4/5 stars
I’ve watched Harrison Ford play the serial throwback hero Indiana Jones my entire life. My first introduction to Indy was with 1989’s The Last Crusade. This is the third film in the series, and is the one people often argue between being the best or the second best (it’s a contest between Raiders of the Lost Arc and Last Crusade). Next up was Raiders (quite some time later), and eventually Temple of Doom (my least favorite of the original trilogy). In 2008, shortly after I graduated high school, for some reason we got a fourth movie that completely ignored that Indy was 65 years old when the movie was filmed. Instead, it had him do his usual shenanigans (punching Nazis, swinging around on a whip, etc.) and threw in a bunch of CGI and a weak script. To most fans it was a massive misfire and we went along pretending it didn’t exist.
Fast forward 15 years later. Harrison ford is now 80. And, we’ve gotten a 5th Indiana Jones film. You wouldn’t be wrong if you said this sounds like a terrible idea. But, you would also be wrong, as it turns out the movie is actually the most fun anyone’s had with Indiana Jones in a theater since 1989. Yeah, the movie blows Krystal Skull out of the water, and gives Temple of Doom a run for its money on third best Indy Film. It sounds crazy, but, somehow it happened. Here’s what makes the movie work:
It doesn’t pretend Indy’s still in his 30s. The fact that Dr. Jones is now as old as dirt plays into everything the character does. He’s a cranky old man. This is what any hero who’s made it to his 80s ought to be.
James Mangold directs. This is the guy who directed Logan, Copland, and Identity. The dude knows how to make a good movie. And he doesn’t bring the weird baggage with him that Spielberg would have since he’d feel obligated to involve George Lucas, who just doesn’t have the stuff anymore (Nothing wrong with that. You had a great run, Lucas. No one could say different).
Harrison Ford is giving it his all. This may be the most important factor. Or, at least up there close to the top. Ford is fully awake in this movie, and he’s giving it his all. I remember watching Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the theater and thinking, “Man, Harrison Ford sure seems like he forgot how to act” while I watched Area 51 employees scrub radioactivity off his body with a push broom and a water hose. That never happens here. I fully buy that he’s an old grumpy man that used to do cool shit when he was younger, but now shuffles between his office, his classroom, and his apartment, and not much else.
Indy goes on the adventure out of necessity, not out of desire. Indy’s pulled into the adventure, and the way it’s done makes it believable. Ford’s character never does anything we can’t believe an 80 year old Indiana Jones couldn’t do under the circumstances. They do a great job with this, and it’s exactly what Crystal Skull was missing.
Plenty of Practical effects and practical set pieces. Yeah, there’s more CGI here than in all three original Indy movies combined (did CGI even exist back then? Do matte paintings count as CGI, lol?), but there’s less than Crystal Skull, and the CGI is used better here too.
The script is solid. No aliens this time, guys. Just the Nazis trying get a relic with magical powers so they can rule the world. You know, classic Indiana Jones stuff.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the series, this is a worthy entry. If you’re a newcomer to the Jones Saga, this is probably not for you. Go home and fire up Disney+ and check out Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Arc, if you fall in love with ‘em, grab the kids and head to the theater. If not, maybe wait for TMNT to come out next month.