July 4, 2009: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I had of course seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the theatre upon its release in the summer of 2008, being a longtime fan of the series and having for the past two decades eagerly awaited this long-anticipated sequel. I was fully prepared for it to be bad, but found myself pleasantly surprised with only a few caveats. Many people were not satisfied with this sequel, and having revisited the previous three films, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), shortly before seeing Crystal Skull, I maintain that anyone who is unsatisfied with the latest entry may not be making a fair comparison with what went before.
We meet up with Indiana Jones several years after we last saw him, in the 1950s this time (befitting the significantly older-looking Harrison Ford, who is in his mid-60s now, nearly 20 years after the previous film). Icons from the popular culture and social mores of the time are exploited for light comedy, and the alien invasion conspiracy theories of that era are the backdrop for the specific quest. Indiana Jones gains a new sidekick, meets up with an old flame, battles grossly caricatured baddies and wins in the end.
Many of the disappointed fans, it seems to me, are completely forgetting the caricatured bad guys, supernatural themes, silly wisecracks and goofy Saturday-afternoon popcorn mentality which the first three films were deliberately channelling in their own parody of 1930s adventure serials. That tone and that technique may be more dated now, and it certainly doesn’t live up to what the kids of today are expecting compared with the kids nearly 30 years ago, but I see Crystal Skull as being intentionally faithful to the original films and their 1980s expectations, rather than being slickly updated to the new millennium and losing the original charm. Sure, there’s some CGI thrown in, but this is no Transformers. Speaking of which, Shia LaBeouf fits right into the tone of this matinee adventure, and the supernatural conceit in this film really isn’t any more far-fetched than those in any of the previous three films. Count me as a fan, but one who understands why some found this entry lacking.
I don’t want to watch this movie over and over again, but having recently re-watched the originals, I’m not sure my appetite for repetition is as strong any more for those films either. This second viewing of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, at home, flowed significantly better for me, with the parts I recalled dragging being over fairly quickly, and the good parts blending better as I gained a greater appreciation of the movie as a whole.
Recommended, but be fair with comparisons.
Post a Comment