STUDIO: Paramount
RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2008
STARRING: Harrison Ford, Shia Lebeouf, Karen Allen, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, John Hurt
WRITTEN BY: David Keopp
DIRECTED BY: Steven Spielberg
FEATURES: See the review below for the lowdown...

Looking back at all of the pre-release hype, laying down money on the odds that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would give Titanic a run for its box-office money wasn’t that crazy of a bet. Extremely risky, sure, but it’s not like you couldn’t make a case for Indy given his twenty year absence from the big screen and global appeal to every age demographic on the audience map. Ironically, on the domestic box office front Kingdom of the Crystal Skull clocked in nearly neck-and-neck with Iron Man at $316 million. On a worldwide scale, Indy doubled Tony Stark in box office receipts but both were surpassed by “that other movie” that unexpectedly did give Titanic a run for its money. Indy’s theatrical run was still amazing. Over $700 million worldwide dollars is nothing to laugh at. But given all of the excitement leading up to its release, could Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have done better? Now that the Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2-Disc Special Edition DVD hits the stores on October 14, you can answer that for yourself.

The latest chapter in the franchise sees Indy and his pal Mac (Ray Winstone) held at gunpoint by the Russians at a base in the Nevada desert where their ranking evil head-honcho Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) forces them both into Hangar 51 to search for a powerful unknown object hidden among hundreds of crates. Once Indy locates it, Mac turns on the side of the enemy and Indy’s forced to flee in a hail of gunfire that leads him to an atomic test site and an explosive action-packed opening sequence. When we next see our beloved Dr. Jones, he’s adjusting to the death of his father Henry in the post World War II era of 1957 while occupying his time back in the role of professor.

When the government forces Dr. Jones out of his job over the incident, he meets a young rebel named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) who’s come to town to ask for Indy’s help in finding his mentor, Professor Oxley (John Hurt). We learn Oxley traveled to Peru under mysterious archaeological circumstances and is now caught in the hands of the Russians. So with time on his hands, Indy dawns his Fedora and heads off for another adventure. When Indy and Mutt arrive in South America, they soon find themselves on a hunt for the last remaining crystal skull where they discover its true non-human origins but not before being taken captive by Irina Spalko and her goons who want Indy to help them decipher the secret of the artifact’s power with Oxley’s help, who has gone mad. Along the way, Indy also has a chance but timely and significant encounter with familiar former flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), which plays out in a way that many online rumors predicted.

If you’re a diehard fan then you already know how all of this connects together from previous online rumors, even some earlier threads within unproduced Indy IV scripts.

The Good of the Kingdom

For the most part, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is pure fun, as you’d expect. The high flying adventurous action is strewn throughout as Indy flees from the Russians, survives an atomic blast in the opening sequence, and goes toe-to-toe with ancient acrobatic warriors who guard the tomb of the crystal skull. The film is at its best when Indy and Mutt keep moving, which eventually leads to a spectacular waterfall sequence and one of the best vehicular chase sequences of the entire franchise as Indy, Marion, Mutt, Ox, and Mac try to escape the hot-on-their-tail Russians. This is where you experience Steven Spielberg’s larger than life “Jurassic” approach to the movie. The post WWII backdrop serves the film well in rekindling the tone from Raiders with the Nazis replaced by early Cold War Russian adversaries. It’s over-the-top comic book fun that’s enhanced even more by the latest in CGI technology without getting in the way (except for one unbelievable watery safety net).

The Bad of the Kingdom

There are two major sticking points I have with the movie. The truth be told, from the end of the first act to just over the halfway point, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull almost crashes and burns. When Indy and Mutt meet and take off for South America we see and hear nearly forty minutes of set-up and explanation. Meanwhile, momentum grinds to halt with only minimal thrills here and there as they gather clues and continue to search for Professor Oxley. It’s oddly reminiscent of Temple of Doom to watch Indy walk and talk for so long before getting captured by the Russians only to talk some more. At one point I looked around to see if anyone else might be nodding off or asking the same question that was looping through my mind, “Is this going to pick up speed again?” With such a fantastic writer as David Koepp getting credit on the script, I’m surprised this wasn’t addressed. To a large degree Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn’t come into its own as what you’d expect from an Indiana Jones movie until halfway into the story (which is still earlier than Temple of Doom). But when it does, look out… the wait is well worth it.

The only other bone of contention I have is the "wild" nostalgic approach to Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt character. If you know what Marlon Brando looked like in The Wild One, LaBeouf doesn’t wear the leather jacket well at all. And it looks way too new and stiff as if a wardrobe assistant walked out a Harley store and took it to set. The Brando image of the leather jacket and motorcycle feel completely awkward and forced, which certainly isn’t LaBeouf’s fault. If you don’t know what Brando looked like in the classic movie, LaBeouf probably looks cool. However, I did love the American Graffiti nod at the very beginning of the movie.

The DVD

If you own any of the previously released Indy DVD sets, you’ll be happy to know the adventurous atmosphere, menus, and transitions are consistent with the others.

Video and Audio:

As for the technical details of the video (2.35:1) and audio quality (5.1 Dolby Digital), do you really need me to ramble on about flesh tones, clarity, saturation, hues, and other synonyms reviewers use to sound different but say the same thing? How about I get to the point instead? Overall, they’re both great. Paramount video transfers have always had a faintly darker atmosphere on their transfers dating back to 1998, which is the case here too, but it’s still an exceedingly vivid visual ride. As for audio in 5.1, the track serves the entire film well in all areas, including timing, depth, and channel circulation. There’s no way Paramount could fall down with either one and you’ll be glad they didn’t.

As for the special features, they’re split between both discs with the first featuring 30 minutes of featurette footage.

Disc 1

The Return of a Legend: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford shed light on why it took Indy so long to return to theaters, delving into the many failed ideas and concepts, how they went through various scripts, and the challenges of not only getting everyone together again but on the same page, too. Given the huge demand to see Indy return for another adventure, it provides great insight and explanation for fans.

Pre-Production: What went into getting ready to shoot the movie? How did Shia LaBeouf get cast? What about Indy's wardrobe? What went into the animatics? Who took sword-fighting lessons? How did Spielberg get Karen Allen to return? How does Spielberg prepare to shoot an Indian Jones movie? Those are only a few questions that get answered in what's a brief but decent pre-production overview.

Disc 2

Production Diary: Making 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull': Think Peter Jackson's "Production Diaries" on King Kong packed into nearly 90 minutes and split into 12 parts. This delivers on its title and features the cast and crew on set as they endure the thousands of challenges of getting Dr. Jones back on the big screen. Like Jackson's diaries, this one covers everything from "Shooting Begins: New Mexico", "Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut", "Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii", "On-Set Action", "Exploring Akator" and closing up shop on the shoot. Like any good ‘making of” segment should, the diary covers the shoot from front to back and then some.

Warrior Makeup: How to explain the approach to make-up on the crystal skull warrior protectors in five minutes or less... honestly. Not bad, not great; just a quick clip that covers one end of the production for those into make-up.

The Crystal Skulls: If you don't know the real life mythology behind the crystal skulls, you get a ten minute overview of the history behind the supposedly skulls that have turned up around the world. Since the movie's concept is based around a search for the mysterious skulls, you might wish this one were at least half an hour, with interviews with archaeologists and experts. Still, it's a quick boot camp for crystal skull virgins.

Iconic Props: Indy prop-keeper Doug Harlocker takes you inside the world of Indy's prop kingdom filled with a ton of awesome pieces used in the movie. At ten minutes, it's cool but it'll leave you wanting more.

The Effects of Indy: If you're looking to get an inside glimpse into how the team blended CG, live action, and practical effects into a variety of sequences, ILM artist Paul Huston provides a nearly 23 minute breakdown of the amazing “ant sequence” and the chase in the jungle plus the Doom Town sequence. Given how all three are some of the film's best sequences, fans get their money's worth in a big way.

Adventures in Post-Production: As the extras almost come to a close, sound designer Ben Burtt, his son, and editor Michael Kahn close the production doors on Indy as they fit the pieces of the Indy puzzle together, with a special appearance from legendary composer John Williams. Although it’s not the most entertaining feature of the bunch, it's a cool bookend to the pre-production extra.

The extras wind down with four more segments "Closing: Team Indy", "Pre-Visualization Sequences" (Hanger 51, Ants Attack and Jungle Chase), "Trailers" and "Galleries", including related bits from the late Stan Winston's studio, and a demo for :Lego Indiana Jones” for Xbox 360.

Overall

Could Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have been better? From this reviewer’s perspective, given the gap in momentum in the early part of the film, it most certainly could have. In the end, though, the return of Indy to the big screen was fun and gave fans what they wanted. I walked away remembering what I love about movies and realizing that Hollywood and the movie world at large is a much better place with Indiana Jones than without. Since the 2-Disc Special Edition came down the pike in just four months, I have a nagging suspicion we’ll be seeing even more in a larger Kingdom of the Crystal Skull release in the future. However, what Paramount, Spielberg and Lucas have served up in the way of special feature adventures will satisfy both casual and diehard Indy fans alike. It’s a great set that I know you’re going to buy regardless of what anyone says. Smart move!