2008

Finally, 2008 saw the end of a 19 year wait for an all new instalment to the Indiana Jones series. With all sorts of rumours flying around about several different scripts such as “Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods”, “Indiana Jones and the little green men” and “Atomic Ants” etc! All code names and plots for the eventual unveiling of what was to be forever known as “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.

I won’t dwell too much on the hype that surrounded this release, because we all know about the computer that got stolen with ‘vital’ plot information on it, court cases and ultimate secrecy that ended up becoming one of Hollywood’s worse kept secrets ever. It was obvious that this film was going to be about aliens, yes, you heard correctly. An Indiana Jones film about aliens.

Needless to say I was sceptical to say the least. The thing I loved the most about the series was the believability (is that a word?) of the stories. The fact that I was convinced that such archaeological devices existed in the Ark and the Grail etc. But for me, aliens were asking a bit much of me and the audience. It just didn’t seem to fit in to the Indiana Jones universe and lore.

Nevertheless, I paid top prices to go and view this at the cinema on opening day. It was packed out and there was an air of expectancy and excitement that only a Spielberg and/or Lucas film could conjure. As the opening scene kicks in we were treated to the Paramount mountain fading into a molehill (cliché?…mountain/molehill!) with a disappointing CGI creature popping its head out of the top. Annoyingly this creature pops up numerous times throughout the film. Perhaps the most annoying thing about this though, is the irony of Spielberg saying that he wanted to continue in the original B-Movie vein he had established with the first three films, disposing of the need for overused CGI effects. The original trilogy had a very organic/natural feel to them, the sometimes, over-use of CGI in this movie totally goes against that grain.

Mutt Williams/Henry Jones III played by Shia LeBeouf

The story centres around a middle aged Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) who, whilst on his travels, is stopped by a biker named Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf). He gives Jones a coded message from an old colleague, Harold Oxley (John Hurt) that tells him of a Crystal Skull with psychic and magnetic powers that he hid in the grave of Francisco de Orellana, a Conquistador who went missing in the 1500s while seeking Akator (also known as El Dorado). They are tracked by the not so evil Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who, in my eyes, fails to capture the true essence of an Indiana Jones antagonist. She, of course, is accompanied by Soviet soldiers.

After eventually being captured by the Soviets, Indy and Mutt find themselves in the middle of a jungle base held captive and accompanied by Oxley and Mutt’s mother, a former love interest of Jones’ who was first introduced in Raiders of the Lost Ark – Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). We see that Oxley has suffered a mental breakdown and portrays some very strange behaviour, and we also discover, during their escape, that Mutt is indeed Indy’s son.

This is particularly important as it also explains the dynamic between the characters leading up to this point. Earlier in the film we see another classic Indy bike chase, this time, Henry Jones Jnr. is the passenger seat, holding on for dear life in the waist of his, at the time unbeknown to him, son. We get a similar feel for their relationship as we do with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in the third instalment. Only this time, Indiana has done some growing up and it’s Mutt who is doing the showing off. We also catch a glimpse of the cheeky grin and look for approval by Mutt which is quickly thwarted by the now middle-aged Jones who is clearly unimpressed and more worried about staying in one piece.

That jungle scene!

Jones and Co escape the clutches of their captors, by any means necessary involving and unconvincing and perhaps, at times, over-the-top Jungle chase. Without spoiling it too much, there is an awful scene where Mutt gets himself up a tree, accompanied by a few tree-hopping-CGI monkeys and it puts me off the whole scene entirely. It seems unnecessary and useless in an Indiana Jones film, I’m all for humour but we’ve never seen rubbish like that before in an Indy film, at least nothing that I’ve cringed at like I did in that scene.

They eventually reach the Temple of Akator but they have been followed by the Soviets all the way. They have been following a trail left by Indiana Jones’ former partner, Mac (Ray Winstone). Earlier in the film Mac defected to the Soviets, betraying Indy in the first act of the film. The escape in the jungle allowed him to get back on side with Indiana and he begs for Indy to let him join them. In a second betrayal, he leaves traces of their tracks and Spalko and her men follow them into the temple eventually revealing Macs complicity.

As they head into the chamber of 13 alien, crystal skeletons, one with the skull missing, they are appsoached by Irina Spalko who eventually proceeds to place the skull on the headless skeleton. Oxley regains his sanity amongst the chaos that replacing the skull has caused, he explains that the aliens are the secret to the Mayans advanced technology, a question that has riddled us all for hundreds of years.

As the film concludes, we see an amazing crescendo of water and the now ruined temple, with the group looking on in awe as what could only be explained as an Unidentified Flying Object rising from the ground and disappearing into thin air. As the Amazon floods the crevice left by the alien ship, it disposes of any evidence of Akator. In true modern Hollywood fashion, the film ends on a high note, a very cliché wedding. Perhaps it was necessary for this old timer though.

Thankfully, just before the credits, we see Indy’s hat on the floor about to be picked up and donned by the younger of the Jones’. I don’t know if it was me but everyone in the cinema sat back in shock at the thought of it…would he?…wouldn’t he?…he’d better not! Thankfully all our hearts were put at rest when Indiana Jones put on the hat as he and his new bride exit through the chapel doors.

Overall, the nostalgia factor was great, perhaps I enjoyed it more than I should have because I loved the references to the Ark and the warehouse at the beginning which appeared at the end of ‘Raiders’. Shia LeBeouf was a great addition to the cast and it was nice to see Indy become a human being again, this through the emergence of his son and becoming a husband and father, but if Mutt Williams was to carry on the flame (as suggested by Lucas and across the internet), I think it would be a shame. For once Hollywood should stick to the plan and keep it as simply Indiana Jones, not Indiana Jones and his son’s dog’s uncle.

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