Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.
reviewed by Chris Lyon
I can't remember a better month for big-budget popcorn movies than May 2008. "Iron Man." "Speed Racer." (I know it bombed; I still liked it.) "Prince Caspian." And now the long-awaited "Indiana Jones" sequel. I was worried a nostalgic action movie about a 65-year-old guy with a whip would ruin the May streak. It didn't.
The Story
It's been almost 20 years since we last saw Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in "The Last Crusade" ("Indy 3"). It's the technicolor 50s now. The Nazi's are gone, replaced by very similar-looking Cold War-era Russians. A small group of them infiltrate the U.S., kidnap Indy, and force him and a pal to help them find warehoused crate containing a mysterious magnetic coffin.
His own interest stirred, Indy plays along with the Russian leader Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) until he can set the ball rolling on a massive chase sequence that ends in a nuclear explosion. (Really!) Next, Dr. Jones is approached by a 50s greaser called Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) who needs the doc's help to rescue his mom and an old friend of Dr. Jones from bad guys looking for a crystal skull.
Mutt is also being tailed by Russians (more thrilling chase scenes; more theme music; more fighting), and the duo follow the red line on the map to Peru on the trail of the skull, the bad guys, and their old friends. Along the way, Indiana runs into his girl from the first movie (Karen Allen), cleverly discovers all kinds of hidden artifacts, exchanges punches with a lot of angry goons, runs from killer ants, and leads his small crew closer and closer to the secrets of the universe -- without ever losing his hat.
The Verdict
What Works: "Crystal Skull" won't be remembered as the best "Indiana Jones" movie of the four, but it is loads of fun and a nostalgic good time for anyone who has enjoyed the first three films. And the nostalgia isn't just about watching Indy do his thing one more time. Director Steven Spielberg and producer/writer George Lucas are celebrating their own 70s and 80s era film careers.
While warmly buzzing from that classic Indiana Jones theme music, you suddenly notice little tributes to Lucas' "American Graffiti" and Spielberg's "E.T." and "Close Encounters," as well as many moments borrowed directly from the first three Indy films. The guys who invented the blockbuster summer movie have made a kind of grainy, color-saturated tribute to blockbuster summer adventure movies. And it works!
At 65, Harrison Ford has lost the pigment in his hair and a step or two, but he's still the most likable and competent guy on the screen. Shia LaBeouf with his comb, switchblade, and motorcycle is a bit gimicky, though the actor is just likable enough to avoid being annoying. Still, it's hard for me to imagine him carrying the series on his own shoulders (as some have suggested). It's great to see Karen Allen back in Indy's arms, still cute and kooky (in a middle-aged mom kind of way). Cate Blanchett is always excellent, but I would have liked to see her ham it up a little more.
The heart of the film, as always, is the endless chase and stunt sequences -- and those all deliver a kick, but . . .
What Doesn't Work: . . . the chases and battles also lack the edge of previous Indy films. I enjoyed them without ever feeling any real tension. Other than my squeamish reaction to the man-eating red ants, "Crystal Skull" is more about the joy and less about any sense of danger or foreboding.
Also missing is the spiritual edge found in the other films. Indy's hunt for the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail of Jesus weren't exactly biblical in every sense, but they made room for underlying ideas about faith and truth and the power of God that gave them just enough depth for a satisfying story on top of the stunt and fedora spectacular. This story's confusing plot about powerful extra-terrestrial (extra-dimensional?) beings worshipped by an ancient culture feels sillier and hollow by comparison.
Content: There's a little harsh language, including the use of God's name a few times. Lots of peril, though. Extra helpings of peril, including deaths by ants, falling, gunfire, and being sucked into some kind of vortex.
Worldview
Dr. Jones is an archeologist and historian with a uniquely spiritual worldview. Putting the four films together, we see that he respects the supernatural power of the God of the Jews, the Son of God, many ancient "gods" worshipped by various civilizations, and now aliens. He's a rational guy; he doesn't believe every historical deity is real or has real power. But he's seen too much to hold to a strictly materialist worldview.
The issue of his faith comes up in "Crystal Skull," as well. The Russian commander Irina mocks his lack of belief in the alien power. She wants to have it for herself. Indy states that his belief is the reason he is backing away from that power. He believes it can hurt him; he wants to survive it. In several of his films, in fact, Indy survives by respecting supernatural power when others either dismiss it or arrogantly try to possess it.
As Christians, we respect that about him, though we take it a step further. Where Indy seems to fear and/or respect supernatural power from all sources, our God teaches us to fear Him first and above all other "powers." One of the reasons God gets so angry when His people worship idols or other gods is because they are fearing those gods over Him. They believe those gods can give them things He either won't or can't. When we put anything in place of God in our lives, we're showing we don't trust His power and character and love for us. That's always foolish.
Dr. Jones is full of hard-learned wisdom -- both from books and from his adventures. The wisdom keeps him alive and helps him find the " the secret of the lost whatever" when nobody else can. At the heart of his wisdom is a deep sense of humility about supernatural power.
Our God tells us that the path to real wisdom is all about that kind of humility. "The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor," He says in Proverbs 9:10. Then again in Provers 22:4: "Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life."
If you're looking for the secret of anything in your life, start with a healthy fear of the most powerful Being in the universe and a willingness to serve Him. And it wouldn't hurt to wear a fedora.
Questions
- Have you seen all the other Indiana Jones films? Love them? Like them? Hate them? How did "Crystal Skull" compare for you?
- What did you think of Shia LaBeouf's character in the film? Could he be the next Indy?
- If you've seen them all, what's your record for the May 2008 blockbusters? Like them all, none, a couple?
- If you've seen a few of the Indy movies, what do you think about His spirituality?
- If someone asked, how would you describe the fear of the Lord in a few sentences? Do you think it involves being scared at some level? Why or why not?