Only Half Of A Great Film
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
At an airfield in 1957 Nevada, Indiana (Harrison Ford) and pal Mac (Ray Winstone) encounter villainous Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her gun- toting goons.
Indy whip-cracks and wisecracks his way out of trouble, then returns to Marshall College where Dean Stanforth (Jim Broadbent) asks the professor to take “an indefinite leave of absence”.
A chance encounter at the railway station with a rebellious greaser called Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), an acquaintance of Indy’s old pal Professor Oxley (John Hurt), propels the archaeologist on a quest to locate the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator.
Alas, Irina and her henchmen also seek the artefact, and they intend to use Indy to find it threatening to kill his old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) if he doesn’t help.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is only half of a great movie. During the action sequences, when director Steven Spielberg is on a sure footing, this fourth film in the blockbusting series is an absolute joy, delivering adrenaline pumping thrills and spills, interspersed with smart one liners.
Unfortunately, the hocus pocus storyline holding all these breathtaking set-pieces together is both thin and preposterous.
However, considering it’s been almost 20 years since Ford last flexed his trusty bullwhip as the eponymous treasure hunter, he’s in remarkably good shape for his pensionable years.
Blanchett is under-served, which is a pity because she has great fun with the role, while LaBeouf clearly prepares to accept the mantle of Indy’s fedora for subsequent films.
Tags: absolute joy, action sequences, bullwhip, cate blanchett, crystal skull, director steven spielberg, harrison ford, indefinite leave, jim broadbent, leave of absence, marion ravenwood, marshall college, nevada indiana, old flame, railway station, ray winstone, shia labeouf, soviet agent, whip cracks