Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 2008

***½ Out of ****

Everyone needs a bit of nostalgia now and then, and for a person of my age, such an event is far and in between. But leave it to Indiana Jones to bring the closest thing to genuine giddiness, excitement and pure fun. Excluding the endless ocean of half-hearted imitations nobody can pull of an Indiana Jones adventure like Indiana Jones. (Go figure) There will undoubtedly be naysayers who will simply not accept our whip cracking hero’s return, and they can’t be fully to blame. The original trilogy, extracted such powerful emotions, and gave everyone something so new, that they will be looking to recapture that feeling to a tee, and while nothing will ever be able to overpower the perfection of Raiders, this is certainly an overdue and more then welcome comeback.

It is now the 1950’s, but time has by no means quelled Indiana Jones’ (Harrison Ford) feistiness or deadpan line delivery that made him the icon he is. We are immediately thrown into a kidnapping plot involving Indy himself, as well as his war buddy Mac, (Ray Winstone). The ringleader of this debacle is the luscious Russian Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), and while not as sinister as the baddies of the past, does more than an adequate job. Spalko enlists Indiana to help her locate an artefact he examined years earlier, that is now stashed in a military bunker, none other than the infamous Area 51. Escaping, he returns to his teaching post until he is driven into a “leave of absence” by the FBI. In the middle of his departure he is snatched aside by the spunky greaser Mutt (Shia LaBouef). He tells Indy that his old friend Professor Oxley (William Hurt) and his mother have been taken captive regarding a series of mysterious artefacts known as the crystal skulls. Soon Indy and Mutt are doing some globe jumping as they trail the captives and attempt to avoid Spalko and her band of Soviet loyalists.

Although not perfect, there are is a large amount of praise that can be heaped upon this film. Indiana Jones films have a well known trademark of creating realities of their own, unafraid to encompass the occult or divine into their journeys. Crystal Skulls certainly keeps with this spirit, but delves into a whole other type of reality. This move is bound to throw some off balance, but the choice is ballsy and works just as well as the other off center realities that have been previously explored. Also keeping with the spirit of the original trilogy, Spielberg and his team have limited the special effects to a few key scenes. Otherwise the traditional use of stuntmen is integrated along with beautiful set pieces and excellently choreographed action sequences. The creature presence is also revisited, crawling with scorpions and army ants this time round the bend with, of course, a snake thrown in for good nostalgic measure.

The performance are all strong, especially from Ford who can still kick it with the best of them, LaBouef, who brings his usual charm without being a annoying or distracting sidekick and Blanchet who pulsates with a sensual malice that suits her character well. There is also sometime blatant foreshadowing indicating that Indiana Jones may again return, but not in the form you may initially think, following an astonishing reveal regarding one of the supporting characters.

While not the best blockbuster this summer season it is certainly the most welcome and fulfilling. Taking all the regular elements through the motions can often spell disaster, especially after an almost twenty year break, but Spielberg, Lucas and the rest of the team have held back none of the passion that made the initial trilogy such an iconic mark on cinema. If this is the final adventure of Indiana Jones, then I can rest easy and take this nostalgic jolt, because a spectacle that can pulsate with such rejuvenating energy deserves its place amongst those who look to have a kick in their step and a smile on their face.

© 2008 Simon Brookfield