FIlm - Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull

Some minor spoilers in here, but nothing you won't have picked up from watching the (over-long) trailer.

Well, I went armed with no expectations and came out smiling. While it doesn't have the vitality of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and you'd hardly expect that, it is comparable with Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade.

The film makes much of it's 50's backdrop, in both character and plot terms and there are numerous nods to incidents and characters from previous films. The jokes and the adventure were all present, along with some nice character development.

It was really nice to see Karen Allen back and Mutt Williams was funny and likable. Though the cartoon Russians were a real shame, but at least it was balanced to some degree by the morally ambiguous McCarthy-era government agents.

There is one confusing part, but you have to remember that the item found at the beginning, is not the same as the one they are searching for. There are two different ones!

I was glad I caught it at the cinema, as I had the rest (I can even remember where I saw the previous three (London, Durham, Stockton). It's a worthy film to add to the rest.

But, I honestly think George Lucas should find another hobby now. He did make some great films, but there's too much sense of an alien mind at work in his new stuff, as if he's not quite with the rest of us, or really even aware or bothered there is an audience. Frankly, I think he's gone to live with Elvis. His worst flights of fancy were largely suppressed here, but occasionally shined through. Just remember George, vines grow up, not down.