Burton Speaks

My girlfriend and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last night. I'm going to start out by saying that it was "pretty good". However, since it's the fourth in a beloved series (and George Lucas has taken to destroying anything I had a fondness for as a child) I probably have hopes and expectations for this that I wouldn't put on a standalone film. As films go, this was by far better than most other action/adventure films... but was is at good as the rest of the Indiana Jones movies? Was it even as good at Temple of Doom?

Warning: Reading much further in this review will probably spoil the movie for you. You've been warned.

So we all know that Harrison Ford has, amazingly enough, aged in the last twenty years. That simple fact, however, has caused no degree of consternation among viewers, where Harrison Ford only aged something like nine years in the filming of the first three films. He has, however, aged gracefully and, being the fabulous actor that he is, played the part of an older Indiana Jones fabulously.

In fact, the acting for the movie was pretty darned good all around. My hat goes off not only to Harrison Ford, but to Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett and John Hurt. They played the characters convincingly. Also, thanks to Steven Spielberg, the movie was directed well. However, the story (I'm looking at you, George Lucas) is a little... strange.

Whereas Indy was fighting the villainous Nazis in the first and third film, now, being set in the mid-50's, the Soviets are the bad guys. They having a hand in coercing Indy into looking for a crystal skull and the kingdom to which it belongs, and does so. He spends far too much time underground with creepy people hiding in the shadows and skeletons hanging off the walls. There are gratuitous scenes with giant CGI ants. Still, the music is solid and the pacing is fun.

However, I'm going to be honest. The alien "interdimensional being" angle to the film was a huge distraction. It really seemed to take the film in a different direction from the others. Whereas it was always a religious power that was being sought before, now it's the treasure of interdimensional beings. It just didn't fit. I mean, when I'm in the middle of the movie rolling my eyes and muttering, "That better not be a spaceship," it's distracting. (It wasn't a SPACEship, though. It was an interdimensional being-ship.) See where I going with this?

Despite my griping, however, I enjoyed the film. It was fun, it certainly had the visual look and feel of an Indiana Jones movie - just not the theme. I would happily watch it again in concert with the rest - but I probably won't pay full price in the theater to see it again.

All in all, it was a good movie. It wasn't great, but it had big shoes to fill. I just want George Lucas to stop making films before he manages to ruin anything else.