Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull represents a peculiar and near-total regression in quality for the series.

The opening sequence is one of the stronger parts of the film, but remains quite weak in terms of dialogue and characterization. The reviewer even notes that they find the nuclear blast scene to be mostly inert, but it is partially responsible for establishing this entry in the series as a laughing stock. But far more noticeable than any of that, something more is wrong with this picture.

Clarity provided by new technology fails to enrich and, in fact, clashes with visual expectations set by all of the previous films. The film does not need to recreate the look of the previous entries, but it has to achieve visual fidelity, uniting the new and old visual identities. It fails to do so; most of the time, this simply doesn't look like an Indiana Jones film, regardless of era. Other visual failures include the heavy over-reliance on CGI in a series once known for practicality and the cartoonishly exaggerated 1950s aesthetic.

Also distinguishing it from past entries is Crystal Skull's inability to create a lived-in world. Recountings of off-screen events are distracting and do more to damage the world of the series than anything. The film is also a quagmire of mediocre to simply bad dialogue, which further damages the illusion of a lived-in world. The film twice endeavors to recreate its past success with swiftly established character dynamics that feel age-old; it fails in both endeavors.

James Broadbent plays Indy's professional confidant and does a decent job of it before he is shoved off screen. Mac, played by Ray Winstone, is kind of a meaningless character, being Indy's friend, a KGB double agent, then a supposed CIA triple agent, then being revealed to just be greedy; he is a reasonable foil to Indy in the end, but an annoying one given the whiplash that it takes to get there.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were organized around existing religious tradition. This grounded them, and did a great deal of heavy lifting in convincing the viewers that the magic of the artifacts on display would be legible. The mythology surrounding the crystal skull feels random, invented, convenient, convoluted, and unconvincing.

Some of the action is interesting in conception but this rarely bears out in execution. Other parts of the action are also just stupid, such as swinging from vines or blowing the poison dart backward.

While there may have been great enthusiasm about returning to the series, much like the titular artifact in the movie, don't stare into the eyes of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for too long.