able to control the world. Our hero manages to escape from the Russians and soon he is in a race to find the skull. He is joined by Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), the son of Indy's one-time love, Marion (Karen Allen). Together, the pair travel to South America, where the skull is reputed to be found. There they join forces with Marion. At the same time, the Soviet agents, led by the brilliant, ice-cold Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), are also hot on the trail. They have the help of Mac (Ray Winstone), Indy's one time partner - but which side is Mac really on? Also involved is Ox (John Hurt), a brilliant professor who was driven insane after being exposed to the crystal skull. Can Indy get to the prize first, or will the Soviets be able to dominate the world?
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