Jolt Country

First 30 minutes are ghastly, as stiff, clunkily-written characters sludge through the requisite nostalgia-fest. One is tempted to run from the theater before one's sentimental fondness for Indiana Jones is tarnished even further than the last two movies managed to do.

Once the adventure and storyline settles in, though, it becomes a fair approximation of an Indiana Jones sequel. It never remotely approaches the brilliance of the first, but neither did the other sequels.

Excitement level is tempered by the fact that there's no real uber-villain to fear, and Cate Blanchet is perhaps more imposing as Bob Dylan than as the Russian sword-babe.

Excitement level is boistered by some impressive set-pieces, and the occasional flash of the "old Indy".

Last 15 minutes are a total special-effects orgasm, and while the story itself is not totally satisfying, it is effective enough that you can still just lie back and go "whoa".

In short, just about as good as the other sequels, which is to say:

TWO AND A HALF (**1/2) STARS

Once you get past the fact that Harrison Ford is 61 years old and the movie time-line has reeled by into 1957 it's an OK movie.

The only parts of the movie that my suspension of disbelief jumped out of my brain and ran howling down the steps and out into the lobby were the refrigerator sequence and the way the non-ferrous metals were attracted to the highly magnetic artifacts. This was explained during the film but by then I was sitting back saying 'Yeah, OK, sure'.


I expect things like aliens and fifteen hundred rounds fired by automatic weapons with not one bullet hitting an intended target. I'm from America, after all. However, there are some universal physical laws that I hate to see broken, even in the name of entertainment.

Speaking of physical universal laws, Karen Allen's plastic surgeon should be banned from the AMA. That's all I'm gonna say on that subject.

Creepy Russian Natasha sword chick: Whoever decided that there has to be some total bas ass that lives until just the end of the movie? Is that a James Bond thing? Time I seen her I knew she was gonna get face melted or something, right before everyone escapes. I guess that's standard operating procedure.
And the greedy English double-crossing hump....what the hell was that all about?
Anyway, it's a good popcorn flick. Will make a a pretty good end to the box set when Lucas packages it around Christmas.


THE
THREE STARS
AARDVARK