Indiana Jones delivers adrenaline-pumping thrills
AT AN airfield in 1957 Nevada, Indiana (Harrison Ford) encounters villainous Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her gun-toting goons.
Indy whip-cracks and wisecracks his way out of trouble, then returns to Marshall College where Dean Stanforth (Jim Broadbent) asks him to take “an indefinite leave of absence”.
A chance encounter at the railway station with a rebellious greaser called Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) propels the archaeologist on a quest to locate the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator.
During the action sequences, when director Steven Spielberg is on a sure footing, this fourth film in the blockbusting series is a joy, delivering adrenaline-pumping thrills and spills interspersed with smart one-liners.
Unfortunately, the hocus-pocus storyline holding the set pieces together is preposterous.
It’s been almost 20 years since Ford last flexed his trusty bullwhip, but he’s still in remarkably good shape, performing many of his own stunts, while LaBeouf is clearly preparing to accept the mantle of Indy’s fedora for subsequent films.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Cert 12, 117 mins, Action/Drama/Comedy)
***
