It has been a long time since a film has been hyped as much as “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” the fourth installment of the now iconic series and the first in 19 years. Little wonder, really, since director Steven Spielberg's initial effort, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” along with its producer George Lucas's Star Wars trilogy changed the terrain of Hollywood – for the better, if you are big on blockbusters designed to sell huge numbers of tickets in the shortest time possible, and for the worst, if you favor the more unsettled and unsettling endings provided by directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Nicolas Roeg. The new Indiana Jones will certainly sell a monumental number of tickets. Adults who have grown up with the franchise – some of whom idolize Harrison Ford as Jones – are going to be drawn back to relive the movie-going experience of their childhood and teens, and they are going to be more than willing to shell out for their kids' tickets so that they, too, can experience Indiana Jones on the big screen. As long as filmgoers are not looking for a totally new and unique experience, they will not be disappointed. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” delivers just like its predecessors. It is action-packed, full of ingenious chase scenes and stunts and approaches much of the material with a wry sense of humor. Ford assumes the role of Jones with a disarming naturalism, and Shia LeBoef, surprisingly, is far from irritating and ultimately quite charismatic as the young man who attaches himself to Jones and follows him into adventures with nary a second thought. Karen Allen makes a return as Marion Ravenwood, Jones's love interest from the original film, and she is as chirpy and outrageous as ever, giving the last third of the film a needed burst of energy and levity. The female is Irina Spalko, a Russian Stalinist played by Cate Blanchette in a role that must have looked like fun when she read the script but comes across, uncharacteristically for her, as a bit dull on screen. The plot, as usual, revolves around an object that potentially possesses great powers. This time it's the crystal skull that has to be returned to its original location which turns out to be in a subterranean temple-like complex deep in the South American jungle. The legend is that the one who returns the skull takes possession of the city of gold that houses it. Blanchette leads the Russian contingent – the film takes place in 1957, post-Nazi, full-fledged Cold War – while Jones somewhat unwittingly leads the American contingent that includes La Boef as Mutt Williams, Ray Winstone as Mac, a poorly drawn character who is much more a source of confusion than drama, Allen as Marion, who turns out to be Mutt's mother and Ox played by John Hurt who must be just a bit embarrassed at dedicating his considerable acting skills to the truly silly role of an archeologist turned idiot savant by the powers of the skull. It is impossible – and unnecessary – to detail the plot progression. Needless to say, the skull changes hands numerous times and just when someone thinks they have gotten what they want, something happens to assure them that they do not. There are chases through deserts, jungles, and caverns with occasional references to the preceding Indiana Jones movies. Although Ford and Allen have clearly aged, there are surprisingly few references to graying hair and depleted abilities. Ford seems as nimble as ever (though it is hard to believe assertions that at 65 he did his own stunts) and the film races forward with occasional, sometimes overly long, rests to explain plot points. In the end, though, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” lacks the spark and surprise of the new and that can most likely be laid at the feet of director Spielberg. The original movie was based on the old-time movie serials that Spielberg talked of loving when he was a kid. Those kinds of films had long since stopped being made by the 80's, when he took advantage of the chance not just to relive them but to make them himself. He's an adult director trying to relive his childhood – a big kid, in other words. Since those days he has segued into far weightier works, character-driven stories that demanded little in the way of superfluous action but much in the way of drama and pathos. He has continued to dabble in the supernatural and fantastic as evidenced by his adaptation of “War of the Worlds” in 2005. But Indiana Jones had its time and its place as far as movie history goes. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is something of a paint-by-numbers edition of the previous three films. There's a lot of talent behind it, all of which, for the most part, have gone on to other things since originally teaming up to establish the legend of Indiana Jones. It is a little like watching Michael Jordan fade into mediocrity when he insisted on returning to the basketball court a few years ago. __
