Sunday, May 25, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

When you catch lightning in a bottle once, that's a great thing. If you catch lightning in a bottle twice - or in the case of the first three Indiana Jones films, thrice - you can only imagine that that streak of good fortune would be destined to end at some point. The jury is still out for me on this film, although I admit I had a shit-eating grin on my face multiple times throughout the film (for example, the first shot of Indy or the crazy monkey scene performed by Shia LeBouf). It's just unfair to judge the value of this film without the nostalgia factor that the other three already developed. Additionally, the antagonist, played by Cate Blanchett, seemed weak to me, so it will be interesting to see how my feelings on her character influence my feelings on the movie overall (note, I'm not judging her effort, just the role itself).

Don't get me wrong, there are usually any number of things you could criticize in films if you think long enough about it. And for everything that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lacked, it made up for in other ways - Harrison Ford and Shia LeBouf, exciting action sequences, and plenty of squirmishly good scenes with squirmishly disgusting creatures.

Overall, my gut feeling is a positive one, and I'd suggest giving this film at least one watch.

Rating: 7.5/10

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