Some thoughts on Indiana Jones 4

It's 2:47am on May 22, 2008, and nearly all of Chicago's freaks and geeks have spent the past 2-3 hours at the AMC River East, where Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just screened in theaters 4, 9, 10, and 11. During the film, there were cheers of joy and laughter; afterwards, I definitely saw some tears of disappointment in the crowd. It's what was to be expected. After all, this film has been a very, very long time coming.

 I was never an Indiana Jones super-fan, though I've always found the films pretty cool. Though I understood and enjoyed the film's many references and call-backs to its prequels, what I enjoyed most about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was all the cool doors Indy got to open. I secretly love to test doorknobs to see if they'll turn, and this is essentially what Indy and his companion (Mutt, played by Shia LaBoeuf) do for a good chunk of the movie. I found myself nervous and excited at the thought of what might be behind every dark, cobwebbed corner. This aspect of the film was exciting, even when the items discovered weren't. I was reminded of a sweet Nickelodeon game show, Legends of the Hidden Temple, when contestants every week wove through a maze of trap doors and trick handles. No one ever made it to the finish, but it was exciting every time.

 The Last Crusade was released in 1989, and not much has changed for Indy in twenty years. It is not my intention, however,  to discuss plot points or character arcs. Fact is, a lot has changed in the world and at the movies in the past two decades. Digital effects and animation make nearly anything possible, a fact that audiences are getting more and more used to despite its frequent abuse. Every movie seems to have impossible stunts – especially big blockbusters – and thanks to the Internet, buzz around a movie can build and spread in an instant. All of these modern situations affect Kingdom of the Crystal Skull directly, but picking up an aging franchise in the modern cinematic marketplace is no easy feat. The film often uses digital effects to its advantage (an atomic test bomb early in the film creates what might be the coolest explosion I've ever seen) and it sometimes stumbles with them, as in a handful of unrealistic touches during over-zealous car-chase-fight scenes. That said, I think one of the primary hurdles time has created for Indy is the change that's occurred in many of its young fans over the years.

If you're between 25 and 35 today, you might well have grown up obsessed, or at least enamored, with a wry and quick-witted fighting archaeologist that ran away with the box office. I ask you, fanboys: In the harsh light of adulthood, can any sequel really live up to the nostalgic glory with which you've imbued those early films? Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,  with its flashy effects and cool secrets, has a goofiness that might strike you as a little off-putting or disingenuous. Allow me, as an outside observer, to ask a simple question, though it may sting a bit: How much seriousness or realism can you expect from a franchise that claims "melting Nazi face" as one of its most memorable moments?

If this commentary seems inconclusive, it is. I'm not sure how to judge this film, and it's precisely because of this connundrum of time and expectations. Do I give it 3 stars (so-so) because of the flying saucer and the lame attempt to keep outer-space out of the storyline? Do I give it 4.5 for all those sweet Indiana Jones surprise punches? I've pretty much decided on 3.5, but I'm still not sure if I'm judging the film itself or its ability to live up to my expectations.

I'll leave the super-fans to duke this one out. That should only take another 20 years or so.

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