Cate Blanchett Movie:

		List Price: $39.99		Label: Paramount Salesrank: 5400 Released: October 14, 2008
		Our Price: $14.98
		Used Price: $8.95
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Bluray Disc

Description of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [Blu-ray]:
Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat. --Ellen A. Kim




Stills from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Click for larger image)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [Blu-ray] Reviews:
almost as bad as the holocaust
2009-10-24 - People condemn Lucas for this atrocity, but Spielberg can also be condemned. His nostalgia got the better of him, so we have three (THREE) references to Marcus Brody and one to Indy's dad, along with a very unnecessary Marion Ravenwood return and the predictable Indy jokes about getting old. This was their chance to do something new with Indy. Lucas and Spiel blew it, serving us a feast of rotten tidbits we'd eaten too many times before: the evil bad guy, the car chases, the big huge guy indy has to fight at some point, the ancient relic that hold ancient powers.

How can two legends of film armed with hundreds of millions of dollars, a legion of crew members, one of America's most beloved characters and nineteen years in which to do it accomplish what will go down as one of Hollywood's most embarrassing films?




An open mind will yield positive results
2009-10-03 - I went into this movie worrying about several things: First, will it be as bad as the detractors are saying? Is it still an Indy movie? Will Shia LaBeouf take Willie's spot as the most annoying sidekick in the Indy series?

Thankfully, I found that I really enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's no Raiders or Last Crusade, but why would anyone want the same movie all over again? No, Crystal Skull is a different breed of Indy film. As the great Bob Dylan sings, "the times they are a changin'" and that idea fits here well. Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg work well together making Indy's age a factor in the movie, but not one that takes all of the attention. Shia LaBeouf is more tolerable as the tenacious Mutt than his character in Transformers, and Cate Blanchett and Karen Allen provide solid performances.

The story is not as clogged and confusing as the film's detractors are saying; in fact, it's rather easy to follow. It's pretty entertaining and makes the 2 hours plus seem a lot less, a sign of good storytelling since no part of Crystal Skull really felt slow or dragging. The whole alien/Soviet concept is not as unbelievable as one might think; in fact, it works rather well and breathes new life into the franchise. Sure, it's a bit different than the usual crusty tomb full of treasure or shrines to strange gods, but that's what is so appealing about this movie; it takes Indy in a new direction while not straying from the pulp lifeblood that flows through the series' veins.

Disregard all the hatred toward this film, go see it and form your own opinion. If you want Raiders 2, then just watch Raiders. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a NEW Indy movie, therefore it's not going to be the same as the original three. On that note, if this had been a carbon copy of Raiders, there would be a bunch of people complaining that Lucas and Spielberg are too afraid to move the franchise forward or some nonsense. Go see it with an open mind and expect a new Indiana Jones, not a rehash, and you shouldn't be disappointed.

The moans about Jones
2009-09-24 - George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's overdue, overbaked, and overhyped entry into their treasure hunting series, starring Harrison Ford maintaining all of his rugged charm, has the potential to be at least as fun as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom if expectations are checked at the door. A convoluted story is built around an alien crystal skull that is fabled to unlock ultimate knowledge, which Indiana Jones is coerced into finding by Cate Blanchett and her Russian comrades. Although Indy is prone to feats that reach out of the realm of realism, implausable stunts involving vineswinging with computer-generated monkeys and being bombed inside a refridgerator seems out of place, as much of the appeal of the first three films was derived from the authentic B-movie style of filmmaking. But Spielberg's approach to directing action can still recall the fun of the originals - in the opening warehouse sequence and the chase through Connecticut in particular. It's ashame Crystal Skull didn't contain more of this content, as much of it is talky and inconsequential. Delightfully, Karen Allen comes back after 27 years, and Shia Labeouf adds a youthful energy amoung a cast skewing older.

Spielberg isn't in the practice of providing audio commentaries for his films on DVD or Blu-Ray, but the insightful making-of documentaries on these discs thoroughly monitor all the phases of production with several interviews with cast and crew.

Ain't Not Half Bad This Thurr
2009-09-11 - Doubters doubt no more. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls is funny, highly entertaining and surprisingly exciting! Personally I think the best entry into this series was, is and always will be Temple of Doom so I really wasn't expecting this to top that in any way, which it didn't, but it did however come awful close to topping what I felt was the weakest entry, The Last Crusade. Not by all that much though. Both had their strengths and weaknesses, both are exciting but Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls had the benefit of falling back on CG environments and action sequences, The Last Crusade did not.

It was great to see Karen Allen return to this entry and, despite not being the biggest fan of his work, I felt Shia LeBeouf really did do a decent job as rebellious greaser Mutt Williams but ultimately this is all about Harrison Ford, am I right? Ford's presence was 100% necessary to make or break this film and thankfully I feel the film worked quite well without actually upping the ante. He came, he saw, he kicked ass and that appears to have been the intention all along, give the fans what they want and give `em lots of it. We weren't offered much of a glimpse into Indie's between film relationship with Marion, just a failed engagement, but there is indeed a shocker awaiting those of you that don't see it coming the first 25 minutes of the film.

I've heard a few complaints about this film ranging from the CG gophers to the outlandish story, and I certainly agree with the goofy gophers, but I'll be damned if this concept isn't any more or less outlandish than a magical box, magical stones and a magical cup. C'mon folks, withdraw that stick from you know where and have fun with this entry! This was entertaining as heck and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Perhaps it "could have been better" but what film couldn't be?

Quite Possibly one of the worst films Lucas and Spielberg have ever made.
2009-09-08 - We all know their hit films. and critical successes.

This is more in line with Spielberg's 1941, War of the Worlds,
Or Lucas Howard the Duck, and Star Wars holiday special, and those woefully inadequate and bizarre prequel star wars films. This film continues the idiocy of the prequels but goes even further afield i was wondering when jar jar was going to show up.

And to top it all off the ending is literally the worst i have ever seen in any indiana jones film and belonged in a sci fi movie.

Minus a 101 stars if i could, this does not deserve no 3 and a half stars like the so called critics claimed, were they on the payroll? LOL.