It’s been nineteen years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade… that’s an even more painful delay than the sixteen years George Lucas made us wait between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace. Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas conferred for several years concerning the storyline, and all had to find mutually open blocks of time. It finally came together, and a 64-year old Ford once again donned the famous fedora. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no.

There is much to like about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but there are also several elements that really disappointed me. The primary premise is sound: a Macguffin of another seemingly supernatural or religious artifact sought by the villains. They want to use it to seek an ultimate power that will permit them to dominate the world. But Lucas decided that since this adventure had to be placed in 1957 to be consistent with Indy’s older appearance, the story should depart from its pulp serial roots of the ‘30s and emulate the b-movie science fiction genre of the ‘50s. That was a mistake; it is such a radical departure from what we fans expect, that the film’s climax is jarring.

A second aspect of this latest Indy adventure is its utter disregard for the physical world. In films past, the threats were tangible, both physical and supernatural. Indy and his companions were in real peril, vulnerable to harm, their bodies subject to the same injuries as the audience. In this latest installment, the physical world is more like a Warner Bros. cartoon. There are two glaring examples in the first act. A rocket sled (which has a conspicuously inappropriate turbine at its air intake) sends Indy and another on a brutal ride down a test track. When the sled hits a water trough that acts as a viscous brake, momentum should have smashed Indy and his companion into the bulkhead in front of them; they were not wearing any safety harness. And in a second first act example, Indy cleverly escapes certain death, but in the process he’s propelled through the air a great distance and should have pulverized every bone in his body when he landed. (And he should have suffocated, since his “vehicle” had no way of unlatching its door from the inside.) In the second act, he and his companions go over not one but three huge waterfalls, drops that rival Niagara Falls. Not a scratch. I could go on, but I think I’ve made my case. Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford are detail-oriented and intelligent. Did they consider these physical gaffs to be simple exaggerations of ‘50s silliness? For this viewer, my willing suspension of disbelief was burst each time, pulling me out of the movie. Sigh. On the other hand, there’s lots of humor that works. And the personable interactions among the protagonists are charming (if not very predictable).

Since 1957 was a peak year for the “Red Scare,” Crystal Skull establishes the Soviets and the KGB in particular as the villains of the show. Led by the charismatic uber-villainess Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), a band of KGB operatives blatantly kidnap Indy (Ford) and his buddy from WW II intelligence work, Mac McHale (Ray Winstone). They’re brought to a nondescript warehouse at Area 51 where the government stores many of its secrets. (Expect to see a cameo by the Lost Ark; yes, it’s that warehouse. And did Area 51 exist in 1957?)

Spalko is seeing in one box in particular and Indy’s there because he was involved in the investigation of its contents ten years before. She expects him to use his special knowledge to help find the box amid mountains of thousands. And indeed he does. I shall not reveal the nature of the contents or its connection to the ultimate Macguffin. Suffice it to say that he escapes the villains (and ultimately returns to his home close to the campus of the university where he teaches archeology; that would be, of course, the very first place the KGB would look for him).

Enter Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), dressed precisely like Marlon Brando’s Johnny Strabler in 1953’s The Wild One, astride a similar bike, and sporting a pompadour that gives him three inches more height. A switchblade in one pocket and a frequently used comb in the other complete his outfit. He’s dropped out of college to pursue his own interests. These are some strange choices for someone who will turn out to be rather intellectual. He’s looking for Indy at his mother’s request, Mary Williams. Professor Oxley (John Hurt), a friend to them both, has disappeared, but not before he sent a very cryptic message, which Mutt brought with him. That message sends Indy and Mutt on a grand adventure, deep into the South American rain forest to search for the crystal skull and a lost city. And along the way, Indy is recaptured by Spalko and reunited with Mac, Oxley, and an old flame, none other than Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).
 
What follows is another escape and spectacular, over-the-top action set-pieces: two dueling vehicles racing through the jungle, the crystal skull tossed from one to the other as they fight with fists, swords, and automatic weapons (and as in all such films, the villains can’t hit any of the protagonists, even with fully automatic weapons at close range). Add thousands of nasty fire ants, violent natives, and more riddles than can be found in National Treasure, and the third act climaxes in a very special lost city.

I enjoyed the interaction between Marion and Indy. Having been apart for decades, and having been brought together by dramatic circumstances, they lovingly bicker. I didn’t recognize Cate Blanchett at first, so submerged in her Russian accent and disguised by a dark, severe page boy cut. She makes a great villainess. Harrison Ford is quite amazing. At sixty-four he could easily pass for someone ten years younger. I had absolutely no problem accepting him as an older Indy. (And I’m delighted that we don’t see how he loses an eye and gets badly scarred, as the character appears in Young Indiana Jones.) LeBeouf is quite fine as Mutt, eminently believable as a bright punk with an attitude. And it was a charming treat to see Karen Allen, now a little thicker, return to the franchise. John Hurt is effective in his thankless role. Spielberg is still a visual master; I thoroughly enjoyed his compositions and camera moves.

With a few exceptions, this is a quintessential Indiana Jones film, complete with a animated red line tracing Indy’s flights on a map. George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson are credited with the story and David Koepp is credited with the screenplay. I just wish they had stuck to the supernatural and didn’t take such artistic license with the physical world.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in a great looking high definition transfer compressed with the AVC video CODEC. This film lured me back into the motion picture theater for the first time since Revenge of the Sith. As I wrote in one of my columns, I was shocked at how Crystal Skull presented in a THX-certified theater didn’t come close to the level of detail of a good Blu-ray Disc. Now that I’ve seen Crystal Skull on Blu-ray in my own theater, I can say with certainty that this transfer is far more detailed than could be experienced in a movie theater. Both small object detail and finely grained textures are superb. Color rendition is excellent, from flesh tones, to the lush jungle, to the ornate temple interior. Shadow detail is quite nice; I didn’t notice any black crush. But, the top of the video dynamic range didn’t look quite right; there is something a little blown out in the whites. Regardless, since this Blu-ray Disc clearly exceeds what can be expected from a distribution print, I’m happy.

The DVD shares all the visual characteristics of the BD, with the exception of resolution. The anamorphic video transfer is soft by comparison, but really quite nice as a standard definition DVD. Small object detail is quite good. Finely grained textures are as good as DVD gets. And I noticed no edge halos, macroblocking, or mosquito noise.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The lossless TrueHD 5.1 is quite nice, but surprisingly unimpressive. All the right elements are there. The surrounds are very active. There’s deep bass, but it didn’t move my pants legs or pummel my solar plexus. John Williams’ rousing score is reproduced well with admirable timbre and across a broad soundstage. The sound effects have a pleasant transparency. And the spoken word is distortion free throughout. And yet, I came away with the distinct impression that the dynamic range is a tad lacking. I had to pump up the gain by 6 dB to attain dialog loudness parity with other BDs. And even with the gain turned up that high, the sound effects didn’t have that visceral bite that satisfies. This is a wholly adequate track, but I expected a demo-quality experience.

The alternative languages are French and Spanish, both in Dolby Digital 5.1. The optional subtitles are in English, English SDH, English, and French, Portuguese.

The DVD offers Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, French, and Spanish and limits the subtitles to English, French, and Spanish. The sound of the track share characteristics with the BD, but can be characterized as having a subtle messiness that’s inherent to lossless audio.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The disc opens with a new and amusing THX stinger that’s very… flowery.

Disc one starts with the BD-exclusive Indiana Jones Timelines. You’ll find three: Story; Production: and, History. The viewer navigates manually through a series of events on each timeline to be rewarded with several screens of text. This may be a time-consuming process, but the information is germane and intriguing. Alternatively, an event may prompt the viewer into playing an excerpt from the film or a short background or making-of clip. The timelines also display related items on parallel timelines when there is a direct connection.

The excellent featurettes are organized into topics related to the entire sequence of production, from story concept to film release. When you read the following descriptions, whenever I refer to a supplement presented in high definition on the BD and I write that it’s also found on the DVD, simply assume that on the DVD it’s presented in anamorphic video.

Both formats offer the Return of a Legend featurette (17:34, 1.78:1, 1080p); it traces the development of the film’s storyline from the points-of-view of Spielberg, Ford, and Lucas. It reveals that Spielberg was the resister, reluctant to return to the genre and the character, having immersed himself in more serious films. The circumstances surrounding the development are fascinating. Karen Allen and Shia LaBeouf also participate. Remember the rumor that Natalie Portman was going to appear as Indy’s daughter? Well, Spielberg nixed the daughter concept before the script stage; a son was substituted. (I think Portman could have been a hoot.) The historical events and environment of the ‘50s were strong influences. I was interested to see that excerpts from the first three Indy films were included, virtually all in high definition. Hmmm. Okay, Paramount, when can we expect the original Indy trilogy in HD?

Both formats include the Preproduction featurette (11:44, 1.78:1, 1080p), which demonstrates the efforts to generate considerable pre-visualization work at ILM. We watch Spielberg at work with a previz artist, describing his desires both verbally and with rudimentary hand drawn sketches. Next is costume design. After eighteen years, it was a challenge to reproduce Indy’s hat and jacket. Some time is spent on recreating Brando’s look in The Wild One for Mutt. Next is a section about the casting of Shia LaBeouf, his orientation, and his training for swordplay.

The last supplement on the first BD (and included on the second DVD) is a pair of trailers (1:52 and 1:55 respectively, 2.35:1, 1080p). Let’s move on to disc two.

Note that, unless noted, all the following supplements are on both formats, but as a reminder, as you read my descriptions, substitute anamorphic video for 1080p when you read the descriptions in the context of the DVD edition.

First up is Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (1:20:52 aggregate, 1.78:1, 1080p and a little 480p). There are six chapters in this documentary, essentially organized by location: New Mexico; New Haven; Hilo, Hawaii; on the soundstage; and wrapping up. This is an extremely comprehensive look at principal photography. We learn about the locations and many of the filmmaking secrets of the production. Interestingly, Harrison Ford did almost all of his own stunts thanks to the technology of wirework and digital wire removal. I think I enjoyed this supplement as much as the film, perhaps a tad more.

Warrior Makeup featurette (5:34, 1.78:1, 1080p) reveals the complex and extensive appliances that were made to embellish the appearance of the warriors. This is an excellent example of the filmmakers’ concern for detail, which is why violating the laws of physics remains a mystery to me.

The Crystal Skulls featurette (10:10, 1.78:1, 1080p) takes us to the Stan Winston Studio to learn how they were created. We also learn about the construction of the four-foot tall Gray and the nine-foot tall skeletons in the temple. (I was saddened to learn in June of 2008 that Stan Winston had died of multiple myeloma at the age of 62; he was a consummate artist and technocrat. The film industry lost a very creative craftsman.)

Iconic Props featurette (9:59, 1.78:1, 1080p) shows us the highly detailed reproductions of classic Indy props and new props for this film. Some were constructed in-country and some were subcontracted to WETA in New Zealand.

The Effects of Indy featurette (22:42, 1.78:1, 1080p) highlights the transition from physical effects and model making found in the first three films to what is now mostly CGI. We see numerous examples of CG effects being developed from the crudest initial representation to the high resolution, properly lit, colored, and textured images. We see examples of digital compositing to complete the illusions. However, this doesn’t preclude the use of miniatures. We learn about those as well.

The Adventures in Post-Production featurette (12:44, 1.78:1, 1080p) reveals that Spielberg is still working on film (as opposed to George Lucas’ choice of capturing images digitally in high defintion). And we also learn that despite that classical technique, the film was edited very quickly. Ben Burtt returns as the sound designer. He’s interviewed to describe his work. We learn about how the existing library of Indy analog recordings were digitized and put into a vast database. And we learn how new sounds were recorded for the show. I was pleased to find John Williams participating. We’re ushered onto the soundstage for a recording session and Williams explains the nature of his approach.

The Closing: Team Indy featurette (3:41, 1.78:1, 1080p) is a postscript provided by Steven Spielberg paying tribute to the principal members of his filmmaking team. This almost runs as visual closing credits, putting faces on the faceless names that scroll by at the end of the feature film. And as this last featurette closed, I discovered why I had enjoyed them so much; they were written, directed, and produced by master supplementarian Laurent Bouzereau.

Next are three Pre-Visualization Sequences: Area 51 Escape; Jungle Chase; and, Ants Attack. This rough CGI is accompanied by score; it may be interesting to those curious about just how detailed the previz was, but for most it’s of modest importance.

The last extra on disc two is a collection of Galleries: The Art Department; Stan Winston Studio; Production Photographs; Portraits; and, Behind-the-Scenes Photographs. Shown in high definition, the stills don’t fill the screen, so the level of detail is affected. Don’t ask how many there are; there are too many to count.

Exclusive to the DVD is a one screen promo for the Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures video game. It encourages the viewer to insert the DVD into his or her Xbox 360 to view a demo. And since the Xbox 360 is not compatible with BD, that’s why this supplement is exclusive to the DVD set.

These supplements have their own subtitles on both formats: English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The 123-minute film is organized into sixteen chapters on both formats.

Final Thoughts

I’m of two minds concerning Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film smacks of humor, peril, over-the-top action, and spectacle. On the other hand, departing from the pulp influences of ‘30s serials and embracing ‘50s b-movie science fiction was a cultural shock. Add to that the bubble bursting sequences that ignore physical realities and I’m troubled. Perhaps it’s my unrealistic expectations. Perhaps I should assume the filmmakers simply put tongues firmly in cheeks. My concerns aside, this is a fine presentation with many very entertaining supplements, which makes this an attractive release. Oh hell, the film is a lot better than The Phantom Menace. Recommended.


Here’s a note about the apparent duplicate Buy Guide. Our I.T. people are hard at work on a large project and have not yet had the time to modify the underlying site database formatting code to accommodate the new 0-to-10 rating scales. So until they do, for HD on disc, I’ll insert this note and a Buy Guide at the end of the review text and leave the conventional 0-to-5 Buy Guide blank.