And so Indy returns for outing number four in one of the most popular movie franchises of all time.
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Was the wait worth it? Can Mssrs Lucas, Spielberg and Ford pull off the kind of rollicking adventures, fights, well-thought out script, and general mayhem Episodes one through to three provided? In a nutshell, yes!
This would rank in between Raiders and Last Crusade in as far as story line, acting and entertainment value. Whether it’s Indy coming close to meeting his maker at a nuclear test site, or being beaten half to death by Soviet soldiers, or almost taking a fatal blow-dart to the head, the action is as fast and hectic as it’s ever been.
The story itself is about the Crystal Skull in the title, which comes from aliens that visited the planet many thousands of years ago, and seems loosely based on Eric Von Danikin’s Chariots of The Gods. As movie is set during the Cold War it is the turn of the USSR to be the bad guys, and the meanest of them all is a very able Cate Blanchet who certainly hands out the barbs and brickbats with ease. Karen Allen makes a welcome return as Indy’s old love Marion Ravenwood, while it’s great to see Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and John Hurt turning up too (although no John Rhys Davies – maybe this was a franchise too far!) to add spice to the storyline.
It seems Ford is hedging his bets on making a return for a fifth movie, but if he decides not to (and he might be too old anyway), as long as the script is good, Lebouf, who plays Indy’s son, would make a great fist of taking over the series (if he can keep his career on track).
Overall, one of movies of the year.
