Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Movie Review (2008)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Koepp, 120 minutes, rated PG-13.

In Hollywood as in life, seeing an old friend after a time apart can go one of two ways: You're either happy to see them again, or you realize there’s a reason you stopped seeing them in the first place.

As for Steven Spielberg’s "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," it's nice to welcome back this particular friend, even if he doesn't have the spunk he did when we last saw him 19 years ago.

But who among us does?

From David Koepp’s script, “Crystal Skull” is the continuation of a franchise that began in 1981 with one of the best action-adventures films of all time, “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Two sequels followed--1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s particularly good “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” a light, frothy ride lifted immeasurably by Sean Connery as Indy’s no-nonsense father.

In this new movie, you can’t help but feel the weight resting on Spielberg’s shoulders--he had the task of competing with his own iconic lineage. Sometimes, he successfully rises to that challenge, particularly in several well-staged action sequences, the best of which involve a massive army of man-eating ants and another scene that takes us on a terrific, extended chase through a South American jungle.

But what’s missing here is much of the wry humor you expect from the series. With few exceptions, it’s oddly absent, with the audience at my packed screening not letting loose the way they did back in the days when Indy (Harrison Ford) was as quick with a quip as he was with the crack of his whip.

Boiled to its essence, the busy plot goes down like this: Set in 1957, the film begins in Nevada with Indy and Mac (Ray Winstone) being kidnapped by the Soviets, who rough them up before introducing them to their real foe, the evil Irina Spalka (Cate Blanchett, marvelous in a clipped bob and cartoon accent).

Since what Irina wants, Irina gets, she charges Indy to get her the infamous crystal skull, which will allow her total knowledge of the universe, or something like that, via a bevy of alien-related hoo-ha that also will give her the power of mind control. When Indy escapes (did you think he wouldn’t?), he’s joined by those who will help him defeat Irina--the young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf, channeling Marlon Brando in “The Wild Ones”); Indy’s former love interest, Marion (Karen Allen), who is still mad about Indy; and Professor Oxley (John Hurt), who nearly has lost his mind thanks to the crystal skull’s powers.

Sandwiched between all of this is just what you expect--plenty of sword fights, gun fights, double-crosses and chase scenes--the likes of which soon get tangled around a bizarre ending that recalls elements of Spielberg’s own “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Taken for what it is--an earnest attempt to please the series’ fans, itself an almost impossible task given the high expectations--“The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” does come through more often than not. True, it’s never all that it could have been--it would have been great to feel that something profound was at stake here--but it’s also rarely dull. Beyond that, it’s great to see Ford, looking more relaxed in the role than ever, back beneath the fedora.

Grade: B-