Review : Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull ( Warning:Spoilers Ahead )

So the new Indiana Jones film is already being shown in cinemas across the world , with one or two exceptions , and most critics seem to agree that this new Indy film will be the year´s biggest success story , due to the hype that has surrounded this project since rumours about a possible sequel first started to appear on the internet . For me, the waiting did pay of even though some people probably won´t like this film . Unlike previous Indy films that asserted themselves as adventure flicks , set against a backdrop of beautiful if yet dangerous locations , where our hero was forced to fight against deadly foes such as the Nazis and a mysterious Indian cult , Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has a serious problem : sometimes it feels like an old fashioned adventure film , that constantly reminds us of some the films that were made during the 30s and 40s , towards its end , the film looks more like a Third Encounters had it taken place in places such as Peru or Mexico . Previous reports said that the film would not have a lot of special effects but , and even though some films are much heavier as far as the use of computerized imagery is concerned , this film also has a wide range of visual flair ( computerized monkeys and ants included ) . Had the film kept the pace and creativeness featured in the first 30 minutes , I could say that a new classic had been made , but as it progresses and some action sequences end up stretching themselves more than they should´ve , we have the feeling we have already seen some of those things before - the entire ant sequence reminded me of the ant sequence featured in the ghastly " The Scorpion King " , and some of the stunts make us want to say " I´ve seen it all before ! " . So what differenciates this film from previous action adventures such as The Mummy or even Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow ? The fact that this is Indiana Jones , we know from the start that for a couple of hours we must suspend our disbilief . What we cannot do is to tolerate the presence of some irritating characters such as the one played by Ray Winstone , whose scenes if not his entire presence , should have been digitally erased . Shia Labeouf does a great job as the rebellious Mutt , but the fact that he´s Indiana Jones son still doesn´t justify some of his stunts such as being able to swordfight while standing in a car that is in motion . John Hurt also manages to deliver a significantly good performance as the supposedly gone loony Oxley , even though some of his lines make you want to cover your ears - of all the characters in the film I couldn´t help but to think that his was the one that took itself most seriously . Karen Allen comes back as Marion Ravenwood , and even though she´s older , she still hasn´t lost her edge - the character is still witty and smart . Cate Blanchett plays the part of the villain , Russian agent Irina Spalko , and even though her character is far from being considered an unforgettable villain , there were moments when I felt that the actress really believed in the material that she had been given and seemed to really relish the part of a psychic agent capable of killing hundreds of people for the single purpose of achieving her goals . And last , but certainly not least , we come to Harrison Ford , and lets just say that without him, this film couldn´t have been made . The moment he appears on screen and we can listen to his character´s theme tune in the background , we´re taken to the good old days of crazy adventures that took Indy around the world . This Indy , is grumpier and no longer does what he does best for the single purpose of achieving fame and glory , but he´s still capable of battling bad guys and looks convincing while doing it , especially with all that charisma and sense of humor . The wardrobe is flawless and so is the cinematography courtesy of Spielberg´s trusty aid Januz Kaminski . The special effects are quite good as well, especially in the final moments of the film , thanks to the extremely talented guys at Industrial Light & Magic . I can´t say that this is summer´s best flick , since the blockbuster season only started a few weeks ago , but it´s rare to find a blockbuster that doesn´t try to teach us something , just wants us to enjoy the ride .

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull : 0 to 10 : 6