Ok new I'm onto part four of the Indiana Jones posts and this one is the last in the instalment about the last of the instalment, which is The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, so let's have a look at it.
The film synopsis will be shorter this time (mainly cos I can't be bothered making it too long!) but it starts with Indy (Ford again) in the late 1950s and his partner George "Mac" McHale who have been kidnapped by Russian soldiers Colonel Dr Irinia Spalko (Cate Blanchett). They are taken to a warehouse where Indy is forced to find a crate that contains the remains of an extraterrestrial who crashed on Earth ten years earlier near Roswell, New Mexico. Indy soon finds the crate and the contents are highly magnetic, but then Mac double crosses him, who was bribed by the Soviet soldiers. Indy manages to escape from the warehouse however using a rocket sled, and ends up in a deserted town, which turns out to be part of a nuclear test site, which just so happens to be about to set off a nuclear detonation. Indy manages to take cover inside one of the houses, emptying the contents of a fridge (which is lead lined) just in time before the detonation happens. Indy soon after is taken by the FBI who question him, believing he could be working for the Soviets, which he isn't of course. Indy then returns to his college, where he is given an long term leave of absence to avoid being fired over the incident. As Indy boards a train and about to leave, he is approached by a young guy on a motorbike, Henry "Mutt" Williams (Shia LeBeouf) who tells him an old colleague of Indy's, Harold Oxley (John Hurt) was kidnapped after he discovered a crystal skull in Peru. Mutt also goes on to tell Indy that his mother was kidnapped as well, after this Indy follows up the trail with Mutt and they travel to Peru to discover what lies behind the mystery of the crystall skull, and to try and save Oxley and Mutt's mother. (Well that was short!).
It has to be said that Kingdom of the crystal skull is without doubt the weakest entry in the Indiana Jones adventures, and although it is great to see the intrepid archaeologist back on the big screen after nearly 20 years, the story and pacing let the film down. And the story is definitely the weakest point, as the whole thing with the crystal skulls is really boring, and at least in the previous films you were interested in Indy's quests to find the Ark of the covenant, the Sankara stones and the Holy Grail, but here you just don't really give a shit. And another one of the film's worst aspects is the anti-climactic ending, where they find a temple with crystal skeletons, and its really puzzling to figure just what the hell happened to Spalko (Cate's character) as she appears to weirdly disappear (apparently she was disintegrated). And despite some entertaining moments along the way, by the end you just feel "what the hell just happened? and what was it all about???". In this day and age it seems in Hollywood they delight in making films that confuse the crap out of you.
However, its not an entirely bad film of course and there are some entertaining
sequences in it, as well as some enjoyable moments of action, especially
the chase in the jungle and the opening scene in the warehouse is also
entertaining, and where Indy has to hide quickly in the fridge before
the nuclear blast goes off. The performances are also quite good, especially from Ray Winstone as Mac, Indy's double crossing partner, who later makes out that he was pretending to be a double agent, but then later on reveals that he was just a double crosser, with a good line from Indy "who says??? So what are you, a triple agent???", and Mac says "No I just lied about being a double one!". Cate Blanchett is also good as the main villain, Dr Spalko, but ultimately her character is not that interesting and she doesn't make for that effective a villain, but she does look good in that black fringe hairdo and blue outfit (with the black gloves). Shia LeBeouf also makes a decent impression as Mutt (not of one of course), who (PLOT SPOILER!!!!) ultimately turns out to be Indy's son, and he obviously has inherited his father's pluckiness, although it was pretty obvious in a way that he was Indy's son.
As for Harrison Ford well its great to see him back as Indy and he takes up the mantle really well once again, and after making so many films where he has delivered some frankly rather dull performances, its nice to see him get back to doing something fun again. I also like the line he gives when he is in Peru and he saves Mutt's life from some masked natives who attack them, and Mutt looks confused at him and says "aren't you a teacher???" and Indy says "part time!". And while I haven't mentioned her in the plot, (ANOTHER SPOILER!!!) Karen Allen makes a reappearance again as Marion Ravenwood, who turns out to be.... wait for it......... Mutt's mum! Yep it is all rather predictable and even if you haven't seen the film you would probably have figured it all out long before then. Regardless of that though its nice to see Karen Allen back as well, although she isn't given much to do in this film, and seems to no longer have the youthful pluckiness in her that she once did. And finally John Hurt makes a baffling appearance as Oxley, and frankly Oxley is the least most interesting character in the film, and not to take away from John Hurt's performance, but frankly I found the way in which he kept talking and bumbling around in such a strange way throughout a bit annoying, as the crystal skulls affected his mind. Its nothing against Hurt in the film, but I just felt the story was not very well written regardless.
So that's it for my critique on The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it was a rather disappointing entry in the series, but hopefully they might do just yet another one before they finish it off, although that might well be the last one as Harrison isn't getting any younger and is now 70! So I think doing a fifth one would be a push too far for Harry! Kingdom isn't without its good points of course and it does have some entertaining moments in it, but as a whole it isn't as good as it could have been, and if it is the end then its a shame it should be left that way, as I think the series deserves a better ending.
And that is that for my Indiana Jones posts.
Till then next one, whatever it might be, that's it for now!
Tara.
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