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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull May 28, 2008 |
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Steven Spielberg still knows how to direct an action sequence, and Harrison Ford still knows how to deliver a goofy quip as Indiana Jones, 19 years after the director and star last unearthed the popular hero, sipping from the Holy Grain, battling Nazi’s in 1989’s rousing ‘The Last Crusade’. This time around our man has traded WWII and the Nazi’s for the Cold War and the Russians, who seek the powers of a mysterious Mayan skull, though that’s just a premise for Spielberg to bounce around the globe yet again, from a cheeky opener in Roswell, New Mexico, to an alien themed finale somewhere in the Peruvian jungle, alternating well choreographed action pieces with exposition about the 19 years we’ve missed in between adventures, nominally, a few deaths, and a few new sidekicks (Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf). I can’t say I particularly agree with Spielberg and George Lucas’s diverting shift to Science-Fiction, I always thought the religious themes of “Raiders of the Lost Arc” and ‘The Last Crusade’ held more dramatic and moralistic weight, but that’s just a minor quibble for a film with such exciting craftsmanship, especially an extended chase sequence through the Amazon rain forest, and enthusiastic performances from Ford, LaBeouf, and Cate Blanchett as Russian villainess Irina Spalko. This franchise may not be as original as it once was, but Indy ages well, and as long as there is still demand (given the big grosses, there certainly is), and if Spielberg can get over his childlike obsession with aliens, than maybe we’ll see more of Jones and his fantastic adventures in the future.
by Adam Suraf |