Plot: Set in 1957, the movie begins with Indiana being forced by Soviets to re-find a certain magnetic artifact that he found before. After shortly escaping and finding out his old friend from WWII betrayed him for the Soviets, he meets a greaser named Mutt who tells him about how an old friend, Harold Oxley had found a crystal skull in Peru and is kidnapped along with Mutt's mother. So bringing Mutt along, Indiana travels to try to find the crystal skull while being followed by the Soviets and finding Mariam again who turns out to be Mutt's mom.
Now I am going to take a good guess that most of you know how despite getting positive reviews, this pissed off a lot of people who like Indiana Jones. So does it deserve all the anger that its been given from almost the moment it was played in the theaters? Well...kind of no...but in the long run, yes. The stuff that is good about the movie should not be overlooked completely. But the stuff that people have issues with are commonly addressed when talking about this film with good reason. First off, I will say that even if it makes the film a little too familiar, I do like all the nod offs and plot elements from the past films that they bring here. Sure it's not the same, but at the same time they're trying to recapture the spirit of the other films for the fans. And while it's up to debate as to how much it succeeds or not, I think we should at least appreciate the effort that Lucas and Spielberg made in accomplishing that certain, challenging feet. I also really liked that we get to see Mariam again because of how, again, she's pretty much the best love interest that Indiana Jones has. And in some respects, I actually liked Mutt. And I know some of your are already thinking; "Seriously? Shia LeBeouf?" Well...yeah, seriously. I mean yes, he's not very knowledgeable and he does comb his hair a little too much (I mean I get that he's a greaser and all, but he will kind of do it at the worst of times), but at the same time, he did come out a bit more thoughtful and helpful during the second half. He was sword fighting against the villain, he would be more on his feet, he would try to help analyze the situation or what they're discovering - bottom line, he was no Indiana's father, but I don't think he was that bad of a companion. And while I didn't exactly laugh at everything, there where some jokes like Indiana saying "I like Ike" that where a little funny. Also, while not giving anything away, I thought what happens in the last 4-5 ish minutes was nice. If there was something that was so-so for me, it would be the action. Some of it was still fun and all, but other times, the CGI would be too distracting. I especially bring that up, because there were a lot of moments during the action where something would happen that comes off a little over the top. Like even compared to most certain things that happen in most Indiana Jones films, what I'm seeing in this film with red ants and a giant tree cutting machine is really getting carried away with what is happening. But the thing people despise without question is basically what the quest for the crystal skull builds up to throughout the majority of the film. I won't ruin it for you if you don't know what that thing is, but let's just say the reveal during the climax brought a lot of fans to declare that they had just raped Indiana Jones. And while I'm not as angry as a lot of people are, I'm in the same boat. Granted, I also think what Lucas and Spielberg tried to do during that climax did come with good intentions (so to speak.) They wanted to give us something very new to Indiana Jones while still trying to keep it in the spirit of the first three films, and they wanted to do it in a way where they are still paying tribute to something from that era. But that doesn't mean that this idea worked. Even if they did mean well (it's up for debate if they did), what they came up with was something that a lot of fans thought was a horrible idea that did not belong in an Indiana Jones movie. True, there are some people who argue that what they gave us works, and some arguments I've read make sense to a degree. But for the most part, no one likes the idea, and that more or less includes me.
And that's my review for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It really is up to you as to whether or not it's good or bad. On one hand, it captures a decent about of the spirit of the other films while giving us a likable character back and giving us some new ones, but on the other hand, the big reveal that they give us in the climax is too much for a lot of fans of the franchise. For me, it's a little in between. I say that it absolutely is the weakest of the films and its reveal failed, but at the same time, I think it ended with a decent way to end Indiana Jones' story. Take it for what it's worth, and decide for yourself.
Rating: 60%
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