Review: Latest ‘Indiana Jones’ lives up to its name

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LeBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent

Rated: PG-13

It’s hard to believe it was 27 years ago that George Lucas, serving as producer and head writer, and Steven Spielberg, as director, first brought Henry Jones Jr. – aka “Indiana” Jones – to the movie screen. The result was no less than expected from two men who had already changed the movies, and how they were made, in ways that would continue to evolve for decades.

It’s been 19 years since the last installment of the franchise, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Indy, and the actor who gave him life, Harrison Ford, are both 65 now, but neither looks anywhere near that age – a little grayer, much wiser, but certainly not a mere shadow of the whip-wielding, fedora-wearing, wise-cracking archaeologist who wowed us in three films in the 1980s.

While Professor Jones may not be any less dashing, daring and charming than he was nearly two decades ago, the screenplay for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a bit feeble. Credited to David Koepp (“Panic Room,” “Spider-Man,” Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds”) and based on a story by Lucas, the screenplay doesn’t have many of the dramatic elements and devices that hold a cohesive story together. To all but the pickiest of nitpickers, that will not be an issue. Even if the script were tight as a drum, one would still be required to suspend belief far and above what is usually expected from a filmgoer. For example, an amphibious Jeep in which our hero and his posse are making a getaway plummets over not one but three enormous Amazon River waterfalls in less than that many minutes. All emerge unscathed.

So, forget the plot and savor the sheer wonder that Spielberg, Lucas, the cast and crew toss relentlessly on the screen. There are a great many ancient, gigantic, Rube Goldberg-inspired gadgets – guarding temples, tombs and towns – each one more amazing than the last. These will be familiar to most viewers, who no doubt remember the giant stone ball, et al, from earlier Indy films.

It’s 1957, rock ‘n’ roll is the music of day, A-bombs are being tested regularly and the Cold War is at its chilliest. A convoy of military personnel approaches a base in New Mexico. The base, they are told, has been evacuated for a weapons test. With that, the visiting soldiers open fire, making short work of the guards. These guys – and one beautiful, scary, ice-cold woman – aren’t U.S. Army. They’re Russkies!

One of the cars’ trunks is opened and one man is pulled out, then another. We don’t see the second man’s face but the camera cuts to ... a fedora. A shadow appears, and the familiar Indiana Jones theme fades in as the camera reveals Indy. It’s a goosebump moment.

The Soviets have a purpose for Jones: Identify the contents of a box he examined 12 years earlier. That box, along with thousands of other secret military objects, is being warehoused on the base. Jones, of course, is defiant.

Then, the beautiful, scary, ice-cold woman, Irina Spalko, takes over. Comrade Spalko is employed by the branch of the Soviet military that investigates psychic phenomena for possible use as weapons.

Spalko, as played by Cate Blanchett, is one of the few things that breathe some fresh air into the film. Blanchett is a rare and talented actress. While not a traditional beauty, she is always beautiful, whether playing an English queen, Bob Dylan during his “Highway 61” period or a hard-reared Russian military psychic.

This is the jumping off point for the meat of the story, and it would serve no purpose to give much more away.

A new character – a young “Wild One” era Brando-type named Mutt (Shia LeBeouf) – is introduced and plays an important part in many aspects of the storyline. It’s through Mutt that another new face, Professor Oxley (John Hurt) and a welcome old friend, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), are ushered into the action.

The action spans the globe and the tent-pole scene (the major action sequence holding up the rest of the film) is a long wild ride through the Amazon jungle.

The only films that “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” can be compared to are the other films in the series. In many ways (mostly due to the screenplay) it’s not as good as the other three, but it’s the only Indy we have in 2008, and I enjoyed it for what it was: The new “Indiana Jones” movie.

Everyone in the film, especially Blanchett, seems to be having a lot of fun. Audiences will enjoy it as well. Judging from the $126 million spent last weekend at the box office, many already have.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.