The Return of Indiana Jones

Some of you may be familiar with my personal feelings concerning the adventures of the intrepid archaeologist, Dr. Henry Jones Jr. Those of you who are unfamiliar are welcome to read of my feelings here.

Back again? Good. Now we can commence with the discussion of the latest adventure of Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. When the film was first announced, my first impression was one of "huh?". I mean, it has been almost 20 years since the release of the last Indiana Jones film, and the final scene from that film (the image of Brody, Sallah, Henry Jones Sr. and Indy riding off into the sunset was the perfect coda to the film. What could possibly be a good reason for bringing Indy out of retirement? Surely it could not be mere box office, for both Lucas and Spielberg have more money than they can use at this point in their careers. It also could not be the fact that they "happened" across a good story finally, because a lack of a good story did not stop them from making Temple of Doom. All in all, the decision to make another Indiana Jones for both Lucas and Spielberg might possibly be found in one reason-they are two old friends who wanted to work together on the film series that both rode to incredible waves of success. Lucas would always have Star Wars and Spielberg...well, he would have pretty much everything else. This return would perhaps allow them to poke fun at the changes that age has brought in both of their lives. Who better to use as the symbol of these changes than Henry Jones Jr.?

I will cut right to the chase. If you harbor any expectations that this film will rise to the level of Raiders of the Lost Ark, please place those expectations in check. Raiders was, and is, a special movie, the kind of movie that jockeys with maybe 2 others atop my list of favorite films of all time. When Raiders came out, there was nothing else like it. It was a film that captured the spirit of the great movie serials of early motion picture history while imbued with the storytelling and technical expertise of Spielberg and Lucas. The best way to assess my feelings about Skull is to compare it to Doom and Crusade.

When we meet Indy in this film, it was as if I was being reintroduced to an old film. Spielberg perfectly captured the iconographical and lofty status the character has attained in the intervening years since his last adventure. Wisely, Spielberg and Lucas chose to set the film the same number of years after the last of the Indy films. In other words, Indy has aged as Harrison Ford has aged. It was great to see Ford back in form as Indy, albeit with a few more miles. The story quickly progresses (I will leave out the fun of the warehouse action scenes for your own enjoyment), and we are introduced to Mudd, a young man who seems to idolize James Dean a bit too much. He and Jones escape from KGB agents and make their way to South America, where Mudd's mentor and a former colleague of Indy's has disappeared. Indy and Mudd make some compelling finds before they are captured by more Soviet agents in the jungles of South America. The main villain is played by Cate Blanchett, doing her best imitation of Natasha from the old "Bullwinkle" cartoon. Now, a lot of commentators have remarked at how over the top her performance appeared, but I enjoyed it. It brought to mind the cartoon Nazis who enjoyed slapping Indy's face with their always handy pairs of leather gloves. This is escapist fantasy, so why not make the Soviet agent someone who is cartoonish in her villainy? We also catch up with Marion Ravenwood, Indy's love interest from Raiders, and we are immediately reminded as to the reasons why she was so perfect for Indy in the first place. Many chases later, we are introduced to the main action setpiece for the film, the lost fabled city of gold deep in the heart of the Amazon. Cue the main climax, another perfect coda to the Indy legend, and the "Indiana Jones March" over the end credits, and you have a nice little summer film.

I enjoyed the story itself, the MacGuffin of the Crystal Skull, and the adventures of Indy, Mudd and the rest. I also loved the twists and turns of the action sequences and the backstory of the history of Marion and Indy recounted during quiet moments of exposition. I loved the sequences in the Area 51 warehouse and all of the characters, both hero and villain. At the same time, I found something a bit lacking in the film. Granted, there was NO WAY this would even APPROACH the greatness that was Raiders of the Lost Ark, but something was missing.

I figured out the missing piece during the end sequence of the film. Indy is supposed to be a "globetrotting archaeologist," and the best of the series took us from South America to Chicago to Nepal to Cairo and then to a secret Island. It was truly a globe trotting adventure. In Crusade, we followed Indy from his childhood in New Mexico to a ship in the Sea of Cortez to Chicago to Venice to Germany (all the way to Berlin!) and then to Cairo and the Middle East. Here, we follow Indy from Nevada to Chicago to South America. That's it. This was the worst globe trotting since Indy went from China to India. The best of the Indy films were told on the grand canvas of the world in the middle of the 20th Century. It felt like a bit of a cheat when the only true glimpse of the world at the time was a needless nuclear explosion, Lucas' insistence on a 50s drag race (enough already, George), and a brief glimpse in a Peruvian village. That was it. Pacing also seemed to be a problem, as some of the action sequences went on too long. At other times, it seemed as if Spielberg was trying to build suspense but there was little payoff.

In the end, however, Crystal Skull was exactly what I wanted it to be: another chance to hang out with an old friend for a couple of hours. I went to see the film with my parents, and they agreed that the better films were Raiders and Last Crusade. With that having been said, I think that this film is better than the atrocity that was Temple of Doom, for there was no annoying kid sidekick and no insulting of an entire ethnic race. In addition, the story held my attention to the point where I was surprised when the climax arrived. The two hour run time passed by quickly (though not as quickly as it did with Iron Man).

Next up? Sex and the City.