The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: David Koepp
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett
Running time: 124 mins
Certificate: 12A

Hands up everyone who has dug out the grainy VHS tapes, splashed out on the boxset or tuned in to the repeats of the iconic Indiana Jones trilogy recently? All in preparation for the return of the whip-cracking archaeologist after two decades away from the cinema. But is Indy's return a thrilling joyride or an ill-conceived attempt to revive a franchise best kept alive through rose-tinted memories of the glory days? The answer lies somewhere in between, as one's reactions to the film swerve more wildly than the mine cars in the Temple of Doom.

Set in 1957, and evoking the period setting flawlessly, the merits of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull can be split down the middle in terms of its quality. The first half is mostly lifeless, devoid of momentum and simply too full of plot exposition and background details about the mystery of a seemingly alien skull that the dastardly Russians are after, along with Jones. Given Ford's trademark laid back, laconic drawl, it feels like being stuck in an overlong history lesson presided over by the monotonous teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons.

The highly watchable Shia LeBeouf shows his beef as the follicularly-obsessed Mutt, but the character fails to spark the narrative into life despite providing Indy with some vital information from his mother - none other than Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) from Raiders of the Lost Ark. An efficiently directed motorbike chase scene sees the pair form a bond, but the plot is lumbered with too much flabby excess baggage such as the pointless presence of the FBI and their investigations into Jones.

The central villain of the piece, Irina, looks a Nazi version of Betty Boo and is equipped with such clichéd dialogue that one starts to wonder whether director Steven Spielberg has spliced in some outtakes of Frau Farbissina from an Austin Powers movie. Cate Blanchett wisely keeps a straight face throughout, although that's a far harder job for the audience.

However, once the action hits the jungle and the focus is solely on the battle between good and evil for the possession of the skull, the film finally becomes the breathtaking rollercoaster we'd all hoped for. Packed full of visually outstanding sets, jaw-dropping chases, flesh-eating bugs, sympathetic simians and incredible stunt work, the latter half of Crystal Skull showcases the clinical mastery that Spielberg has with action sequences. He manages to make them frenetic without ever losing a sense of clarity as to what's going on. Having said that, the finale is certainly a case for Mulder and Scully to crack.

There's no doubt that at the core of the film is an admirable attempt to demonstrate that heroes need not be pensioned off simply because of grey hairs and wrinkles. There's plenty of life left in Harrison Ford's legs and he's hardly at the stage where he's carrying a colostomy bag in one hand and a whip in the other, while demanding that a stairlift be installed inside any sacred temples to facilitate easier access.

On the subject of humour, there's a noticeable lack of the visual gags that punctuated earlier instalments in the franchise. Don't expect anything here to rival the genius of Indiana pulling a gun on the master swordsman in Raiders or the inventiveness of Indy's dad accidentally shooting his own plane to bits mid-air in The Last Crusade. Furthermore, the bickering between Indiana and Marion becomes grating pretty much immediately.

In fact, Marion's presence is surplus to requirements and adds very little to the enjoyment factor. Fortunately, the decision to cast British thespian stalwarts John Hurt, Jim Broadbent and Ray Winstone in new roles certainly pays off as they play their characters with the right degree of relish and seriousness.

Elsewhere, there are some brief but touching nods to the earlier movies, with visual references to both the late Denholm Elliot's character Marcus and Sean Connery's Professor Henry Jones.

Overall, several snips in the editing suite and a few more genuine laughs could have done wonders for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yet if you can manage to stifle the yawns early on in the film and expel rather then suspend disbelief, then the movie should have won you over once it enters the home straight. It's certainly enough to hope for one more crack of the whip in the future.


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