Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

BEFORE YOU READ THIS REVIEW:
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Rest assured, all those of you who have yet to see this film, I'll only be discussing semi-general details herein. So, no Crystal Skull spoiler worries. You're welcome.
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Alright, kids; this is the big one - the one I've been waiting my whole life to review. Well...the one I've been waiting to review since I got home after seeing it a few moments ago, anyway.

Unless you've been living in a coral grotto off the Great Barrier Reef, you're familiar with the exploits of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he globe-hops to exotic locales, seeking out great archaeological finds, unimaginable treasures , making powerful enemies and attracting pretty nice babes along the way, too.

His past triumphs had been well-chronicled in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, not to mention TV's "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", all a product from the lens and mind of Steven Spielberg (as well as George Lucas). Action, adventure, drama, romance, thrills, chills, spills and ills (i.e.: some very effective "yuck" moments, re: Temple of Doom) mix very well together, as evidenced by the fact that if you type "Indiana Jones" in Google, you get at the very least 51 million hits. So there you go.

And just like every teen in '81, I crowded into my local theater with other like-minded movie-goers, yearning to see what all the excitement was about. I fell deeply in love with the action and adventure of the original. The second one, not so much (SPOILER HERE:why make Indy a bad guy half-way through? Arrgh...), The third one, very good and it had Sean Connery, too! I even enjoyed the series, which kinda surprised me.

Imagine my delight when I learned that Spielberg and company were revisiting Indy territory at the behest of the millions of fans out there (and apparently Ford too, since he reportedly said that if they didn't come up with something by 2009, he wasn't participating). Sorting through a mountain of scripts, possible storylines and what characters to bring back, they finally came up with a product to unleash on the fans on May 22nd.

I was 10 days late, but I made it. Sinking into my theater seat with my box of Raisinettes, remembering the last time I was waiting to see Indy on the big screen ('89), hoping that they didn't trash past memories of my cherished classics (you know, like Lucas did with Star Wars prequel Attack of the Clones - sorry, George.) and that I would get new memories to cherish.

And then the Lucasfilms logo came up and I whispered to myself, "here we go..." in anticipation.

The story is as so: in 1957, Jones is urged by young motorcycle-riding greaser Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) to find mutual friend Dr. Oxley (John Hurt), who was seeking a mystical crystal skull, also coveted by Russian agent Spalko (Kate Blanchett) and her full retinue of soldiers who will do anything to ensure their success. Along the way, there are action, adventure, double-crosses, surprises attacks, shocking revelations and unsuspected appearances - all in a days' work for an archeology teacher.

First of all, Ford fits back into Indy's skin quite comfortably, albeit that skin is older and wearier. Not that this is a complaint - why should we expect our heroes to never age - Indiana Jones is no Dorian Gray, and the more rugged they look the more hope we can hold out for ourselves that we end up as good as that when we reach that milestone in life. He still cracks his whip, dodges bullets, throws punches, cracks wise and shows the same fire for life and thrill of discovery as he did so many years ago. And that fedora could fit on no one else's head but Ford's.

Shia LaBoeuf surprised me. Literally; I never cared much for him anyway (I was very underwhelmed by him in Transformers, the only other movie I saw him in), but as Mutt, he offered a characterization that is actually pretty darned good. He has personality, grace, humor and throws himself into the action scenes quite well. Certainly a step up and an equal to Indy. Maybe it's just his name I can't get around (Shia?), but anyway....

Blanchett makes a suitably over-the-top villainess, and she is obviously enjoying her thick Russian accent and sabre-wielding skills. Karen Allen reappears as Marion, Indy's old flame, and that spark is back; maybe it's just me, but I always loved her spunk and fire in Raiders, and she is no different here - her and Indy's verbal sparring is a lot of fun. Hurt has little to do but he does it well; playing doddering characters seems to be his forté anymore. Ray Winstone has a smallish part as a comrade of Indy's and, though his part is broadly featured, didn't really leave that much of an impression with me. He's no Sallah: 'nuff said.

Spielberg's contributions are apparent: much is made of back-lighting, people staring intently off-screen, parental issues and mysterious other-worldly awe. And as evidenced by certain scenes in movies throughout his career, no one else can make use of the widescreen quite like Steven Spielberg. And it is filled with some pretty amazing scenes and set-pieces: the vast New Mexico desert, the lush jungles of South America, even the Georgian brick of Connecticut are beautiful and vast in their scope.

And there are some parts you will be talking about breathlessly and happily after seeing them: The first 15-or-so minutes are absolutely wonderful, stretching as they do from the sandy wastes of Roswell, the military hangar, fight through to freedom, and Indy's escape by...well, I'd better not; you'll enjoy what you see: and most assuredly, where he ends up after escaping is another exciting set-piece in and of itself. Then there are a motorcycle chase through Indy's beloved Marshall College campus, the escape through the jungle by means of various mechanical and natural means, the discovery of an ancient Mayan temple, the....

Okay, you'll be glad that I restrained myself as well as I did. It's just the excitement of the initial viewing getting to me, making me want to spill all the beans in this movie I can possibly spill. But I won't; I can behave just like any other breathless fanboy.

But as far as the movie goes:

Is it a perfect companion piece to the series? Absolutely.

Is it corny? Sure, and so are several other moments in all 3 previous entires.

Will it be good to see Indy again, or will I cringe at Ford trying to do stunts he did back in '81? Yes, it will be - and no, you won't be.

Is it worth seeing in a theater? I can wager if you are a fan of the series, you will want to see this in a theater: ninth row from the front, aisle seat (that's my fave spot - best sight line and good acoustics, too).

So as a final note, let me just add that I took my 12 year-old son to see IJATKOTCS with me and he, like I was back in '81, was thoroughly enraptured with what he saw. As we left the theater, he was walking alongside, breathlessly praising every single scene, quoting line after line, humming John Williams' still-rousing score and asking when we can go see it again.

That's my boy.