Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Review

“Good thing we're not grave robbers” – a review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 

If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll know I absolutely adore the Indiana Jones franchise. I grew up with them, have rewatched them countless times, and spent a great deal of my childhood dreaming of growing up to become an archaeologist myself. I was excited but nervous when, nearly twenty years after the brilliant Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade had been released, a new film was announced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Bringing Indy back to our screens would be a tough ask. It had been decades since we’d seen our adventurer crack his iconic whip, and the film had to engage a whole new generation who wouldn’t be impressed by nostalgia alone. Whilst I think Harrison Ford is truly the only person who could have played the part, he was of course getting older, so would he still have the cheeky, reckless attitude of the Indiana in his younger years? Would the film capture the magic and the exhilaration of the earlier films?

I’m sad to say that, in my opinion, it did not.

There are positives to be found in this film. Indy has aged, and the film acknowledges that. I’m pleased that there is no digital de-aging to be found, and instead we’re faced with the reality of our hero getting older. Indy is still, well, Indy; still wearing his classic fedora and cracking his whip, still full of sharp remarks and witty sarcasm, it’s a joy to see him back on screen. He’s perhaps more confident now, which is understandable given his past survivals, but he also brings a sort of world-weariness to the role. He’s older, not necessarily wiser, and he’s navigating a whole new world with new adventuress and new villains.

Set in 1957, Crystal Skull takes place in the midst of Cold War paranoia. Having returned from his most recent adventure, Indy discovers that his job at Marshall College is not safe. He goes on to meet Mutt, played by Shia La Beouf, a young man who is asking Indy to help him find the Crystal Skull of Akator. The pair set off on an adventure in Peru, but of course they’re not the only people searching. Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett, is also searching for the artifact. Irene is a cold, calculated, killer agent who believes that the Skull can help her and the Soviets to conquer the world.

The plot is full of betrayal, hidden cities, pseudo-science and chase scenes. As ever, there’s lots of humour and a fast pace. However, I don’t think this film did the franchise justice. Previous films in the franchise would often see Indy and his friends in dangerous scenarios with near impossible odds, but this was balanced with self-awareness, and even a sort of realism that made stunts and escapes believable. Whilst there are still great action scenes, such as the opening warehouse escape or motorcycles speeding through university campuses, this film has lost its plausibility and replaced it with spectacle for the sake of it. There are still practical stunts, but they blend with CGI, and I feel that this really doesn’t work and basically betrays the roots of the franchise. Indiana Jones was never just about the action, and sadly this film seems to forget this.

I was however thrilled to see Marion return. Indy’s first love interest is just as sharp and spirited as she ever was, refusing to fall into the “damsel in distress” category, and watching the chemistry between her and Indy is nostalgic in the best way. It’s unfortunate that Mutt isn’t such a remarkable character; whilst not badly acted, and whilst he serves to acknowledge the rebellious youth culture of the time, he has little in the way of character development and his relationship with Indy, which is hinted at to be familial in nature, just feels forced and awkward to watch.

What disappoints me the most about this film is the move into science fiction. Now I love science fiction – Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek are some of my favourite franchises – but that’s not what I watch Indiana Jones for. I want adventure, yes, but I want it to be believable. I want the villains to be real people, I want the adventure to be improbable but plausible, and this film really lost that. As much as I love a good alien story, I really don’t think aliens belong in Indiana Jones. It just doesn’t work.

The visuals have been updated too. The visual palette is glossier and brighter, losing the original slightly shadowy feel to the original films. Sure, the jungle looks great, but it’s lost the “what’s that hiding in the shadows” feel to it, which I think is a shame.

I do feel sad that I can’t recommend this film. Whilst it does have an element of nostalgic joy to it, the film just lost too much for me to be able to even mentally categorise it with the earlier films in the franchise. There’s the odd moment of recaptured swashbuckling adventure, funny quips and wonderful escapism, but overall, the film just doesn’t live up to the earlier excitement of the franchise.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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