It's funny, I never saw any of the Indiana Jones movies until about 10 years ago and never was a huge fan of the series, yet I ended up seeing the new film on opening day.
Now having seen the fourth installment, I can say that it was just an ok film. But since I thought the other three were just 'ok' too, I'm not sure that tells you a lot about the quality of the film, so let me try and provide some further analysis of the film's strengths and weaknesses.
The film wastes no time in getting right into the action and heart of the story, which is pretty typical of this franchise. However, after the initial action sequence, the film really gets weighed down with a series of pointless scenes. There are several moments early on where Spielberg unnecessarily hammers home the point that the film is taking place in the 50s (Oooh, greasers! Eeek, the Red Scare!) Yet, despite inundating us with the film's temporal context, he never really says anything about the decade. The Russian villains here could have just as easily been Nazis again. I give the film credit for advancing the film's chronology to match Harrison's actual aging, but they don't do anything significant with the era that they place the film in.
Speaking of Harrison Ford, despite the nearly twenty year layoff between films, he picks up the fedora and bullwhip without a hitch. He remains the same presence on-screen that he was when he made the character so engaging in the first place. Yes, he may be greyer on top, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still bring the energy here. For many, just seeing him back as this beloved character will make this film a thumbs up for them.
Ford's surrounding cast is a mixed bag. On one hand, it's nice to see Karen Allen back as Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the reunion between her and Indy somewhat fell flat. Part of the reason is that not enough time was given to let them banter and squabble to exhibit the chemistry they had in the first film. The other reason is that it seemed odd to bring back a former flame when it seemed that the women in the Indiana Jones films were similar to Bond girls; one and done. I never got the vibe in Raiders that Marion was Indy's soul mate, even though they try to make it seem that way here.
The film, also includes one of my least favorite actors, Shia LaBeouf. In this film, he actually doesn't bother me all that much, which is probably the best compliment I can give him. Rather I was more annoyed by Spielberg's apparent man-crush for him and the way he exhibited it in the way his character's portrayed. There were too many scenes that attempted to make you believe he is the heir apparent to the Indy franchise and they just came across as ludicrous to me.
Finally, Cate Blanchett is here as well as the villainous Irina Spalko; a Russian who wants to to use mind control to take over the world. Frankly, I thought her talents went to waste here. She's a quality actress, but really any woman with a halfway decent Russian accent could have done this role. Again, it's really more of a fault of the writing and directing rather than anything that she did poorly.
There are several other side characters here(John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent), who could have been interesting, but again the film spends so much time focusing on the action, that they never have a chance to shine or truly explain why they're being included in the film at all.
I suppose I should also mention the titular crystal skull; the desired chotchkee that both good and evil are seeking. For me, the skull doesn't have the same gravitas as say the Ark or the Holy Grail from previous films. That's probably unfair though as in some cultures the crystal skull is just as highly revered as the Ark is to Christianity. However, since the cultures in which the skull is revered probably are the minority of the viewing audience, I think more could have been done to emphasis what a great treasure it truly is.
The action surrounding the procurement of the crystal skull is all good fun and on par with the action of the previous films. You have several scenes where key items are exchanged back and forth between both sides. You have the trademark creepy scenes involving some sort of critter (in this case, big, nasty ants). And you have a finale that involves a special-effects laiden death scene. I would explain more about what is the significance behind finding the crystal skull, but I don't want to spoil too much here. Needless to say, the events are likely to make fans devisive over whether or not they belong in an Indiana Jones film.
Where the filmmakers falter in creating a coherent story, they equally succeed in providing a number of easter eggs related to the previous films. There are several references to characters, objects, and events from the earlier films that will be appreciated by all of the fans of the franchise. The scene which calls back to Indy's fear of snakes is probably my favorite of the film.
Given the goodwill that these films have built up over time, this new film will probably get a pass from most people, including myself, despite some glaring weaknesses. If this were a stand alone film, I'm not sure how kind most people would be to it. But because the action is acceptable summer fare and because they throw enough bones to fans of the franchise, it receives a marginal recommendation for all. There's likely to be something for everyone to enjoy about this film.
And despite the problems I saw here, I would still be ok with seeing another film made if everyone is up for it. In particular, I would really like to see them attempt Indy 5 as opposed to trying a spinoff franchise involving LaBeouf. If nothing else, this film proved that Harrison Ford can still swashbuckle with the best of them. Grade: B-
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