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ITN
Indiana Jones and the critics of doom
Indiana Jones and the critics of doom
There have been mixed reactions to the latest Indiana Jones outing following its Cannes Film Festival premiere.In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 65-year-old Harrison Ford is back lashing his whip a whopping 19 years after he battled Nazis in the Last Crusade.While some critics have praised the comic book adventure, many were distinctly underwhelmed although the overall impression was of a film that wasn't truly bad, but failed to be brilliant.Baz Bamigboye set the tone when he wrote in the Daily Mail: "Some of the blows hit their target - but unfortunately there's no knock-out killer punch" while Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian says there is "plenty going on in the movie" including "one or two tremendous stunts and some very nasty giant ants".He gave the film just two stars, writing that "despite some good-natured fun and one blinding flash of the old genius, this new Jones film looks like it's going through the motions."Meanwhile, the Telegraph's David Gritten was less than impressed, writing: "He doesn't wear the fedora with quite the same jaunty angle, his bullwhip doesn't crack as smartly - and Harrison Ford looks all of his 65 years."It's not that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, exhumed after 19 years to be the fourth in this series, is bad, exactly. But it's undeniably creaky."James Christopher in the Times, however, was full of praise, giving the film four stars, saying this "fantastic Steven Spielberg adventure is a marvellous return to form for Professor Henry Jones Jr".He continued: "The curl of the top lip is unmistakable, and the humour is as pin-sharp as ever. But it needs to be, because Indy is punched and battered from one end of this rollicking film to the other."The Sun Online was also delighted with the result, saying: "If you are a genuine fan of Indiana Jones you are going to love the fourth instalment of what was the most popular movie franchise in the Eighties."While the Daily Express called it a "cracker", with Allan Hunter writing that it "did not disappoint" and giving the film four stars.And in the Daily Mirror, Joe Utichi warned: "This isn't quite the Indy we remember", with the "human elements that made Indiana Jones the trilogy it was taking a back seat to today's blockbuster demands".In the Independent, Kaleem Aftab said the answer to the big question of whether a 65-year-old Ford could still do the business was a "qualified yes".But, giving it just two stars he writes: "Director Steven Spielberg's penchant for schmaltz and the supernatural leaves a permanent scar on the franchise."The film goes on general release in the UK on May 22.
ITN | May 19, 2008
