Can anyone remember a more eagerly awaited film? (Star Wars: Episode I is perhaps the only other example, and we all know how that turned out.) It’s very hard to go into a film like this without any expectations. I had my doubts – Ford’s so old, and it’s been 19 years, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade did wrap things up pretty nicely; but then again I had my hopes too – surely Spielberg, Lucas and Ford wouldn’t go ahead with it if the script wasn’t up to scratch?
For better or worse, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes somewhere in between fantastic and terrible. Indiana is looking pretty haggard, and the screenplay doesn’t ignore this. We have Shia LaBeouf as a kind of ‘next gen’ character, Mutt Williams, a confident kid who thinks he has the answers.
From there the film gets better and better. We have new characters, references to old characters, new exotic locales, great action scenes, the promise of treasure and most importantly… quiet moments. I was so worried that this film would be cram filled with explosion after explosion, but Spielberg hasn’t forgotten that exposition a: is important, and b: should be interesting.
The action is great, even if it can’t compare with the classic moments of the trilogy. There isn’t an over-reliance on CGI per se, but it comes damn close. One moment that flirts with the whole ‘dino-stampede’ scene from King Kong, and probably could have been pared back a little. In case you’re wondering, Indy doesn’t jump the shark, which is good… though someone else does.
The main failure of the film is the final act. I know many people will be annoyed at the direction the treasure hunting narrative takes, but this didn’t bother me. What does bother me was the way in which the script suddenly forgets that this film is populated by characters. Good ones. With conflicting personalities.
Once we get this far it’s suddenly all about the big picture. The characters are forgotten. This is a major flaw, and so disappointing considering how well things were going. This kind of simplicity was apparent in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, though that film didn’t set its sights quite as high as this one. In some ways it’s a mish-mash of those previous two (very different) sequels, starting out complex, then getting simpler the more time passes. And what of Indy? This film doesn’t really have anything to say about him. It could have dealt with his mistakes, his regrets, perhaps a little loneliness… I’m not asking for a morality play, but he really seems devoid of any true emotion. The Last Crusade really challenged Indy, not just physically but emotionally. Here he seems kind of detached from it all, and there’s no chance for any real (or believable) growth.
Does it take us back to our childhood (he says, assuming we’re all the same age)? Yes. Does it ruin the franchise? No. Could it have been better? Definitely.
PS: To be honest, I kind of enjoyed ‘The Fate of Atlantis’ more…many happy hours of clicking…