Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

That hat, the bullwhip and the worn out shoes are back. Can Harrison Ford still pull it off?

In this day and age Indiana Jones, being a cultural artefact almost on a par with Darth Vader, is difficult to look at critically. A quick look about the cinema at today’s media screening revealed people who, like myself, would have grown up watching those Raiders of the Lost Ark and its two sequels. How do you critique a character and a film series you used to emulate in the playground at school?

Quite simply, you don’t. Anyone trying to is kind of missing the point, and missing out on the fun – something which Indy IV, I’m pleased to say, has in spades.

It’s not a perfect film, of course, not by a long shot, but again, picking at a few flat gags and whining over plot issues flies in the face of the entire series, not just this latest instalment.

The movie starts with a hot-rod barrelling across country, before the rockin’ hot-rodders find some tarmac and a US military convoy to drag off while Elvis Presley plays loud and true. It some odd territory for an Indiana Jones film, but given the series has always been about bravura set piece openings, it’s a vivid way to cement the film’s 50s setting in the minds of viewers.

As the impromptu race ends, the real action heats up and from that point it rarely stops. The first twenty minutes alone introduces Russian villains, secret government research centres (and a very familiar storage facility), the latest sidekick and Indy’s war record, all before ending with one helluva bang.

The movie really only slows down when it’s necessary to advance the plot, introduce a new character or raise the dramatic stakes. And even when some of those plots, characters or gimmicks might be a little laboured, the next chase/fight/pratfall kicks in and the movie ramps back up to full speed. It’s a classic B-movie trick, and given its B-movie roots, not at all out of place or disappointing. Still, the movie hits far more often than it misses.

Cate Blanchett is going to influence the fetishes of a whole new generation of film-goers, with her severe bob haircut and habit of carrying a small-sword around at all times. Shia LaBeouf adds to his list of solid performances with his role as Indy’s wayward son, and the chemistry between the two is pretty solid – certainly better than that between Ford and newcomer to the series Ray Winstone. Winstone’s solid, but he’s not got a lot to work with.

However, it’s the return of the best Indy foil of them all that works best. Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood may be a little under-used in the film, and it can’t be said that she’s a great actress, but she’s always held her own with Harrison Ford, and her Ravenwood is still one of the more effective female characters in this kind of genre film. That, and she still has a great infectious grin.

However, the film really only works – or would have failed – had not one man been up to the job. Harrison Ford is certainly no young man any more, but then again, neither is Indiana Jones. Ford has always taken pride in doing as many stunts as the movie’s insurers will let him, and he still sells every punch he throws and every hit he takes. His physicality aside, the man still oozes a boat-load of charm; I can think of a lot of modern ‘actors’ who could do worse than watch Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for pointers on how to bring brains to an action film.

Similarly, Speilberg proves he can still handle a blockbuster, and that he still understands that set-building is an important part of creating a fantasy. There’s CGI, of course, but where possible Speilberg and his crew have built real tombs and shoot on location. If only George Lucas had done the same on the latest Star Wars movies.

At the end of the day, there’s only one way to describe Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – it’s a hoot. It never makes pretence of being serious cinema; it’s unashamedly about entertaining the audience. If you’re willing to meet the movie half way, you will not be disappointed.