Indiana Jones: Expectedly Over-the-Top, but Still Fun

I caught Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this afternoon and there's a lot to talk about. If you're a fan of action movies at all, there's really not a reason not to see it. I haven't seen the previous three in ages and to my knowledge have only seen one from start to finish, but had no problem enjoying it. So I'm just going to talk about it as if it was just a straight-up action flick and the movie completely fills that role.

Before I go on, if you're from the area take a close look at the campus scene in the movie. If you forgot the buzz this summer, it was shot in Yale and there are definitely plenty of spots you can pick out even if you're only vaguely familiar with the campus like myself.

Anyways, so yeah, some people may complain that the movie was a tad over the top and I will agree with that in just one case and partly in another. There's a certain scene (not trying to give it away completely) involving monkeys that I just know had to be one of the last to make it into the film. It's very brief and doesn't do too much damage to the overall film, but I was just shocked that even for an Indiana Jones movie that it made it from the cutting room floor to the big screen. If you've seen the movie, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Other than that and a storyline dwelling a bit too much in the sci-fi territory that could have easily been adapted for a more Indiana Jones feel, I had no issues with the movie and the $8 I spent to watch it. The action scenes are what you will expect. Harrison Ford getting himself into and out of trouble with Shia LaBeouf (Transformers) and Karen Allen (who you may remember from Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Ford is obviously great. I couldn't stop thinking about 2006's Rocky Balboa and the most recent Star Wars films. Rocky because I felt that Ford could have easily done Indiana like Stallone did Rocky -- a sad and desperate attempt to reprise a role he could no longer play. Ford took it in stride and while he's very much involved in the action, he accepts that he is not the Indiana Jones of old. It was refreshing.

And Star Wars because it made me realize that a movie can be made so many years after the originals and still keep that same feeling. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull felt right at home with the previous movies. It didn't feel at all like I was watching a bastardized version of the originals and that is something the diehards can appreciate.

If I was forced to give it a letter grade, I would give it a solid B. A few small tweaks and it could have easily been a B+ or even an A-. Oh yeah, and LaBeouf is not too shabby.