 | Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winston Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: David Koepp and George Lucas
Genre: Action
Year: 2008
Country: USA
Language: English
Runtime: 2 hrs.
Imdb:
Rating: 3
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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.
Well crap. It is really hard for me to do this, but I have to be honest. One thing I can't stand are people who say a movie was great because they have an emotional connection to it, yet deep deep down they know it lacks. I love ya Indy, (and Spielberg) but something wasn't quite right.
It was ok. It was Indy-Lite. The film was a little too safe to be a true Jones movie. There were too many cute things and very little gross things; things the old films thrived on and had fun with. Shia was actually really good (probably the best character of the film) and the nods to the 1950's were great. The bomb, the opening racing scene which was probably my favorite part of the whole film, and the malt shop fight were elements that made me feel as though I was going to be in safe hands. The action was only mediocre. And how many times do we have to make nods to the first 3 films? I bet there were more than 20 throwbacks to the originals in the film. That became very distracting. Strong character moments were few and far between and I felt the one actor who was truest to his character was Shia. Harrison almost felt too aware of himself. So many performances felt like the actors were saying, "Hey look! I'm in an Indiana Jones film (again.) Now let's just lose the swashbuckling scene and the silly little monkeys. Very lame...
Another key thing that helped bring this latest installment down was the use of almost cartoon-like comedy and gags! Most of the funny moments from the originals came out of character situations. For instance, shooting the Arab swordsman, the monkey giving a Heil Hitler salute, the girl in class with "I love you" on her eye lids. Moments in the motorcycle scene worked, and the malt shop fight was brilliant, but come on! And where were the big action scenes? There was nothing to compare to the Nepal bar shoot out in Raiders or the tank chase in Crusade, or even the bridge scene in Doom! And am I watching Pirates of the Caribbean? What was up with the swashbuckling scene with Shia getting the area between his legs smacked every 2 seconds. WHAT! I have to be critical of this because the Indiana Jones films have been my movie bible since I was 4! I have seen the films more than any films I like and I have such high regard for Spielberg. It's only fair I give a truthful and sometimes rough crit of this film. Where was the real sense of danger? The really bad bad guys! A bald Nazi (Just kidding).
I can set this film apart from the others as being a new piece to the series, but it really could have been better. The film traded brutish Nazis (Raiders) for brainier Communists, monkey brains (Doom) for cute monkeys, and good family drama (Crusade) for jokey soft mannered daddy struggles. Dang. Dang. Dang.
The film wasn't bad and it is worth seeing. I just don't see my eventual Crystal Skull DVD getting worn out like lets say "Crusade."
Original Indiana Jones Ratings
Raiders of the Lost Ark 10
Temple of Doom 9
Last Crusade 10
