A Final Bow-Indy Style...

It feels like yesterday.

Doesn't seem that long since I've seen the world famous acheologist donning his fedora and brandashing his whip for another cliffhanger adventure. Yet I remind myself that's it's been nineteen years. Has it been that long already?

Maybe a few years older, and a few more creaks of age settling in the old bones, yet Harrison Ford swings into the fourth outing with the familiar trademark wisecracking and his resourcefulness of daring. He brings to life the older, wiser Indiana Jones.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls is set in 1957 with the introduction of atomic bombs and the brutal rush of the cold war that is revelent during the times of President Eisenhauer and the music of Elvis Presley. The feeling of the colorful homes and classy cars fill the movie with sharp memories of the 1950s. Anyone who lived through this era can remember their fist visit to the malt shop or even rocking around the clock.

I drop the "Indiana Jones and..." part from the title as I feel the title is better as just "Kingdom of the Skulls." You really don't need that part, do you? Everyone knows who Indiana Jones is anyway.

I love this movie.

I am just crazy about how they brought the 1950s era to life with many details and references and the lovely car race down the Arizona desert in a high cloud of dust. It's a really lovely scene as the camera pans up the flowing American flag that flaps in the wind.

Then we are introduce to Indiana Jones who in a very interesting way we just see the hat tossed to the ground, his shadow caught against the car as he puts the fedora on. Then the audience knows we will be taken by the hand for another hair raising ride.

I've always liked the Indiana Jones films. Much more than I like the Star Wars franchine. There's something seemingly more down to earth about these films.

What I am surprised is some of the nice twist and turns of the film. We are given the betrayal of Mac at the far beginning of the film, something I didn't expect until the end of the flick. Yet we see his long time buddy turning on Indy right away while being hindered by a group of Russians led by the lovely, slender Cate Blanchett. There's a real menace in her pretty eyes. The long, hooked nose, her features framed by the dark hair that hangs like ragged curtains.

But Indiana is a few years older. And it shows. He's a little greyer, a bit slower, yet he still plows with way through with his cunning. he got to use the whip at least once in the film. But he uses it well here. The mileage is catching up with Indiana.

I have a friend who keeps telling me that Ford looks like he's 300 years old. I'm getting a little tired of that. It's a little irritating that my friend keeps pulling this line. The actor is still spry for his age, very action oriented. He's very muscular and in good shape for his current years. Ford does nearly 95 percent of the stunts as Indiana. His performance is still believable. I love the fact that Indiana is older here. It gives the character new depth. That he has lost his best friend and father. The years begin to erode him like he is a washed up, old man.

But he has gained something else. A son.

In many ways, the film is about family. Indiana, his old flame Marian Ravenwood (played by the ever deightful and very young looking Karen Allen!) and his son Mutt played by Shia LeBeouf form a strong connection through out the film that pulls them together into a tight knot much like the nuclear family that the 1950s is so well known for.

There are a lot of great moments in the film. When his son says "You're a teacher?" after he watches Indiana take on a couple of native attackers in the Peru ruins. Or the nice moment when Marian asks the famous archeoligst about how many women he had in his life. He says in the old Indy fashion, "Sure, I've had a lot of them. But they all had the same problem. They weren't you, Marion."

Some of the fight scenes are gorgeous as the older Indy tackles with a few hard nosed Russians. It's a nice change of pace for the film. Indy's battle with the much larger second in command while the red ants are drowning the grounds is amazing. I feel like I'm ten years old for this very reason. The actor who plays Mutt does a great job with his sword fighting as it is something he knows how to do in real life. There's a lot of humor that runs through the film as he is just learning the ropes. His motorcycle stunt on Marshall College is a classic.

But there is something one needs to do to enjoy this film more.

Suspend disbelief.

If you don't do that, you won't care much for the film. There's a high demand for forgetting about plot holes in the film when you are just having fun. There's a bit with the atomic explosion that Indy survives that makes you want to say, "Yeah, right." But you know know what? Who cares? Have fun with it. There's also the notion of alien presence throughout the film. It hooks itself into the era plundered with Roswell and the advent of flying saucers that cinches the film in period history.

Now the weight of the film hangs on Ford's believable performance as Indiana Jones despite his age. And it works. He brings credibility to the role. He looks the part. His persona radiates like the very golden idol he once tries to steal. He still knows how to throw a few hard punches. The film never runs out of plenty momentum that makes it another thrill of the ride.

Thank you for making me feel like a kid again. I don't care about many flaws this film has. The most important thing for me is feeling like a kid once more sitting in the dark edge of the theater waiting for the stunts to roll. And I find myself going on the last ride with Jones and his gang of misfits on high tide adventure. Suddenly I don't feel so alone anymore.