Indiana Jones and the Fourth Movie That I Liked

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the long awaited fourth installment of the adventure series, is probably the weakest of the bunch, but it’s still immensely enjoyable and a throwback to films past. In a summer filled with Iron Men, Hulks, and other superheros, Indy is still king. Harrison Ford, who at 66 looks better than I do at 31, has aged gracefully into the role. Sure, he’s got more gray hairs, doesn’t run as fast, and appears to be wearing Dockers from Kohls – but he’s still at the top of the game. Karen Allen returns in her famous Raiders role and adds some nice instant nostalgia; Shia LeBeof does just fine as Indy’s sidekick (my dad will be reviewing the film with some spoilers later today) and Cate Blanchett looks like a S&M diva as the main villain in the film. Lastly, Ray Winstone, a friend of Indy’s in the film, sports one helluva mustache.

Bottomline is this: Indy is so action-packed and fun that it’s hard to nitpick over script holes, and certain scenes with unnecessary use of CGI. Altogether, the movie makes you wish Indy never went away and that, like Bond, he’d come back every year or so. Here’s hoping Spielberg does another two Indy films. This trilogy is so much more reliable than the last Star Wars trilogy. Why? Because never once does Spielberg take this material too seriously. In short, the movie was well worth the wait.

- Jon Chattman