Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (2008)

A long 19 years after Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989), Harrison Ford brings Indiana Jones back to the big screens with the must-see movie of the summer, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.

After re-watching Indy’s first 3 adventures this past week, there was no way we were going to miss Indy’s long-awaited 4th hurrah on the big screen. But would 19 years be too long between films (and Ford too old to be believable any more as Indy), or would the 19 years seem like nothing once the movie got underway?

Harrison Ford returns for his 4th - and probably last - stint as Indiana Jones. The last 19 years haven’t been exactly kind to him, as his age is most definitely showing at this point. From the prominent neck muscles to the loose-fitting clothing, Ford is really looking old. He still manages to move around through the film, but he’s lost some of the bravado and charm that made Indy so entertaining. He looks a bit out of place now, fighting his way through a crowd much younger than himself - and unbelievably, still holding his own.

Returning from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) is a face fans will remember well - Karen Allen. Her Mirian Ravenwood in that first film was the strongest of Indy’s female partners, and the most well remembered. The look of delight on Indy’s face upon first seeing her will be echoed by the audience.

Gone, however, is the whip-thin tomboy ready for a fight from the first film, replaced by a kinder, gentler mother figure. Despite that, Mirian does a decent job of holding her own with Indy, although they both look like they could use a bit of a nap at times during the film.

Shia LaBoeuf appears for the first time as a greaser throwback, and does a decent job of slowly blending his way in with the old favorites of the cast. While his style seems to be completely different than Ford’s, he manages to grow on the audience much quicker than expected.

Sadly, Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr. and Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody do not make an appearance except in photos, despite rumors to the contrary. There presence is sorely missed, and fans may mourn a bit at the passing of time. All the secret hopes the audience has been harboring for almost 2 decades of a reunting on-screen between Indy and his dad are dashed early on in the picture, bringing a bit of a pang of loss with it - an emotion unusual for an Indy picture.

Like the previous films, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull takes an old legend and re-shapes to fit their film. While previous films have focused on the Ark of the Covenant and The Holy Grail, this film focuses on the legend of El Dorado, the famed city of gold.

There seems to be a touch more Spielberg in this film, as the legend varies greatly from what most will have heard, and will recall one or two of Spielberg’s previous films rather than a truly Indiana Jones-type of adventure. But, with National Treasure (2004) picking up where Indy last left off, this could have been their only option. Still, it’s a shame to see Indy chasing myths that seem to have appeared in the tabloids more than in any actual literature.

That’s not to say the movie isn’t entertaining. It certainly is - it’s just a lot different than most would have expected from an Indiana Jones picture.

The special effects are boosted considerably for this 4th film, and abound nilly willy through the picture. From a nuclear explosion to a mad swarm of giant ants, the effects are much much larger than anything included in previous films.

Indiana Jones has definitely entereed the technological film age, and rather than getting the audience even more pumped up, it seems that Indy seems to have gotten a bit lost in all of it.

While the characters are all well-acted, and it’s nice to see Indy back on screen after almost 2 decades, it’s really a shame the filmmakers had to wait so long for this 4th adventure. With Indy looking more tired than excited most of the film - not to mention getting a little dwarfed by the much larger special effects - Indiana Jones comes out of this 4th adventure looking a lot weaker than the famed archaelogist seen in the previous films.

Toss in a non-conventional plot that might have some Indy fans (this one included) shaking their heads a bit, and this long-awaited film turns out to be a bit of a disappointment.

Don’t go in thinking it’s going to be the best adventure yet, and you shouldn’t be too disappointed.