Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Ok, so I love Indiana Jones, and I love Harrison Ford. I still recall the days we had to queue up at the old cinema (can't recall if it's Sentosa at Section 17 or State) just to watch Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade.

After watching countless times of the three Indiana Jones movies on TV, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Indy's latest adventure. The title's quite a mouthful though, so I'll refer it as 'Crystal Skull' in this post.

With so much expectations - and fear at the same time that the movie will disappoint - I tried not to read so much on the critics review, and told myself firmly that I will forgive the movie if Harrison Ford may not be as dashing as last time, or if he can't run as fast as he used to. I am just going to enjoy the movie.

Luckily, 5 minutes into the movie, I knew I was in for a great ride. The movie format, the theme song, the fedora, the whip, the wise-crack jokes, and of course, Indy himself. He may have aged 20 years, but still ever so passionate about his field and his sense of adventure.

I like how the producers make references to the past Indy movies, like a glimpse of the covenant ark from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', tribute to Indy's dad and good friend Marcus Brody (the actor Denholm Elliott died in 1992), and those darn snakes. Yes, I laughed so loud in the cinema when Mutt kept throwing the snake at Indy in a bid to save him from quicksand. For those who do not have a clue, go watch 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' :)

I have to give my upmost respect to Harrison Ford. despite him being already 64 years old, he still performs his own stunts (I guess whichever still within his means). He may not look as toned - which is after all realistic since it's already 20 years later - but the Indy vibe is definitely still in him, especially the trademark smirk. I simply loved his expression when he met his former flame Marion Ravenwood, and to find that she's the mother of Mutt Williams, and later found out more than what he bargained for. And oh, the ending of the movie is just great, I feel so happy for Indy!

Catt Blanchett is simply excellent as Irina Spalko, right up to her icy cold expression and strong Russian accent. I wondered how can she speak all that while keeping a straight face. This is what differentiate an Oscar winning actress from the rest.

Raves aside, what I found particular painful about this movie is the story line. Did the producers ran out of ideas or something? Why bring in the X-File element when you can have better story line? I am actually OK with the Crystal Skull concept, but I didn't like the ending especially because the plot became to absurd, and I could see 'The Truth is Out There' being flashed across the screen. They could have came up with a better idea than that. Perhaps that's the consequence of working with George Lucas (Star Wars) and Steven Spielberg (Close Encounter of the 3rd Kind).

Apart from that, it's an enjoyable movie nevertheless, with great action sequence, witty one-liners, the nostalgia factor (love how they emphasise the effect of the punches. Ouch!) and of course another journey with my favourite hero :)