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- First reviewMay 23, 2008
- Last reviewMay 23, 2008
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MudWilliams's Reviews
Overall rating
3
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5
Mud Williams: Kingdom of the Comfortably Dull
PostedMay 23, 2008
MudWilliams
from Chicago, IL
A fast paced action adventure with Indian Jones, his whip and his son should be jump out-of-your-seat exciting, but somewhere things fall flat. The Indian Jones series has always been campy, but this newest film takes it off the charts. Rather than explode onto the screen with heart pounding excitement and laughs, Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Scull flops into theaters like an old man might flop onto a couch.
I think it can be said definitively that Indian Jones defined its genre. However, there have been other films, most notable The Mummy (1999) series, for which there is a third film scheduled to come out later this fall. While clearly, The Mummy franchise borrows it's style and sense of humor from Indian Jones, parts of Indian IV seem to rehash elements of The Mummy Returns. While both The Last Crusade and The Mummy have a lost temple that crumbles into oblivion, as do many other movies, the destruction of the temple at the end of Crystal Skull looks strangely reminiscent of the whirling temple vortex at the end of The Mummy Returns. Even the natives protecting the temple in Indie are comparable with the pygmies in Returns. Surely unintentional, these similarities are unsettling. Also, while this fourth film tries to pay homage to the first three films, in doing so it seems all too familiar and ultimately unfulfilling.
While the plot points are too familiar, perhaps the most distracting part of Indie IV is how unfamiliar the character of Indian Jones is. While Harrison Ford as Indie has always delivered his one-liners with a smirk, there was always a weight and intensity to his dire circumstances. In this film, Ford's character seems less and older version of Indiana Jones, and more an old version of a Han Solo. Perhaps the Alzheimer's had him confused on which movie role he was reprising.
It also seems that the movie was more about setting up Mud Williams to carry on the franchise as opposed to telling Indian Jones' story. Rather than balance the story and slowly introduce the Williams character, the movie seemed to be as much about Mud as it was about Indie. Simply put, there was too much Mud too soon.
All said, this movie is still entertaining, despite its flaws, and is definitely worth seeing. Take the time to make up your own mind about the film. You might have a little fun on the way.
I think it can be said definitively that Indian Jones defined its genre. However, there have been other films, most notable The Mummy (1999) series, for which there is a third film scheduled to come out later this fall. While clearly, The Mummy franchise borrows it's style and sense of humor from Indian Jones, parts of Indian IV seem to rehash elements of The Mummy Returns. While both The Last Crusade and The Mummy have a lost temple that crumbles into oblivion, as do many other movies, the destruction of the temple at the end of Crystal Skull looks strangely reminiscent of the whirling temple vortex at the end of The Mummy Returns. Even the natives protecting the temple in Indie are comparable with the pygmies in Returns. Surely unintentional, these similarities are unsettling. Also, while this fourth film tries to pay homage to the first three films, in doing so it seems all too familiar and ultimately unfulfilling.
While the plot points are too familiar, perhaps the most distracting part of Indie IV is how unfamiliar the character of Indian Jones is. While Harrison Ford as Indie has always delivered his one-liners with a smirk, there was always a weight and intensity to his dire circumstances. In this film, Ford's character seems less and older version of Indiana Jones, and more an old version of a Han Solo. Perhaps the Alzheimer's had him confused on which movie role he was reprising.
It also seems that the movie was more about setting up Mud Williams to carry on the franchise as opposed to telling Indian Jones' story. Rather than balance the story and slowly introduce the Williams character, the movie seemed to be as much about Mud as it was about Indie. Simply put, there was too much Mud too soon.
All said, this movie is still entertaining, despite its flaws, and is definitely worth seeing. Take the time to make up your own mind about the film. You might have a little fun on the way.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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