Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The jury is still out. You know those relationships where you get some closure but months later you’re still kind of curious as to how they are doing? I think Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is like that. Last Crusade did a fine job of ending the trilogy; it explained the whip, the hat, the name and left the door wide open as the Indy and his group ride off into the sunset. The door was so wide open, that the filmmakers decided to reunite and see if they could give a more fitting epilogue to the story of Indiana Jones. In some cases, they succeed, but is the whole movie necessary?

Here are the things that impressed me:
...-The movie is able to recapture a sense of nostalgia. Filmingwise, not much has changed. It doesn’t look too modernized. Crystal Skull fits nicely into the rest of the Indiana canon; unlike the Star Wars prequels, which look vastly different from the original three. They also pay respect to previous installments with a mention of previous characters and even a glimpse at a familiar artifact.
...-Harrison Ford still has it. Sure he looks a little more paunchy than his buff, streamlined Temple of Doom days but he still knows how to deliver the lines and the action. Indy always gets beaten up and it’s nice to know that Ford can still take a punch. The humour and the smirk are also noticeably present throughout the film. I’m glad the story didn’t try to hide his age.
...-I hate to admit it but Shia LaBeouf is really good. His greaser look with the ever present switchblade and comb, works surprisingly well. He plays well with Ford and had some very fun moments. But even though he’s good, I’m praying that the studio doesn’t let LaBeouf carry on the franchise. That would not be a wise decision. Only Ford can be Indiana Jones. This ain’t a James Bond free-for-all.
...-The two female roles are wonderfully cast. (Temple of Doom failed miserably) Cate Blanchett is almost unrecognizable as Irina Spalko, the evil Russian bad guy. She perfectly disappears into her sinister role. And you can tell that Karen Allen is having a great time returning to her role as Marion Ravenwood. She seems to have a constant smile on her face showing she’s just happy to be along for the ride.
...-Crystal Skull moves at a pretty brisk pace. The two hour running time flies by as Spielberg is able to show numerous action sequences with minimal exposition.
...-Seeing Neil Flynn (Janitor on Scrubs) with Ford. (He played a cop in The Fugitive and talked about it on an episode of Scrubs. Funny.)
...-The Star Wars catchphrase “I have a bad feeling about this” makes a cameo.
...-Gophers, dry quicksand, greaser brawls, ants, waterfalls and secret passageways.

Here are the things that annoyed me:
...-A bunch of the outdoor scenes look pretty soundstage-ish. I realize that Lucas and Spielberg were concerned about plot details leaking out but it’s sad when the landscape looks like a giant fake screen. The lighting in these scenes are atrocious. Spielberg is better than that.
...-Ray Winstone (Beowulf) sucks. His character Mac sucks. Suckiness all around. What a useless character. I miss Sallah.
...-I understand that all three previous Indy installments have some supernatural elements but this one goes a little too far. Actually way too far. Couldn’t he have looked for Atlantis instead?
...-The swinging through trees, the bland supporting villains, the confusing character of Professor Oxley.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a pretty good film. You just need to keep your expectations in check. It’s all about having a good time at the movies, nothing more. Don’t expect anything profound or important. Just get ready to have a good time and forgive some of the glitches. This is definitely one for the big screen. Spielberg goes for the eye candy and you don’t want to miss it. It’ll get your heart beating to that familiar Indy score. Da-da-da-da . . . da-da-da.