Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford) is back and no Soviet communists, no matter how many of them there are, can pull anything over on him. An archeologist by education, and a wily street-fighter by necessity, the graying adventurer manages another encore after almost a twenty-year hiatus. And, he does it with the same witty, sarcastic attitude that made him so famous. With his signature brown fedora, leather bomber jacket and trusty bull-whip, Dr. Jones once again bursts into a theater near you and entertains you for two full hours.
This time around the time is the mid-1950’s and the treasure at hand is a mysterious and powerful crystal skull unearthed in an archeological dig and surreptitiously warehoused by the United States government. The Soviets are well aware of its potential as a Cold War weapon and will stop at nothing to gain the treasure. Enter Indiana Jones and his new, young sidekick, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). Let the games begin as the good guys and bad guys vie for the prize.
Your enjoyment of the film seems to be a function of your willingness to sit back and be shamelessly entertained by the inflated exploits of Indiana and his crew. The divisive factor here might be the age of the audience. Those who fondly recall the original “Indiana Jones” trilogy, will be the most satisfied, the younger set will be looking at all of the obvious, and sometimes gigantic, flaws of logic in the plot. One thing’s for sure though, and that’s who’s being groomed to take over for Harrison Ford’s “Indiana.”

Mary K. Morgan is a member of the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.