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

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Nostalgia, pure and simple. Drop enough references to other, more popular works and the audience is apt to overlook this installment's shortcomings. Ironically, none of them have to do with the actors involved. All of them, though, come directly from the script. Let's start with somebody I've already mentioned: Cate Blanchett. It seems to me if you're going to have an Oscar winner in your film, you give her something to do. A meaty part, a mustache-twisting, diabolical identity unlike anything we've ever seen. But she and the Russians are merely set dressing, obstacles for Indy and his intrepid group to overcome on their merry little way. They are almost an afterthought, plot devices to set the mood and time period for the events so the audience doesn't forget them.

All the supposed mind-control expert does is stalk around in a grey formfitting jumpsuit, spouting setup lines to Ford (befitting a classic James Bond villain more than a Soviet agent) like, "Any last words, Dr. Jones?" He then responds "I like Ike," a sentiment most likely designed as another in a long line of one liners from the film. She never comes off as deadly as Belloq from the first film or even a credible threat.

"The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" feeds on our love for the characters and this type of adventure, so much so the script forgets to blaze a new, fresh path. It even forgets its own internal logic. What is the power of the city of gold? Is it power for world domination? Is it the knowledge of the universe? The film never really gets to that part in the end; instead, it's hell bent on delivering a whiz-bang CGI experience where one isn't called for. It's as if the ending to "AI" were dropped into "The Searchers." Quite simply, the effects at the end don't mesh with the practical effects that come before. Instead of staying grounded in reality, the climax takes a left turn when it should have gone right. The result? A jaw-droppingly mindless coda that Indy aficionados and general audiences will probably snicker at.

Ford, soon to be sixty-six years old, does his damnedest to bring Indy back in the exact same way we remember. By and large, he succeeds. All he has to do, really, is put on his trademark hat and wear a pair of brown pants, and the character is born again. His age, mentioned ad nauseam in the press, isn't much of a factor here. Other characters mention it, often in a joking manner, yet Jones himself doesn't feel old. He may have lost a step and doesn't crack his whip nearly enough, but he's still Indy.

The rest of the cast fill out their roles as expected. Allen is back, a bit pudgier and older than we remember her, without missing a beat from the first film. John Hurt gets to mumble half his lines, a step up from his role in "Recount." Jim Broadbent, in a bid to replace characters not in this installment, gets precious little screen time, making the most of it. And Winstone…his George McHale--one of Indy's longtime friends--feels like a mere plot device instead of a flesh-and-blood person. As a character, we have no connection to Mac, while he fits into a very specific category of second bananas upset at being the second banana. His eventual fate doesn't shock or surprise or elicit any other emotion besides a shrug.

Which brings us to, I guess, LaBeouf. It is clear Lucas and Spielberg intend to bring Mutt back for another film, perhaps even in the lead role, based on the final scene. Coming off both "Transformers" and "Disturbia" last year, LaBeouf presents a mature immaturity in his greaser role, with the right amount of smart-aleck quips and reverence for his elders. But I'd maintain he's not ready to take the mantle of the "Indiana Jones" franchise. He needs to grow up just a little bit more, gain a world-weary look to him similar to the one Ford had back in 1981. Right now, he's too pretty and manicured. Given time, there is potential.

Maybe it's a symptom of the iconic music being too prevalent in our society, but I found the score by John Williams to be too understated. As with John Ottman's homage to Williams in "Superman Returns," I wanted, and expected, a grand new version of the Indy theme at least once with the motif running through the entire production. It is there, to be fair, though not in the way I was expecting. Imagine a "Jaws" film without the famous music telling us the shark is on the way. It always feels like something is missing.

After nearly two decades, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" reunites a legendary character with his equally legendary creators. But to what effect? Just to have one last go 'round? A victory lap? To prove Ford could carry an action movie, and Lucas isn't as bad as the "Star Wars" prequels would have us believe? What is the point in this fourth installment, besides a quest for bigger box office? Even the story is half-baked, relying on science fiction instead of fact…or some semblance thereof.

Something is missing in the film. Maybe Indy doesn't belong in this century. Maybe the combination of the classical whip and fedora with UFO's and aliens just doesn't fit. The spark just isn't there. It's always a pleasure to reconnect with an old friend. The time has come, though, to finally say good-bye. Let Indy ride into the sunset with Marion.

Jason's film rating: 6/10

Video:
You'll find the 2.35:1-ratio, THX-approved, anamorphic video quality as good in this installment as it was in the past, with brilliant colors, a light film grain, and reasonably good definition for a standard-def release. The hues are not quite natural, however, so don't expect them to be. This is a fantasy adventure, after all, with faces that look a trifle too dark, tones a bit too intense, and an image that can be a touch too glassy for ultimate realism. However, do expect good shadow detail and fine black levels, which go a long way toward mitigating any of the video's minor shortcomings.

Audio:
It's hard to complain about the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound; it does almost everything you could ask of it. At first I thought there was not as much surround activity as I might have liked, but, then, I didn't remember much surround from the motion-picture theater, either, at least not at the beginning of the film. Then, when the action starts, we get plenty of bullets and motorcycles and such flying from all directions, front, sides, and back. Just as important, we hear an excellent dynamic range and impact, a wide frequency response, and a potent bass. The upper midrange is perhaps a little bright and forward, but just a tad. Overall, this is demonstration-class Dolby Digital audio.

Extras:
Disc one of this 2-Disc Special Edition contains the feature film and several additional items, the most important being a pair of featurettes. The first is "The Return of a Legend," a seventeen-minute segment wherein Spielberg and Lucas talk about how they developed the story ideas for the movie and got the script and cast together. The second featurette is about "Pre-Production," eleven minutes discussing the various environments in the film, the costumes, the sets, etc. It amazed me, for example, to see the number of Indy hats and jackets they had on hand; they could have clothed a small city of Indy clones. The items on disc one wrap up with sixteen scene selections and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles.

Disc two, of course, contains the bulk of the bonus materials. These begin with a lengthy, eighty-minute Production Diary, "Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," divided into six sections: "Shooting Begins: New Mexico"; "Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut"; "Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii"; "On-Set Action"; "Exploring Akator"; and "Wrapping Up!" These segments include all the making-of stuff we've come to know and love.

After that is a string of featurettes on various other aspects of the filmmaking. These begin with "Warrior Makeup," five minutes; "The Crystal Skulls," ten minutes and the most interesting to me because several cryptic crystal skulls really do exist, and they've always fascinated me; "Iconic Props," ten minutes; "The Effects of Indy," twenty-two minutes; "Adventures in Post Production," twelve minutes with producer Frank Marshall, executive producer Kathleen Kennedy, and film editor Michael Kahn; and "Closing: Team Indy," three minutes on finishing up and saying good-bye.

Next, we have three Pre-Visualization sequences: "Area 51 Escape," "Jungle Chase," and "Ants Attack," each bit lasting from three-to-five minutes and done up in CGI animation rather than conventional storyboards. Following those sequences we find a series of still-photo galleries. From the art department come groups of stills called "The Adventure Begins," "Cemetery and Jungle," and
"Akator"; from the Stan Winston studio come "Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies" and "Aliens & Crystal Skulls"; followed by production photographs, portraits, and behind-the-scenes photographs.

The extras conclude with several theatrical trailers and a promo for the DVD/BD versions of the first three "Indiana Jones" movies, and then a Lego "Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures" XBox 360 game demo, which requires that you have an Xbox to play. No Xbox, so no play for me. The two discs come housed in a double keep case, further enclosed in a handsomely embossed slipcover.

Parting Thoughts:
To a lot of viewers "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" may seem a little shopworn or old hat (or old fedora, if you please), but, as I've said, I'm sure filmmakers Spielberg and Lucas meant it that way. They tried to capture a new spirit in an old form, and while the ultimate result may have slightly escaped them, you can't question their good intentions. What we do have is nevertheless playful and entertaining, even if it looks, deliberately, as though we've seen it all before.

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