Indiana Jones and the Sequel of Doom

You guessed it. I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull today. It was actually not too bad. It did suffer from somewhat overplaying it's cards though. The original trilogy from the eighties was well known for it's balance of goofy humour and over-the-top action that bordered on the preposterous. It was silly, but fun anyway, and it was never too outlandish. Indy's latest adventure largely manages to capture that goofy sense of humour, but unfortunately the action can occasionally become too over the top even for a movie of this pedigree. Make no mistake, it'll draw some laughs, but in the back of your mind you'll be thinking that it went just a little too far in one or two scenes.

The plot was another sticking point. It just didn't seem to gel with the whole Indy universe. It was also a bit more complicated when compared to the previous movies, so there were parts that left me confused as to what was actually supposed to be happening. In the end it was actually much weaker (and more predictable) than what it could have been. Ah well, at least the villains were cool (note to film-makers, more movies with crazed vodka-swilling Soviets!).

As for the acting, well they basically carried the movie a little bit more than I would have hoped. Yes, it's kind of a back-handed compliment, because basically the entire cast was excellent. I particularly liked the Soviet Colonel, who looked suitably stony-faced, solemn, and massive, a perfect stereotypical Communist Russian then. What's-her-name the Ukranian scientist occasionally buggered up the accent, but she was suitably sinister nonetheless. Of course Ford was brilliant as Indy, and the guy who played his side-kick (look up the names, you can use IMDB, right?) was excellent as both an aspiring adventurer and a typical fifties greaser. It's just a shame that the brilliant acting (and decent writing obviously) had to cover for the lazy plot.

In spite of these downers Indy's latest adventure still managed to leave a smile on my face once the credits rolled. And isn't that what movies are all about? Where it sits amongst its 80's era peers is a matter of opinion. I think it's probably a bit better than Temple of Doom, but it can't touch Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Last Crusade.

By the way, I really didn't like Temple of Doom, but I'll save that rant for another time.