Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones films are the most entertaining movies in the history of mankind. How can you possibly have more fun watching something? That being said, it was a bold move by Spielberg and Lucas to bring back the franchise after 19 years (aside from the fact that they knew they would make more money than most small countries' GDP). Everyone already has an opinion on this latest one, and here's mine: sweet. If you haven't seen it yet, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has a controversial ending that has many people angry and frustrated. It didn't bother me at all. Maybe I just like the flavor of Indy Kool-Aid too much.

So this time around Indiana Jones is really old. He is still teaching, and still searching for lost artifacts. The bad guys this time around are the Russians (led by Cate Blanchett), and it is 1957, Cold War fever. We first join our hero after he has been captured by the Reds and led to a top-secret military facility in Roswell, New Mexico (which, incidentally is where they stored the Ark of the Covenant). Indy is coerced into finding a box with a special mummified artifact inside. What is it? Honestly, it seemed pretty obvious to me the whole film, but apparently some people were surprised. Anyway, the fun ensues from there, and Indy eventually meets Mutt (Shia LaBeouf, the luckiest guy in the world). Mutt's mother is in danger, and the only thing that can save her is to find El Dorado, the mythical city of gold in South America. They go in search of the Crystal Skull, and then proceed to return that skull to its origin.

In order to watch and Indiana Jones film, you must suspend your disbelief and know that there will be many outrageous events happening. You must be able to say "Yeah, I guess Indy could survive an atomic blast" or "I guess I'll forgive the shotty research, and say it's no big deal that they implied the Mayans lived in Peru, instead of Mexico/Guatemala." You just have to go with the flow, it's way more fun. It may be harder now that I am an adult, whereas I grew up with the first three films. It is very different to see a new Indy after seeing the others when you are 9 years old, and that did concern me at first. But I just decided that I could be a kid again for a few hours, and it worked. And a quick sidenote, the best line in the film :"Just say 'grab onto the rope.'"

Indiana Jones epitomizes the desire we all have for adventure and excitement. He is adventure. He does whatever needs to be done without really thinking ahead. He jumps in with both feet and somehow comes out alive. Jones films also take that mythology that we all know, at least a little, and makes it come alive. Some of them may be fables, some I believe to be true (the Ark's power for one). These films let us believe that anything is possible, and there are mysteries still yet to be solved. I believe that the vast majority of humanity wants to believe that there are countless mysteries that we don't know. Hardly anyone wants to believe that everything is explainable by science and research. That's just not exciting. It also reflects the fact that God's creation will always have an element of mystery. We will never know the whole story of this place, or of God until "that day."

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull delivers the fun, the adventure, and the excitement. It doesn't quite deliver in terms of an interesting mystery of folklore as much as, say, the first and third films. There are a few things that fall short, but overall I do think this Indy lives up to the name. It may not be as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade (the best), but it definitely equals Temple of Doom. Even though Dr. Jones is old, he still packs a wicked punch.