Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Nineteen years. That’s how long it’s been since Harrison Ford donned that classic fedora and cracked the trademark bullwhip. And now, at age 65, he reprises that legendary role of Henry Jones, Jr. But his friends call him Indiana. Actually, in the new installment in the Indiana Jones saga, he seemed to be addressed as Henry just as often as Indiana.

Since it’s been so long since Last Crusade came out, we also saw a 19 year jump in Indy’s timeline. Taking place in 1957, the story starts with a bang and gets right into the action. In the past, Indy has been in the middle of some adventure before the true story of the film begins. This time, the start of the film is the start of the story.

I won’t give away any of the plot details, just know that it’s an imaginative story with a few twists here and there. That usually makes for a good movie. Harrison Ford was impressive and believable as a more seasoned Dr. Jones. Even did most of his own stunts, or so I’m told. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, a role that originated in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rounding out the cast are John Hurt, who plays one of Indy’s colleagues, and Shia LeBeouf, who seems to take the spot of sidekick away from Short Round (from Temple of Doom). Only not as annoying.

I grew up loving the original trilogy and have been looking forward to this since the mid-90s when they first started talking about doing a fourth movie. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg did not disappoint. But I wasn’t blown away by the movie either. At this point, Last Crusade is still my favorite in the series. I read a rumor that there may even be another one. And of course I’ll be in line to see that when and if it ever comes out. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is definitely worth seeing. Have fun.