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After many years waiting for it and with a hesitant Steven Spielberg finally getting embarked as director of the project, the action cinema lovers had in front of their eyes the new Indiana Jones film. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a little masterpiece in the genre, and according to Harrison Ford, he was waiting for the right script to come back to incarnate to the intrepid professor and archeologist. Funnily, we could say that it is precisely the script the weakest part of the film. The introductory sequence in the military base already tells that this is going to be the weakest Indiana Jones movie so far, and the continuation does not improve much the first impression.

The movie has some good moments and features, like the plausible appearance of Harrison Ford who makes fun of his own age, or the good choice of Shia Labeouf as Mutt. But Cate Blanchett′s role is certainly a parody of what a good “evil” character must look like in the saga and some action sequences like the attack of the giant ants, the atomic explosion or Mutt jumping like a monkey from tree to tree are too far ridiculous.

Tags: action cinema, action sequences, archeologist, atomic explosion, attack of the giant ants, cate blanchett, cinema lovers, crystal skull, film indiana jones, first impression, indiana jones and the last crusade, introductory sequence, little masterpiece, military base, mutt, new indiana jones, parody, shia labeouf, steven spielberg

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I listened to James Taylor’s new album, called “Covers,” not long before I watched Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” I came to the same conclusion about both of these regrettable projects: What a shame that these two vastly talented men have been spinning their wheels in the same lucrative rut for so long.

Mr. Taylor’s album is, as the title states, a collection of other people’s hits, redone in his mellow, laid-back style. With the exception of “Wichita Lineman,” none of the songs are appreciable improvements over the originals. The overriding impression listening to it is that it promises high yield in a commercial sense while posing a very low risk to a star who has been much too firmly fixed at the same point on the horizon for far too long.

There is always the impression that the mere obviousness of its huge budget will atone for a multiplicity of other deficiencies.

Harrison Ford, charming half-smile intact, is reprising a character last seen on screens nearly 20 years ago. Mr. Ford tries hard not to seem as embarrassed by the knuckleheaded proceedings as Pierce Brosnan did in “Mamma Mia!” He, generally, succeeds on chutzpah alone. And, if the older Indy sports a few more facial lines and a slightly thicker waistline, he will always be up to the hair-raising acrobatics as long as there are testosterone rich stuntmen available.

The more familiar Indiana Jones-ish character in “Crystal Skull” is Mutt Williams, an attitudinal young man whose paternal origin will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen “The Empire Strikes Back.” Mutt is played by Shia LaBeouf, actor and occasional bad boy, whose much-heralded great future in Hollywood is not any more apparent here than it was in the god-awful “Transformers.”

The real casualty of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is Spielberg himself. The dazzling expectations occasioned by “Duel,” and “Jaws” were ultimately undone by “E.T.,” “Raiders,” and “Jurassic Park.” Their phenomenal successes beckoned, like a veiled temptress, to the director to “come away with me.”

The fact that the creature at the climax of “Crystal Skull” was reminiscent of the alien in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was probably calculated. I was only reminded of the promise abandoned.

Tags: acrobatics, chutzpah, commercial sense, crystal skull, facial lines, half smile, indiana jones, indy sports, james taylor, mr taylor, mutt, paternal origin, pierce brosnan, redone, shia labeouf, spinning their wheels, steven spielberg, talented men, wichita lineman

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The year is 1957, the height of the Cold War. As the latest Indiana Jones adventure opens, Indy and his long time sidekick Mac (Ray Winstone) have barely escaped a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents on a remote airfield. Now, Professor Jones has returned home to Marshall College only to find things have gone from bad to worse. His close friend and dean of the college explains that Indy’s recent activities have made him the object of suspicion, and that the government has put pressure on the university to fire him.

On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: If he’ll help Mutt on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear.

Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets, follow an impenetrable trail of mystery, grapple with enemies and friends of questionable motives, and, above all, stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands.

18 years after Indie rode off into the sunset following his last crusade, the intrepid archaeologist returns. Despite the film’s mixed reviews when it was released theatrically, ”Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull” remains a joyously old fashioned piece of escapism, assuredly crafted by Spielberg and beautifully acted.

It’s Ford whose age-old sense of cynical heroism that remains the centre of the franchise, and his performance is what defines this film. I recall attending the premiere of Raiders, and there is little doubt that the wonder of the original as seen in theatres over two decades ago, can never be repeated and never was even in the second and third films, but David Koepp’s script is still sharp enough to consistently capture the essence of Indy and the style of action film we rarely see in today’s Hollywood.

Much has been made of the film’s sci-fi elements, without realising that George Lucas’ intention, in updating the franchise to 1957, was to satirize America’s preoccupation with the Red Menace of the time, which was often cinematically explored in B-grade sci-fi. ”Crystal Skull” is simply a B-grade sci fi adventure, cloaked in the escapism of an Indy adventure. Thus we have Russian baddies and a touch of sci-fi, which mirror the period in which Skull is set. Cate Blanchett excels as the principal Russian baddie, and fans of Raiders will love an ageless and feisty Karen Allen, who returns as the indefatigable Marion Ravenwood.

While one could have done without too much of the CGI and over-abundance of visual effects, strip all the excesses away, and ”Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull” works as pure entertainment, enhanced by John Williams’ iconic score and Harrison ford who still delivers a character that suits him like no other. For nostalgia fans of a classic trilogy, Crystal Skull delivers.

The 1080p video resolution of this Blu Ray is exemplary, containing, clear images, beautifully razor sharp, enhancing details throughout every frame of the film. The famed jungle chase sequence is exquisite with tones and colour resolution perfectly contrasted. This is even more evidenced by the Doomstown sequence, in which Indie finds himself in a mock replica of 1950s suburbia being used as a nuclear testing site.

The colour saturation here is quite stunning, each colour as richly detailed as the next. The film’s geographical diversity, from the opening New Mexican desert, to the jungles of Peru [shot in Hawaii] to the darkness of a cemetery, are all crisp, clean and visually more striking than even the theatrical cut. In short, ”Crystal Skull” looks astonishing on Blu Ray.

As stunning as it looks, in TrueHD audio, ”Crystal Skull” sounds as good as it looks and then some, from the clean sound of the dialogue, to the realism of bullets flying and every sound effect imaginable, you haven’t really experienced Crystal Skull until hearing it, almost for the first time. I looked closely at the jungle chase sequence in particular, and was blown away by the details of the audio track. The monkeys, the sounds of the jeeps, none of which were overshadowed by the clarity of the dialogue. Crank up your sound system and listen to the auditory details of the TrueHD audio.

Tags: action film, archaeological finds, archaeologist, crystal skull, david koepp, enemies and friends, fascination, grudge, indiana jones adventure, last crusade, marshall college, mutt, professor jones, ray winstone, scrape, shia labeouf, soviet agents, soviets, superstition and fear

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When ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ opens the year is 1957 and we find our hero has been taken prisoner by a group of Soviets who have infiltrated the US Army’s notorious ‘Area 51′ looking for something the army has secretly stored there.

After Indy helps them locate what they’re looking for he expedites a ‘high speed’ escape before falling into the clutches of the US Army, after almost getting caught in the middle of a major nuclear weapons test.

After all this excitement Indiana returns to teaching only to be told, by his college principal, that because of the FBI’s ‘interest’ in him he is going to be suspended.

As Indy is about to head off on a trip to England he meets a young man  who asks for his help to find his mother, and his old professor, who have gone missing in South America.

Before the professor went missing he was searching for the mythical Crystal Skull of Akatar and this, along with the arrival of a number of KGB agents, prompts Indy to agree to help young Mutt and the pair head off in search of this elusive archaeological treasure.

Shortly after arriving in Peru Indy picks up the trail left by his old friend and he soon finds himself in an old graveyard where he discovered a hidden chamber where he locates the Crystal Skull.

However, the pair have been followed and, once again, Indy finds himself captured by the Russians, led by Cate Blanchett.

Aside from a few more wrinkles, and a tendency to wear his khakis a bit high at the waist, Harrison Ford rolls back the years to reprise one of the roles which made him a Hollywood megastar.

The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and rolls along at a pretty hectic pace. The opening half hour is non-stop and highly watchable although I felt a chase sequence through the jungle looked like it was all done in front of a blue screen, or on a computer.

If ‘Crystal Skull’ has an Achilles heel and it does it’s the story. The plot starts off fairly interesting but turns into complete hokum as it develops, and would be more at home in an episode of ‘X-Files’ than in a Indiana Jones movie.

What you do get with ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ is some excellent chase sequences, lots of high speed action, some exotic locations and the re-introduction of one of the big screen’s favourite characters to the movie going public.

And while the movie is very enjoyable, and well put together, the plot is very weak and unfortunately lets down what is otherwise a very enjoyable adventure romp.

Tags: achilles heel, archaeological treasure, area 51, cate, cate blanchett, chase sequences, clutches, college principal, crystal skull, ford, harrison ford, hectic pace, hero, hokum, hollywood, indiana jones, indy, kgb agents, khakis, megastar, mutt, nuclear weapons test, old graveyard, pace, romp, soviets, spielberg, steven spielberg, us army

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BREAKING through the cobwebs to revisit a classic franchise whose last film was nearly 20 years ago was never going to be an easy challenge, even for intrepid adventurer Indiana Jones, who’s well-known for rediscovering old relics - but director Steven Spielberg has definitely pulled it off.

An ageing Harrison Ford dusts off his character’s fedora as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls takes some daring risks and manages to create a rip-roaring piece of summer entertainment with Ford’s charm, Spielberg’s cinematic magic and the excellent new addition of the surprisingly charismatic Shia LaBeouf.

The movie works as a piece of summer entertainment that can be proudly appended to the previous Indy outings, and the film-making is superb with some stunning visuals and action sequences.

This project was always going to get a mixed response - stick to the original formula and some cry that it’s too tired and dated; make radical changes and you risk people saying it’s no longer Indiana Jones. The finished film is very much in the spirit of the originals, with some additions (LaBeouf and a somewhat out-of-this-world storyline) to take it in new directions.

In the story, Indiana Jones and a new companion, biker Mutt Williams (LaBeouf, above right), battle Soviet agents led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) in a quest to find a crystal skull in Peru which is said to have untold power.

Where it falls short in places is in the writing. Even dismissing the usual Indy cliches (bullets that never hit the target, impossible stunts and death-trap temples), some comic moments feel contrived, some explanations don’t work and the fates of some of the baddies left me totally unsatisfied.

The audience seemed to enjoy the movie and, as I left, one man remarked: “I went in with trepidation but it was excellent” to nodding approval from those around, and that’s exactly how I felt.

I’ll take a look at some of the details of the movie below, so don’t read further if you don’t want to know all the shocks and surprises - instead, come back after you’ve seen the movie and tell me if you agree,

THE DETAILS

This is a genre which has exploded since the first three movies with other quest films such as Tomb Raider, The Mummy and National Treasure, so director Spielberg and co-writer and executive producer George Lucas clearly felt the need to take the story to the next level with Crystal Skull.

Elements of Spielberg’s classic E.T. have now entered the Indiana franchise with this latest movie featuring alien remains, a reference to the Roswell incident and ending with a full-blown flying saucer emerging from an ancient pyramid.

There was a lot of anxiety from some fans before the movie about taking Indy’s archaeological quests into extraterrestrial territory - it does work in the film, though seeing a living alien near the end seemed unnecessary.

And the final explanation of the ‘gold’ of the lost city being the treasure of knowledge didn’t feel right at all, more like a writers’ cop-out. Despite the amazing final scenes at the temple in south America, that explanation seemed phoney and misleading.

The death of Winstone’s treacherous character - who was irritating from the moment he stepped on screen - was largely unsatisfying as was the demise of Blanchett’s eccentric Soviet agent (with bobbed hair, leather boots and a boiler suit). They needed to die - but it should have been more gratifying to the audience and not so rushed. I’m at least relieved that Winstone won’t be annoying me in future Indy movies.

Ford and romantic co star Karen Allen are now decidely advanced in years and one wonders how the franchise can carry on with either of them in physical action roles. Indy’s new sidekick Mutt who turns out to be his son seems to have been there to plant the possibility of him being Jones’ replacement.

Tags: action sequences, baddies, cate, cate blanchett, comic moments, crystal skull, crystal skulls, death trap, director spielberg, director steven spielberg, dusts, finished film, ford, franchise, george lucas, harrison ford, hero, indiana jones, indy, intrepid adventurer, irina, karen allen, last film, mutt, national treasure, new companion, shia labeouf, soviet agents, spielberg, steven spielberg, story indiana, stunning visuals, summer entertainment, target

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A little more rugged and world-weary but still as handsome as when we were first introduced to him in The Raiders of the Lost Ark, Professor Henry “Indiana” Jones is back in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now a card-carrying member of the AARP, things run a little more slowly and the over the hill jokes are a must. I was hoping that the film would capture the magic of the previous three, but alas, it did not.

indy.jpgMutt finds Indy on his way to London and tells him that Professor Oxley (John Hurt), a former classmate of Indy’s and friend of Mutt’s family, has gone missing down in South America on his search for a crystal skull. Mutt’s mom is down there and told her if she was in trouble to find Indy to help. Intrigued, Indy and Mutt venture down to Peru to find the two.

A college town chase scene ensues, followed later by a fun romp/chase through the jungles (reminiscent of the Endor speeder bike scene from Return of the Jedi). These are the elements most like the old Indy films.

While everyone, even myself, anticipated another Indiana Jones film after Last Crusade, I’m wondering now if the franchise was better left alone. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was, by far, my favorite film – with a far better story and a chemistry between Ford and Sean Connery that far surpasses the chemistry between Ford and LaBeouf.

It’s still a great popcorn flick, but so far Iron Man is the tops of my list of 2008 summer movies.

Tags: bike scene, cate, chase scene, classmate, crystal skull, endor, ford, franchise, henry indiana, hill jokes, indiana jones, indiana jones and the last crusade, indy, indy films, iron man, jungles, last crusade, mutt, oxley, popcorn flick, professor henry, raiders of the lost ark, return of the jedi, romp, sean connery, way to london

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Our Cate Blanchett is about to add to her status as the biggest box office-earning actress in cinema history with the worldwide release of Indiana Jones 4: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

It sounds a bit like Monopoly money but Cate’s new film is tipped to earn close to $US1 billion in box office takings around the world, adding to the $US3 billion earned by the three Lord of the Rings films in which Cate played the royal elf, Galadriel.

In Indiana Jones 4: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cate plays a Russian spy, Irina Spalko, who embarks on a desperate race to find the “crystal skull” ahead of Professor Henry Walton Jones, Jr, better known, of course, as Indiana Jones played by Harrison Ford, the

character he played in three previous films and in a one-off appearance in a 1993 episode of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

The film also stars Shia LaBeouf, as Indi’s new side-kick, Mutt Williams, and brings back the character of Marion Ravenwood from 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, played then and now by Karen Allen.

Allen is now 57, Harrison Ford 64. They shared adventures - and more! - in Nepal and Egypt in that 1981 film.

This time around? See the film - it adds up to great entertainment with lots of surprises unfolding on screen.

Beckham is actually just one of a dozen international football stars playing themselves.

In the first film, Santiago and his family had travelled from Mexico and were living in poverty in Los Angeles until Santiago, spotted by a talent scout, was invited to England to join Newcastle United.

Goal III, set around the FIFA world Championships in Germany, is now in post-production with a possible Australian release late this year.

It’s a film in which audiences may find it hard to believe Academy Award winner Javier Bardem, playing a love-struck romantic, is the same Javier Bardem who embarked on a killing spree in No Country for Old Men.

Tags: actress, box office takings, cate, cate blanchett, champion, cinema history, crystal skull, desperate race, football stars, ford, harrison ford, indiana jones, indiana jones 4, irina, javier bardem, karen allen, killing spree, lord of the rings films, marion ravenwood, monopoly money, mutt, newcastle united, professor henry, raiders of the lost ark, russian spy, shia labeouf, takings, talent scout, young indiana jones

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Indy’s back after a 19 year break and not much has changed. Indiana Jones first came to the screen in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark and then returned in 1984 for The Temple of Doom, and finally The Last Crusade in 1989. Last time Indy was on the screen, he was in the 1930’s and they have kept time and date by replacing the 30’s setting with a 50’s setting on this fourth Indiana Jones installment.

Harrison Ford returns as Indy. He’s a little bit older, but still the same old Indy and Ford delivers. Much was discussed about his age, but he fits right back into the role beautifully. Karen Allen, who played Marion Ravenwood in Raiders is back as a former love of Indy who now has a son, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LeBeouf. Many were concerned with the casting of Shia, but he holds his own sharing screen time with the legend Harrison Ford. Adding to newcomer Shia, is the main villain played by Cate Blanchett. Cate is an excellent actress and plays a Russian villain extremely well. Overall, wonderful new casting adds to the already solid original cast that returned.

The fourth Indy flick involves the Russian KGB kidnapping Jones to enlist his services in finding a cargo crate with mysterious contents. Indy eventually escapes only to get tangled back up with the Russians later on, when it is revealed that Indy’s old friend has been captured by them over a powerful artifact, the Crystal Skull. Indy sets out to free his friend and reveal the mystery of the Crystal Skull.

To avoid spoilers on the movie, I’ve been and will be relatively vague in this review. One of the main plot points that isn’t really a secret is that Mutt(LeBeouf) is actually Indy’s son. This particular plot elements really brings the movie up as Shia and Harrison have a on screen chemistry reminiscent of the chemistry between Harrison and Sean Connery who played his father in The Last Crusade. I always enjoyed the emotional and funny connections made between father and son in the Last Crusade and it is a welcome addition to the new flick.

The only thing better would have been to have Sean Connery in there as well, but Mr. Connery turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as he doesn’t want to come out of retirement. Luckily, they brought back Karen Allen who is absolutely marvelous reprising the role of Marion Ravenwood. From the moment she is introduced, the movie feels complete. Indy and Marion back on screen together is magic in itself, especially if you are a fan of the first Indy flick, which is the best one.

Overall, the story is great. It feels like it could have been better, but they did such a great job making the script play older to fit in with the previous Indiana Jones movies, while also updating enough to play to modern audiences that a few dragging points and interesting story choices don’t ruin it for me. Coupled with a great story and wonderful actors/actresses, the only thing left is a great director and who better than Steven Spielburg. Spielburg did such a great job with the first three Indiana Jones movies that I’m so glad that he choose to return for the 4th. It wouldn’t quite be Indiana Jones without the trademarked Spielburg directing style and flare. He really shows his knack for action and adventure thrills in this flick. From exciting chases, gun play, and killer ants, Spielburg films them all with the utmost care to detail and thrills.

There are so many wonderful action sequences and thrills that Indy keeps your attention on the screen. The movie is literally jam packed with great moments, lines, and nostalgia. If you have watched any of the previous Indiana Jones movies and liked/loved them, you’ll most likely like/love this new flick. If you didn’t like the original films, then we don’t talk to you. If you haven’t seen the originals, don’t cheat yourself! Go watch the originals in the order they were released and then go see Crystal Skull. I don’t remember what Indiana Jones film I saw first. I remember in my later years that I watched the whole trilogy at once, but I’m sure I had seen some of not all of them before that.

Either way, my favorite of the series, including the Crystal Skull, is the classic first one, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Coming in second is The Last Crusade, with Crystal Skull popping in right underneath the Last Crusade, almost tying it. The Temple of Doom comes in just slightly underneath them all. I stick Crystal Skull so close to The Last Crusade because it’s hard for me to choose which one I like better. There is a definite first place and last place winner, but the two other flicks just float in between. Now to say that The Temple of Doom is my least favorite of the Jones Trilogy is still quite a compliment. I rate the Jones Trilogy pretty high and that includes the extremely good Temple of Doom. It’s just when you have four excellent films fighting for your favorite spot, one has to come last even if it is a marvelous film.

The new installment of Indiana Jones is a don’t miss event. This is a great film throughout and is well worth the price of admission. This is a wonderful new film and it’s a grand experience hanging out with some old friends and seeing what they have been up to over the past 19 years, only to find out, they are still doing what they love and causing trouble.

Tags: action sequences, actress, cate, cate blanchett, crystal skull, father and son, ford, harrison ford, indiana jones, indy, job, karen allen, last crusade, marion ravenwood, mutt, original cast, plot elements, plot points, price of admission, raiders of the lost ark, russian kgb, screen chemistry, screen time, sean connery, shia lebeouf, temple of doom, time and date, welcome addition

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“Crystal Skull” even dusts off the Russians, so severely under- exploited in recent years, as the bad guys. Up against them, Indiana Jones is once again played by Harrison Ford, who is now 65 but looks a lot like he did at 55 or 46, which is how old he was when he made “Last Crusade.” He has one of those Robert Mitchum faces that doesn’t age, it only frowns more.

He and his sidekick Mac McHale (Ray Winstone) are taken by the cool, contemptuous Soviet uber-villainess Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) to a cavernous warehouse to seek out a crate he saw there years ago. The contents of the crate are hyper- magnetic (lord, I love this stuff) and betray themselves when Indy throws a handful of gunpowder into the air.

In ways too labyrinthine to describe, the crate leads Indy, Mac, Irina and the Russians far up the Amazon. Along the way they’ve gathered Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy’s girlfriend from the first film, and a young biker named Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), who is always combing his ducktail haircut. They also acquire Professor Oxley (John Hurt), elderly colleague from the University of Chicago, whose function is to read all the necessary languages, know all the necessary background, and explain everything.

What happens in South America is explained by the need to create (1) sensational chase sequences, and (2) awe-inspiring spectacles. We get such sights as two dueling Jeep-like vehicles racing down parallel roads. Not many of the audience members will be as logical as I am, and wonder who went to the trouble of building parallell roads in a rain forest.

Most of the major characters eventually find themselves at the wheels of both vehicles; they leap or are thrown from one to another, and the vehicles occasionally leap right over one another. And that Irina, she’s something. Her Russian backups are mostly just atmosphere, useful for pointing their rifles at Indy, but she can fight shoot, fence, drive, leap and kick, and keep on all night.

Tags: amazon, audience members, cate, cate blanchett, chase sequences, crystal skull, ducktail haircut, dusts, ford, gunpowder, harrison ford, indiana jones, indy, irina, karen allen, last crusade, mac mchale, marion ravenwood, mutt, necessary background, necessary languages, oxley, parallel roads, rain forest, ray winstone, robert mitchum, shia lebeouf, ups

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Indiana Jones survived his first perilous outing in the Kingdom of Critical Knives on Sunday, winning a friendly round of applause at a press preview at Cannes and respectable reviews.

The world premiere of the fourth and latest installment in the adventure series, and the first in 19 years “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is the hottest ticket at this year’s Cannes film festival.

A packed crowd of hundreds, many wearing Indiana Jones hats, waved and cheered as Harrison Ford, 65, and co-star Cate Blanchett, who plays the villain, walked Cannes’ famed red carpet for the official world premiere.

Set in the late 1950s of the Cold War era, the two-hour movie sees its swashbuckling archeologist hero racing against Soviet agents to recover a mysterious pre-Colombian skull in the wilds of Peru.

The plot had been kept strictly under wraps and promotional stunts kept to a minimum as Hollywood heavy-hitters Steven Spielberg and George Lucas awaited the response to what is arguably this year’s most-anticipated movie.

“Smart, Sleek, Familiar,” ran the headline of an early review in Time magazine’s online edition, which offered an approving appraisal of the film’s veteran lead.

“Ford looks just fine, his chest skin tanned to a rich Corinthian leather; he’s still lithe on his feet, and can deliver a wisecrack as sharp as a whipcrack,” it said.

The Los Angeles Times said fears that the latest outing would prove an embarrassingly geriatric addition to the Indiana Jones franchise had proved unfounded.

“It turns out it’s one of the good ones, and everyone involved can breathe a sigh of relief,” the Times said, while People magazine concluded: “The magic is still there”.

London’s Telegraph critic David Gritten was less enthusiastic, however.

“It’s not that (it) is bad, exactly. But it’s undeniably creaky,” he said.

“He doesn’t wear the fedora with quite the same jaunty angle, his bullwhip doesn’t crack as smartly — and Harrison Ford looks all of his 65 years.”

Ford insisted on doing his own stunts, saying audiences could tell the difference between an actor and a stunt double.

“It needs to be an emotional event, like every moment on screen needs to be invested with real emotion, or pretend emotion,” he told reporters.

“That’s why it’s so gratifying that we were all happy to do the stunt sequences or the action sequences old-school. Human scale.”

Spielberg credited Ford with reviving the Indiana Jones juggernaut when the actor told him in 1994, after he presented the director with an Oscar for “Schindler’s List”, that he would be willing “to put the fedora back on”.

The director called Ford his “secret weapon” in making the movies.

“He’s concerned about the whole, he’s concerned about the story and other characters and he is a collaborator in the entire process of telling the story,” Spielberg, 61, said.

“That takes a lot of pressure and weight off my back to have this kind of a partner in the trenches every single day shooting the picture.”

Ford said he was less concerned with what the critics said than with the opinions of movie-goers round the world.

“This kind of film, it is such a celebration of the movies,” he said.

“I know that we made this movie to reacquaint people with the pure joy that can happen in a dark room with a bunch of other people seeing something that they haven’t seen before that will just kick your butt.”

This fourth adventure begins in 1957 as professor Jones returns to his US college to find he is under suspicion from the anti-Communist administration and is about to be fired.

On his way out of town he meets young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), a bike-riding knife-flicking James Dean lookalike, who takes him off on a mission to find the Crystal Skull of Akator and to rescue his mother.

Hot on their heels is icy-cold but devastatingly beautiful Soviet agent Blanchett, who is also after the eerie skull which she says Stalin always dreamt of finding to wage “psychic warfare”.

Action-packed with car-chases, waterfall rides, man-eating ants and the usual secret underground temples, the film is chock-a-block with throw-away lines and droll quips.

Its “third dimension” style finale features a Spielberg-fathered ET character surfacing in a Mayan temple — an ending some critics said tested the audiences’ patience.

Tags: 1950s, action sequences, adventure series, applause, bullwhip, cannes, cannes film festival, cate, cate blanchett, crystal skull, david gritten, ford, franchise, george lucas, harrison ford, hats, heavy hitters, hero, hollywood, indiana jones, indiana jones hats, jaunty angle, liar, los angeles times, mutt, people magazine, red carpet, rich corinthian leather, secret weapon, shia labeouf, soviet agents, spielberg, steven spielberg, time magazine, whip, wilds, world premiere

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