Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, ooof, not only has a rather long name but was actually very long itself. I went into the film without having seen any of the previous Jones. In fact, the only scene I know from the previous films is the one where there is some sort of immense, rolling stone trailing Indiana Jones, who of course, manages to escape it. So, as you have probably guessed by now, I have nothing to compare it to. That being said, here's my take on this new adventure flick.
I am under the assumption that the old Indiana films were very popular for their action and adventure scenes (and probably their fantastical stories). I'm also guessing that the action scenes, such as the ones seen in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, were, well, awesome? Fast forward to 2008, and they come out as goofy but nonetheless entertaining.
I have to admit that I was constantly laughing at the fact that Dr. Jones must have pushed people off from cars and surfaces on more than a dozen occasions. I mean, this man was an excellent pusher! Also, many of his escapes and defeats were purely based on luck. He would some how land on the perfect place, at the perfect time, to find the perfect weapon and deliver a perfect blow. Wow, if I had half of his luck I would play the lottery and win it every time. He also managed to survive a nuclear bombing by hiding inside a 1960s, green refrigerator, tumbling and turning quite a few times only to come out from it without a single scratch. All I kept thinking of was that Mythbusters episode on the Discovery Channel where they proved that refrigerators only serve for refrigerating purposes and not for life-saving ones. But then again, it's Dr. Jones and I still think that there is a slim possibility that refrigerators can save lives.
The story was a bit difficult to follow and I think I've come to the conclusion that the reason is that it's also a bit silly. Extraterrestrials and Mayans were buddies? Umm, well, okay. I did, however, find the last bit all too amusing and fascinating: Cate Blanchett's character (who by the way was sporting a rather intimidating wig) literally combusted because of all the knowledge she received from the non-talking alien. I knew it all along; you can't know it all without having your head explode.
So in a nutshell: it was silly but amusing.
