Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Movie Review
Steven Speilberg and George Lucas showed that they are still masters of their game as far as 20th Century era fantasy stories and special effects are concerned. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is an attempt to make Indy more relevant to the new generation much like the James Bond series have. To a certain extent they have succeeded, and this film marks the passing of the signature fedora from father (Harrison Ford) to son (Shia LaBeouf).
The movie looks like Harrison Ford's last hurrah and a good one it is. Shia LaBeouf looks game enough as Indiana Jones sidekick though it is uncertain if he has enough charisma to carry the Indy franchise all by himself.
Though Harrison / Indiana is advanced in age, the producers had the foresight not to slow down the action scenes to cater for this shortcoming. In fact, the action scenes are a lot more energetic than the previous Indy movies up to cater to the younger audiences' addiction to high octane action.
Fans of Indiana Jones will be happy with the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as it carries on the tradition and feel of the Raiders of the Lost Ark and to a certain extent the Last Crusade. There even is a scene where we get a glimpse of the Ark artifact in the famed warehouse from the first film.
The hallmarks of the Indiana Jones' cinematic experience is all there - caves, Peruvian jungles, Mayan mummies, primitive tribes, dangerous stunts, exciting car chases, explosions, wisecracks, bad guys you love to hate and roller coaster plots. The Crystal Skull makes the National Treasure movies seem like tired versions of Indiana Jones by comparison.
Fans may object to the film's new focus on aliens, Roswell and the phobia of a Soviet invasion. However, all these elements are well fused into the Indiana "history" and will probably beat the new X-Files movie hands down in the alien-among-us stakes.
The sets are picturesque and evocative of the 1950s so you get a genuine "step back in time" feeling. ILM's special effects have an '80s feel so it is not so obvious it is CGI which gives movie goers a break from the usual special effects we see in today's movies.
This was the first time my 12 year old son was watching an Indiana Jones movie (its been 19 years since the Last Crusade) and he thoroughly enjoyed it. So kids and fans alike are likely to make Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a summer blockbuster.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is suitable for children
Crystal Skull is rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images but is generally suitable for children.
The violence is similar to the earlier Indiana Jones films. There are a lot of fight scenes though very little blood is shown on screen. Some of the action scenes plays homage to the classic Charlie Chaplin movies. Certain terror scenes may bother very young children such as the hideous Mayan mummies, fossilized alien beings, people being eaten by giant red ants, atomic bomb explosion and scary primitive tribes.
There is a crass expletive or two and some brief mention of Indiana's numerous flings and affairs. Other than that, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is suitable for children. Young kids may probably like the brief sequence of cute prairie dogs in the film.
Indiana Jones: Superhero or Just an Ordinary Guy?
Click here to read about the Origins of Indiana Jones
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Story: George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson
Producer: Frank Marshall
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins
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