REVIEW: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008)

Like many 20-somethings I grew up watching the 1980s Indiana Jones films and unsurprisingly  I reacted to the news of a new one with some trepidation. Could Lucas and Spielberg  recreate the magic and would elder-statesman Harrison Ford convince as an action hero? Locked away memories of Roger Moore as a too-old Bond still scar the memory. With this in mind it is a relief to say that 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' delivers in being a perfectly entertaining summer blockbuster. 

My doubts about Harrison Ford also proved unfounded with the older indie managing to be nearly as agile and enthusiastic as in the past. In fact, his age is hardly noticeable, except when deliberately drawn attention too with humour and even, at times, to add extra pathos. Shia La Boeuf and Cate Blanchett also provide noticeably good performances, with te latter excelling as a hammy, thick-accented, steely -eyed Ukrainian villianess.

I also enjoyed the fifties setting, with the film encompassing the atom bomb, mods vs rockers and Cold War Paranoia, though the atom bomb scene manages to annoy most others with its implausibility.  Speaking of  implausibility,the alien element will not please everyone, but are they really anymore as unrealistic  than the Ghost King at the end of 'The Last Crusade'? Other quibbles include; the eminent  John Hurt seeming rather underused as an eccentric krank and, not unlike many current action films, "...The Crystal Skull" is occasionally over-reliant on C.G.I. For such an example,take note of the unnecessary, patriotic American, swinging monkeys.

Nevertheless, these flaws do not detract from the film managing to be a hugely entertaining, action-packed summer blockbuster. And from the Indiana-Jones what else can you demand?

Everythings Gone 80s!

Over the last few months I've started to notice an alarming, if not slightly amusing, trend becoming more apparent in popular culture. It seems, ladies and gentlemen, that the 80s are well and truly back. It's been infiltrating the fashion world for quite some time now; with skinny jeans and even shoulder pads becoming staples for every fashionista  but now it's set its sights higher.

I have just heard the new Keane song on the radio. Keane: peddlars of airy, morose ballads which make Coldplay seem upbeat . But not anymore; they've gone disco! 80s disco! Or as 80s disco as Keane can manage without spontaneously combusting. Nestling alongside  Danish Disco popster's Alphabeat on radio one's playlist, the airwaves seem to have reverted back two decades. Take Alphabeat's first hit 'Fascination.' A slither of psychedelic, upbeat disco fun, that was actually introduced to me as being "just like Wake Me Up Before You Go Go." Which is very hard to deny, but I'll leave you to decide whether or not that's a good thing. Their current single 'Boyfriend' takes the sound even further, managing to sound even more nostalgically dated.

However, it's not only in music that this 80s influence is apparent. Watch the new advert for pod noodle! It's ultimate OTT 80s video, complete with smoke-machines and high drama. Yet it seems to be made in a fond homage type way. So perhaps the 80s aren't really returning, but instead the people recreating them have reached an age where they can fondly reminisce for their lost youths and enough time has passed for it to be kitsch.