Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single-Disc Edition)
by Steven Spielberg
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cate Blanchett, Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeoufDirector: Steven Spielberg
Brand: Paramount
Cinematographer: Janusz Kaminski
Editor: Michael Kahn
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy
Producer: George Lucas
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; German (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
Published: 2008-10-01
DVD Release Date: 2008-10-14
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single-Disc Edition)
Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Matter of Taste
Summary: 5 Stars
For nearly two decades, I heard fanboys whine and complain that a fourth Indiana Jones picture would never come. Then something changed... the movie got announced, and then fanboys didn't want it anymore. Granted, much of this was backlash against Indy creator George Lucas for his less than stellar Star Wars movies. Not that I can entirely blame them, when you put something on as high of a pedestal as the original Star Wars and Indy movies, anything new is bound to disappoint.
Now, what I'm trying to say here is that a lot of the people went into the film with a preconceived notion of what they wanted and expected, be it the astonishing or the damning.
That wasn't so with me. I went in only for the love of Indy. I love the characters, and I expecially love the film world's blend of the historic and the fantastic. But I did go into the film with 3 criteria under which I would find the film enjoyable.
1) Does Harrison Ford still pull off the roguish archeologist? That would be a resounding 'yes'.
2) Does the film deliver the action? Another 'yes sir'.
3) Does the film have the same wit and charm that the original films did? That would be a 'hell yes'.
Because for me, an Indy film isn't about the macguffin, or the effects, or even the beleivability, it's about the character and, beleive it or not, having fun.
But... I guess we really have to discuss those things we well.
The macguffin: The Crystal Skull plays a very similar role in the film as the Ark of the Covenant or Jones Sr.'s Diary... it's obtained fairly early on, and much fighting is done to repossess it. I thought they did a decent job at trying to groud it's alien nature in factual archeaology (the Nazca Indians referenced in the film really would bind their infant's heads to elongate their skulls in honor of their gods, and really did create giant pictographs in the earth that can supposedly only be seen from the air) which, as far as I can tell, is the first time an Indy film has used actual archeological facts as clues. (Could be wrong on that, though. Maybe there really was an extremely old Sir Richard and a crystal that can create a laser to point you to the true location of the Ark.)
Then again... much like I feel that the true macguffins of the Last Crusade to be Jones Sr. and his grail diary rather than the grail itself, I'm of the personal view that the true macguffin of this film is in fact Marion. In essence, she was what he had to find, to save, and to discover the secret of. The real point of the film I feel was to get to that ending, to get Marion and Indy back together and solve the biggest flaw in the original series, which was that when the Last Crusade was set after Raiders, it ended the series with Indy and Marion apart...
The effects: Some excelled, some faltered. Which isn't really different than some of the rest of the films for me though. Unless you really, really thought the large snake and rhino horn from the Last Crusade train chase look realistic, and that the leap from the lion's head wasn't THAT distractingly bluescreened in.
The beleiveability: About on par with Temple of Doom, to be honest. I know that's not the most beloved Indy film, and maybe that's where the problem lies with this one for many. As fas as I'm concerned, surviving a nuke in a fridge is just an extreme take on TOD's surviving falling from a plane in a rubber raft. And the alien thing, which I know rankles the 1/4 of people who didn't like this movie, I personally find to be about as likely as, say, a fast mine cart race with no apparent propulsion, or an immortal knight, or a cultist that can somehow bypass your ribs to rip your heart out, or the notion that people in India really eat monkey brains, or that a man can survive falling several stories by falling through a series of awnings WITHOUT breaking his ribs, or that after several centuries of disuse, the boobytraps in a forgotten temple will all still work and do so without fail. (Let's face it, the movies aren't that realistic to begin with. Complaining about anything unrealistic in an Indy film is like complaining that there's some sort of sugary substance on your Frosted Flakes.)
I should probably wrap this up now, huh? To sum up... Ford was Indy again, and no matter what else happens in the film, that's what you should be happy to see.
4.9/5 Stars.
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Summary of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single-Disc Edition)
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas bring you the greatest adventurer of all time in ?a nonstop thrill ride? (Richard Corliss, TIME) that?s packed with ?sensational, awe-inspiring spectacles? (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy (Harrison Ford) trying to outrace a brilliant and beautiful agent (Cate Blanchett) for the mystical, all-powerful Crystal Skull of Akator. Teaming up with a rebellious young biker (Shia LaBeouf) and his spirited original love Marion (Karen Allen), Indy takes you on a breathtaking action-packed adventure in the exciting tradition of the classic Indiana Jones movies!Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim
Stills from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Click for larger image)
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