Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I know everyone on this blog is an Indiana Jones fan. I'll say that before I saw it last night I made sure I knew nothing about this movie. No trailers, no news stories, no reviews. Part of the magic of this series is the surprise, so I'm warning you right now, if you haven't seen it don't read beyond this paragraph. I'm not going to spoil plot lines, but personally I hate reading analysis before seeing the movie.

Let me preface a little more... I remember my parents taking me to see The Last Crusade in the theaters. To an eight year old, that was THE reason you went to the theaters. You wanted action, comedy and a true hero. I was hoping that this movie would bring me back to that time and it did. At least as much as it could so many years later.

Analysis
The beginning. What the hell? Something just felt wrong about seeing Indiana on the big screen once again. At first I thought it was me. Had I grown too old to accept a new Indiana Jones movie? Is this something that I'm going to walk away from disappointed that they ruined a wonderful series? Happily the idea grows on you, much like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a while. At first you don't know how to act or think, but soon you settle into a nice groove.

It feels like Spielberg spent extra time in the beginning setting up your expectation of the movie. He shows the limitations of a 19 years aged Harrison Ford, and shows that Indiana is in a new age without the old Nazi enemies. It's a nice introduction but seems a little heavy handed...

I like how Harrison Ford picks up right where he left off. Indiana is still the professor at heart; he rambles his thought processes, and makes his cynical remarks. It's a formula that worked for the last three movies so why mess with a good thing?

Plot
Unfortunately I found the plot was a tough one to swallow, even after his last adventure. I had to keep reminding myself that this man has seen hearts ripped out of people, met with the protector of the holy grail and found the fabled ark. But even these adventures pale in comparison with what David Koepp has in store for him this time around.

Final Thoughts
In the end however, I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't rank it above The Last Crusade by any means, but it was good for the nostalgia.

In closing, I want to remark on a metaphor that had to be pointed out to me, but I thought it was very fitting. In the beginning, we have the old school Paramount logo, and it fades to a gopher mound. It's a fitting way to bring the audience back down from their high expectations and settle into a great summer movie - Which is exactly what this movie delivers.