Rating:
Talking about the revelation of Indy 4’s title and such got me all exicted. I’ve been a huge fan of the series for forever, and even before I wanted to be James Bond, a Jedi or an anthropomorphic turtle skilled in the martial arts, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. As a kid, I carried a jump rope around everywhere, pretending that it was a whip and that, if necessary, I could definitely swing across a chasm with it. I’ve seen Raiders of the Lost Ark more times than I’ve seen any other single movie; I watched it every single day for a a span of years. I soon began to watch Last Crusade almost as much.

Temple of Doom, though, was a different kettle of fish altogether. I didn’t see it until a couple years after I’d seen the other two, and have watched it least often since (although still dozens of times). I’d always considered it my least favorite, the weak link in an otherwise strong chain. A recent look back at the movie, however, has caused me to reevaluate my position somewhat. It’s still technically my least favorite of the three movies, but not by a wide enough margin for me to give it any less than a perfect rating. It’s a great picture through and through

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The title of the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movie series has just been released.

What is it, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


I have to admit, it’s a lot less catchy than the preceding films, and the apparent object of import–a Crystal Skull and perhaps some sort of “Kingdom”–sounds a good deal less exciting than any lost Arks or Temples of Doom. I mean, what’s a piece of crystal worth, anyway–four bucks? Even the swankiest of antique crystal stemware only resells for a few hundred dollars. We’re supposed to believe the 65-year-old grandpa Jones is going to get out of his recliner for that?

Maybe they should’ve taken a page out of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” playbook and kept the name short, a la Dead Man’s Chest, or At World’s End.

In the end, though, all you really need to know is another recently released–though less heralded–bit of information about the film. And that is that Shia Lebeouf is in it, and he apparently wears an oversized leather jacket, tight jeans, and a fucking mustache. Check out this new cast photo, with Harrison Ford and Karen Allen in full costume:

Despite all hopes that this was an off day for LeBeouf (far left),
it appears as though his character will dress like Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley.

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