Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Indiana Jones und das Königreich des Kristallschädels: Directed by Steven Spielberg. With Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf. In 1957, archaeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. is called back into action and becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.

“If youu0026#39;re expecting Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to be a fourth in the series, youu0026#39;ll be disappointed. The original three were set in the 1930s, looking for buried treasure in a Treasure of the Sierra Madre style. The new film is set in the 1950s, and that changes everything.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrankly, it should be viewed as a new series. It certainly overlaps with the previous films, however most of that seems to affect the new film trivially. I actually think itu0026#39;s a little unfair to present this new type of film under the great Indiana Jones reputation, and however smart marketably I believe this, and the lack of understanding and inaccurate expectations on the audienceu0026#39;s behalf will ultimately lead to the filmu0026#39;s demise.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film itself is well written, and well made with only a few exceptions. As long as you donu0026#39;t expect another Raiders of the Lost Ark, youu0026#39;ll probably be pleased with the film as it is, with the exception of one sequence which doesnu0026#39;t quite seem to fit. Beyond that, the plot, characters and acting all fit with this new kind of Indy film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe cinematography is not the 80s style weu0026#39;d probably all like, but itu0026#39;s not bad. The camera is certainly held much more stable than many of todayu0026#39;s films, and the action is very clear and easy to follow, as is the stunt work great. There is a lot of computer animation–most of it looks believable, but some of it does not–but that which was done well fits superbly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe acting was also very good. I was very impressed by Cate Blanchett, and to my surprise very pleased with Shia LeBeoufu0026#39;s character and acting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll-in-all, I really appreciated the film as a whole, although some of the animation and action sequences seemed somewhat unfinished, or at least too difficult to believe (even for an Indy film). Still, it is an excellent 1950s serial, and I really hope weu0026#39;ll see at least one other Indy film set in this new era.”