Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

One of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me was "This fits you perfectly." We were playing a game at a company party where everyone had the name of a famous person taped to the their back and then had to go around asking others questions to figure out who they were. I was Indiana Jones. While I'd always fancied myself an adventurer, a la Dr. Jones, that others saw me that way too was quite a compliment. So it probably comes as no great surprise that I have been very excited about seeing the latest film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Last night, I shanghaied my thirteen-year-old niece, dumped my kids on my wife, and swung on over to the movie theatre. First off, I'll answer everyone's most pressing question: is it as good as the first three? The short answer is yes. While I felt the atmosphere was not as "retro" as the earlier films -- it is set much later, in the late 50's -- the action is all there, along with Indy's signature wit and creativity. There were some plot points that were predictable, but I don't think that took anything away from the film -- this is not something you go to see expecting a deep and complex plot. Indiana Jones is, pure and simple, adventure. Distilled, concentrated adventure, with a great hat.

But what about kids? Can a teenager, born nearly fifteen years after the original movie was released enjoy this latest film? Of course. My niece, who has seen the first three adventures, liked the film a lot and in fact ranked it as the second best of the series. "It was good. I thought it stayed true to what it was, to the spirit of Indiana Jones," she said. "It was better than I expected."

"The first part," she explained, "I thought I wasn't going to like it because right at the beginning, there was a lot of guns and stuff and that really doesn't attract me and so I thought it was just going to be a bunch of guns 'cause it's made now rather than then, but actually, it got better." There is a scene that is, shall we say, unpleasant, just as there was in the earlier films. When I asked her about it, her initial response was "Whoa, that was gross." So I asked if she didn't like it, she said "No, it was cool. It was just gross. Compared to the heart-sucking-out [in the second film], this was pretty... I could handle it."

I also asked her if she would tell her friends to go see the movie: "Yes. I would and there's a reason behind that. I would tell them to come because it's really... if they liked the original then I would think they would like this because it's the same flavor but with a new spice like with the younger people -- Shia LaBeouf."

But what about Harrison Ford, old enough to collect social security, being an action hero? Not a problem -- he's still got it. He's every bit the Indiana Jones he was back then and, for the ladies out there, still ruggedly handsome. Oh, heck, he's gorgeous. I'd gladly trade body parts to look half that good. Both Harrison Ford and Karen Allen slip back into their old roles with ease, and the new kid, Shia LaBeouf, fits in just fine. He's nowhere near as annoying as Short Round from the second film and instead just goes along nicely with the more experienced Indy.

So there you have it. Indy 4 lives up to the high standards set by the first three movies and gives the viewer what they want -- lots of action and adventure topped with wise-cracks and wit. Whether you're an old man with dreams of adventures not taken or a teenager with all your adventures ahead of you, this is well worth seeing. And, who knows -- if Harrison Ford can still do it, maybe I can too.

Check out the review on Cinematical too!