After years of hype and nineteen years after the last installment, Spielberg’s 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' predictably lands somewhere between too-high expectations and disappointment - a fate that also met producer George Lucas' return to his other key eighties franchise.
The May theatrical release of Indy 4 led to the most divisive franchise blockbuster fanboy murmuring since 'The Phantom Menace' - no surprise as George Lucas really knows how to split the vote between nostalgia-fueled fans and hard-nosed cynics.
Of course, this return to a beloved franchise includes two key ingredients that Lucas didn't have for his stuffy prequels: Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford.
While Lucas is a gifted story comer-upper, the man has real trouble staging a bravura action sequence (I'll give him the “Duel of the Fates” climax but almost other action in the prequels left something to be desired), particularly action with a little fun and zest. Spielberg on the other hand hasn't lost his touch for some lively action even if scenes are decidedly sillier this time out.
And Harrison Ford returns to the titular role a lot older, not much wiser and a bit more grizzled and can still rock a hat, a bullwhip and party like its 1999...or 1989 rather. Aging gracefully in a story smartly not trying to hide his age, Ford is 65-years old and firmly in the Sean Connery school of badass senior citizenry. So if Ford is right on, what's the problem?
After nineteen years, a steady supply of treatments, ideas and scripts, this is the final script everybody signed off on? It wasn't the dialog I had a problem with, but more the broad strokes of the story - particularly the last third where the climax makes Indy just another spectator. It all feels like a hodgepodge of different scripts, and I imagine it was with the only credited screenwriter David Koepp all stitching it together just different enough to not get the WGA's attention.
The film definitely starts off strong with us picking back up with Indy in 1957 at the height of the cold war. Captured on some unnamed adventure by Russians led by psychic Irina Spalko (A good Cate Blanchett), Indy and new-to-us sidekick George 'Mac' McHale (Ray Winstone) are forced to point the way to a possibly all-powerful crystal skull in an action sequence that unfolds in a cool wink-wink location that closes out 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
Escaping the first act via a method that would strain credibility in a Looney Tunes cartoon, we arrive at familiar Marshall college where Indy's exploits in the first act result in him being accused of possibly being a Russian spy but before long runs into a young ducktail-combing greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who does his best Brando 'The Wild One' impersonation for his introduction.
Coming to Indy with clues left behind from Indy's old friend Oxley (John Hurt), Mutt wants Indy to help him save his mom in a coincidental continuation of the Crystal Skull drama.
The clues lead to the lost Temple of Akator in South America where Spalko's still trying to claim the world-dominating skull. Rescuing both Oxley and Mutt's mom, Indy now has a veritable team to try and uncover the skull's purpose before the Russians.
The plot is definitely more fun from scene to scene than trying to scrutinize it as a whole as scenes are mostly held together by very thin threads of plot development between zesty action sequences.
In fact, this is pretty much what I remember of the film in order: Warehouse...cool!, refrigerator...whaa?!, fun motorcycle sequence!, spectacular jungle chase!, swinging with monkeys...whaa?!, climax...zzzzzz. By the end, we were firmly in second-tier 'X-Files' territory which is borderline inexcusable when considering the talent behind the pic - i.e. the best of the genre.
Besides the previously discussed Ford, Shia LaBeouf does a fine job developing a whippersnapper rapport with Indy without becoming obnoxious and of course seeing Karen Allen again was a hoot.
Blanchett needed a few more scenes to establish at least some sort of character drive and her psychic powers, barely hinted at until the end, could have been put to use more effectively but Spalko is still a competent villain and Blanchett clearly had fun with the role. Sadly, both John Hurt and Ray Winstone were underwritten and underused.
Ultimately, if you come to the film expecting some fun action, appeasing both nostalgic and contemporary action fans, then you should leave the film relatively satisfied. If you came expecting a lot more than just top-tier stunt work and a nice turn from Ford (like say some sort of emotional connection to the characters), then prepare for a crusade of disappointment.
An aging hero with the world changing around him, the return of a long-lost love, a huge life-changing bomb drop of news - all a minefield of opportunities for a bit of emotional resonance - but, alas, Spielberg and Lucas were all business here. Who wants a quiet moment when you have giant killer ants?
This 2-Disc Special Edition presents the feature with an anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer and it's definitely a winner. From the early desert sequences to the dense, green layers of the jungles of Peru, everything looks appropriately detailed and bright.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is predictably great too and considering the film is mostly action of some sort, this provides some great demo-worthy depth and bounce.
There's a wealth of special features and while Spielberg doesn't do commentaries, he more than makes up for it by being a key focus throughout the featurettes and docs. On Disc 1, we get 'The Return of a Legend' (18 minutes), an overall look at getting all the key talent back together after nearly twenty years.
Spielberg, Lucas and Ford all comment on the winding development process. 'Pre-Production' (12 minutes) observes some of the pre-production work like Spielberg's pre-vis demands, checking out Ford getting ready to don the fedora again as well as small looks into the costumes and some of the cast.
Disc two holds the daunting 80-minute 'Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', a comprehensive doc that’s also broken into chapters that can be selected separately and covers almost everything you would want to know about the film from stunts, locations, sets, the cast and tons of behind-the-scenes footage. A great watch for fans of the film and Indy in general.
Some smaller featurettes that are mostly self-explanatory follow: 'Warrior Makeup' (6 minutes), 'The Crystal Skulls' (10 minutes), 'Iconic Props' (10 minutes), 'The Effects of Indy' (22 minutes), 'Adventures in Post-Production' (12 minutes) and 'Closing: Team Indy' (4 minutes). 'Pre-Vis Sequences' gives us fourteen minutes of some of the bigger action sequences in pre-vis form. 'Galleries' includes 'The Art Department', 'Stan Winston Studio', 'Production Photographs', 'Portraits' and 'Behind-the-Scenes Photographs'.
The teaser and final theatrical trailer as well as an XBOX 360 demo for 'Lego Indiana Jones' finishes things up in grand form.
If my review of the film took awkward turns between being positive and negative and it seemed like I couldn't really make up my mind...well, that's because I couldn't. The film is at turns both satisfying and disappointing as for every positive, there's a negative and for every a negative, there's a positive.
Yet the most integral parts of the franchise are in top form - Harrison Ford and Spielberg’s eye for action - so if I was to fall on one side of the fence, I suppose it would be positive.
Technically, this 2-Disc Special Edition is an exceptional DVD package with great video, audio and a bounty of special features, so along those lines, this is an easy recommend.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Nov. 10th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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