Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a great 30-minute film. Unfortunately, it lasts about two hours longer than that. The action sequences largely fall flat, though Karen Allen's appearance gives the film a tremendous burst of energy just as you're likely to considering heading to the lobby or remembering that you need to renew your driver's license.
Harrison Ford is same-ole same-ole as Indy. The George Lucas's and Steven Spielberg's credit, they've aged Indy by the 20 years since the last film. Ford handles the role with the same smirk and hat as episodes one to three. Just in case a whole generation might not know Ford, Shia Lebeouf comes on board as Mutt, the guy who needs Indy's help.
The first action sequences are only moderately entertaining. As Indy and company enter the jungle for the big escape, things heat up and the film achieves the level of entertainment reached in the previous films. Cate Blanchett makes a compelling villain from which to run.
The rest of the film is rather ho-hum. Without ruining the ending, let's just say that Spielberg revisits themes from earlier films, such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Even those don't amount to engaging filmmaking.
Is 30 minutes of great filmmaking enough to warrant a 2.5-hour film. In the summer, probably so, It's never boring, but it's only rarely engaging.
1 comment:
I definitely agree. It was basically watching Indy escape in one death-defying feat after another, which sounds exciting but it just got kind of ho-hum after awhile. But Harrison Ford still looks great, and I loved the banter between him and Karen Allen. It's the kind of movie where if you're going to see it, you might as well see it on the big screen, I guess.
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