Before we get into the beef of the movie, let me just warn you, after the brief description of the film there are going to be spoilers. Of course, you’ll get that tacky SPOILERS message to warn you again, but this is the first warning.
Dr. Jones is pulled into another adventure against some nasty Russian folk (KGB type), who have an obsession with obtaining a crystal skull. Not exactly knowing where it is, for some reason they go looking for an alien’s body inside of Area 51, with the help of Jones. They somehow kidnap Indiana Jones, who reluctantly helps them obtain this alien in Area 51. Once obtained, the Russians depart from the site and now Jones has to track them down to stop them before they posses the one object they’re now trying to find, a crystal skull. Jones doesn’t go alone though, he has help from a young greaser named Mutt Williams, who is connected with the search for the Russians because of a missing family friend named Professor Oxley (Ox for short), who has gone missing due to his search for the crystal skull’s resting place. So, against time and Russian communist, Jones must stop them from obtaining the mystery power and find Professor Oxley at the same time, without getting killed of course.
*SPOILERS — YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*
First, the good. The action scenes were great. I know some people were complaining about the jungle scene, but it was out of this world cool. Even the beginning of the film starts off on the right note. You’re into the film when the action begins and you continue that every time you see the action on screen. That’s what makes Indiana Jones films so darn good. Oh, they’re also good because of strong stories, which brings me to the next segment.
Let me start out by saying that I had so much potential for this film. I rarely listen to other reviewers and how they felt on the film, and I know that it has gotten mixed reviews from screenings across the country. So, i was prepared for the best and worst. I have always loved the Indiana Jones films (okay, just sort of liked Temple), so I knew the story was going to be interesting regardless. With that said, here we go.
The movie starts off with Jones taken to Area 51 to identify the exact box where the aliens from Roswell are stored. Apparently they have some sort of magnetic field that draws metal to them, so Jones figures out a clever way to find them using that knowledge. Once found, the Russians, headed by a psychic named Irina Spalko, take the alien carcus with them for some odd reason and go exploring in the jungles of South America for the crystal skull. Jones finds his way out of the warehouse at Area 51 and somehow survives a nuclear blast in the process (that comes later after the warehouse, but is certainly too goofy to explain). Now, I’m certainly not one for details, but when the Russians first arrive at Area 51 they are greeted by six guards who quickly get dispatched. There are NO guards after that. No military at Area 51, no high-ranking officials, nothing. For such a restricted base you would think that there would be more than six guards. Anyway, least of the movie’s problems.
So, Jones escapes and he goes back to normal life, not really (apparently) thinking about what the Russians intentions were. He is investigated by the FBI and is closely watched. So much that he is fired from his teaching position because the FBI suspects he is a communist (did I mention that his friend double-crosses him at Area 51? No, it’s probably not important). After losing his position, he high-tails it out of the city and intends on going to London to teach. Before he can even leave the train station, more Russian KGB folk show up on the scene, but before then he meets Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), who tells him about Professor Oxley’s disappearance, apparently Ox is an old friend of Jones. Wanting to know more, he gets off the train (which the KGB have gotten onto) and he has lunch with Mutt. During the lunch, Mutt informs Jones of what he knows and becomes his sidekick. Soon after, an action scene erupts with the KGB.
Making it to Peru, Jones finds that Oxley isn’t in the city they thought he was in, but they still believe that the crystal skull, which holds mysterious power, is located there. They find the location, thanks to a jail cell that Ox was in with scribbles all over it, and they obtain the crystal skull. Of course, not before being attacked by two random guards. One of which dies and the other escapes and we never see him again. So, they come out of the cave and the KGB have found them, kidnap them and jail them.
Here’s where the story starts going downhill. Spalko tries to explain about the crystal skull and the Russian’s intentions, but the explanation ends up being (in summary) the crystal skull has mysterious powers. A jungle fight ensues the next day, which is action packed, but just a lead to the next scene. Jones and company, with the friend who turned on Jones and who is his friend again, find the location of the crystal skulls resting place and intend on giving it back before the Russians (did I mention they obtained the skull again? They did).
Not to go into anymore details about the ending, which is regretful because it’s just plain awful, I’ll stop here.
If you’re a fan of the Indiana Jones movies, you know that each object that needs to be obtained by Jones, has a clear solid purpose why it needs to be obtained. First, the Ark needed to be obtained because it was a direct connection to God. The Nazis wanted that power and Jones needed to stop them. Good reason if you ask me. Second, the rocks in the The Temple of Doom needed to be obtained because they not only caused a village to crumble, but it also needed to be obtained so the evil God didn’t get stronger. Third, the Holy Grail needed to be obtained so that the Nazis wouldn’t achieve immortality and ultimately world domination. For me, that’s a great reason to get the Holy Grail. So why did the crystal skull need to be obtained? Hmmm…. hmmm…. hmmmm…. you see what I’m getting at? There is no clear reason. Unlike the previous films, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gave no good reason of why this was a powerful object, what interest the Russians had in it and how much good/bad it could do. None. It was this object of obsession and nothing more. For a story that took years to put together, this is not a good focus of attention.
As a storyteller, you have to lay down a very solid story before you start building moments on it. Lucas seems to have found a random object then built a story around it. You can’t do that. This is potentially why the prequels of Star Wars didn’t work out too well (not financially, in the fanbase), you have to have a solid story. Yes, there is a crystal skull, but let’s give it a good reason for existing, not a very flighty reason because it gives power to the one who brings it back. Without explaining its powers, its purpose and just leaving it up in the air (even after the movie is over), that is unlike the other films and in a word, lame. On top of this, which is the main focus of the story itself, Jones himself didn’t seem to be the same person. Sure we realize that the story was built around him for his later years, but there are moments where you see him step out of his character. For example, there is a scene where he and Marion are stuck in quicksand and Mutt mislabels the quicksand for something else. As Jones is sinking, he begins to explain what the difference is in a high-pitched, quiet voice. When the hell has he ever done this? Usually he yells, “NO TIME TO ARGUE! Get something to help us!” and is clearly in control. There are multiple moments like this that just seem odd for his character.
As I mentioned Marion, I should explain a bit about her. Useless. Marion’s key purpose is to put Mutt and Jones together (father and son, you already knew that) and really nothing more. She’s baggage on the adventure, even Kate Capshaw’s character in Temple of Doom, which I despised (she’s a wonderful actress though) had a purpose. Marion doesn’t, she just seems thrown in there. It’s a shame because her character was tough as nails in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which she continues when she’s introduced. As the story continues, she becomes a girl who is infatuated with Jones and, like Jones, steps out of the character she was known for.
*SPOILERS END*
The movie is mainly a series of action moments with no real surprises. You will be constantly waiting for a conclusion to the movie, which you won’t really get. You’ll get no explanation, no real reason for the events that occurred, you will be left out in the dark with a series of action you remember and you’ll be scratching your head waiting for a great reason why the crystal skull is important. Out of the four movies, this is certainly the least favorite in my mind. I always thought that Temple of Doom would forever hold that spot, but I was wrong.
If there was anything that could come out of this movie though, that would certainly provide hope for the future, it would be the outstanding performance by Shia LeBeouf. I know many people have been giving this kid a lot of crap for his role in the film, but I enjoyed his character (and his acting) more so than the rest. I hope that Lucas plays off his character in the future Indiana films, because I would certainly go see him as the lead role and Ford as a Sean Connery type character. That would certainly have been a better way to present this movie.
Go see it for yourself though, I’m just a reviewer who is obsessed with details.