The excellent, triumphant return of Indy!

The fourth and final instalment in the celebrated Indiana Jones series was a long time coming. It has been 19 years since the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; that's 19 years of the project being stopped and started. The classic adventure hero could only return if the correct screenplay was discovered. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford finally gave the green light to a screenplay penned by David Koepp.

Every fan of the Indiana Jones movies will want to know if the painfully long wait was worth it. So is this fourth Indiana Jones film really worth the wait? The answer is an emphatic yes!

The plot of this movie was kept an enormous secret throughout the production. In this day and age that is a daunting task. The film is a lot more special when you don't know much about the plot. I don't intend on spoiling the film by providing an in-depth plot synopsis, so I shall be brief.

Beloved archaeologist and legendary adventurer Indiana Jones (Ford) becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the truth behind the Crystal Skull; an object of myth and superstition. The Soviets, lead by the nefarious Spalko (Blanchett), believe that with the power of the Crystal Skull they could dominate the world. Indy is now accompanied by several cohorts including the young Mutt Williams (LaBeouf), former lover Marion Ravenwood (Allen, reprising her role from Raiders of the Lost Ark), insane professor Oxley (Hurt) and long-time partner Mac (Winstone). With the Soviets endlessly pursuing them, the gang must try to elude capture and prevent the powerful ancient object from falling into the wrong hands.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a lot deeper and more complex than implied in the short plot synopsis. The typical formula has been drastically altered, but this is a change for the better. Everything has been structured differently. The memorable opening in particular introduces us to the new Indiana Jones: he's no longer young and fast, but aging and fit.

An Indiana Jones film would never be complete without loads of action and exciting adventure. In this case there is plenty of action that begins quickly. The film is exceedingly fast-paced and over-the-top. There are several homages to classic films from the works of Spielberg and Lucas (the opening few shots mirror Duel and American Graffiti) while always being original and exciting. This film also retains numerous crew-members who worked on the previous movies. From the casting department, the editor, the producers - they have all been called back to make this one.

Of course this is now the age of CGI and blockbuster effects. About 30% of the film is CGI. But much of the film is actually live action. Old school effects appearing in contemporary cinema is a rare event indeed. Heaps of the action is extremely over-the-top. More so than the other films. A lot of the action is absurdly unrealistic, and this is one of the film's only flaws. All the action is at least entertaining with never a dull moment. I never felt bored at all. Never did I feel compelled to continually check my watch. This is the beauty of such fine filmmaking.

Spielberg is a fine director, now with an able new cinematographer who manages to recapture the wonderful cinematography of the previous films.

Harrison Ford will always be Indiana Jones. It's the part he was born to play! He's much older and he looks much older, but he is still energetic and fit for someone in their late 60s! Cate Blanchett is a formidable villain. Blanchett is one of the best working actresses of the current generation. She succeeds in playing a nefarious Russian villain. It's fantastic to see Karen Allen reprising the role of Marion Ravenwood. I have no complaints about the rest of the fantastic cast.

John Williams excels himself once again. No-one else can possibly compose the score for an Indiana Jones movie.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is definitely worth the wait! After years of scrapping ideas and scripts, I'm happy they finally settled on a screenplay and went ahead with the film. It's a vastly different Indiana Jones film of course. Because of advancing technology it looks and feels different. But the film is fun, filled with action and provides an extremely fitting conclusion for everyone's favourite adventurer. I was just disappointed that it had to end. Beware: this Indy movie is more of a 1950s alien B-Movie.

8.8/10