Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Harrison Ford | ... | Indiana Jones | |
Cate Blanchett | ... | Irina Spalko | |
Karen Allen | ... | Marion Ravenwood | |
Shia LaBeouf | ... | Mutt Williams | |
Ray Winstone | ... | 'Mac' George Michale | |
John Hurt | ... | Professor Oxley | |
Jim Broadbent | ... | Dean Charles Stanforth | |
Igor Jijikine | ... | Dovchenko | |
Dimitri Diatchenko | ... | Russian Suit | |
Ilia Volok | ... | Russian Suit | |
Emmanuel Todorov | ... | Russian Soldier | |
Pasha D. Lychnikoff | ... | Russian Soldier | |
Andrew Divoff | ... | Russian Soldier | |
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Venya Manzyuk | ... | Russian Soldier (as Veniamin Manzyuk) |
Alan Dale | ... | General Ross |
During the Cold War, Soviet Agents watch Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford), when a young man brings him a coded message from an aged, demented colleague, Professor Harold Oxley (Sir John Hurt). Led by the brilliant Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), the Soviets tail Jones and the young man, Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), to Peru. With Oxley's code, they find a legendary skull made of a single piece of quartz. If Jones can deliver the skull to its rightful place, all may be well. But if Irina takes it to its origin, she'll gain powers that could endanger the West. Aging professor and young buck join forces with a woman from Jones' past, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), to face the dangers of the jungle, Russia, and the supernatural. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
All I can really conclude about this movie is that it was just okay. I can forgive the ludicrous plot, the cheesy "family" dynamic of the film, the fact that Harrison Ford is old (which is really nowhere near the worst part of this). I don't even really mind Shia LaBeouf's presence. But many of the stunts and the action scenes are so implausible that it renders all of the action scenes implausible. For example, Shia LaBoeuf sword-fighting (!) spread-eagled on two moving vehicles; a boat going over not one, not two, but three waterfalls with absolutely no one getting a scratch (I mean, what are we watching here, The A-Team?); and the "if the film hasn't jumped the shark yet it certainly has now" moment--Shia LaBoeuf swinging through the jungle a la Tarzan. It was ridiculous. And because these parts are (forgive my overuse of the word) implausible, it highlights the fact that the rest of it doesn't work, either. After seeing a number of old series trying to come back for another run (Rocky Balboa, Rambo, the Star Wars Prequels) I have concluded that when filmmakers attempt to cash in on a once-popular series, artistically the best they can hope for is to break even. Sometimes there really is nowhere to go but down. I wanted to love this, but the most charitable thing I can say is that it was just okay. Very disappointing.