Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

As with many people, the Indiana Jones series was a very memorable and pleasant part of my childhood. From the holy grail to the arc of the covenant, our favorite whip-brandishing protagonist robbed his way into our hearts. Well, does the latest incarnation of this famed series hold a candle? In short, kind of.

The story starts off with the typical 'foreign' bad guys (Russians this time), and Indy is back at the university where he works. The ruthless Russians lay waste to the guards of a giant warehouse which holds all kinds of goodies (there's even a reference to one of the later movies, if you pay attention.) Of course Indy holds the key to finding what they seek, so they must go after him.

Sounds good so far, right? Well, there's a big fat wrench thrown into the gears of this movie. A big fat wrench with a weird sounding name, Shia Labeouf. Of course, he's the next big thing, so his name has to as many movies as possible before he becomes irrelevant. But Indiana Jones? Throughout the entire movie he's just a nagging presence of mediocrity. Not only is he annoying, but he commits the ultimate sin, taking a good bit of attention from Indiana (who is the one we actually give a fuck about.)

Don't get me wrong, there's some pretty cool special effects, and Harrison Ford does a decent job. However, Shia just ruins it. That and a logic-defying explosion scene (you'll see if you haven't already) that makes one impressed by how blatantly the movie spits in the face of science.

Anyways, with that all being said, I'd give this movie a 6/10. It's a decent film to watch, moderately entertaining, and has Harrison Ford doing an okay performance. However, if you're a true Indiana Jones fan, you might be disappointed. But then again, the Temple of Doom sucked balls, so maybe you won't be.