TITLE: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: David Koepp (screenplay), George Lucas (story)
CAST: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf

I love the Indiana Jones franchise! I watched every single Indiana Jones movie ever made so you're looking at a huge fan. When I heard that there was a re-make twenty years after the last installment, I was literally screaming-thrilled. Even more so when I learned that Cate Blanchett, arguably one of the most talented actresses of this era, was going to be in it.

So what happened?

George Lucas happened; that's what.

First, a briefer on the plot:

Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.

The movie features the Mayan civilization, all but lost to history, and the old El Dorado myth. No more Nazis. Instead, we get a healthy dose of red Soviets walking around in their starched military uniforms.

Blanchett, playing the prime villain Col. Irina Spalkov, sports a cool helmet-style hairdo, an even cooler personality and a stiff Russian accent. Very proper. Very correct. Very foreign. I love the character already!

LaBeouf played the greaser, bike-riding, leather jacket-wearing, knife-wielding "Mutt" Williams, Indy's sidekick and son. I didn't see The Transformers so the last time I saw LaBeouf was when he was still a kid playing the brat brother from the Nickelodeon sitcom, Even Stevens. He's gone a long way from then. His character in the Crystal Skull is still hilarious but more grown-up and tougher. I mean, hell, if he could give someone like Irina Spalkov a run for her money in a particularly hairy fencing scene, then he must be one tough meanie to beat.

I didn't look at the movie poster before I watched the movie. I wanted to surprise myself and boy, was I surprised. Especially when I saw Karen Allen make her appearance somewhere in the middle of the movie. I had no idea she was even in the movie. The actress reprises her role as Marion Ravenwood, Mutt's mother and Indiana Jones' leading lady in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I think was the best Indiana Jones movie ever made. Not much to say about the character, except that she has since mellowed down. It must be the work of motherhood. The best part about Allen's role in the movie is that it adds to the overall nostalgia.

And lastly, Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones once again. He makes a dramatic, albeit quirky appearance, as a hostage of the Soviets. The camera does not immediately show us his face but once the shadow of a man in a fedora hat appears we know it's him.

The movie is jam-packed with action. From the beginning, we get to see Indiana Jones make fast work of Soviet soldiers as he escapes through a rocket-sled across the Nevada desert and ends up in a nuclear test site. Indy barely escapes with his life, taking shelter inside a lead-lined refrigerator, where the FBI eventually found him. There is a brief respite as Indiana returns to university but this is cut short when Mutt appears with a story about Oxley, Indy's friend from academia, being kidnapped by the Soviets. Then, a thrilling motorcycle ride through the city, through university grounds, and through the freakin' library! And if that isn't enough, the movie features soldiers attacked by gigantic army ants, Mutt swinging through trees with monkeys, scary drops through not one, not two, but three waterfalls, skeletal remains of conquistadors and aliens and finally -- and this one is a stretch -- a flying saucer. Whew!

It is an entertaining movie, no doubt about it. I loved that Crystal Skull is less of an Indiana Jones-centric film but more of the entire Jones family adventure. But the aliens was...a bit too much. I mean, flying saucers and intergalactic portals -- come on!

I give the movie a B+ because it is an entertaining family film. If you liked all the other Indiana Jones films, you're going to like this one. If you didn't, then there's no talking to you.

Labels: action, adventure, fantasy, futuristic