Mr. Jones and His One Last, Adventurous Hoorah

“Was it good for you?

That, I imagine, will be the question fans both old and new will ask one another after the Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull credits have rolled.

It’s been 19 years since Harrison Ford donned his famously earthy fedora and cracked his whip in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, so obviously, anticipation was high for this movie.

Set in the Cold War late-1950s, the fourth entry in the beloved produced-by-George Lucas-and-directed-by-Steven Spielberg-saga sees an older Indy thrust back into action, venturing deep into the Amazonian rainforest of Peru in a race against Soviet agents to find the mythical titular artifact.

This being an adventure movie that needs to appeal equally to the generation that grew up with it and to the Thumb Generation, Shia LaBeouf co-stars as a smart-mouthed James Dean wannabe named Mutt who tags along on the quest, because he, too, is looking for something…or someone.

Oh, heck – Spoiler Alert! – Mutt is looking for Indiana Jones’ feisty former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Connect the dots, already.

Playing the movie’s power-mad Soviet agent standing in the way, Irina Spalko, is a sleek-looking Cate Blanchett, chewing scenery with much gusto and sporting the trendsetting hairdo Katie Holmes debuted earlier this year.

So…was it good for me?

I’d say, overall, yes it was.

I don’t remember the specific plot points of the original trilogy – yes, even though I watched it with my grandfather on many a Sunday afternoon – but I do remember it had an overarching style and tone that was all its own.

Indy was and is an icon of my childhood; it’s always nice to see him. Kudos to Ford for stepping back into those shoes so gracefully.

But Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull stands apart from the first three movies, and it very well should, because the times, they have a-changed. We have Jason Bourne and superheroes to ignite the silver screen now. As great as Indy is, he, too, is quite specific to an era in film.

Watch this movie with a nostalgic eye, and you definitely will enjoy it. It’ll be real good that way.

My Rating ***

Photo: Paramount Pictures.