Don't touch anything!

I saw the new Indiana Jones movie. Here's my take, trying not to spoil too much. If you want to go in "pure", then don't read this until after you see it. If you want an idea of what you're in for before you spend the dough, read on.

It's easy at first glance to dislike the premise compared with the older movies, and I can grant you that it's a slight departure from the old stuff. But if you think about the sort of things atheists would be after compared with the Nazi occultists of the 30's, it's really the only way to throw Indy up against the "evil empire" of the time. In my opinion, it's handled well. A lot of what fans might gripe about seems to be addressed and quelled in the conversations Indy has with Mutt.

Speaking of whom, there seems to be some sort of viral predisposition out there to hate Mutt Williams, but his character helps the film. Just when Dr. Jones starts to look a little too creaky and incapable, the action seems to focus on Mutt and his youthful energy. Likewise, when you've had enough of Mutt's headstrong antics, you get a reprieve back with good ol' Indy, who can still throw a mean punch. And you may not like Shia LeBoeuf for whatever reason, but the guy does a good job, especially compared to some other kids tapped to carry on a mammoth legacy.

You may hate the CG, but I didn't think it was overdone. Indy movies have always been about closing off mysteries without ever fully solving them. You get the pleasure of being there with Indy as the last person to ever lay eyes on whatever it is they've been searching for. You get to experience the full power of the treasure, and then you both share the anguish in having to let it go forever. There was one point along these lines that bothered me a bit in that it cheapened an earlier film, but it was minor.

Is it as enjoyable as the first three? In a way. But we're not kids anymore, so it's harder to impress us and easier to enrage us. If you go in looking for the magic, you will find it. If you go in looking for the kind of crap that's been pissing you off about Lucas and Spielberg's latter day films, you'll find some of that too. I guess you have to want to enjoy it. I did.

Just a heads up, try to ignore the Janitor.