"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf and John Hurt, Directed by Steven Spielberg written by George Lucas (story) Jeff Nathanson (story) and David Koepp (Screenplay) As a fan of the original Indiana Jones trilogy (who isn't) I must admit that this film was high on my list of summer movies, however I'm not quite sure it met all of my expectations. Sure Harrison Ford was getting older, (but through movie magic is still pretty good at throwing a punch and making a narrow escape using his whip) and sure the technology is better than the original three, (put to good use in the opening scenes alone) but that doesn't mean you have to try and squeeze everything into one movie, there still needs to be some consistency. I know it's Indy and we have to "suspend reality" for a little while to truly enjoy the film but some of the scenes were not only far fetched but downright bizarre, without giving too much away there's a "Tarzan" scene, a colony of ants able to organize and carry a full grown man into an anthill and then devour him, and a "duck" (half car, half boat) going down not 1, not 2, but 3 waterfalls, come on. I think sometimes Lucas and Spielberg were just trying to show off there. At the end of the run Indy is not searching for a historical document or artifact or even to rescue his friends but by the end he's reaching for a "close encounter" and that's where I had the biggest problem with the movie. Here's my problem Indy is at heart an archaeologist and always strives to bring context to his finds. "It belongs in a museum," one of his favorite sayings, yet in Crystal Skull it seems as though he steps out of the real world, one of rational thought, and into the world of SciFi and fantasy. Needless to say that's not where I want him. I didn't like how Spielberg took this movie to one of his favorite places, alien life. Overall Spielberg also tries to throw in his special themes of family and knowledge and well sometimes you can't just attach a moral to any story. The movie was still enjoyable but its lack of center and absence from the original themes presented in the trilogy brought the rating down. 3/5 remotes.
"Iron Man" - Starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow Directed by Jon Favreau and based on the characters developed by Stan Lee. Alright so it's another installment in the comic book movie genre and to be honest it's almost as if you've seen one you've seen them all. When it comes to storyline, character development (which is often lackluster at best) and "damsel in distress" there's not much deviation from the tried and true method. In Iron Man though, Favreau, makes it fun. While it's not a spoof it's not a drama either, it is what it is, a comic book movie. Downey does a great job as a "tongue and cheek" character who doubles as a hero, Bridges is a subtle yet devious villian, and while Paltrow is, of course, the damsel in distress, yet she gives a certain class to the role and does so with some strength. The action is fast paced but Favreau keeps the shots steady and "wide" so that the audience isn't jostled around through the paces but is instead allowed to view the action from a distance while still maintaining intimacy with the actions on the screen. The vibrancy and life of the comic book genre jumps off the screen and there's almost no need to pull you in with the action, it comes to you. One of the better films from the genre after some disappointing ones in the past couple of years; Fantastic 4, X-Men 2, Ghost Rider, Spiderman 3, let's just hope that Favreau can keep up the magic in the inevitable sequel. (For those who haven't seen it stay to the end) Overall great summer entertainment but since it is a comic book movie I can't give it the perfect rating. 4.5/5 remotes
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