When the kid, "Mutt" Williams (Shia LaBeouf) tells Indy (Harrison Ford) that his mother and a mutual friend, Professor Harold "Ox" Oxley (John Hurt), were tracking down (and found) a new legendary crystal skull, Dr. Jones and Mutt start off their adventure to find the missing people and figure out exactly what happened.
With the help of a letter written in code to Indy from Ox (and delivered by Mutt), the duo travel to South America, but as always, Indy isn't the only one looking for the secret of the crystal skulls and the golden city where they are supposed to come from. Mutt and Indy are pursued by a group of Russian agents bent on pilfering anything supernatural to help bring the Communist Party ahead in the Cold War.
When Indy finally catches up to Mutt's mom, he is surprised to find its none other than Marion (Karen Allen) from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now Indy, Mutt, Marion and Ox have to discover the secrets behind the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before the Commies that are close on their heels.
When I first saw this movie, I was scared that it wouldn't feel like an Indy movie. I feared an over-use of computer graphics and a general fakeness. For the most part, these fears are unfounded. There are definitely a few points where the CG just looks cartoony (specifically the groundhogs at the beginning and the movie's climactic ending), but it looks like practicals were used in the place of CG in a lot of places, and that's good.
This 2-Disc Edition comes chock full of special features like a 12-part set of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a featurette about Indy's creation. Also, for those gamers who have an Xbox 360, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 2-Disc Adventure Edition comes with a demo of LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a fun ride. While not as good as Raiders or Last Crusade, this movie should fit nicely in any Indy fan's collection, and if you can swing it, I would definitely recommend the prettier and more feature-rich Blu-ray version.
