MOVIE REVIEW: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

 INDIANA JONES

AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

Four of Seven Cows

Ahh, the Soviet Union – now there was an enemy Hollywood could have some fun with. As viewed through Hollywood’s lens, the Soviet Union’s version of evil was stylish, sexy, and seemingly invincible. Today’s enemies live in caves, are completely devoid of fashion sense, and insist on putting their female villains under burkas where you can’t even see them. It’s enough to make one miss the Soviet Union.

           

Indiana Jones? Not so much.

           

I understand that I’m swimming against the tide here, but my fondness for Indiana Jones has never recovered from the inter-ocean trip he took clinging to the back of a U-Boat in Raiders of the Lost Ark. U-Boat stands for –  literally – UNDERWATER BOAT, and while I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, I have my limits. So I come to this one with a bit of a chip on my shoulder, but that’s just me.

            

 If you like the Indiana Jones franchise, then The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is for you. It’s as campy, ludicrous, and well-produced as any of the Indiana Jones movies. The script is good-natured fun, the cast is game, and the action is absurd enough to keep you either highly entertained or completely incredulous.

           

Harrison Ford is a bit creakier, but handles his age with good humor and, presumably, ample pain killers – this old guy gets in more fights than George Foreman. As a fellow old guy, I was so pumped by his performance that I almost went looking for my felt fedora and bull whip, but as usual just ended up taking a nap.

             

Relative newcomer Shia LaBeouf is a bit of a revelation. LaBeouf enters the movie doing a remarkably-effective Brando impersonation, and then goes on to prove he can act as well. We’ll be seeing much more of him. The rest of the cast is good, with Cate Blanchett being especially fun as Soviet uber-villain Irina Spalko, and Igor Jijikine as the exquisitely-menacing Soviet tough guy Dovchenko. Jijikine is so menacing, in fact, that at first I thought he was a special-effects creation of some type.

             

As an addition to the Indiana Jones franchise, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does just fine. If you like Indiana Jones you’ll like this: You know who you are. As for me, I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull four of seven cows.