Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review

 

Well folks, here we are. The end of the road.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a action-adventure movie and the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was written by George Lucas, David Koepp, and Jeff Nathanson and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The story is it's 1957, Indiana Jones has been informed by Mutt Williams that his mother and a former colleague of his have been captured after finding the crystal skull. Now Jones and Mutt not only need to save these two, but also unlock the mysteries of the crystal skull, all while trying to avoid the dangerous KGB.

• Negatives

I've got nothing here. Let's move on.

• Mix

There are three mixed bags here, and one of those is the CGI/green screen. There are quite a few times when it's actually not too bad, other times, there's no excuse. For instance, while the jungle chase is a fun action sequence, it's brought down by the fact the green screen makes the jungle look like a still background, as suppose to being a lively environment.

Then we have the new characters. Now characters such as Mac. Not only does he have a an amusing double agent gimmick, he also does have some pretty funny moments. Then you have Mutt. Now, I by no means hate this character, I actually do like him. The problem stems from the movie trying to convince you he'll be the replacement. While Shia LaBeouf does provide an entertaining performance, he's definitely not in the same league as Harrison Ford. Because of that aspect, both Shia and his character Mutt are better suited for a supporting character role.

Which now brings me to the last gray area, that being the sci-fi element. Now, when I first saw the movie in theaters back in 2008, that element of the story never bothered me. I mean, Indy has dealt with the mystical not once, not twice, but three times. So sci-fi really shouldn't have been that much of a stretch. So...then what's the issue? It's simple, while the alien story is pretty good, it does dive by the end of the movie, cause by then, they really overdo it. What Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and co. should've done is keep it just a tad bit mysterious.

• Positives

Now, let's write about the positives. One of those being the performances. While the script isn't the strongest like it was in the previous three films, the cast still provide some good acting to make up for the more lackluster stuff.

Then there's the humor. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull continued the tradition of having bits of humor throughout the movie. My favorite one being how Indy was upset that someone didn't make a character finish school. I would've provided more details/a clip, but it's better if you see that scene play out from watching the movie from beginning up to when Indy and co. are trapped in quicksand.

Even though I slightly criticized the CGI and green screen, that really wasn't enough for me not to get excited for the action. It's still as exciting as ever. Which really says something considering most of the cast was very old when making this. Sure some of it was most likely stunt doubles but still. The opening scene alone, will get you excited about what's to come.

I'm gonna keep this last part brief, because I really don't think I can provide anything insightful about John Williams' score that hasn't already been said. While all of the classic themes are in there, all of the newer stuff he composed is also amazing as well. But that's John Williams, so I guess that's not really all that surprising.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is, from my point of view, much like the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Yes, there's no doubt there are flaws, but both products don't deserve the amount of hatred they get. There's still something to enjoy, even if they aren't masterpieces.

My final rating is, Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Even though I have heard somethings regarding the leaks, I'm hoping some of it isn't true, and at the very least the Dial of Destiny is at the very least, decent. Also, come back on Thursday, May 11th, for my Underrated Films review of What About Bob? Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.