"Indy 4": the quick review

I had a chance to see my buddy Mike and his family again today; Mike drove me down to [undisclosed location] and I ate lunch with him, his lovely wife, and their three kids. A good time was had by all. Mike and I then went to "relive our childhoods," as Mike put it: we caught the 3:45PM showing of the newest Indiana Jones flick, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"-- a mouthful of a title.

While I can't say the movie was great, it definitely hit the right tone for the old-time Saturday matinees that both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have long claimed to love. For me, as someone who grew up with Indiana Jones, the movie was more of a sentimental tribute to past Indy films (it also had references to other Spielberg and Lucas flicks) than a genre-busting innovation. It was, in short, cute.

I was happy to see Karen Allen again in the role of Marion Ravenwood, though Mike remarked afterward that her role seemed largely "ornamental," an observation with which I agreed. One of the best moments in the film involves a blowgun, and the film goes over the top with cartoonish vehicle-related stunts. Spielberg also takes time out to show members of the animal kingdom both staring bemusedly at the antics of those wacky humans and occasionally getting in on the action themselves.

Would I recommend the film? While I doubt I could be prodded to see it a second time in the theaters (it's not exactly a movie that makes you think, nor is it one that blows you away with its witty plot twists or dialogue, nor is it particularly suspenseful), I'd still recommend it as a good way to kill an afternoon.


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