Jun 03, 2008 11:47 AM
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(Updated Jul 30, 2010 02:59 PM)
Did you see the serial that used to come on AXN sometime back called Tomb Raider. It featured Tia Carerra as a professor of ancient history who undertook missions searching for lost treasures in old tombs against criminals of various kinds. Her young and smart male assistant assisted her in this endeavor.
Well I personally loved that serial as it took her to various parts of the world and had a lot of history and adventure woven into the stories. And sure the comic element did play a big part in making the serial memorable. This probably was one of the best roles done by Tia Karerra including all the ones she did in movies.
But you must be wondering what stupid old Tia Karerra has to do with an Indiana Jones movie. A lot, wait till I connect the two. Actually Indiana Jones is no different. Just replace the history teaching to archeology, both are not that different as it is, and if you ask a science student like me, you wont be able to tell much of a difference anyway.
Then replace the assistant with a teenager with a face that looks just like the professor in his younger days, and replace the small time goons with the KGB and you have movie on your hands. Both go chasing around the world in lost tombs digging up dirt of all kinds and encountering the strangest of creatures against stiff opposition from the KGB who are determined to lay their hands on the spoils of those tombs, and you have the big budget Indiana Jones on your hands.
But hold on there are differences, remember the teenager I told you about. Well what if his mother turns up on the scene and tells the professor that he is your son that you never met! Holy spirits that sure is one hell of a twist in the story. There is one sure wisdom to be learned here, friends. The next time you break up with your girl friend, do ring her up in about a year or so to find out if there are any issues involved. It will surely help you avoid any embarrassment at a ripe old age!
But then again what am I talking about. A 2008 Stephen Spielberg movie cant be just that, some tomb raiding and a lost son. Of course not we have got more. There’s aliens for starters, and then there are amphibious cars, a crazy Russian doctor who knows how to get people to do things, a nuclear explosion, man eating ants, old tribesmen who blow poisonous darts into unsuspecting people, advise on which scorpions are poisonous and which are not.
Seriously…
Well if I continue to write the whole review as a spoof, it would probably not do justice to a film that the critics and audiences have given 3 ½ stars to. So lets get down to some serious review business here.
The Plot
The story is set in 1957 USA, when the cold war had just begun after the end of the World War II. The Soviets believe that the Americans have hidden the remains of an extra terrestrial being on the Nuclear Base Station in Nevada and are determined to get hold of it as they want to control the world with the help of the Ets technology. Indiana Jones is an ex army man who now teaches archaeology after his retirement.
He is about to go for a long leave when a teenaged boy, Mutt Williams, informs him that his ex colleague, Oxley, has disappeared after discovering a crystal skull in Peru. Indiana thus sets out along with Mutt to search for Oxley, with the help of an encrypted letter that Mutt’s mother had sent him. Thus starts a saga of treasure hunt with maps and puzzles in very old ancient languages that only our Indiana Jones can decipher. Their search takes them deep into the jungles of Peru, pits them against lost tribes, the Russian KGB and also the elements of the jungle, which include man-eating ants.
When Indiana meets Oxley, he discovers that he has lost his mind and also that his ex girl friend and Mutt’s mother is in the Russians captivity. Will he be able to rescue all his friends from the clutches of the Russians? Will he be able to find the Crystal Skull and decipher its magical powers? Will he be able to save his ex girl friend and son? Watch the movie to find out.
The Cast and Performances
Harrison Ford plays the legendary Indiana Jones. You will be surprised how fit he looks and acts at the age of 64. A little research enlightened me to the fact that he spent 3 hours in the gym while preparing to be fit enough for this role. Since the whole movie is full of stunt scenes and action, he obviously needed all of that. He has given a very authentic and genuine performance in this action adventure. How a man can look handsome and desirable even at that age was first shown by Sean Connery, and then endorsed by Harrison Ford here. His fans will surely not be disappointed. It is said that he even insisted to Steven Spielberg to show some traits of how a man of that age would actually cope with action and the fatigue that follows. So you would see him loose his breadth at times after long action scenes with lends a very genuine effect to the proceedings.
Shia LaBeouf plays the sidekick and son of Harrison Ford. This is the first movie that I have seen of this young boy, but can say that he has done a reasonably good job. Juggling his loyalties between his mother and father whom he never met all his childhood, he gives a good performance.
Karen Allen plays the role of Marion Raven wood, the ex girlfriend of Indiana Jones. She too has given a spirited performance of an independent woman with a strong survival instinct.
All other characters including the Russian doctor, Oxley have done a good job and look suited for the role.
The Technical Scores
The movie is shot well in the jungles of Peru. Some of the scenes seem to come straight out of the Tintin comic “ Prisoner of the Sun”. The action sequences are also very authentic and help of computer-generated images has been kept to a minimal in order to connect better to the earlier Indiana Jones movies and not loose the essence of the series.
