Indiana
Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
“Building
on a legend, Steven Spielberg
takes us on an awesome adventure
following in the footsteps of the great
archaeologist Indiana Jones as he
battles his way in the 1950s to the fabled
Akator to solve the mystery of the
Crystal Skull — in Indiana Jones And
The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull...”
A TERRIFIC AND COMPULSIVE story based around the mysterious crystal
skulls that were found in South America and are said to be of unknown origin,
being formed of one single piece of seamless quartz, Indiana Jones And The
Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is now coming to DVD.
The opening shots of typically 50s youngsters trying to bait a military car
in a convoy into a showdown in the Nevada Desert in 1957 is developed beautifully
using some arresting images such as hubcap reflection shots — but somehow
you know that this harmless little prank is a distraction from the convoy's
real mission.
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) has been captured and taken to a secure military
compound in the middle of nowhere by Soviet agents, led by Dr Irina Spalko (Cate
Blanchett), who is accompanied by an old friend of Indy, George 'Mac' Michale
(Ray Winstone) — who appears to be working with the Russians. Irina claims
to be a mind-reader and wants Indy to help them find something — a box
that he examined ten years earlier. And it is the beginning of Indy's dangerous
search for the Crystal Skull of Akator.
Indy is unperturbed. After an amazing fight sequence (aren't they always?) the
archaeologist gets away and is later approached by a young man, biker Mutt Williams
(Shia LaBeouf) who wants Indy to find his missing mother.
But the bad guys have caught up with Indy, who jumps onto Mutt's Harley Davison
to escape — cue a brilliantly orchestrated and highly amusing chase through
the ivy-walled halls of Marshall College and the surrounding streets as Irina
and her men try to recapture Indy. Watch out for a pure comedy moment where
Indy comes face-to-face with one of his students — played by Chet Hanks,
who must surely be up for some more prominent roles — right in the middle
of all the mayhem.
Following leads from riddles left by a former colleague, the supposedly obsessed
and deranged Professor 'Ox' Oxley (John Hurt) — who wrote the word 'Return'
in several different ancient languages on a wall — Indy and Mutt find themselves
in Peru and trekking through the lush South American jungles in search of the
graves of seven missing Conquistadors who are believed to have stolen the skull
from Akatar. Indy know he must find the skull and return it to the Mayan temple
but all the time they are being relentlessly pursued by the Soviets — who
will stop at nothing to get their hands on the skull and its eerie secrets.
Irina believes the one who returns the skull to its rightful place will gain
power over the minds of men and cites — a power that will enable her to
realise Stalin's dream of a new frontier of psychic warfare.
There are shocks in store for Indy as the Soviets become too close for comfort
and they find Mutt's mother — none other than Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen)
— and Professor Oxley (John Hurt) and reel from one danger to another.
It's non-stop excitement all the way to the spectacular, astounding finale with
the typically Indiana Jones brand of adventure and humour stitching the breathtaking
tale together.
Indian Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull contains stunning footage
and special effects and benefits from the usual great one-liners, fun and frolics
and general monkey-ing around that singles out these fantastic, thrill-laden
adventures.
Directed by Steven Spielberg and Produced by Frank Marshall, with George Lucas
and Kathleen Kennedy as Executive Producers, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom
Of The Crystal Skull is the newest adventure in the phenomenally successful
Indian Jones series, which has already earned six Academy Awards® and over $2
billion worldwide.
The stunning Music is by John Williams; Director of Photography is Janusz Kaminski;
the Screenplay is by David Koepp; and the Story is by George Lucas and Jeff
Nathanson.
• The highest-grossing instalment of the phenomenally
popular adventure franchise, with more than £440 million taken at the global
box office, Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd's Indiana Jones And The
Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull will make its highly-anticipated debut on DVD
and Blu-ray, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment and packed with sensational
behind-the-scenes special features, on 10 November, 2008.
The film is available as a two-disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray, featuring
hours of new content that opens up the world of Indiana Jones as never before
through in-depth footage of Steven Spielberg and his cast and crew at work.
From Shia LaBeouf's training to become a master swordsman to Harrison Ford's
reunion with his fedora, whip and Marion Ravenwood, viewers can watch the magic
of cinema's greatest action-adventure hero returning to the big screen, as well
as the extraordinary work of the legendary artists who have brought Indy's latest
thrilling adventure to life. Loaded with spectacular bonus features that allow
viewers to accompany the filmmakers and cast on a fascinating journey behind
the scenes of this modern classic.
In addition, all four Indiana Jones films will be showcased in the quintessential
Indiana Jones collection which includes the first three films plus the two-disc
Special Edition DVD of the latest instalment.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull two-disc special edition
DVD | RRP: £24.99 | Cert: 12 | Running Time: 122 minutes approx.
Special Features
Disc 1: The Return Of A Legend; Pre-Production.
Disc 2: Production Diary: Making Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull | Shooting
Begins: New Mexico | Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut | Welcome To The
Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii | On-Set Action | Exploring Akator | Wrapping Up | Warrior
Makeup | The Crystal Skulls | Iconic Props | The Effects of Indy | Adventures
in Post-Production | Closing: Team Indy | Pre-Visualization Sequences: Area
51 Escape | Jungle Chase | Ants Attack | Galleries: The Art Department; The
Adventure Begins; Cemetery and Jungle; Akator; Stan Winston Studio; Corpses,
Skeletons & Mummies; Aliens and Crystal Skulls; Production Photographs; Portraits;
Behind-The-Scenes Photographs.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull two-disc special edition
Blu-ray | Release Date: 10 November, 2008 | RRP: £29.99 | Cert: 12 | Running
Time: 122 minutes approx.
Special Features (Blu-ray)
Disc 1: Indiana Jones Interactive Timelines | The Return Of A Legend
| Pre-Production.
Disc 2: (As for DVD Disc 2).
"Indian Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull contains stunning
footage and special effects and benefits from the usual great one-liners, fun
and frolics and general monkey-ing around that singles out these fantastic,
thrill-laden adventures" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
