I was initially sceptical about the return of Indiana Jones. I feared that after so many years the way it was filmed wouldn't fit in with the three earlier instalments, whilst the Last Crusade seemed like a nice way to end the franchise. Well, what a pleasant surprise the fourth Indy is. Above all, this movie is fun: its totally unbelievable, Blockbuster mayhem, but done successfully. There are plenty of chases and wisecracks, with a fairly interesting and far-fetched plot. Indy is up against the Russkys in this film, and the film evokes 1950s B-movie themes. He is in a race to uncover a magical crystal skull in South America, which if it fell into the hands of the Commies, could be used to hypnotise and overpower the minds of the West. So basically Indy has to win the Cold War! The cast is very impressive: Harrison Ford in his first decent film for quite some time, with other likable actors like Ray Winstone, John Hurt and of course Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Creepy crawlies are a trademark of the Indy films, and the ravenous giant ants in this, along with snakes etc, throw up some good action. The film's conclusion was brilliant: taking things to a higher scale and then tying up Indy's personal life. I would quite like to see a fifth film before Harrison Ford retires...
