Full Article Text
i
7sc p,ffi deff&dsffitr E AY NyDaityNews.com
DiIectotstevenspie|belgt|.ti'id;io;'."g.;;e"&r.ucaiuepinedoid;il;
cannes premierc ot 'lndina
'ons and rh" l0n-sj:T.:-l**:-"."::s:*l': t"l"*,lior n.Jo*ioi"al in ,cen. from firm. photo b)/ cetrvCannes
of
flr{'6raiderscrazy for
'lost art
BY MICHAEL GILTZ
DAILY NEWS WRITER
CANNES, France - The world premiere
of "lndiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the- Crystal Skull" turned rhe nomally
high-minded Cannes Film Festival into ;
mob of shmeless movie fans.
. Thousands of journa.lists pushed and
snoted yesterday as if they were at a
rock concert hoping to ahend the first
screening.of the movie, which opens
-t hursday in New york,
They whooped it up at the begiming
and applauded strongly at the end.
, Meanwhile, fms md photographers
clamored foF Harison ford,- Sieven
Spietberg, George Lucas, Cate
Blanchett, I(a{en Allen and Shia laBeouf
:ve,rlehere they went during their pub_
ucrry sprn on tJre Riviera.
For the stoic but friendly Ford, it was
,aR qqexP9gte+y,eggtignal expenence.,"Especially in the peFon of lGren,*19 Plrng" back a lot of memories,,, hesaid..Karen Allen played lndiana Jones,n$t tove interest in lggl's "RaideF ofthe Iost Ark."
FUT? GO S.INDY'
Thrills, chills, fights, Blanchett as
villain. Yup, 'Crystal Skull' has it all
"INDIANA JONES and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is
entertaining, inventive and old-fashioned in the best way.
Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford
and company prove they still keep
their guts right next to therr heans-
The adventuring archaeologrst's reap-
pearance after 19 years does come
with a few curses, however
Expeclations are hlgh. age is ines.
capable and wtrile it's true that there's
not much novelfy in "Crystal Skull,"
that's okay. Startin€iwith l98l's "Raid-
ers of the Losl Ark.' rhe Indy movies
have shown that those who underesti-
mate history do so at their peril
There's been buzz that the film
might be a bomb after an anonlmous
online reviewer's thumbs down made
entertainment headlines And produc-
er George Lucas has said-he doesn't
expect much positive response But he
has also said he envisioos a fifth Indy
movie, with a younger hero inheriting
the whip
While it has flaws, this new mone
earns its event status
ln "Crystal Skull," set in 1957, greas-
er IMutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf)
seeks Indv out after their mutual
fr iend Oxley. played by John Hurt, dis-
apPears while in possession of the title
artifact, a quartz relic that evll Soviet
agent Spalko (Cate Blanchett) be-
lieves was left by early alien civiliza-
tions on Earth
With Mutt as his partner, Indy hunts
Ior Oxley and the skull, and finds his
onetime love Marion Ravenwood
I(aren Allen, back from "Raiders" -
wlro also happens to be Mutt's mom
(wlro's his dad? Hey, even Tarzan
found a son )
On the way to a meetrng with the
skull's ancielrt ET. body, there are
hair-breadth escapes, fights and a rev-
elation of mystical power
Sound Ianriliar? Sure. it does
that's part of lhe lun
'ftris film, like 1989's 'lndima Jones
and the Last Crusade," follows the
template set by "Raiders" and contin-
ued in the underappreciated "Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom"
(1984), the worst reviewed of the se-
ries Raiders rnade $2-12 rnrllron in
the U S , "Crusade" $197 mrllion md
"Doom" $180 million
There's an early action sequence
here, a truck battle in a fmilia. ware-BY JOE NEUMAIER
DAILY NEWS NLM CRITIC
house - a glimpse of lndy as profes-
sor then an explanaIion of a sought-al-
ter object's othesorldly powers,
along with the obsession with skele-
Lons and bugs plucked from "Strange
Tales" magazine
Some of it seems a bit dusty but
Spielberg remains the master builder
- eleBant chNe scenes de construct- i
ed pJrtectly and without overediting.!
or confusion. :
In an era of CGI thrills, Blanchett I
and faBeouf's sord duel atop mov- ,/,,r.
ing jeeps and Indy's fistfight with a /.t'j.i
handful of thugs are like watch- /::i.
oprnent Into llle aclion beals
- a lol ilbout lndv s oast is rc- /,lvealed, if vou listen - and 1..,
the film riifs on l950s pres- ; :
sure points like Commu- ' rt
more of a cartoon
though he pemanent-
ly stakes his claim toIt's good to
have lndy
back cracking
the whip.
nism, UFOS md nuclear f-atesting- l:'.Ford, at 65, may not ::' ,Princely 56M
for'Caspian'
LOS ANGEIIS - "The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
CspiaD" dethroned "Iron
Man" as ruler at the box of-
fice, putling down $56 6 mil-
lion, according to studio esti-
mates yesterday,
Drsney's action sequel took
in less domestically in its
opening weekend than "The
Chronicles of Narnia: The
lion in its sec-
ond weekend
Its domestic
total reached
$40 3 million
The
Assiated
PressLion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe," which sold
$65 6 miUion in December
2005 "Caspian" also raked
in $20 7 million overseas
Disney expects the PG-
rated movie, based on
the C.S- l€wis filtmy se-
ries, to ride htgh
through the Memorial
Dayweekend The first
"Narnia" tale grossed
$745 million wor ld-
wide over rts thealri-
cal run
"Iron Man" sllpped
to second place after
two weeks at No I
with $31 2 milhon
".what Happens
in Vegas," stafting
Cameron Diz and
Ashton Kutcher,
came ln third,
with $13 I mil-stardom; arld Allen's
Marion is stiLl tough
and appealing
The chameleon
Blancheft, wrth her pos-
ture imposingly rigid
and her face like a 1/- '.*
shaped alien etching,
needed to be more
villainous Dr Jones
(called "Henry" for much
of the movie) deserves foes
who are cunning and scary.
Yet, did he deseNe to stay
buried in the cineria of the
19ll0s? Nah Like any good
my'th, Indiana Jones shows
up when he's needed Great
to have him back
jne u maier@nyda ily news co m
7sc p,ffi deff&dsffitr E AY NyDaityNews.com
DiIectotstevenspie|belgt|.ti'id;io;'."g.;;e"&r.ucaiuepinedoid;il;
cannes premierc ot 'lndina
'ons and rh" l0n-sj:T.:-l**:-"."::s:*l': t"l"*,lior n.Jo*ioi"al in ,cen. from firm. photo b)/ cetrvCannes
of
flr{'6raiderscrazy for
'lost art
BY MICHAEL GILTZ
DAILY NEWS WRITER
CANNES, France - The world premiere
of "lndiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the- Crystal Skull" turned rhe nomally
high-minded Cannes Film Festival into ;
mob of shmeless movie fans.
. Thousands of journa.lists pushed and
snoted yesterday as if they were at a
rock concert hoping to ahend the first
screening.of the movie, which opens
-t hursday in New york,
They whooped it up at the begiming
and applauded strongly at the end.
, Meanwhile, fms md photographers
clamored foF Harison ford,- Sieven
Spietberg, George Lucas, Cate
Blanchett, I(a{en Allen and Shia laBeouf
:ve,rlehere they went during their pub_
ucrry sprn on tJre Riviera.
For the stoic but friendly Ford, it was
,aR qqexP9gte+y,eggtignal expenence.,"Especially in the peFon of lGren,*19 Plrng" back a lot of memories,,, hesaid..Karen Allen played lndiana Jones,n$t tove interest in lggl's "RaideF ofthe Iost Ark."
FUT? GO S.INDY'
Thrills, chills, fights, Blanchett as
villain. Yup, 'Crystal Skull' has it all
"INDIANA JONES and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is
entertaining, inventive and old-fashioned in the best way.
Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford
and company prove they still keep
their guts right next to therr heans-
The adventuring archaeologrst's reap-
pearance after 19 years does come
with a few curses, however
Expeclations are hlgh. age is ines.
capable and wtrile it's true that there's
not much novelfy in "Crystal Skull,"
that's okay. Startin€iwith l98l's "Raid-
ers of the Losl Ark.' rhe Indy movies
have shown that those who underesti-
mate history do so at their peril
There's been buzz that the film
might be a bomb after an anonlmous
online reviewer's thumbs down made
entertainment headlines And produc-
er George Lucas has said-he doesn't
expect much positive response But he
has also said he envisioos a fifth Indy
movie, with a younger hero inheriting
the whip
While it has flaws, this new mone
earns its event status
ln "Crystal Skull," set in 1957, greas-
er IMutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf)
seeks Indv out after their mutual
fr iend Oxley. played by John Hurt, dis-
apPears while in possession of the title
artifact, a quartz relic that evll Soviet
agent Spalko (Cate Blanchett) be-
lieves was left by early alien civiliza-
tions on Earth
With Mutt as his partner, Indy hunts
Ior Oxley and the skull, and finds his
onetime love Marion Ravenwood
I(aren Allen, back from "Raiders" -
wlro also happens to be Mutt's mom
(wlro's his dad? Hey, even Tarzan
found a son )
On the way to a meetrng with the
skull's ancielrt ET. body, there are
hair-breadth escapes, fights and a rev-
elation of mystical power
Sound Ianriliar? Sure. it does
that's part of lhe lun
'ftris film, like 1989's 'lndima Jones
and the Last Crusade," follows the
template set by "Raiders" and contin-
ued in the underappreciated "Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom"
(1984), the worst reviewed of the se-
ries Raiders rnade $2-12 rnrllron in
the U S , "Crusade" $197 mrllion md
"Doom" $180 million
There's an early action sequence
here, a truck battle in a fmilia. ware-BY JOE NEUMAIER
DAILY NEWS NLM CRITIC
house - a glimpse of lndy as profes-
sor then an explanaIion of a sought-al-
ter object's othesorldly powers,
along with the obsession with skele-
Lons and bugs plucked from "Strange
Tales" magazine
Some of it seems a bit dusty but
Spielberg remains the master builder
- eleBant chNe scenes de construct- i
ed pJrtectly and without overediting.!
or confusion. :
In an era of CGI thrills, Blanchett I
and faBeouf's sord duel atop mov- ,/,,r.
ing jeeps and Indy's fistfight with a /.t'j.i
handful of thugs are like watch- /::i.
oprnent Into llle aclion beals
- a lol ilbout lndv s oast is rc- /,lvealed, if vou listen - and 1..,
the film riifs on l950s pres- ; :
sure points like Commu- ' rt
more of a cartoon
though he pemanent-
ly stakes his claim toIt's good to
have lndy
back cracking
the whip.
nism, UFOS md nuclear f-atesting- l:'.Ford, at 65, may not ::' ,Princely 56M
for'Caspian'
LOS ANGEIIS - "The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
CspiaD" dethroned "Iron
Man" as ruler at the box of-
fice, putling down $56 6 mil-
lion, according to studio esti-
mates yesterday,
Drsney's action sequel took
in less domestically in its
opening weekend than "The
Chronicles of Narnia: The
lion in its sec-
ond weekend
Its domestic
total reached
$40 3 million
The
Assiated
PressLion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe," which sold
$65 6 miUion in December
2005 "Caspian" also raked
in $20 7 million overseas
Disney expects the PG-
rated movie, based on
the C.S- l€wis filtmy se-
ries, to ride htgh
through the Memorial
Dayweekend The first
"Narnia" tale grossed
$745 million wor ld-
wide over rts thealri-
cal run
"Iron Man" sllpped
to second place after
two weeks at No I
with $31 2 milhon
".what Happens
in Vegas," stafting
Cameron Diz and
Ashton Kutcher,
came ln third,
with $13 I mil-stardom; arld Allen's
Marion is stiLl tough
and appealing
The chameleon
Blancheft, wrth her pos-
ture imposingly rigid
and her face like a 1/- '.*
shaped alien etching,
needed to be more
villainous Dr Jones
(called "Henry" for much
of the movie) deserves foes
who are cunning and scary.
Yet, did he deseNe to stay
buried in the cineria of the
19ll0s? Nah Like any good
my'th, Indiana Jones shows
up when he's needed Great
to have him back
jne u maier@nyda ily news co m