Indiana Jones Saves the Day…Again!
Without revealing my age, let’s just say that I was so looking forward to this film because of the nostalgic memories it creates. I can remember paying $2.75-$3.25 for each matinee showing of Indy films 1-3. I remember when my friends and I would meet to view the film and then head to the mall to have ice cream at Friendly’s after the show where we would share our own “reviews”. So, when it was revealed that Lucas Films was going to release another film in the Indiana Jones saga, I couldn’t wait. Was I disappointed? Actually, no. But, did I think it was worth the $8.75 to see it? No but I’ll explain that later.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place during the late 50’s as world-renowned archeologist and professor, Dr. Henry Jones (played by Harrison Ford), becomes intertwined in a Soviet plot to locate and reveal the secret behind some mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. At first, Jones is content with his teaching duties at university but when a young man named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) pleas for his help to rescue two people they have in common, Professor “Ox” Oxley (John Hurt) as well as Mutt’s mother (though Indy doesn’t discover this until a bit later), from the jungles of South America, Indy has no choice but to assist. What follows is your typical Indiana Jones adventure complete with a squeeze-tight motorcycle chase through a small town in Peru, a high speed vehicle chase through the jungle, a heart stopping boat ride down the river and over several waterfalls, hidden caverns and tunnels revealing ancient bones and skulls, and I’ll stop there. The ending has its own surprises.
In typical George Lucas - Steven Spielberg fashion, Indiana Jones is everything a die-hard Indy fan would expect. My only complaint, there were some far-fetched elements that weren’t typical of the Indy films of old (i.e. swinging from the jungle vines to get away from the bad guys) but other than that, I enjoyed the film and am glad to have seen it on the BIG screen. However, would I recommend paying the $8.75 evening price to see it? Nah. It’s good for a matinee showing just to get the full special effects experience.
Jones also stars Karen Allen, resuming her role as the lovely Marion, and Cate Blanchett as Soviet Agent, Irina Spalko.
Now, as for the pseudo-personal tie-in to the film that I have been bragging about.
As a former teacher, one of my former students is the niece of NY Times Best Selling Author, James Rollins (Map of Bones, The Judas Strain, and many others). Mr. Rollins has become my favorite author of scientific fiction novels. He writes such 
dramatic stories that I get an adrenaline rush every time I read one of his novels. As a matter of fact, his novels have often been compared to the Indiana Jones of our time. So much so that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg chose him to write the novelization of the film.
Over the years, my books have been critically compared to Indiana Jones. I think mostly due to the historical or archaeological nature of the novels. In fact, one reviewer of my book, Map of Bones, described it as a cross between Indiana Jones and the The Da Vinci Code. To this day, I’m still not sure if that reviewer was insulting me or complimenting me. But I personally take any comparison to Indy as a compliment.
~ James Rollins on his comparison to Indiana Jones
I received word via email this week that the novelization of the film was to be released on May 22nd coinciding with the world-wide release of the film itself. I have since bought the novel and have begun reading it. I can just about guarantee you that the novel will do Indiana’s story justice. I promise to come back with my “review” to let you know if my prediction rings true or not.
For more information about masterful writer James Rollins, visit his website at www.jamesrollins.com. There will be a link up very soon to an indepth interview with Mr. Rollins along with film clips from the movie so be sure to check that out too!
In the meantime, I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
1/2 reels
Until next time, see YOU at the movies!
Lisa 
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Comments
Yeah, I had mentioned there were some elements to the film that were not of typical Indy fare. The alien reference was one of them but I didn’t want to give it away. I’ll leave that to you fine folks, my readers.
I was somewhat disappointed too but then I looked at the positives, it made it easier to walk away from with at least a smile on my face. Harrison Ford was still his very best. He still mumbled the wisecracks, climbed the boxes, jumped(and consequently fit)into the refrigerator that was blown to China (well, not really), fought the hard fight (more than once) like the Indy of old, etc. That alone was worth the viewing. And I still liked the high speed jeep chase or the terrifying boat ride. If I add in the scientific evidence gathering in language only an archaeologist would understand, it made the scripting good too.
So, in other words, the elements that ARE typical of an Indy film were apparent and as long as I think of that, I’ll at least take away something memorable from the film.
Thanks for your in-depth interpretation, Jessica. Feel free to comment anytime!
Lisa, if you don’t already know it, I LOVE movies. If I could find a job where I watched movies for a living, that would be my dream job. I have many favorites, but the Indiana Jones movies have always had a special spot in my heart b/c Temple of Doom was the first movie my family watched on our new VCR when I was 10. (BTW, everyone always pans Temple of Doom as dark, even Spielberg has admitted he doesn’t like it, but its always been my favorite of the Trilogy)
I feel compelled to write about my reaction to a movie I’ve been looking forward to more than any movie released in the past few years. I am ANGRY! And for so many reasons. To talk about them, I will have to state some SPOILERS
(IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE YET, AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW, DON’T READ ON)
Aliens?! I should have saw it coming when we start the movie at Area 51 but I guess I kept ignoring it, thinking, surely we’re not going to turn this into some George Lucas contrived scifi movie. Not Indiana Jones! There are so many other more interesting, creative stories we can use without going the alien route.
Not only are there aliens but Mr. Star Wars himself couldn’t come up with an alien that looked much different than the stereotypical alien that we’ve seen in dozens of other films? I thought he was more creative than that. And here’s another innovative idea: how about aliens are the reason ancient civilizations had technology that was beyond their time. Hey, that’s a theory NO ONE has ever proposed.
I was really fuming when I left the theater, so mad I couldn’t even speak. When I finally did, it was to rant about all the things wrong with it. My boyfriend tried to reason with me, proposing the rationale for why aliens were used (the movie happened in the 50s, alien stories were popular in the 50s, the way they looked in the movie was the way they looked in many 50s-era alien movies, etc) but I could not be consoled.
I think he was rather surprised by my reaction, but I felt betrayed. Lets look beyond a rather weak plot, action sequences that so very clearly used stunt men the entire time due an aged Harrison Ford, an Indiana Jones that seemed rather inept even at figuring out the historical/academic clues and plot “twists” that weren’t very surprising-I could forgive all these things-I could easily forgive the supernatural element, as that has certainly been present in all the Indiana Jones movies. Its the fact that there are so many different stories and myths from around the world they could have mined from without going straight to this alien siliness. I have NO need for an Indiana Jones movie that ends with an alien saucer flying back to space.
I cannot convey my sense of dissapointment and anger; my only consoling thought is that I’ll never count this movie as an Indiana Jones movie-I’m fine forever thinking Indy, Henry Sr., Sallah, and Marcus ride off into the sunset, happily ever after.