....Indiana.....Junior....... Dr Henry Jones...

"Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull" is here after a long wait. 15 years back, when I was in 5th grade, my mother took us (5 cousins) to the Plaza theatre on the MG Road, which was showing "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusades". That was my first Indiana Jones movie. Ever since, I have been a great fan of this series. Although I had my own reservations about "The temple of doom". Finally, this weekend I took my parents to this new sequel. Thanks to "Mr Traffic" and "Mr Rain", we missed the first 20 minutes, although we left for the theatre a good 1.5 hours before the show. I hope to catch those first 20 minutes as soon as possible.

Just as we left the house, I was telling my brother how I was looking forward for the predictable scene, where after the first adventure, Professor Jones is shown to write something on the white board in his classroom, addressing his students. Unfortunately we missed the start and I do not know if that scene was there at all this time.

However, the film did not fail in evoking the nostalgia. The captivating Indiana Jones background music, the same energetic, inquisitive and relentless archaeologist is still very much alive in Henry. The film has its own way of evoking subtle sentiments, like when they show the photo of Dr Henry Jones Sr (Sean Connery), or when Mr Jones finds out that his son is totally not what like he expects him to be. (This is similar to how Jones Sr percieved Jones Jr at times). Also, the setting is very much like 1950s or 1960s. This takes the film even closer to its predecessors. One good thing is Harisson Ford is aged even in the story and no attempt has been made whatsoever to hide his white hair or aged/wrinkled face. But after all its Harrison Ford and its no big deal for him to carry off these traits. The sense of humor / timely jokes are in plenty.

Overall, we enjoyed the film very much. Steven Spielberg has blended his extra-terrestrial passion very well into the storyline of Indiana Jones. I think more than comparing it to the previous films, the spirit of Dr Henry Jones is what we need to look for. And that has not been compromised at all.