by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
B+ PG-13 124 min
Originally, George Lucas wrote 1981's Raiders of the Lost Arc as homage to the old pulp serial movies of the 30s and 40s. Steven Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan also worked on the original screenplay. The three picture series grossed $1.2 billion worldwide with average budgets at $96 million. So, the idea for a fourth picture was met with a tepid response by the principles.
More significantly, Lucas and Spielberg would not make the fourth movie without Harrison Ford, so he had to approve the script and be on-board for the shoot. The deal wrangling took at least five years to bring the project to fruition. One must keep in mind that the franchise was never intended to be anything other than grade B entertainment. The three picture series fulfilled that commitment in spades.
Thus the fourth installment meets the criteria and quality production values of the other three with humor, Spielberg’s rough and tumble action sequences, and references back to the continuing story line. The last Indiana Jones adventure was released 19 years ago, so, Harrison Ford looks a bit more rough around the edges, but remarkably, he wears his age well and looks fit. Hiring Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams was a smart move since he is emerging as the hot new movie star representing today’s youth. Cate Blanchett, made-up like a dominatrix, has an odd role as a twisted German psychic, Irina Spalko.
In this fourth installment, viewers find Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones still teaching when he is called back on an adventure involving a strange hypnotic crystal skull. Before long, Jones is entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind the mysterious artifacts hidden away in the Mayan jungle. Set in 1957, the period details are accurate right down to Mutt Williams’ (LaBeouf) duck-tail hair-do. The ruthless cold-war era Russians believe that the crystal skull will help them with their mind control experiments.
Indiana Jones is kidnapped by the Russians but escapes and goes on an expedition to find his colleague Professor Oxley, who is rumored to be mad as a hatter. Oxley is the key to finding the crystal skull and its secrets. Meanwhile, Jones and his exhibition party are being followed by the Russians with badass Irina swinging her sword. Spielberg never lets the movie drag, and here are plenty of action sequences to satisfy the most rabid stunt junkie.
During Jones and Co.’s quest for the crystal skull, Jones meets his ex-wife, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and learns some shocking news. Now she has joined the group on their trek into the Mayan jungle.
The fourth episode of the Indiana Jones legacy stays true to the other three movies, in that, Jones is a tenured professor of archeology, which gives him credentials to go on trips to faraway places to find artifacts that will help scientists understand ancient civilizations. Jones is also handy with that whip and his fists. It’s no secret that today’s PhD archeologists were inspired by the Indiana Jones’ movies to study this field in college and explore past civilizations.
For me, it had been nineteen years since I viewed an Indiana Jones movie, so this fourth edition was exciting, entertaining, and fun. You can’t go wrong with Spielberg and Lucas helming a film.
Article Published in the May 2008 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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