Age may have caught up with Harrison Ford, but in this fourth Indiana Jones movie he turns his advancing years into a virtue. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, who direct and produce this rather disappointing sequel.
To give credit where it’s due, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull can be watched as a solid, enjoyable adventure movie without any complaints, it’s only when you think of it as part of the Indiana Jones series that it starts to seem a little bit lacklustre. Yes, it has a hapless hero, teeming insects, an international quest, baddies and betrayals, but that just increases the sense that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been made to tick all the boxes on an Indiana Jones checklist, without attaining the exciting heights of its predecessors.
Having said that, Ford makes his 64 years work for him, portraying an Indy who can no longer brawl his way out of tight spots, and the film itself has plenty of great shots, not to mention a few of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski’s trademark burnt-out whites. On top of that, the soundtrack is particularly beefy, with everything from the Paramount sting to the tongue-in-cheek Wilhelm scream sounding like they’ve been given special attention. The impending Blu-ray release will offer a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track that will make the most of the stirring John Williams score. You can watch our full review at The Leisure Lab.