Some things are different. No more Nazis -- it is now a Cold War and the guys on the other side are the Soviets. And there may be enemies at home. A harmless-looking professor could be a Red. Or maybe it is the agents of the U.S. government who are the bad guys when they see enemies who are not there. And teenagers are acting wild. Some of them speed by in jalopies and some of them slick back their hair, drop out of school, and ride motorcycles.
But some things are the same. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, for the fourth time) still packs a mean punch and carries a bull whip. He still has a way of getting himself into and out of trouble. He still hates snakes. And he is still a lot of fun to watch.
As always, we start right in the midst of the action. A motorcade of soldiers is approaching a "Hanger 51" Army base in Nevada that is shut down for a test of an atomic bomb. But it turns out not to be what it seems. They are Soviet spies and they want Indiana to find something in storage there (Indy fans will enjoy seeing a familiar item in one of the crates). This time, the artifact everyone wants is a crystal skull from South America that, according to legend, will grant great power to whomever returns it to its home. The Soviets are led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, severe in an impeccable uniform and a ruthlessly aerodynamic bob), a specialist in the paranormal.
Instead of being congratulated for escaping from the Soviets, Indy becomes a "person of interest" to the FBI due to "this charged climate" and is suspended from his job. When he gets a message from a young man on a motorcycle who looks like he just rode in from the set of "The Wild One" that his old friend Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured, Indy and the young man ("Transformers'" Shia LeBeouf) set out to rescue them.
Ford brings it. He is vitally and vibrantly present every moment on screen. He gets the a-word issue out of the way early on with a wry response to "we've gotten out of worse before" -- "We were younger then." He can still throw a credible punch and he has an even better and deeper sense of who he is as an actor and who Indy is as a character dealing with his own issues of aging. Moving the characters forward in time provides many opportunities for fresh and intriguing details that are instantly evocative of the past and lightly resonant for today's circumstances as well. LeBeouf, Ford, and Karen Allen, who makes a welcome return as Marian, Indy's best leading lady, have terrific chemistry. The stunts are thrilling and brilliantly paced, and the script, the first three-quarters of it, anyway, if not up to the level of the first Indiana Jones film, is at or better than the other two. The old-school effects are far better than the brief CGI. The unscripted real-life bug swallowed as an ad lib by Rene Belloq in the first movie was far more effective than an army of man-eating ants made from pixels in this one. John Hurt is underused as the addled Oxley as is Ray Winstone ("Beowulf") as a fellow traveler in more than one sense of the term. And it is a little too long, but that is understandable. Ford, Allen, producer George Lucas, and director Steven Spielberg enjoy spending time with Indiana Jones and don't want to say goodbye. We feel the same way.
Parents should know that like the previous Indiana Jones movies, this one has a lot of action and peril and some grisly and disturbing images, including guns, atomic blast, knives, whip, swords, punches, car chases, insects, and, of course, a snake. Grisly images include zombies, corpses, and skeletons and characters being stung and devoured by insects. There is also some paranormal material, some brief strong language, and some brief social drinking and a portrayal of mentally ill patients that may offend some audience members.
Families who see this movie should talk about some of the elements of the 1950's it portrays including the cold war, atomic testing, and the red scare and also some of the myths and artifacts the film refers to, including real-life crystal skulls.
Families who enjoy this movie will also enjoy the first three in the series.
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There is also the issue of Indiana having fathered a child OUT OF WEDLOCK that should definitely be discussed with kids if they are going to be allowed to see it. Marriage first, babies second...seems so simple but I guess the movie industry thinks that that is now passe.
Hi Movie Mom,
First, let me say I look forward to hearing your reviews on Jeff & Jer. Second, I have to say I was a little disappointed with this film. I love the Indiana Jones movies to death. I can watch them over and over agian. This movie did not seem to fit the other 3 movies. It seemed rushed and the store seemed a little out of character for him. The crystal skull and the meaning behind it just threw me off completely and the ending was a little much. There was just something missing for me that the others movies had. I enjoyed seeing Harrison Ford play the role of Indi again and I was surprised to see Karen Allen make a return. All in all I enjoyed the movie but it defiantly did not have the same punch as the other three.
Thank you movie mom I look forward to seeing more from you.
I love this movie. Knowing some of the inside jokes makes it all the better. Indy was always a little on the outside, so an unknown son adds to the clouded mystery. I hope they write a vehicle for LeBeouf to follow in Indy's steps. I think it was certainly as good as the third Indy (nothing can top the first simply because it was the first). I cannot wait for the DVD - I hope they sell them as a set. My VHS tapes are wearing thin.
Good thorough review of the movie. I was actually a bit surprised at the entertainment value of this latest Indiana Jones installment. I am generally not a big fan of updates to series that are classics.
Thanks, Movie Review Guy. I share your skepticism, well-founded in many, many bad experiences. But sometimes they surprise you. I enjoy your comment, so please return often!
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