Close Encounters of the Indiana Jones Kind

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was disappointingly mediocre.

Coming off of my Iron Man high, I hit the cineplex with big expectations for my second major blockbuster of the summer, the latest installment in the Indiana Jones series. I’m a huge fan of the trilogy, particularly Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade. I loved Raiders so much that it inspired me to dress as Indy for Halloween one year, complete with bull whip, pistol and leather fedora. Even Temple of Doom has steadily improved upon repeat viewings to acquire the same timelessness as the rest of the Indy catalog.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will not be joining those ranks. Here's a rundown of Indy 4's hits and misses:

Hits

• Nostalgia factor: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull makes some clever and not-so-clever references to the previous films, all of which were generally appreciated - particularly the opening sequence in the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.


• Harrison Ford: Ford plays Indy with the same attitude and swagger I loved in the previous films.


• Shia LaBeouf: LaBeouf holds his own with Ford, despite being given horrible dialogue and a ridiculous hairdo. His attitude and humor definitely make the franchise more relevant to a new generation.


• Filmmaking Style: Spielberg and Lucas are masters of the epic blockbuster with elaborate sets, exciting special effects, and larger than life characters.

Misses:

• The Plot: It doesn't make sense. The beauty of the plots in the first three Indy films was their simplicity. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is hard to follow. Unlike the past films, there is no magic in the revelation of clues and puzzles. We don't really know (or care) why Jones is heading to a particular locale.


• The Skull: The film's namesake looks like a cheap plastic Halloween toy.


• The "Interdimensional Beings:" Since when did "Interdimensional Beings" have a place in an Indy film? So as not to completely spoil the plot for you, I'll just leave it at that.


• Cate Blanchett: Her villian is neither intelligent nor intimidating.


• The Russians: Indy's foes in this installment are seriously wimpy. Where are some creepy Nazis or monkey-brain-eating cultists when you need them?


• Shia LaBeouf''s Hair: Seriously, it looks ridiculous. I assumed the hair was a wig, but apparently not.

Overall: Mildly entertaining but not memorable. A disappointment. 1.5 PB Jars