Plot of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The next installment in one of the most successful film franchises in history, Indiana Jones 4 will star Harrison Ford as Indy, plus Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf.
Details of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Produced by: Frank Marshall, Denis L. Stewart, George Lucas & Kathleen Kennedy
Written by: Screenplay: David Koepp
Story: George Lucas & Jeff Nathanson
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf & Cate Blanchett
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Movie Trailer
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4 votes
May 28th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I enjoyed this, I am a fan of Indiana Jones and while number 4 is not like the first three, it is still Indiana Jones and its great to watch something new (much like Rocky 6 and Rambo 4 imo).
Some people have been disapointed with the Russian accent of Cate Blanchett but honestly, is it really that offensive? Any more offensive than the way the Germans were portrayed in the 80s Indiana movies?
One thing I did not enjoy about this new movie is the whole Aliens angle. Most people I have talked about agree hear, it would have been much better going on a search for Atlantis (based on comic book) or for the ten commandments. It would be a bit more believable and realistic…
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May 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I liked this movie… the story line was not as good as previous ones but it had everything that you could want in a movie. Romance, Action, Hero, comedy and a bit of a twist.
I would recommend this to anyone even if you arent an Indiana Jones fan
May 29th, 2008 at 8:26 am
If you still havn’t seen ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ then youre not really an Indy fan-Or are trapped down a dry well with someone yelling down to you ‘It puts the lotion on its skin!’. Sux for you.
Be warned- Herein lie not so much spoilers, but flat-out detailed descriptions of plots and situations with the assumption that you have already seen the movie(and seen it in a theatre you downloading/freeloading pretenders). I actually saw it on opening day then turned around and caught Iron Man (another tops film, but not my subject for discussion). Then I went and saw Indy again the next day.
For those of you concerned that Harrison Fords (thus Indys) advancing years were going to make the latest film a bit of a rediculous lame dud, fear not. Indy is most certainly back at his wise-cracking, whip-cracking best. From the opening sequence(which is eerily similar to that of Iron Man, especially going straight from one to the other) a breakneck pace is established along with a liberating sense of fun. It is also very reminicent of George Lucas’ ‘American Grafitti’.
But I think that first i’ll address a couple of critisisms which stick to some extent:
*I’ll throw it out there, up front. Bit of an anti-climactic ending. There. Nastiness out of the way.
*Too much cg. And pretty obvious cg too. There are still plenty of practical effects and beautiful set design on screen to keep the proud tradition of a real viceral feel to procedings alive, but one can still see the insidious influence of ‘The Phantom Menace’ style greenscreen work creeping in.
*Cate Blanchetts Ukrainian accant is pretty dire. And I wasn’t keen on her Pulp Fiction haido.
*John Williams’ score is fantastic(of course) and has constant referances back over the previous films but I didn’t hear a distinctive, humworthy theme spacific to THIS film. The other three all have a specific theme which ties itself to the original Raiders march/Indy theme but is a catchy tune in itself. But I didn’t come away with some new mysterious tune running through my head. Small gripe maybe but I was hoping for a new ditty which was noteworthy.
*This isn’t so much a critisism of the film but marketing. A lot of the good stuff is on the trailer(gags, climactic scenes etc) thereby losing its impact in the cinema. But there is still far more great stuff along the way. Thats the tightrope of advertizing I suppose-giving away a little too much.
*Also not strictly a critisism, but more of a warning- Some of the action is so incredibly unbelievable that you only forgive it because of its sheer audacity and entertainment value(a staple in Indy movies). -The drive in an amphibious car off a 200 meter cliff into a raging river below is one example. But best of all, Surviving a nuclear blast in a refrigerator: Golden moment!
A grey topped Indy has not slowed or softened the action at all. If anything it is a bit faster and far more violent than the 80s trilogy. Also seeing Ford do a lot of his stunts was great. Indy4 addresses the subject of ageing and the generational shift with humour, poigniance and grace and is itself a minor yet obvious theme throughout the movie. This does make Indy4 a slightly different Indy but one which lies well within a comfortably recognizable Indy-universe. It will sit smoothly alongside its predecessors in your movie collection (unless you have the box set like me-bugger it!-I’ll have to upgrade).
Scriptwriter Jeff Nathanson has written a very witty script. The fifties paranoia is very well realised and we get angry at the unjust treatment of our hero, like so many other innocents in the age of Mcarthism and rampant denunciation in America.
Nathanson had promised he’d made an entirely new adventure whilst placating fans of the originals with promises of an occasional nod to previous adventures. The resulting tale of alien visitation which is centred on Mayan culture plays a little like a cross between the ‘X-Files’, ‘Stargate’ and ‘the Mysterious Cities of Gold’, all given the ‘Indy treatment’ with a good measure of that ‘Close encounters of the third kind’ feeling of awe. Which for a geek like me is no bad thing. I’ve heard people saying, ‘Oh thats rediculous!’ Are they serious? Have they even seen the other movies? If so, then are they Mormons? I mean, as if any of the stuff in the others is plausible. A magic Indian rock-The Ark of the Covenant laying waste to Nazis-The holy grail bequeathing eternal life to a crusader knight and the false one, death to a rich asshole. Come on! Just go with it and you’ll enjoy life more.
But as far as the occasional nod to fans, he may have been understating the case. With all sorts of visual goodies to keep the Indy watcher on his toes. Even the tying in and resolution of many former themes and plots. The boxed Ark even makes a brief appearance in the warehouse. We have all the essential markers- There is a great riff on Indys almost lifelong crippling fear of snakes in the quicksand scene(Oh sorry Indy- NOT quicksand). The trademark scream which can be heard in most Lucas and Spielberg movies pops up in the motorbike in the library scene. There are great ancient temples and tombs with fantastic booby-traps and door mechanisms etc. which appear to have been tripped previously. . . but not. Indys ’smash and grab’ style of archaeology. Bad guys that can’t shoot straight. Clues that change depending on Indys understanding of the translation. The powerful, thwacking Indy punch sound falls like rain in some brutal fight scenes. And that strangely muffled gunshot noise all take you right back.
The return of Karen Allen as ‘Marion Ravenwood’ (or in this one ‘Mary Williams’) feels unforced and very satisfying(even if(and i’ll go to hell for this) it would seem that guys DO age better than chicks). Her ‘INDEEEEEE!’, and yakking whilst being gagged, both some of the cute little throwbacks to Raiders.
Jim Broadbent made a wonderful replacement for the late Denholm Elliots ‘Dr Marcus Brody’ as dean of the university. Brody gets referenced a few times, in fact being indirectly involved in a good gag, which makes you almost feel he WAS in this movie.
Strangely, it made so much sense that Henry Jones Snr would have passed on that it is fine that Sean Connery didn’t come out of retirement for this one. And whilst it might have been nice to see John Rhys Davies return as ‘Sulla’, it would have made NO sense and believability was already at stretching point.
As for the other new characters, bad accent aside Cate Blanchetts KGB bitch is ok. But her death should have been a little better-less cg(also her 2.I.C. should have had a far more graphic death in the otherwise excellent giant-ant scene). John Hurt as ever is a secure addition for any show. And Ray Winstones sidekick ‘Mac’ fits in well, but I had his true character sussed from the first minute-Hell!-the first trailer, and was never fooled.
Shia Lebouf is good as ‘Mutt’. Not a -Marlon Brando ‘Johnny’ from ‘the Wild One’- type, so much as a shameless rip-off. His natural charm and great humour keep us interested in him and he aquits himself well in action scenes(a Tarzan-vine swinging scene is so ubsurd you can’t help but laugh). Ok, To the worst-kept secret and his possible whip-cracking heritage is played funnily and even with some pathos- While certain familiar mannerisms of his even help us to buy into it(In a similar vein, Ford has adopted some of the mannerisms of Connerys, Jones Snr, to help with this image of ‘Joneses throughout the ages’). There is one scene where he tricks a couple of KGB goons into driving into a statue of Marcus Brody causing the statues head to bounce off, into the drivers lap. Grinning at the comic nature of the scene, Mutt looks back to Indy, sitting on the back of his bike, who just stares him down disapprovingly. This is almost a carbon copy of a scene in ‘The Last Crusade’ where he is riding a german motorcycle with HIS father in the sidecar. Both scenes make me laugh. There is a lot of funny ‘Airplane’-type pantomime action going on in the background and foreground, especially during dialogue scenes which makes for an interesting second viewing. Hell, Just watch it twice anyway. Its great! Its Indiana Jones!
May 29th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Wow! What a detailed review Chris!
I agree that although some of the action scenes were over the top, its like you did not mind as you know its just Indy style.
I also agree and liked how the played at Indys age, especially with his young son taking a few cheap shots at him about his age.
Another thing you did not mention was the ants, yes there are ants like that, that actually exist BUT they are smaller, much smaller.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
this movie was lots of fun.
plenty of reminders of the previous movies.
refreshing to see that they did not have the women half naked by the end of the movie.
not much intellectual appeal, but thats not why one chooses to see such a movie.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Also with the latest movie, they are releasing new Indiana Jones comic book stories as well as re-releasing old classics - golden!
June 12th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I know that I am in the minority in saying this: but I was greatly disappointed in the movie. For some odd reason a few scenes just ruined it for me.
The kid swinging on branches like Tarzan?
The science-fiction ending?
I dont know. I was raised on the original trilogy that I loved …. and I think I was disappointed in the latest installment. It’ll take more than just lotsa CG to impress me :S
June 12th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I can’t believe they went through a multitude of scripts to land at this one as the best…I expected so much more. Yes it was good that it was an extension of the trilogy…liked how they played on Indy’s age…there was a lot to like but it just didnt come up to scratch for me. Cate B is one of my fav actresses…I thought her character was 2 dimensional and lacking her usual ’spectacular-ness’. I loved the over-the top action scenes…hated the alien angle…hated it…spoiled it for me…as it was kind of important to the plot of the movie! Won’t be rushing out to get it as a new release video..happy to wait til it goes to weekly…
June 13th, 2008 at 11:08 am
@Life - yeah the tarzan bit was a little ‘oh my golly gosh’
Did anyone like the science fiction/ alien twist at the end?
I actually just finished reading the comic of the movie and while they were still aliens it was not as obvious as they left earth in a round ball instead of a typical 60s style space ship.
Thanks for your comments El and Life (subscribe to your blog
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June 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Overall Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was very entertaining, playing on the audiences’ nostalgic remembrance of its predecessors.
Did they need to make this and do they need to make another?
Although it was thoroughly entertaining I get the feeling Hollywood is running out of fresh ideas. And with such a gap between this and the last Indy film maybe it was an after thought as most sequels follow in successive years.
I just don’t want to see Indy go down the same path as the Star Wars series. The latest versions were passable at best and actually watered down the rest of the Star Wars series. Instead of adding to it, they actually take away from the overall feel of the movies.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Movie Review.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.
The story so far… Indiana Jones having saved the world from itself so many times even he’s lost count gets rewarded, after a bizarre series of events, by being placed on J Edgar Hoover’s pinko list. This leads him on towards his latest adventure, saving the world (what else) against an evil communist plot. (and gives Speilberg and Lucas a chance to take a swipe at the Patriot act and the office of Homeland security)
This also lead to a bizarre comment by the current Russian leader (as quoted in the West Australian 24th May) That Harrison and Cate Blanchett are the Running dogs of Imperial Capitalism and he was sorry to see the old stereotypes were being resurrected. (Good to see the old terms are still in use I say) Since the movie is set in the early 50’s there really wasn’t any other bad guys except the commies.
So Indy and a young friend (a very Unbrando-like Shia LaBeouf on a Harley and in a leather jacket) head off to save the world and their friends.
For lovers of the other films it’s more of the same. Endless chase sequences, Indestructible if Creaky Indy, Gratuitous Insect scenes and enough spun sugar spider webs to put a diabetic in a coma. But everyone is having such a good time you are carried along for the ride. Let me tell you If I looked as Buff as Harrison Ford when I’m 67 I’d be a happy person.
Loose ends are tied up from the previous three and there are “in” jokes galore. So If you haven’t seen them for a while, get them out on DVD and refresh your memory before going in for the latest installment. It’s not great Art but I know what I like…
June 20th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
We actually did that just before going to watch them at the movies - we got out all the old ‘Indie’ movies and watched them - it was great!
It also helped me to remember parts like the old cast coming back and stuff like that
September 30th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Haven’t seen it but my wife been trying to drag me to it. Looks like a lot of fun and i did like the first three. Does sound like they could have chosen a better plot though. Aliens? Hmm
Oh well I’ll have to do an Indiana Jones marathon and then go see it.
I do get the feeling that Indiana Jones to my wife was what Cap’n Jack is to the girls today though.
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October 4th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Yes it sure is good fun (the aliens do ruin it a bit tho) and if you enjoyed the previous ones you wont be too disappointed.
and im sure Indy Jones has more class than Cap’n Jack (whom ive heard is making a return)
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