Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

If you haven’t already seen shelves and shelves of this DVD at Blockbuster, or passed by a display rack at Target, the DVD of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released on October 14th. Available as both a single disc and a two-disc set, I reviewed the Two-Disc Special Edition. What made me the most excited to see this movie was Shia LaBeouf. Having enjoyed his performances in movies like Disturbia, Constantine, and Transformers, I knew he would turn in a good performance in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and I wasn’t disappointed.

(From Amazon.com): Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets–replacing Nazis as Indy’s villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses–are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy(Harrison Ford, older and grey-haired but still very much an action hero) is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend–and Indy’s colleague–Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull’s whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There’s plenty of comedy, delightful stunts–ants play a deadly role here–and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day.

What makes the Two-Disc set worth spending a little extra is the plethora of bonus features-
Disc 1:
* The Return of a Legend–The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators.

* Pre-Production–Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage.

Disc 2:
* Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull–Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.
Shooting Begins: New Mexico
Back To School: New Haven , Connecticut
Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo , Hawaii
On-Set Action
Exploring Akator
Wrapping Up!

* Warrior Makeup
* The Crystal Skulls
* Iconic Props
* The Effects of Indy
* Adventures in Post Production
* Closing: Team Indy

* Pre-Visualization Sequences
Area 51 Escape
Jungle Chase
Ants Attack

Galleries
* The Art Department
The Adventure Begins
Cemetery and Jungle
Akator

* Stan Winston Studio
Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies
Aliens & Crystal Skulls

* Production Photographs
* Portraits
* Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
* Lego INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES XBox 360 Game Demo
* Trailers

For Indy fans, this movie should be in your collection, and of course it would make a terrific gift for the holidays!