The first press screening of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull finished just a short while ago at the Cannes Film Festival. We'll publish our full, official review tomorrow, but for now we have Damon Wise's first thoughts on witnessing the return of cinema's foremost action archaeologist after nineteen years away. No major spoilers follow, although the opening salvo is discussed:
So high was Indy fever in Cannes that the normally half-empty Lumiere cinema was packed, packed, packed, with a palpable air of excitement that resulted in an unprecedented burst of applause as the lights dimmed, followed by an impromptu sing-song of John Williams' famous theme.
Well, the good news is that there was applause, and cheers, at the end too, which is pretty unusual at Cannes. Yes, there were a few boos, but there were always going to be, since Cannes critics are a tough crowd. Although it could never be the Indy film you dreamed of (when has a sequel of this pedigree ever delivered on the expectations of people who've had 19 years to obsess and fantasise about it?), this is NOT the Indy film you were dreading.
Empire's official verdict is still being mulled over, and there's plenty to discuss, but it's safe to say that Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull has done nothing to dilute the integrity of Spielberg and Lucas's classic hero. Indeed, although Indy's showing some creaking bones and doesn't crack a whip quite as elegantly as he used to, this is a slick, fun film that has by no means sacrificed the fast action beats of the first three.
Even by the franchise's own standards, this is off to a quick start, opening in 1957 with a procession of army vehicles being pursued by teenyboppers. Elvis' 'Hound Dog' is on the soundtrack, but the biggest surprise is the look of Indy 4. Beautifully shot by Janusz Kaminszki, the style here is pastel-hued 50s, and the structure of the film follows suit.
As promised by Lucas and Spielberg, the film has followed Indy into a new decade, with the Cold War on the rise, the American public looking for “Commies in their soup”, and the nuclear family becoming the norm (a gag the film literally riffs on). Gone is the pulpy Republic serial looks of the originals, in their place a sophisticate, brightly lit sheen, with nods to 50s films as diverse as The Wrong Man and Vertigo. Older readers might go so far as to liken it, in look, to the adventures that Fritz Lang made when he went back to work Germany in the late 50s: The Tiger Of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb.
So what to give away? Well, let's not talk about specifics, but the rate of beats, and they come thick and fast. In fact, it moves so quickly that Indy is revealed – in the scene from the original trailer – in the first five minutes, just as soon as the teenyboppers drive out of the scene, leaving us in an ominous military base in a remote atomic testing area. And so are the key players: Ray Winstone as his old army buddy Mac and, more pertinently, Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko, a bobbed, icy spy who is charged with investigating the paranormal for the Soviets (hence the “psychic Russian” guff you'll have read). As you might expect, Indy gets out of this scrape (or there wouldn't be a film), and for reasons we can't reveal yet, Indy's teaching days might well be over.
Next, a chance meeting introduces us to fiery rebel Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), a quiffed, bike-riding rebel who likes his hair in a cool James Dean-style pompadour and bears a grudge that will lead Indy to the lost, believed mythical, gold-paved city of Eldorado.
More will be revealed in Empire's official review, which we'll post in the morning, but for now, it's safe to say that Indy tamed Cannes, an obstinate crowd at the best of times. You might read damning reviews in the meantime, both from film snobs and film nerds, but as Indy admonishes a geeky student after a thrilling chase through his campus, some people need to get out more...