Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 6 months, I'd hope you're fairly aware that there is a new Indiana Jones film. Premiered to great fanfare this past week at Cannes, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull may not be the masterful return to Raiders of the Lost Ark (or even Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) that some fans may have been hoping for but when viewed with an open mind, there is more than enough to enjoy here to warrant a viewing. Packed with superb action sequences, a tight script, the typical Spielberg-ian direction and a handful of good performances, the Indiana Jones franchise has another winner on its hands.

Back in the fedora for the fourth time is Harrison Ford, who, despite his age, absolutely nails his performance, comfortably stepping back into the shoes of the title adventurer. In this installment, set in 1957, his focus shifts from Nazis to Communists as the Cold War rages on and that change is somewhat jarring at the film's start. In the post World War II environment, Indy is a decorated vet rather than vigilante fighter for democracy. When the Russians, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) arrive at Area 51 (which we have actually seen before in the series, you just didn't know it) in Nevada with a captive Indy in tow, they are looking for a particular artifact with some otherworldly abilities. This may sound like a typical start to an Indy film but the political climate change that inevitably followed the end of WWII permeates the film. All things considered, like the lack of the definitively evil Nazis hurt Temple of Doom, it hurts Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well. For whatever reason, Indy always seems more at home socking it to some eight foot German.

Anyway you slice it, Indy escapes, without the artifact (C'mon, the bad guys have to start with the upper hand, its Indiana Jones!), but with his life, which is slightly unbelievable given the situation that ensues. Regardless, he winds up back in a classroom until an unexpected visitor, Mutt Williams (Shia LeBouf), arrives with chaos quickly on his heels. He asks Indy to come and help him look for an old friend of Jones', Professor "Ox" Oxley (John Hurt), who had been a father figure to Mutt, but has seemingly lost his mind in pursuit of the legendary city of Akator and the associated crystal skulls said to possess magical powers. Indy being Indy, he's off and ready to go. Without spoiling too much, he is reunited with his old friend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who carries some interesting news, as he clashes with and races against the dasteredly Commies. In other words, its an Indiana Jones film.

Spielberg hyped the film by claiming that CGI would be kept to a minimum, which makes the mutiple appearances of CGI prarie dogs in the opening twenty minutes so questionable. In what is the most obvious moment of George Lucas meddling, the shots, albeit brief, seem to be out of the traditional spirit of the series, which has always relied more on gross out animal sightings than loveable cuddly ones. At least in Raiders, the monkey was real. It is a disappointing start to the film and in all honesty, the shots immediately took me out of the flow of the sequence. Thankfully, Spielberg retains the reins and locks in, leaving the rest of the film satisfying and exciting. Its obvious that a true master is behind the camera here as the direction is assured, flashy when necessary but never distracting. Spielberg can craft an action sequence with the best of them, knowing exactly when to peak and step back, pacing each moment to near perfection. While Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't have the same seat of your pants moments that made Raiders so spectacular, it tries its hardest to make it all look effortless and for the most part, it works.

Shot by Janusz Kaminski, Spielbergs DP of choice, this is definitely the most visually extravagant installment of the series. Kaminski is one of the best cinematographers working today and his skills are on display here in spades. Its definitely more artistically shot than the previous three, the changes that comes with nearly 20 years of lag time doesn't feel as jarring as, say, the difference between the first three Star Wars and the subsequent prequels. Unlike Episodes I, II, III of Lucas' epic story, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't try to rewrite the books on everything previous. It wisely chose a later moment in time to set the narrative and while it eliminates the classic villains of the series best installments, to try and take a nearly 20 years old Ford and install him into another part set in the 1940's would have been a cataclysmic disaster, a bona fide film destroyer.

As I mentioned above, Ford is wonderful as he turns in his best performance in at least 10 years (since 1997's Air Force One). Equally as impressive is Cate Blanchett, who adds another stellar performance to her impeccable canon. If she isn't the most consistently talented actress working today, I'd be hard pressed to find her equal. While there may be some performances in a year that are better than hers, when all things are considered, the woman is a force of nature, undertaking a variety of roles and knocking everything out of the park. She may be the closest thing to Katherine Hepburn that the film world has seen since Hepburn herself. Its ironic that one of Blanchett's absolutely best performances was her portrayal of Hepburn in The Aviator, which she rightfully won an Oscar for. With The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another Blanchett pic in the pipeline for a late 2008 release and an almost guaranteed run at the Oscars, it looks like 2008 may be another year of Cate Blanchett.

LeBouf is charming here as well. He continues to solidify his position as one of the better up and coming stars of his generation. He may not always have the best technical acting performances but his charisma and screen presence is pretty undeniable. If he wasn't a massive star from last summer's Transformers, he will almost certainly be one by the time it's sequel finds the multiplexes in the near future. Ray Winstone, who was absolutely stunning in 2005's The Proposition and 2006's The Departed, contributes another good performance here as Mac, Jones' wartime buddy and adventurer. John Hurt is excellent as well as a mentally lost archaeologist. His performance is over the top and provides some moments of inspired facial work. What is perhaps most surprising and welcoming is that no sidekick grates upon the audience like some of Indy's prior acquaintances did (Willie Scott, I'm looking at you). Each contributes worthwhile moments that help enrich the overall experience.

In the grand scheme of things, look at Kingdom as somewhere between Last Crusade and Temple of Doom, in the 3 out of 4 spot in the series and you won't be disappointed. It is by no means a bad film, not at all, and more often than not, features inspired filmmaking, the type summer blockbusters too often miss. Spielberg is obvious having fun here and while it certainly doesn't provide the intellectual depth of some of his other blockbusters (read: Minority Report), it is a stellar recreation of the serials of yore. For those who complain about the ludicrous stunts or sequences, one must remember that nothing in this film would be out of place in the previously mentioned serials, Flash Gordon or The Phantom, for example. These are not films that rely on reality, the supernatural and the absurd have always factored into the Jones' films. Is a thousand year old knight sitting in a cave, drinking water from a magical, sacred cup all that much more believable? Or does the fact that if you drink from the wrong cup, you age years in seconds, your skin shrivels and your skeleton explodes, strike one as plausible? I'd like to think not. Those who will be upset with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are viewers, guided by nostalgia and selective memory, who have their minds made up about what an Indy film should be. This newest installment may not fit into that mold, but then again, it doesn't have to. See it with an open mind and bring a seatbelt. Its a wonderful ride.