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Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.
Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones
Crystal Skull may I say is a breath of fresh air in one glorious stroke of genius by Steven Spielberg once again.
His fun ideas like Indy being saved by a fridge from an Atomic Blast to him blowing back a dart in some pygmy/Aztec's mouth to Indy clutching at a snake for dear life, is entertainment fun at it's best. Not to mention chases laden with effects that effortlessly stream across the screen. Crystal Skull has that magic from the other chapters and we see an older but still determined Jones out to save the World once again.
Now, about the cast. The star is aging, the sidekick is from Even Stevens, Karen Allen hasn't been in a big movie in God knows how many years, and, for some reason, people were worried about Cate Blanchett in her role. Well, let me put the concerns to rest,the entire cast is established pitch-perfect chemistry and everybody plays their parts incredibly well. Harrison Ford is, for the first time in a decade, having the time of his life and it shows in his excellent return to the famed American icon. It's no secret that he has been campaigning for this movie for years, and it shows in his strong performance. Karen Allen shares fantastic chemistry with both Shia LaBeouf and Ford, as she provides a lot of the necessary charm to the second act of the film. Blanchett uses a heavily over-the-top Russian accent, but she finds just the right note between creepy and intriguing to make her the best Indy villain since Belloq in Raiders. Ray Winstone does well enough in his role, as does John Hurt and Jim Broadbent.
Shia LaBeouf as Mutt(Echoes of Superman Returns family wise plus Mutt wasn't Indy named after the dog? :P) is sensational bringing youth and experience together with Ford. He's got attitude, spunk and charisma in his fresh approach, looking like something out of Grease but way more cooler.
Cate Blanchett as Irina seductive and beautiful even when playing a villain. She was fun along with Ray Winstone and John Hurt who added to fun upon fun.
Karen Allen has some good chemistry with Ford, showing a bickering but loving couple.
Look out for the reference to Raiders Ark Of The Covenant in the warehouse, bloody genius!
Music Skull has the flair of its predecessors which blends with the action and fast paced story. Effects are used but not overly while stunt work is not noticeable.
''I've got a bad feeling about this.''
Crystal Skull oozes 1950s: Russian spies, nuclear testing, a screening of Howdy Doody and Dr. Jones on a sort of academic blacklist all take place in the first ten-or-so minutes of the picture (as does—sad to say the high point of the film for me—a cameo appearance by Neil Flynn, a friend of Ford's from The Fugitive who is best known for his portrayal of The Janitor on ABC sitcom Scrubs). The filmmakers have discussed at length how, while the earlier Jones films were an attempt to capture the essence of the 30s and 40s adventure blended with a more contemporary feel, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be a 50s-style action romp with some science-fiction sensibility thrown in for good measure (a questionable choice to start, as many of those films eventually ended up as Mystery Science Theater 3000 fodder). In an attempt to capture that feel, you have some campy dialogue, some stock characters. There's a fairly generic bar brawl, started by LaBoeuf and set to the tune of Shake, Rattle & Roll, which solidly plants this film in its era. This is an interesting artistic choice because in the previous Indy films, even with their date stamps, the adventures that always transpired were always relatively timeless, as is this.
''Well, the word for gold translates as treasure. But their treasure wasn't gold, it was knowledge. Knowledge was their treasure.''
The other aspect of the film that is bound to turn some heads is the role that extra-terrestrials play in the picture. As in Spielberg's classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind, there is no dialogue, as such, shared between man and his visitors...but their presence is strong and pervasive, particularly in the second half. Using Roswell as a jumping-off point, it is revealed that the good Dr. Jones has been used as a government agent in a variety of capacities since we last caught up with him--he is a Colonel in the Army, apparently, and also has worked with the CIA, MI6 and as a spy against the Russians in the time since Hitler autographed his father's diary for him in the early '40s.
The adventure sequences in the picture are unrealistic yet highly entertaining and fun. While some of the car chases and fight sequences are good, and alot of the side jokes are on the mark, there are times (Marion is injured while driving, but mysteriously gets better) that it's hard to follow visually what's going on as they try to pack too many characters and subplots into a fast-moving sequence. Many of Harrison Ford's comic moments are on-target, but other diversions,(such a CGI-rendered prairie dogs and LaBoeuf's own private army of monkeys) bring to mind some of the more artistically-questionable moments of Return of the Jedi and detract from the seriousness of consequences faced by our protagonists.
''I barely recognize this country anymore; the government has us seeing communists in our soup.''
A strong story and great performances don't imply that this film isn't flawless. It isn't, but the flaws are few-and-far between and didn't hinder my overall enjoyment of the film. The first 20 minutes are somewhat slow, it takes a little while to get to Marshall College. These first twenty minute aren't necessarily boring; it is still entertaining, but it could have used probably 5 minutes of edits and pacing corrections. This is my biggest problem with the film, and once Indy returns to Marshall College, the film really kicks off and turns into the roller coaster ride that everyone has been hoping for.
Crystal Skull itself is well written, and well made with only a few exceptions. As long as you don't expect another Raiders of the Lost Ark, you'll probably be pleased with the film as it is, with the exception of one sequence which doesn't quite seem to fit. Beyond that, the plot, characters and acting all fit with this new kind of Indy film.
Cinematography is not the 80s style we'd probably all like, but it's not bad. The camera is certainly held much more stable than many of today's films, and the action is very clear and easy to follow, as is the stunt work great. There is a lot of computer animation--most of it looks believable, but some of it does not--but that which was done well fits superbly.
Overall acting was also very good. I was very impressed by Cate Blanchett, and to my surprise very pleased with Shia LeBeouf's character and acting.
To conclude, all in all out of the installments of Indiana Jones they all have a religion or premise at the heart the deeper you look, while Raiders was Jewish, Doom was Hindu, Crusade was Christianity. And Skull is out of this world! Watch and see...
Skulls is definitely a terrific fun comic caper masterpiece of sorts and Indy whips back out of retirement!
8/10
