Movie Review: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the new Indiana Jones. I was both excited and anxious, wondering if it would live up to 20 years of wait.
And I guess on the whole, I was kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. It felt great seeing Indy on the screen again, but the revelation at the end felt somewhat like an easy way out. I loved it until that point that kind of just made me wonder what they were thinking. The stunts were spectacular, and I think some of the best stunts in the series are from this movie. The humour was classic Indy humour and I laughed loudly in a lot of places. Some lines and actions were downright hilarious. I thought some parts were definite classics. And then there are the others that kind of feel like a whole new low in the series: CGI Monkeys and vine swinging. All in all though, it was a great fun romp.

When seeing it, you have to realize that it's been 20 years since The Last Crusade came out, and things have changed, not only for Harrison Ford, but in the world of Indy, so the tone is sort of different from the last three, and I think that's what a lot of people seeing it have failed to realize. Things have changed too much. It's not going to be the same Indy you saw him in The Last Crusade. The world of Indy has just gone through WWII, when last, it was on the brink of war. Nothing is the same after a war.

Some minor quibbles, however, and I'll try to explain without spoiling anything. These are mostly technical.
The movie starts off with Rock & Roll music, not the Indy Theme. I knew they were trying to set the tone of the movie that way, but I felt it kind of took away from the majesty of it all; it felt kind of dry. Cracking Whips. What cracking whips? There was none, other than one scene at the beginning. And the score felt almost like it wasn't even there. The Indy theme only appeared from time to time, as if to remind us that what we were watching was an Indy movie since the tone was quite different. There was nothing like an epic score, with variations on the Indy theme throughout like the other movies. So yeah, some of it felt lacking in certain areas.

So if you want a fun romp, turn off your brain for a few hours, stop nitpicking, and just enjoy the movie for what it is. Just realize that what you're seeing is different because there are obvious changes that have happened in the world of Indy. It's now a world of Intrigue, a world of discovery, obsession with Sci-Fi, and just a decade down the road, men will be setting foot on the Moon.

Movie Review: Ironman

Last weekend, the summer blockbuster season literally started with a bang with the release of Ironman.

I hadn't read the comic books or knew much at all about what Ironman was about, except that it was about a flying tin-man. I went in the theatre last Saturday, with literally no expectations. And was I blown away?

In fact, I was. It was the perfect movie to open the summer blockbuster season with, and I can confidently say that those who aren't fans coming in, will like it as much as fans of Ironman.

Ironman brings a dose of realism to the big screen as far as superhero movies go, much in the way Batman Begins did for Batman. In fact, it's probably even more-so socially relevant of a movie than Batman Begins was, or any Superhero movie of the modern century for that matter.

As for the cast, I've always been very fond of Robert Downey Jr., and he IS Ironman as far as I'm concerned. Fans have told me that he portrayed the character of Tony Stark very well, and owned the role. An underrated actor that has gotten propelled into the limelight again, and I'm glad. One of my favourite roles of his was Chaplin, in which he so immersed himself in his role, transforming himself into Charlie Chaplin.

And then we have Gwyneth Paltrow who was charming as ever playing Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's secretary/assistant.

What can I say about Jeff Bridges? Well, this role has him almost unrecognizable except in closeup shots. His bald head and full beard has him looking unlike how I've ever seen him. Quite an accomplishment.

In short, it's a movie that is really worth seeing. It's probably one of the best movies to ever start the blockbuster season with. Speaking of Blockbusters, this summer will be a very busy one in terms of major releases!

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight. All sequels that people are anxiously awaiting, especially Indy being back.

Tomorrow I go see Prince Caspian and I'll write up a review for that.