Review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) by Arjuna R — 26 Nov 2015

Now I understand why the fans of the franchise were so pissed by the finished product. It's not terrible and certainly there are some cool moments involving the good-old practical effects. But as a whole, it lacks the kind of B-movie scares and a sense of fun the previous three films had, and I'm not even a huge fan of this franchise in the first place! It's wonderful to see Harrison Ford coming back as Indiana Jones, but the story is forgettable, the villain is poorly realized (what a waste of Cate Blanchett), and the set-pieces are so CGI-laden and joyless that they don't deliver any genuine thrills.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is simply a disappointment. Definitely the weakest entry in the well-respected adventure franchise. At least it made a ton of money, so good for it!