The grand old (or, what is now called the new middle aged) men still have it. Director Stephen Spielberg, 61, producer/writer George Lucas, 64, John Hurt, 68, and Harrison Ford, 65 3/4 have produced a mighty-fine, entertaining, fun "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Even with signs of arthritis, a ridiculous role for and a silly-caricature of a performance from Cate Blanchett (Bullwinkle's Natasha would have made a better Soviet agent), a bit overlong at over 2 hours, and other negatives notwithstanding, this is a movie to enjoy. Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is sensational, and the art department has come through with eye-poppers galore.
It's a good movie, not a great one - you're entertained, but won't take much away from it, and one viewing is quite enough.
If you fume about increased ticket prices (from $3 to $12), consider that in the 27 years since the first "Indiana Jones," the film's budget has multiplied exactly 10 times, topping off at $180 million. Not even the price of gas soared like that: "only" from $1.38 in 1981 to $4+ today (in San Fran). But, if you listen to news reports from Cannes, you understand the inflation in Hollywood; a BBC reporter is lodging at a camp because all the 2,000-Euro hotel rooms are gone. That be $3,134 a night in what used to be called "real money." (In 1981, Frommer's "Europe on $25 Dollars a Day" was still usable on occasion.)
It's a good movie, not a great one - you're entertained, but won't take much away from it, and one viewing is quite enough.
If you fume about increased ticket prices (from $3 to $12), consider that in the 27 years since the first "Indiana Jones," the film's budget has multiplied exactly 10 times, topping off at $180 million. Not even the price of gas soared like that: "only" from $1.38 in 1981 to $4+ today (in San Fran). But, if you listen to news reports from Cannes, you understand the inflation in Hollywood; a BBC reporter is lodging at a camp because all the 2,000-Euro hotel rooms are gone. That be $3,134 a night in what used to be called "real money." (In 1981, Frommer's "Europe on $25 Dollars a Day" was still usable on occasion.)