Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

For those who love action movies, Indiana Jones is something of a Holy Grail (pun intended).  Raiders of the Lost Ark is among the best action films ever, a feat of pure movie magic that will forever be remembered as masterful.  And both The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade were memorable in their own right, being humorously campy and a return to form, respectively.  But since 1989 the Indiana Jones franchise has been dormant, a fond memory but not a continued saga.  Movie lovers have dreamed of the time that Indy would once again ride into danger, braving ancient traps and supernatural terror to save the world from mad cultists and/or nazis.

Then in 2008 the wait was over!  Eagerly fans received news that Indy was back, brought to life once again by the stellar team of Spielberg and Harrison Ford.  And boy, did Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull deliver!  All the stops were pulled to bring to screen the best, most exciting, most wonderfully marketable Indy film that could possibly have been made!

Honestly, what's not to love about this movie?  Harrison Ford hasn't missed a beat; refusing to see this movie as simply a meal ticket he pours himself into the role, turning out what honestly should have been an Oscar-nominated performance.  Also cast is superstar Shia LaBeouf, who gives such subtle complexity to his character that it removes all doubt why audiences respond to him as they do.  And I would be remiss if I did not praise the work of John Hurt, who while having a smaller role still manages to be both philosophical and thrillingly suave.

This movie has everything an Indy film should have: Nazis (ok, Soviets, but they're the same thing, right?), action, conspiracy, great comedic timing, someone swinging through the jungle like Tarzan, killer ants, jokes about aging, aliens, creepy burial places, a great mystery, incredible nuclear blast-proof refrigerators, and the great revelation that knowledge is the real treasure.  The screenplay is perfect, the acting sublime, the action exciting, the plot suspenseful, and the ending exactly what true Indy fans would want!  Steven Spielberg has done a lot of GREAT movies in his time, like A.I. Artificial Intelligence, War of the Worlds, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (the title alone of that one should have gotten a special Oscar!).  The Crystal Skull ranks right up there with those three great and visionary works of art.

Welcome back Indiana Jones!  Thanks for coming back in such a memorable way!  And I'm sure that every fan is thrilled to know that Spielberg is working on your fifth installment!  I hope it's just as good!

Entertainment 11/10
Artistic Value: 11/10
Technical Merit: 11/10

Overall:  11/10 (best film ever!  ...at least it is today...)


Special points given for TheBeef swinging through the trees!  I can't believe the special effects made that whole sequence so realistic!  11/10!