Is It Really That Bad? A Reevaluation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls
Let’s not bury the lead: given the five Indiana Jones films, Crystal Skulls still ranks last. But a “bad” Indiana Jones movie is still better than a lot of other films.
And you know what? It’s not as bad as you remember.
The Connection With the Dial of Destiny
When it came time to write the final Indy film, the screenwriters could go one of two ways: acknowledge the events of Crystal Skull or retcon them. Thankfully for all of us, they took the former route. And the end results in the new movie are ultimately quite moving. In fact, there is one scene in the new movie that reminds everyone that Harrison Ford is a damn good actor.
I didn’t expect to have the desire to watch Crystal Skulls after seeing the new movie, but this is the 15th anniversary of that fourth film in the franchise so why not?
Catching Up With a Old Friend
The first thing director Steven Spielberg does is reintroduce us to the hero we saw riding off into the sunset, and he does it visually via silhouette. Ford as Indy with the fedora is a striking image and everyone knows it.
We also get a nice backstory to fill in gaps between Last Crusade (set in 1938) and Crystal Skulls (1957). The Soviets are the bad guys now because they have to be. Cate Blanchette is fine as Colonel Spalko but she did twist her invisible mustache quite a lot. Shrug. It is what it is. Other than her, we have nameless villains because of course we do.
Mutt and Indy
The idea for Indy to have a child is not far-fetched. It’s a natural progression for the character. Shia LeBeouf does a good job at being a teenager in 1957. He’s into new music, new clothes, and a new outlook. It’s a generational conflict that exists in the real world. I didn’t have a problem with his tough-guy persona and he held his own with Indy.
It was fun to have their relationship build to such a degree that when the truth is revealed, Indy suddenly becomes not an adult mentor but an overprotective dad. In fact, what we learn in Dial of Destiny proves this.
Humor vs Comedy
There has been humor in every Indiana Jones film since Raiders. But as a friend of mine pointed out, there’s a difference between humor and comedy.
It was humorous in Raiders when Indy got in the plane in the opening sequence and he was scared that a snake was in the plane. It was humorous early in Crystal Skulls when Indy’s using the whip to try and escape the warehouse and he misjudges the distance.
Later, we just get comedy, like when Mutt fetches a snake to use as a rope to pull Indy out of the quicksand, Indy becomes a comedian. It’s not great and I even rolled my eyes on July 4th when I watched the movie.
Does comedy belong in an Indiana Jones film? To some degree, maybe. I found the bickering between Indy and his dad in Last Crusade pretty funny, but it wasn’t comedy. Marcus Brody was the guy who did the comedy, and he often did it at the wrong time. And don’t get me started on the change in Brody’s character between Raiders (when he told Indy that were he, Marcus, younger, he’d go with Indy to find the Ark) and Last Crusade (when he’s basically a buffoon).
The Return of Marion
By far my favorite thing about the movie in 2008 and again in 2023 is Marion Ravenwood. Karen Allen is back. I can’t remember if she was in the trailer or not, but her appearance lifted my spirits about the movie. I love that she’s still in love with Indy and radiantly beams when he says that all the other women had one problem: they weren’t her. This is, of course, in stark contrast to her reappearance in Dial of Destiny.
I paid special attention to how Mutt reacted upon seeing his parents bicker and interact. Shia did a fine job at trying to reconcile what Marion told him and the truth.
Also like in Raiders, Marion isn’t a shrinking violet. She’s right there, in the action, driving the car, and doing her part. Always loved that scene in Raiders when Marion and Indy run from the flying wing that’s about to explode. Yeah, those are stunt people, but both characters are in perfect stride with each other. That was something my mom pointed out in 1981 and it’s stuck with me ever since.
The Aliens
That’s what they are. I don’t care that John Hurt calls them ‘inter-dimensional beings.’ I like that the real-world aspect of Mayan mythology is given an alien answer. That lines up with the natural/supernatural part of the original trilogy.
But do I love the aliens? Shrug. It is what it is. It’s different, that’s for sure, and different is fine.
The Verdict
I actually enjoyed watching this film again. I’ve pretty much got the original trilogy memorized so it was kinda nice to have a new film and a haven’t-watched-in-a-long-time movie to watch. Heck, knowing I would be in an Indiana Jones mood, I even read one of the old novels from the 1990s.
Crystal Skulls is not as bad as I remembered it to be and, to be honest, I enjoyed it. Give it another look and maybe you’ll change your mind, too. I’m glad we have it.