Nostalgia essential element for latest 'Indiana Jones'
By Michelle Davey, Staff Writer
May 28, 2008 | 6 a.m.
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" skips through Indy’s years fighting Nazis in WWII and lands in 1957, in the midst of the Cold War and McCarthyism and about 19 years after the events of “The Last Crusade.” A team of Soviets led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) is in search of a crystal skull that was taken from El Dorado by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s and is believed to have psychic abilities.
Predictably, the Soviets want the skull’s powers to use in their attempt to defeat the U.S. and take over the world. It is up to Indy to stop them, but luckily, it seems Indiana -- and Ford -- are up to the challenge, despite their increasing years. “Crystal Skull” includes all of the old “Indiana” elements: dusty caverns, powerful relics, decayed skeletons, cliché romances and tons of fighting sequences.
One thing has changed, however. The script is much more politically correct than the previous installments. Unlike “Temple of Doom,” in which Indians ate monkey brains and cheered for human sacrifices, “Crystal Skull” has a few grunting natives and stereotyped Russians, but it is overall much less offensive.
The aging Indy gets some help in the fighting department from greaser and rebel-without-a-cause Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), who comes to Indy for help on the request of his mother and Indy’s former college buddy, Harold Oxley (John Hurt). Oxley was kidnapped during his search for the Crystal Skull and Mutt’s mother, who went to find him, was also captured.
It turns out that Mutt’s mom is Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy’s long-lost love from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Fans might remember Marion as the sassiest, most intelligent and most likeable of all of Indy’s love interests. Allen does not disappoint in her portrayal of an older-but-wiser Marion who is much more productive during fighting scenes and does a lot less shrieking at Indy for help.
But that does not make her relationship with Indiana any less contrived, of course. At one brief moment in between fighting scenes, Marion defends her other romances by pointing out that Indiana must have been with several women after leaving her. Of course, he says they all had the same problem -- “They weren’t you, honey.”
We ladies swoon as we roll our eyes, not only because Ford is still charismatic at 65 but also because the hokey plotlines are an essential element of "Indiana Jones" movies. Lucas and Spielberg are not trying to say anything very lofty or unique about the human experience. Better to create some really intense scenes with flesh-eating ants or alien gods, right?
LaBeouf’s portrayal of Mutt brings the spark of youth otherwise missing from these older characters. Mutt has acquired the type of arrogance that comes from being young and feeling invincible. His mannerisms and thoughts conflict directly with Indiana’s, creating a banter between the two as Mutt calls Indy “old man” and Indiana consistently corrects Mutt’s many errors.
Blanchett’s performance as Spalko is top notch. Spalko, one of Stalin’s favorite scientists, is afflicted with the same tunnel vision for power from which most “Indiana Jones” villains suffer. Her lust for psychic powers makes her, potentially, just as dangerous as any Nazi whom Indiana has cut down in the past.
But it is the nostalgia that strikes at heart chords more than a sinister villain ever could. For anyone who has loved the “Indiana Jones” movies, from the generation that watched them in theaters to the youngsters whose parents popped them into the VCR, this movie is packed with familiarity. The music score is mostly the same, and the classic theme is used several times to evoke old memories. Indy still cannot go without his dashing fedora upon his head or without cracking his whip around. He is still a curious archaeologist, fascinated by the relics around him and their powers. His desire for knowledge often battles his desire to do the right thing. But we all know Indy -- the good always prevails.
The film abounds with not-so-subtle winks for fans of not just previous “Indiana Jones” installments (keep your eyes peeled for the Ark from the first film) but also of Lucas and Spielberg’s other works. A drag race through the desert harks back to Lucas’ “American Graffiti” and Ford echoes a line from his “Star Wars” character Han Solo when he says, “I have a bad feeling about this.” The extraterrestrial theme and the film’s ending scenes mirror Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Perhaps the biggest difference for viewers might be how they watch this film, especially for those of a younger generation who have watched the older versions with a mixture of horror, excitement and awe. Older and wiser, just like Indy, we are able to see these films for the corniness and predictability that we were too young to grasp before. Despite the better special effects and more family-friendly storyline, the film is still a hokey action film -- and a film that makes fun of itself at that. Laughter comes just as easily as gasps of horror this time around.
Is it better than before? Honestly, no. Those who want to watch a real “Indiana Jones” film ought to pop “Raiders of the Lost Ark” into their DVD players. But Ford’s performance is outstanding, considering the circumstances. Despite the long break from playing Indiana, he still gets the mannerisms, the facial expressions and even the voice absolutely perfect -- but with a dash of old-age wisdom tossed right in. Unfortunately, the film just cannot be the same without that youthful invincibility, and faulty arrogance, of Indiana. LaBeouf’s performance is good, but he could never be the same Mutt we know and love.
Looks like Lucas and Spielberg might need Ford to find the fountain of youth to get the true spunk back in “Indiana Jones.” Hey, do I smell a sequel?
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"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Speakeasy Rating: B-
Running Time: 124 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images