Why, oh why?

Is Harrison Ford's age the issue in the movie? I am not sure, but clearly George Lucas and Steven Spielberg seem to think so. That Ford is still capable of doing his own stunts at an age (60? 70?) where most leading men would have to huff and puff to get running seems to have made no impact on these two. Worse still, they seem to have had little faith in Ford's ability to recreate the Indiana Jones magic well enough to pull in the crowds. So we get repeated reminders of Indy's advanced years, more Henry than Indy, a diminutive Marlon Brando wannabe, and one big mess of a movie. Well, maybe not that big.

The movie is great wherever they let Ford get into full blown Indiana Jones mode - Indy might be old, but he can still kick some bad ass! Unfortunately, that is kept to a minimum. The feisty Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, who has wisely resisted the many charms of Botox), whom we first saw out-drinking Nepali men under the table, offers no resistance to falling for a cheapskate who (supposedly) ditched her at the altar. Worse, we get a green-behind-the-ears Shia LaBeouf trying to out swagger the great man himself. Which is a pity, since Ford and Allen by themselves would have made the movie more watchable. Honourable mention goes to Cate Blanchett as the deranged Russian psychic Irina Spalko, she looks like she had great fun playing to the gallery.

I had nearly had a heart attack in the scene where LaBeouf attempts to try on Indy's fedora, only to have its rightful owner snatch it away at the last moment. Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, its a pity that Lucas and Speilberg didn't remember that!