| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | |
|---|---|
| |
| Riffed by | RiffTrax |
| Riffers | Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett |
| Series | Indiana Jones Series |
| Date Released | October 28, 2008 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 American science fiction adventure film. It is the fourth film in the Indiana Jones franchise, created by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. Released nineteen years after the previous film, the film acknowledges the age of its star Harrison Ford by being set in 1957. It pays tribute to the science fiction B-movies of the era, pitting Indiana Jones against Soviet agents—led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett)— searching for a telepathic crystal skull. Indiana is aided by his former lover Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and son Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). Ray Winstone, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent are also part of the supporting cast. RiffTrax released their riff in October 2008.
Synopsis and Preview[]
RiffTrax - Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
[Spoilers Begin]
In 1957 during the Cold War, World War II veteran Indiana Jones and his partner George "Mac" McHale are kidnapped by Soviet agents under Colonel Dr. Irina Spalko. The Soviets infiltrate a warehouse labeled "Warehouse 51" in Nevada and force Jones to locate a non-human corpse including a crystal skull, recovered ten years earlier. Upon its discovery, Mac reveals he is a double agent working for the Soviets, and Jones escapes on a rocket sled. Jones, still pursued, arrives in a model town at the Nevada Test Site, minutes before an atomic bomb test, and takes shelter in a lead-lined refrigerator. Jones is arrested by FBI agents, who suspect him of working for the Soviets; and though freed, is put on indefinite leave of absence from Marshall College.
Jones is approached by greaser Henry "Mutt" Williams, who tells him that Harold Oxley had found a crystal skull in Peru, suffered a mental breakdown, and was later kidnapped. In return, Jones tells Mutt about the legend of crystal skulls found in Akator. Mutt gives Jones a letter from his mother, who is also held captive, containing a riddle written by Oxley in an ancient Native American language. KGB agents try to take the letter, but Jones and Mutt evade them and reach Peru. At the local psychiatric hospital, Oxley's scribbles on the walls of his cell lead them to the grave of Francisco de Orellana, a Conquistador searching for Akator. They discover the skull at the grave, with Jones reasoning that Oxley had hidden it there.
Shortly afterward, Jones and Mutt are captured by the Soviets and taken to their camp, where they find Oxley and Mutt's mother, Marion Ravenwood, who later reveals that Mutt is Jones' son, Henry Jones III. In the following struggle, Mac claims to Jones he is really a CIA double-agent to regain Jones' trust. Spalko believes that the crystal skull belongs to an inter-dimensional alien life form and holds great psychic power, and that returning the skull to Akator will grant the Soviets the advantage of psychic warfare. Oxley's mental conditions having devolved, Spalko uses the skull on Jones to identify a route to Akator. Jones and his allies escape with the skull into the Amazon, elude giant ants, and survive three waterfalls in a duck boat, whereafter Jones and Oxley identify markings that lead them to Akator, unaware that Mac is still loyal to Spalko and has been dropping transceivers to allow the Soviets to track them.
Having escaped a native tribe guarding the city and gained access to the temple, filled with artifacts from several ancient civilizations, Jones believes the aliens were "archaeologists" studying the different cultures of Earth. The five enter a chamber containing the crystal skeletons of thirteen enthroned inter-dimensional beings, with one missing its skull. Spalko arrives and places the captive skull on this skeleton, whereupon the aliens offer a reward in a language that Oxley deciphers. The aliens fuse into one, which activates a portal to their own world. Spalko demands knowledge equal to the aliens', but in the process, she is dematerialized and sucked into the portal. Jones, Marion, Mutt, and Oxley escape, while Mac and the Soviets are also drawn into the portal, after Mac tells Jones to leave him behind. The survivors watch as the temple walls crumble, revealing a flying saucer rising from the debris, which vanishes into the "space between spaces" while the void left by its departure is flooded by the waters of the Amazon.
Sometime later, Jones is reinstated at Marshall College and made an associate dean. He and Marion are then married in a church.
[Spoilers End]
Cast and Crew[]
- Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
- Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams
- Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko
- Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood
- Ray Winstone as George "Mac" McHale
- John Hurt as Harold "Ox" Oxley
- Jim Broadbent as Dean Charles Stanforth
- Igor Jijikine as Antonin Dovchenko
Quotes[]
Notes[]
See Also[]
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope
- The Dark Knight