Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Opening May 22nd

Nobody knows nothing about what director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas have in store in the fourth chapter of their Indy series. This movie has a tighter lid on it than the ballot that shows who came in second at this year's Academy Awards. But the bitching is pretty much nonstop: Harrison Ford is too old — he's 66 — to cut it as an action hero. Shia LaBeouf, 21, has been cast with him for youth-appeal insurance. Setting the movie in 1957 with a plot involving a Soviet agent (Cate Blanchett) and possible space aliens makes it seem dated. Worse, the jazzy computer effects are kept to a minimum. And maybe you've noticed that the most recent Indy flick, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was nearly 20 years ago. Who the hell still cares? Actually, you won't be able not to care. Too much cash has been spent to get your attention. For starters, Indy 4 has the money spot on the summer calendar, the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend — no other movie will dare compete with it. Brands including M&M's, Dr Pepper, Expedia, Burger King and Kraft Lunchables have launched big-budget tie-ins. And that's not counting the film's own marketing budget, said to be nudging $100 million. An online poll of more than 5,000 users of Fandango.com voted Indy 4 the summer's "most anticipated" movie. So how can it miss? Forget the hype. The only way this ship doesn't sail is if the old team can't match what it started so magnificently in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Tall order. Demanding audience. Pressure on.

Indiana Jones 4 and Summer '08: Is That All There Is — Really? Official Site IMDB page

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