CHAPTER 173: Indiana Jones 4, my review

" You're..... a teacher?" - Mutt Williams
" Part-time. " - Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

So I’ve finally watched Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

It was a fun movie, but………having watched the previous three Indy films, I can’t help but be disappointed by some factors from the movie. If there’s one thing revolving to this forth Indy film, then it is that some of the rumours that I’ve read about this film turned out to be true. When Shia LeBouef was casted, I felt that there could be some intricate plot that he could be Indiana Jones’s son (what with Karen Allen returning as Marion) and it turned out to be that during the movie. I’m sure others would have felt the same as well before they saw the movie. But one rumour that I didn’t believe in or expected to be true was one that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was going to revolve on aliens/UFO.

Anyway, here’s my thoughts/review of the film.

Positives

• Harrison Ford IS (and IS STILL) Indiana Jones. Of course he’s older this time around, but it’s still the same spirit, the same persona, the same aura, the same essence, the same man……the same archeologist.
• The movie does have its good moments, and it was fun watching it. The scene where Indy, Mutt were in the shop fighting alongside the other tough guys and students just to escape from some Russian agents, and the truck and jeep chase throughout the jungles and the mountain. Also, we see the same fear of snakes that Indy always have.
• I liked some of the references made in this movie relating with some events from the earlier Indiana Jones films, like the picture of Indy’s father and his friend Brody on his table, and also in the opening scene you can see a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant from the first film.
• Some of the effects are nice, especially the temple expanding and collapsing scene. And also the final scene where the whole temple became the spaceship ready to blast off.
• The cast did alright. I think Shia LeBouef was good as well. He acted as a tough guy (not as the usual goofy character that LeBouef usually plays as).

Negatives

• The biggest thing that I didn’t like about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is that the main point is that it relates to alien/UFO. The skull is that of an alien whom the lost South American tribe in the film worships. I’m not sure whether it’s because of Spielberg’s fascination with alien/outer space matters and that is insisted in being implemented for the forth film, but I really got put off by it. I think that since alien/UFO has already been dealt with in other films before (even Spielberg had one with War of the Worlds several not so distant years ago) it just put me off.
• Some of the effects also put me off (CGI crap). Among the worst was when Mutt was sword fighting Mejor Spalko in between the trucks as they speed through the jungle and him not even falling off as trees and weeds kept hitting him in the crotch (wtf). And later on he instantly swung from tree to tree with an entourage of monkeys along with him (what the hell was that). Another effect that didn’t make sense was when Indiana Jones kept himself in the fridge during the nuclear blast and the fridge is flying through the sky and Indy’s still inside the fridge.
• Major Spalko, the main antagonist and villain of this film, I found her to be the ‘weakest’ main villain of the entire Indiana Jones films. I don’t think it’s because of her being a feminine character, but her character is not as ‘strong’ or influential like that of Rene Belloq, Mola Ram or Donovan. And in the film she’s portrayed as not being vicious as any of them either. She’s supposed to be/have a psychic power, but in the film it states that she couldn’t get through that British mad man (Huxley), and later on couldn’t get through Indiana Jones. Furthermore, I think she died the least painful death out of all the main villains (she just burned up and vanished into thin air, from that spaceship rays).
  
• Before watching this film, report and news says that Ray Winstone’s character (Mac) is supposed to be a spin off of the good side of Sallah and the bad side of Belloq. But for me, I think that Mac is just one of the bad guys, not really an on and off good guy-bad guy. But Ray acted well though.
• The artifact in this film, is……………….knowledge. In Raiders, it was the Ark. In Temple of Doom, it was the Sankara stones. And in the third, it was the Holy Grail. And in Crystal Skull, it’s knowledge. That’s the treasure that the aliens possess.
• For me, after the movie finishes, I had the feeling “………that’s it? That’s how it ends?.............”

In The Last Crusade, it ends with Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones Sr, Sallah and Brody riding off into the sunset (a fitting finale and goodbye to a series). In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it ends with Indiana Jones as an old man finally getting married (….?.....). The forth Indiana Jones film is not absolutely fantastic, but it’s not bad and definitely worth watching. If Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and co are planning for a fifth installment, then it’s imperative that it should to be better than this one.