Note about the revised grade:  I’ve decided to downgrade my original grade for the film from a B- to a C+ because the film gets worse the more I think about it.  That is all, carry on !

Indiana Jones is back, so its time for more chases, fights with sinister Russian commies, and an incoherent and often silly storyline that feels as stale as an old loaf of Italian bread.  Harrison Ford looks good and he commits fully to the role, but the dopey storyline constantly lets him down.  There is fun to be had in the old school fights and chase scenes (if only the lame CGI wasn’t so ever-present, it would be even more fun) and Indy sails by with a passing grade due to nostalgia.  The only problem is that this go-round is equally the weakest of the series.  It’s a distant fourth out of the four films.  It lacks the freshness and balls-out fun of Raiders, the dark sadism of Doom, and the light and witty touch that Sean Connery brought to Last Crusade.

 The plot is really an excuse for chase scenes and some nice stuntwork, but getting to those scenes can be rough going.  Jones tangles with some nasty Russian including Cate Blanchett (hamming it up) who wants to use an ancient crystal skull to dominate the world (wtf).  Along the way Indy meets a greaser named Mutt (played by Shia Labeouf) and is reunited with his old flame played by a welcome Karen Allen (although she’s not given much to do).  Shia is not an unlikable character but he lacks charisma and is the least convincing macho greaser since Stephen Dorff (lets not even go The Outsiders route, Matt Dillion would kick his ass).  Ford’s performance and nostalgia for a character and franchise that I once loved pulled me through some tricky moments.

Near the end, Indy collapses under the weight of egomaniac George Lucas’s pretension of being a competent writer as we learn the crystal skulls are sent “not into space, but the space between spaces” (WTF, times 2), along with some lousy CG that threaten to take over the entire film. The film does have a bright finish that leaves the audience smiling as long as we forget about some of what we just saw.  Nostalgia alone does not make for a good film, but in the case of the new Indiana Jones, it makes for a decent and mildly entertaining one.

Film Grade: C+

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