I wasn’t sure what to expect when Farrah and I sat down to watch the latest Indiana Jones film.  It has been nineteen years since the last movie in the trilogy - well, I guess it’s no longer a trilogy but a series of films - with many action films to wow us during that time.  Could Indiana deliver the ‘wow factor’ still?

The short answer is yes.

OK, here is the Netflix summary of the movie:

Hollywood icon Harrison Ford returns to the role of the adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones nearly 20 years after he last donned the famous fedora and bullwhip to save the world from imminent peril. Joining Ford for this latest installment of the Steven Spielberg-George Lucas collaboration are Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Karen Allen, John Hurt and Shia LaBeouf as Jones's headstrong young sidekick.

Not much of a summary, huh.  The movie takes place 19 years after the last one, placing the movie action in 1957,  This changes the bad guys from the Nazis to Communist Russians. The action begins in Nevada, then moves to the university where Indy teaches, and to parts of South America.  The action is fluid and almost non-stop, just what you expect from an Indiana Jones film.

What I Liked

It’s great to see Harrison Ford back in the saddle as Indiana Jones.  After a string of so so films (e.g. Firewall, Hollywood Homicide, and Random Hearts to name a few), it’s good to see Ford not losing a beat with the Indiana character. He just slips back into the character like a comfortable pair of shoes.

The supporting cast proves pretty solid as well.  Karen Allen is the only returning character from the Indiana Jones mythology, and it’s great to see her next to Ford.  The rest of the actors provide solid support, with Cate Blanchett proving to be a nasty foe.

As I mentioned previously, the action sequences are what you expect in an Indy film.  They were long enjoyable sequences, well most of them were.

What I Did Not Enjoy

Some of the latter action sequences involved a level of CGI which was noticeable. Due to the nature of the film’s content toward the end of the film (it involves some science fiction elements), the use of CGI was difficult to avoid.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to be in the world of Indiana Jones again. I say don’t hesitate and go see it. It may not live up to your previous Indy experiences, but could it really? Believe me, once you hear the theme music and see the iconic fedora on Harrison Ford’s skull, you’ll forget about your expectations and just go along for the ride.