Movie Marketing Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

by Tony Dayoub


The Indiana Jones franchise, while loved by many, appeals to adults more than Star Wars (1977), which is a lot more kid-friendly on its face. Nineteen years since the last Indy film, all the kids that knew him have grown, and the character had dropped out of the public eye to a larger degree than Star Wars ever did. Many of them have started to share the first trilogy with their children, and George Lucas and company have helped merchandise Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to new heights by cashing in on both the generational nostalgia, and on educating kids specifically on who this adventurous archaeologist is.


Lucas pioneered movie merchandising when Star Wars debuted. It wasn't that the market hadn't been explored before. Movie serials and TV shows aimed at children in particular had always used cheaply produced tie-ins such as decoder rings and the like to promote themselves. But Lucas was smart enough to control the rights, likenesses, and require quality of said products. He realized that the right products, produced with care, could ultimately be as profitable, if not more so, than the actual movie it was tied to. And the release of such products, timed to the release of his films, would serve to market the film, as well as maximize revenue for those involved.

To that end, this new movie has seen marketing its take some curious forms. With licensing deals that include displaying Harrison Ford's likeness on everything from Kellogg's cereal boxes to Dr. Pepper cases, perhaps the most clever was when Blockbuster and Lucasfilm sponsored Marco Andretti in this year's Indy 500 (get it?) which was run the same week as the film's opening. Not only did the car have the Indiana Jones logo prominently displayed, but Andretti wore a race suit designed to mimic the archaeologist's now famous outfit.

Here are some notable products designed to appeal to the older crowd:


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Soundtrack, by John Williams - If you want to relive the movie without actually going to see it again, or even if you didn't like the movie, but you love John Williams' music, one thing's hard to argue. This soundtrack is great. Not only does he revisit themes from previous movies like a revisit of the Raiders' "Ark" theme in "The Spell of the Skull", but he creates new ones like "Call of the Crystal" and "Irina's Theme". Just as Williams patterned the original trilogy's score on the old movie serials' scores that those films paid homage to, here he pays tribute to fifties movies by evoking one of that era's most prominent composers, Bernard Hermann. "Call of the Crystal" is a theme that recalls Hermann's opening theme for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. And Williams combines variations of "Crystal" and "Irina's Theme" to great effect in "Jungle Chase", elevating one of the weaker chase scenes in the film. Released by Concord Music Group, look for them to release a 4-disc set containing the original trilogy's long out-of-print soundtracks, just in time for Crystal Skull's DVD release, no doubt.


The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films, by J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau - This 300 page trade paperback contains a wealth of information on the film series. With just about all the major cast and crew participating, it traces the series from its inception through its newest film. Rich with color photographs (including some spoilery ones of the latest film, so don't buy the book till you've seen it), it even covers some of the lesser known aspects of each film's production (the mine-car chase scene from Temple of Doom was actually a holdover stunt from Raiders). Rinzler is a historian at Lucasfilm, and Bouzereau is a documentarian primarily known for his making of featurettes on all of the DVDs of Steven Spielberg's films.

Products targeted specifically to kids include The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones (below, left), a book designed to acquaint kids with any adventures they may have missed, LEGO playsets capturing famous action setpieces from each film (center), and a new game by LucasArts entitled LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (right) for Nintendo DS, Wii, XBox 360, Playstation and PC.






Here are some other products designed for appeal to kids:

Indiana Jones Action Figures, by Hasbro - Designed to lure kids who are into Hasbro's popular Star Wars line, the detailed figures might instead spark a nostalgic interest from their dads. It certainly has with this dad. Having the original Raiders figure spec references at their disposal (Hasbro bought Kenner a while back), the line should fill the void left by Kenner who failed to capitalize on Raiders' appeal to kids. The original film wasn't designed to appeal to children, but became popular with them after their dads dragged them along to see it. And fill the void they have, already producing waves of figures based on Raiders, Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, with Temple of Doom just announced. Highly poseable for maximum play, but accurate in its likenesses with collectors in mind, this product should appeal to both parents and children. If the Star Wars line is any indication (with new figures still being released annually), the Indy line may be around for a while, too.

Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide, by DK Publishing - Older kids might be familiar with DK's Ultimate Guide line already. They get some well known character/s from pop culture and create an encyclopedia like reference book filled with the character's history, timelines, maps, and color art. Just like Superman, the X-Men and James Bond before him, Indiana Jones has finally got one as well. While a little light on info about the newest film, it covers everything you'd want to know about Henry Jones, Jr.'s life, from his birth, through his adventures in the Young Indiana Jones TV series, through the trilogy, and even beyond into graphic novels and books. For those looking to fill the gap between The Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this book's got the goods.

Skeptical of the current popularity of an action franchise that has been absent for close to two decades, naysayers underestimated the nostalgic allure of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With a current worldwide gross of over $700 million, against a budget estimated at $185 million, an estimated marketing budget of $150 million, plus the cut that exhibitors take for playing the movie in their theaters, only now is the film even close to breaking even for Paramount Pictures. But the ancillary deals have already started to pay off for Paramount, Lucas, Spielberg, and anyone else contractually in for a piece of the pie.

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - The Return of Harrison Ford

by Tony Dayoub

He's back! Not Indy. We've been expecting his return for 19 years. I refer to that other guy we haven't seen for so long. Harrison Ford is back! A little grayer, and a little more wrinkle-lined, he still displays the same twinkle-in-the-eye he always has when rendering Indy, his best-loved character. I thought that twinkle died right around the time he did Air Force One. The actor most closely associated with the mega-blockbusters of recent times had been phoning in his performances ever since then. I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but anyway... whatever the case... Indy seems to have lit his spark again in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And to their credit, the creative team of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have made sure that the character has evolved even if the B-movie-like story hasn't, at least not by much.

The story: It's 1957, and the Red Scare wave of paranoia is cresting. Kidnapped by Soviets led by a psychic Stalin-ite (Cate Blanchett), Indy is forced to help them find a mysterious corpse, in Nevada's infamous Hangar 51, that may or may not be an alien. He foils them, of course, but not before giving us another great opening sequence. What does he get for his trouble? The FBI investigates him as a person of interest, calling his World War II military exploits into question. Into this comes a young greaser named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), with news of the disappearance of a couple of mutual friends tied to the mythological crystal skulls of the title. And spearheading the race for the skulls on the side of evil, is Blanchett's Irina Spalko.

The movie has the requisite acknowledgements to past adventures, including a quite funny one to Raiders of the Lost Ark in the opening sequence, and thematic references to The Last Crusade's young-vs.-old humor in the relationship between Indy and Mutt (sorry, Temple of Doom fans, no references to the underrated redheaded-stepchild of the franchise). The same way Connery (cinema's original action star in his 007 franchise) figuratively passed the action-hero torch to Ford in the last film, Ford seems to be doing the same to The Transformers' LaBeouf in this one. But wait a second Mr. LaBeouf. I like you and all, but you are no Harrison Ford. And the movie's epilogue has a gag that confirms Spielberg and Lucas' reluctance to bestow the young actor with the crown too quickly.

Rooted in the B-movies of the fifties, the way the earlier ones were in the thirties, the film's plot is not original, but there are plenty of surprises and treats along the way. Spalko is a formidable adversary, and probably Indy's best since Raiders. Karen Allen's return as Marion, gives the film some of the heart that had been missing in the last two films. For fans of the Young Indy TV show who hoped that the series would not be brushed under the carpet, don't worry, it's not. Aside from the rather oblique references to the show in Indy's references to his exploits as an OSS spy in WWII (he had also been a spy in WWI in the TV series), there is a more direct reference to one of the episodic adventures midway through the movie. And don't ask me why, but I was impressed by the minimal supporting part that Igor Jijikine plays as Spalko's henchman, Dovchenko. Maybe it's his resemblance to Lawrence Montaigne (The Great Escape) on steroids.

Of course, it's Ford that carries the movie. And though he actually looks a little creakier when cracking the whip, he looks like he's having more fun. Indy's physical ability has always been secondary to his charm. Maybe the increasingly morose roles he has chosen in the intervening years haven't given him the same opportunity to display the roguishness he did as Indy. But Crystal Skull allows him to while still accepting that Indy is much older. He falls a little faster when punched by the Soviets. He's a little more wistful when he sees Marion for the first time. And he is much more his father's son than he used to be, going into scientific explanations about their predicament while sinking in quicksand.

You stand to be disappointed if you go into this movie expecting the second coming of Raiders, as many in the press seem to have. After all, Raiders is arguably the best film that Ford, Spielberg or Lucas have EVER done. This is just a fun little gem more akin to The Last Crusade. Catch it at a matinee, the way you were meant to.

DVD Review: Indiana Jones - Keeping up with the Joneses on DVD

by Tony Dayoub

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is one of the most anticipated sequels of the summer movie season. For the curious, it is because they want to know whether director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas can recapture the "lightning in a bottle" that made the original trilogy so popular. For fans of Harrison Ford, it is because they hope that a return to his most popular character will jump-start his sagging career. For me, it is a chance to relive the thrill of going to a movie with my family that they are all eager and excited about going to see at the multiplex.

My dad, who is an infamously impatient man when it comes to sitting still and watching a movie, was a huge fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. So much so, that he took us to see it countless times. In fact, we saw it in Miami at the Lincoln Theater (now home of the New World Symphony), on a double bill with Robert Altman's Popeye, back when theater ushers carrying flashlights would personally seat you, and even allow you to stay for a repeat performance of the film at no extra charge. So we of course, saw Raiders, then Popeye, then Raiders again. My dad called me last week to make sure we leave some room to catch the new flick when I visit them in Miami this summer.

This weekend my new family, wife and son (with another on the way), had ourselves an Indy viewing party, and I've got a short buying guide to help you navigate through the various Indiana Jones DVDs currently available.

Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection - Just released this week, this box set contains special editions of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Each has all-new documentaries directed by famed DVD documentarian Laurent Bouzereau, and all-new introductions by Spielberg and Lucas. The best of these documentaries is "The Indy Trilogy: A Crystal Clear Appreciation", found on the Raiders disc, in which the cast of the latest film is interviewed with regards to their favorite moments in the trilogy. Each film is also available separately on DVD for the first time, for those who aren't fans of all the movies.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - This set, released in 2003, is for the true Indy fan. It contains all three films, and a fourth disc with over 3 hours of bonus material covering everything from the inception of the character (back when he was Indiana Smith) to audition footage of Tom Selleck as Indy (a role he no doubt laments being forced to give up, as CBS was strictly enforcing his contractual obligations to Magnum, P.I.). It also has in-depth coverage for each sequel. The drawbacks to this set were the unavailability of each film separately at the time of its release, and the fact that it doesn't have any of Bouzereau's new documentary material.

So I guess if you are a rabid Indy fanatic, you'll be forced to buy both sets.

In 1992, ABC broadcast a TV series based on the films, entitled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Each hour-long episode was introduced by a 93 year-old Indy (George Hall... wearing an eye-patch), who would then recount a story of his exploits as a 10-year-old boy (Corey Carrier) or as a young man age 16 to 21 (Sean Patrick Flanery). Spearheaded by Lucas (with no involvement from Spielberg), he had a dual intention with the series. Primarily, he hoped that its more educational tone would inspire teachers to use it as a starting point for class discussions, as Indy would meet many famous figures of the period (1908-1920) in his adventures. Secondarily, as much of the budget was utilized to travel to actual locales around the world, he used the show to experiment with, what were at the time, new CGI effects, the results of which would manifest themselves in the second Star Wars trilogy years later.

The tone of the show was quite different. More Masterpiece Theater than "Republic serial," many fans of the movie were turned off by the often ponderous stories. Also, while Flanery's teenage Indy was charming, the 10-year-old, and 93-year old were not popular. What the show did have going for it, was its wonderful location shooting, its talent behind the camera, its use of young actors who have since gone on to greater fame, and of course, Flanery, which led to the lion's share of the episodes utilizing him. The action was amped up, and Harrison Ford was even brought on board for a rare guest appearance as a 50-year-old Indy introducing one of the adventures. But all to no avail, as the show was cancelled after its second season.

Now available for the first time on DVD as The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Lucas, ever the revisionist, has revised the concept yet again. Deleting all of the introductions by Old Indy (except for Ford's), he combines two hour-long episodes to form a movie. While sometimes leading to some unevenness, it is a much more effective presentation. And in keeping with his primary motivation of educating while entertaining, each episode is paired with about 5 to 8 half-hour documentaries that inform viewers of the historical figures and events Indy encounters. These are so interesting I found myself excitedly anticipating the next one more than the actual episode itself.

Volume One: The Early Years - This one covers Indy's adventures from 1908, when he tours the world with his parents, to 1916, when he runs away from home to join the Belgian army during the early days of World War I. He meets Picasso, Puccini, Freud, and Pancho Villa. While the earlier bunch of episodes starring the young Carrier can be tedious, they are greatly aided by deft direction from folks like Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco) and Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror). Once Flanery comes into the picture, the series really takes off. Look for guest appearances from, Max Von Sydow, Vanessa Redgrave, and a young Elizabeth Hurley.

Volume Two: The War Years - By far, the best of the three volumes, this covers Indy's sobering experiences in the war with no small amount of poignancy. And why shouldn't this one be the best? With talent like Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption), Carrie Fisher (Postcards from the Edge), Nicolas Roeg (Don't Look Now), and Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove) behind the camera, and guest appearances by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Daniel Craig, this volume is the highlight of the show.

Volume Three: The Years of Change - Still better than the first, but a shade less interesting than the second volume, as Indy returns to America. He meets some famous folks while attending the University of Chicago, like Eliot Ness, and Ernest Hemingway, before heading to Hollywood to become a... stuntman!? Guest stars in this one include Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, and Jeffrey Wright.

These three volumes of Young Indy's adventures are a wonderful introduction to the character geared towards younger fans. And if you stick around to watch, you might learn something, too.

Still provided courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

This entry first appeared on Blogcritics on 5/14/2008.

Movie Trailer: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

by Tony Dayoub



Click on the picture above to be directed to the trailer.

Let me know what you think of it.