Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I remember seeing the novelisation of Raiders of the Lost Ark in our local K-Mart before the movie came out and all I saw was a guy in what looked like a cowboy hat.  I didn't understand what the fuss was about.  Later, I discovered it had Han Solo in it and was made by George Lucas AND Steven Spielberg.  I had to go, so my best friend and I went into Brisbane City on our own (we were about 13 at the time and it was a long train trip!) and I was so completely blown away.  It was one of the most amazing films I had ever seen.  I have been a huge Indy fan ever since (hence my online name!) and while each successive sequel/'prequel' was a joy to watch, they never really captured that first movie experience of wonder and amazement for me.  I had been eagerly awaiting news of a fourth film and you can imagine my excitement when it was announced.  After I had seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (lets call it Indy 4 for short, otherwise I will be typing here all night!) I must say that again, while I was overjoyed at having experienced another Indy film, I felt slightly disappointed and I just couldn't put my finger on it.  I mean, I loved the concept of the story.  Perhaps it was Shia LeBeouf?  LOTS of people bagged it and heaps of other jumped on the bandwagon to throw in their two cents worth.
Well, now that a couple of years have gone by, I finally sat down to watch my DVD of the film and I have to say, I was extremely surprised at how much I ENJOYED Indy 4!  Yes, I can categorically say, I loved it!  In fact, I think it might be the second best movie of the franchise!  Now there are some controversial words for you!
Let's analyse.
Firstly, it is set in the fifties, so the whole USSR/Cold War/Communist storyline was happening.  Great link with Mr Lucas' (and Harrison Ford's) American Graffiti at the beginning with the racing hot rod.  Then we finally get to see the warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is stored at the end of Raiders and it is Area 51!  Brilliant!  Then we find out the story has something to do with 'Aliens', one of my favourite topics!  OK, but is Harrison Ford too old for the physical stunts required to play Indiana Jones?  As shown in the wonderful extras on the DVD, at 64, he's still going strong, and with the advancements in stunt rigs, he was able to do a lot of his own stunts.
There are some nods to Denholm Elliott and Sean Connery and Marshall College.  Then the kid dressed up to look like Marlon Brando in The Wild One roars (?) out of the steam and into movie history as Indy's son, Henry Jones Jr (the third!), or like his Dad, he has his own name, 'Mutt'.  I have to say I HATE this name.  Indy is named after the dog, so his son is named after a dog?  Really?  That was just weak and silly and now we are stuck with it.  Anyway, he can hold his own in a sword fight after learning fencing at school and he even swings with the monkeys, which is a nod to Raiders where there is a monkey that Karen Allen says is just like their child and even has Indy's looks.  I liked this touch, a bit obscure and a lot of people didn't get it.
Talking about Karen Allen, I was so excited to see that she was asked to return in the role of Marian Ravenwood.  I always loved her in Raiders and it was fantastic that she came back and got to have such a great role in the movie, thanks George and Steven!
A bit of social commentary and history with the Atomic blast (of course it was pushing the friendship a little far with the refrigerator, but it is an Indy film - man he strapped himself to a sub in the first movie!).
There is the usual tomb raiding with the booby traps and the creepy crawlies, this time with CGI fire ants rather than thousands of exotic spiders or insects.  The final reveal at the end (I won't spoil it for the three people who haven't seen it) is pretty cool.
In fact it is a very good looking film with some great CGI work.
I am so glad I have revisited this movie.  Give it another look, I think you may be as surprised as me. I really enjoyed it and I would have to say I would give it an 8/10.