Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Movie)/Review by Darth tom

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been the fourth movie to be released to join the ranks of the widely acclaimed series, despite being released many years after the first. Lucasfilm directed it once again, adding to George Lucas' fame as the man who made Star Wars and the Indiana Jones films. Having seen the others previously, I decided I'd see this one, my previous favourite being the one featuring the Holy Grail, and this would be my thoughts.

An overall good, well made movie. In places there were a few holes, but it worked pretty well. The bits with Mutt preparing to take over the Indiana Jones mantle were a bit corny, but the overall impression was a good one.
 * Overall/Average:

What shocked me was that Harrison Ford seemed so old. I was half expecting the movie to be called Indiana Jones and the Lost Pension! However, he didn't fail to deliver, and the scenes with his acting worked well; his cavalier attitude and great acting paid off once again. However, this was overshadowed by the performane of Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko; in my opinion, she made a brilliant acting performance, complete with a convincing accent and hand gestures. Perfect for the part. The character 'Mutt' wasn't so good however; I didn't think him perfect for the role.
 * Acting:

The action was pretty good; the scene aboard the trucks where they're fighting for the Skull was pretty good, and the fighting worked, but some bits were a bit poor. For example, when Jones kills the Indian in the tombs, despite the poison dart facing the wrong way, the Indian still dies.
 * Action:

Throughout the film, the drama did work, however I didn't see any perspective switches. Particularly around the ending part with the Alien, the dramatic effect seemed to work quite well, however only seeing the film from one perspective wasn't so good.
 * Dramatic Effect

The plot had me interested at the beginning, which is what it should do, and the way it linked in with the previous films (eg. At the beginning with the Ark) worked well. The way it linked in with actual historical events (eg. The Roswell Incident, the men drawn in the desert) worked. It got a bit far-fetched towards the end with the Alien, but it still gripped me.
 * Plot:

It was good in most places. A few times I managed to see flaws, however the Alien looked convincing and the way the Aliens combined worked well. In addition to this, the way the ants ate the soviet soldiers was well done.
 * Special Effects: