Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on DVD

OK, so it’s no Raiders of the Lost Ark. No way, no how. Crystal Skull is deeply flawed at the script level, and even director Steven Spielberg seems to be on autopilot here. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s discuss what is good about the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series. Number one, Harrison Ford. This guy may be greyer and one step slower, but he’s still every ounce of Indiana Jones. The surly sarcasm that has overtaken Ford the past decade is ironically a perfect fit for the adventuring archeologist. And he’s got some great moments here. Number two, a handful of the action sequences are as exhilarating as anything else in the series, even if “nuking the fridge” was indeed over-the-top. With expectations lowered, Crystal Skull is an above average adventure, and another two hours with one of the greatest heroes ever put on film. Rated PG-13. (Photo by David James)