The rest of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The Indian characters and culture in the new Indiana Jones movie are uniformly bad. As for the rest of the movie, the critics were right. It starts out fun but ends up tired and derivative.

Here are a few of Crystal Skull's flaws [spoiler alert]:

Marian Ravenwood and Mutt Williams are underused. They don’t do much more than fill the screen as they watch Indy do his thing. Although Mutt is adequate as a sidekick and son, he doesn’t have the charm, wit, or intelligence to become the new Indiana Jones.

The movie feels fresh when it begins. We have Indy vs. Communists, Indy in a huge warehouse, and Indy in a nuclear test site. But soon enough we're back to the usual shtick: Indy creeping through caverns, Indy fighting atop racing vehicles, and Indy fleeing from collapsing ruins.

As many reviews stated, the plot is muddled to the point of incomprehensibility. A Spanish explorer stole a crystal skull and had it with him when he died in Nazca. Professor Oxley returns the skull to Akator, then returns it to Nazca, then returns it to Akator again with Indiana.

If the skull is returned, Indy knows it could unleash a great power for evil. He should take it in the opposite direction or destroy it, but apparently he thinks he can handle it. The Communists need Indy to take them to Akator, but once he escapes they try to kill him. No Indy, no Akator. Neither scenario makes much sense.

The movie includes two of the most comically ludicrous stunts ever. When Mutt gets separated from the others, he swings on vines and catches a vehicle going perhaps 30 mph. Indiana and company go over not one but three waterfalls. They survive each plunge with no injuries, as if the 100-foot falls were no more dangerous than an amusement park ride.

Of course, this is the same series that gave us Indiana Jones clinging to a submarine’s conning tower for an entire trip across the Mediterranean. We’ve now seen the three most ridiculous bits ever in a Spielberg or Lucas film.

The movie is undeniably a lot of fun. The special effects are breathtaking compared to anything in previous Indiana films. Even though it isn't particularly touching, it's nice to see Indy and Marian reunited.

Harrison Ford doesn’t seem like a sixtysomething man about to retire. Except for a few cracks about his age, he’s as agile and alert as ever. He could pass for someone 10 or 15 years younger.

As I said, the movie eventually wore out his welcome. It started out an 8.0 but ended up a 7.5. It’s worth seeing on the big screen, and Indy fans won’t want to miss it, but non-fans can give it a pass.

For more on the subject, see Indiana Jones and the Stereotypes of Doom.