Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Plot
Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 6.4/10 (177,586 voted)
Critic's Score: 65/100
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf
Storyline During the Cold War, Soviet agents watch Professor Henry Jones when a young man brings him a coded message from an aged, demented colleague, Henry Oxley. Led by the brilliant Irina Spalko, the Soviets tail Jones and the young man, Mutt, to Peru. With Oxley's code, they find a legendary skull made of a single piece of quartz. If Jones can deliver the skull to its rightful place, all may be well; but if Irina takes it to its origin, she'll gain powers that could endanger the West. Aging professor and young buck join forces with a woman from Jones's past to face the dangers of the jungle, Russia, and the supernatural.
Writers: David Koepp, George Lucas
Cast: Harrison Ford
-
Indiana Jones
Cate Blanchett
-
Irina Spalko
Karen Allen
-
Marion Ravenwood
Shia LaBeouf
-
Mutt Williams
Ray Winstone
-
'Mac' George Michale
John Hurt
-
Professor Oxley
Jim Broadbent
-
Dean Charles Stanforth
Igor Jijikine
-
Dovchenko
Dimitri Diatchenko
-
Russian Suit
Ilia Volok
-
Russian Suit
Emmanuel Todorov
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Russian Soldier
Pasha D. Lychnikoff
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Russian Soldier
Andrew Divoff
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Russian Soldier
Venya Manzyuk
-
Russian Soldier
(as Veniamin Manzyuk)
Alan Dale
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General Ross
Opening Weekend: $126,917,373
(USA)
(25 May 2008)
(4260 Screens)
Gross: $786,636,033
(Worldwide)
(25 November 2011)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
In 2000, Steven Spielberg's personal interest for another Indy film was ignited when his son asked when the remaining two Indy films would be released.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Indy and Mutt are in the restaurant, Indy's left hand alternates between holding the coffee cup and resting on the table, depending on the direction of the view.
Quotes: Indiana Jones:
Compass! I need a compass! You know, north, south, east... Mac:
West. Indiana Jones:
No compass? Indiana Jones:
[to Dovchenko]
I need your bullets! Dovchenko:
[to Russians]
HaHa! On zhelayet moih patrone!
[Russian laugh]
Indiana Jones:
[to Spalko]
The contents of that box are highly magnitized. I need gun powder. You want my help or not?
User Review
The weakest of the Indy films
Rating:
Before I start my review let me say I am a huge Indy fan and have been
waiting for this movie for 19 years.
Bad news first : Number 4 is the weakest of the Indy films. Good news :
It is still good entertainment.
Let me explain further :
The Good :
Harrison Ford still IS Indiana Jones. He still has the magic to
impersonate this character. You really see his efforts to make this
film work. Great camera work and sets. Shia LaBoef is actually quite
good and not annoying at all, he has some funny lines and scenes. I
never regretted that he was in the movie. Some really good action
scenes, esp. in the first half of the movie with believable stunts and
not too much CGI, e.g. the motorbike chase or the Warehouse battle.
Great! Humor was OK and many jokes worked for me (best : the quicksand
scene).
The Bad :
John Hurt as Oxley looked like Dumbledore on Ecstasy. I didn't like his
character very much and was glad when he finally became "sane" again.
Problem was by then the movie was almost over. Sorry guys, Karen Allen.
She was overacting too much, smiling and laughing all the way even
during the deadliest action sequences like a soccer mum. We know she is
tough and so but it never felt believable. Also her interaction and
reunion with Ford seemed a bit forced. The Villains : Blanchet was OK,
but not very menacing or intimidating. You never felt she was a threat
to Indy. She was always behind him. Russians? Give me Nazis as
adversaries any day. Ray Winstons character (forgot the name) was
confusing and underdeveloped : "I am on your side, no wait I am a
traitor, oh wait I am CIA, never mind I am a traitor again". WTF? Ant
scene : Stolen straight from "The Mummy". Shame on you, Spielberg.
The Ugly :
Sorry, but the last third of the film was the pits. The jungle chase
was far "over the top" action, I thought Indy and Mutt were human
beings, not supermen. They pulled off moves and jumps that even
Spiderman couldn't do. Indy not using his gun once. At least he didn't
carry a walky-talky instead. Nuclear explosion scene. OMG. How
embarrassing, who came up with this idea? What was supposed to be funny
only got howls of disbelieve and "Yeah right" from the audience. Indy
survives a nuclear explosion in a fridge (!) and then is whirled away
miles through the air, exits the fridge and walks off? Was Spielberg on
drugs when he filmed this? Who on earth could survive such an
explosion? I couldn't believe it! The plot : Not very suspenseful.
Parts of it even boring. Aliens? They waited 19 years for this script?
I believe almost anything would have been better. At least the Aliens
only appear during the last minutes.
All in all a small disappointment but still a watchable Indy movie. I
think "less would have been more" in this case. More believable stunts,
less CGI and a better script and the movie would have rocked. I blame
Spielberg and Lucas. Kudos to Ford. Should have made Indy IV 10 years
earlier.
I give it a 5/10 despite all the negative points. First third of the
movie 8/10, rest 2/10.
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