Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp (screenplay) and George Lucas (story)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Story
Indiana Jones is back after 19 years in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. At the beginning of the movie we find Indiana Jones being held captive in order to get him to help the Russians find a certain box they are looking for in a secret Military warehouse. As the story progresses Mutt (according to imdb, but I was almost certain it was Mud) Williams (Shia LaBeouf) comes to Indiana Jones for help. He wants to save his mother (Karen Allen) and Professor Oxley (John Hurt) who Indiana Jones was friends with a long time ago. Professor Oxley went missing when he was searching for the Crystal Skull, which is said to unlock the powers of a golden city lost in the Amazon.
Everything Else
As is true with all of the Indiana Jones movies the story is not one that should really impress anyone. The series is all about the action/adventure and as long as that is what you are looking for then Kingdom of the Crystal Skull should be received well. The directing is solid just like it was in the first and third Jones movies and thankfully the special effects were good enough to not be a distraction like they were in the second film.
George Lucas does not disappoint and gives another wild story, which ends up having plenty of weird character interactions and humorous playful dialogue. This all stays true to the name and therefore makes this film fit right into the series. This is important when trying to make any sequel and especially when it has been 19 years since the last film.
The acting was good in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with two great additions to the cast: Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett. LaBeouf is coming along as an actor proving himself well in supporting roles, but still seems a little above his head in lead roles like Transformers. Nevertheless he did really well here in Indiana Jones and acted well right along side Harrison Ford. Cate Blanchett was a great choice to get a big name and obvious star talent added to the cast. Blanchett never ceases to amaze me with her range of ability. She plays a great villain in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and even puts on a thick accent to round it out.
The Real Deal
I enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull thoroughly, but I think it could have been better if they had done it 5 years ago and been able to have Sean Connery in it. Shia LaBeouf was a great addition, but Ford and LaBeouf did not jive as well together as Connery and Ford had in Last Crusade. Still with all of the action and plenty of good acting Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was well worth making. I found it to fit into the series just right and would happily buy the Legacy when it comes out on Blu-ray. It is almost strange to be coming back to the series after so many years, but Lucas did it with Star Wars and I can’t help but see some similarities between the Indiana Jones series and the Die Hard series. Steven Spielberg will surely be content with leaving the series the way it is now (or maybe not).
The Short Version
Raw Score: 811,293
Sharon Movie? Yes
5/26/2008
Sharon Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
5/21/2008
Sharon Movie: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Genre: Action/Adventure
Story
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is offered money to find the lost Ark of the Covenant. On his adventures to find clues to the ark’s location, he meets up with an old friend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Marion has a special piece to the puzzle, a small circular object used to locate the ark by letting light shine through it in a certain place at a certain time. Jones isn’t the only one after the ark though, and he will find that others are willing to risk anything in to secure the ark’s power.
Everything Else
Steven Spielberg starts off his Indiana Jones Trilogy (or Legacy now) with a great film. The directing is much as we have come to expect from Spielberg over the years and it certainly is a fitting genre for him. This movie has all of the happy, feel good elements you could want. Sure there is danger and excitement, but you just know everything is going to work out or it would not be Indiana Jones (that and there couldn’t be a sequel of course).
Without Spielberg directing, it would have been painfully obvious this was written by George Lucas, although I think it still is quite obvious. Lucas has a way of story telling that is unique and includes enough cheesy situations and dialog to make it hard to miss. Raiders of the Lost Ark flows much like Start Wars which is probably what everyone liked about it at the time. It is 1930s archeology meets galaxies far far away in Raider of the Lost Ark. This formula works like a charm and even includes Harrison Ford as the star that he could have been capable of playing in Star Wars.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones does an excellent job. Earlier on in his career between the first and second Star Wars he learned how to act and it shows here in Raiders of the Lost Ark. His mannerisms and facial expressions are what make Indiana Jones who he is. Now it would be impossible to replace him. Karen Allen does a good job here as well as Marion Ravenwood. The Star is still Ford though and he gets the credit he deserves for this one.
The Real Deal
I always loved the Indiana Jones movies when I was a kid and watched them as many times as we watched Star Wars; they were the staples, if you will, of our film entertainment. When Sharon put this one on her list I was excited because not only had I not seen this in a while and wanted to again, but the new one was going to be coming out soon (it comes out tomorrow as of this writing). It was no surprise this was a Sharon movie as it is certainly a happy, lighthearted film with plenty of excitement. Upon viewing this more recently I found it to still be the movie I always loved even with a little bit dated special effects. I was kind of shocked at the amount of blood and gore in it though considering I would still call it a family movie. It never really scared me that much as a kid so I guess if there is an adult around it would not be that bad for kids even.
Sharon’s Take
The first scene is classic Indiana Jones goodness. It is the total package... action, adventure, comedy, and romance. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a great movie to watch again and again.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 831,773
Sharon Movie? Yes
