ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

TWENTY YEARS is a long time to wait for a new Indiana Jones blockbuster, but fans will not be disappointed by Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. Harrison Ford may be eligible for a bus pass these days, but when he dons the famous Stetson and cracks his trademark whip the years just seem to disappear.

The story may not win any prizes but the helter-skelter action sequences ensure that the Crystal Skull is worthy to stand alongside the previous three entries in one of the most successful movie adventure series ever made.

Crystal Skull takes place in 1957. America is in the grip of paranoia about reds under the bed and invasion by little men from Mars. Indiana Jones is older but not necessarily wiser as he is confronted by deadly Soviet baddie Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett).

In time-honoured fashion she is in search of a mystery object that will endow the recipient with powers beyond the ken of mere mortals. The plot thickens – and improves – with the arrival of Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Williams, looking like Marlon Brando’s rebel biker from The Wild One.

He has an offer that Indy cannot refuse and soon they are heading to Peru to rescue Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Fans will remember her as Indy’s lost love from Raiders of The Lost Ark.

Crystal Skull is definitely a film of two halves. The first half is all clunky plotting and corny dialogue. It even feels flat enough to make you wonder if this was such a good idea. The second half is non-stop action when the film really kicks into top gear with a breathless chase through the jungle involving a sword fight conducted between moving vehicles, a Tarzan-like swing through tree vines, killer ants, dangerous rapids and much more.

It is a perfect example of the cliffhanging spectacle that made the Indiana Jones blockbusters some of the most successful films of the 1980s. The latest exciting installment may have its flaws and longeurs but it still has the ability to transform us all into excited children, transfixed by the magic of the movies.

Nationwide release

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
Screenplay: David Koepp
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 123 mins
Country: USA