by Daniel Cummings

Created on: May 31, 2008

Hat. Check. Whip. Check. Leather Jacket. Check. That's right; Indiana Jones is back!

Perhaps the most difficult review I have ever had to write, this one. Being a huge, huge Indiana Jones fan I went into the film with real anticipation but with a few worries too. After all it is 19 years since the man in the hat last donned our cinema screens; that's a long time to wait for the next installment in any film franchise, let alone one of the most popular ever conceived.

Many people consider the original Jones trilogy a perfect threesome, myself included. Therefore you have to question why even bother trying to bring back one of cinemas greats. Well Harrison Ford has declared that of all the famous characters he has played in his career, Indy is the only one he truly loves. That's one good reason. Director Steven Spielberg has also on numerous occasions stated a keen interest in making another big family adventure film (His CV is full of classics in those terms). That's another good reason. Even producer George Lucas who of course famously bought back Star Wars to very mixed reactions has acknowledged that the first Indy picture, Raiders Of The Lost Ark was the only film he ever made that he knew would defiantly be a hit. So that's another pretty good reason too.

So I will start with the positives. First and foremost it is great to have Indy back on our screens. Harrison Ford now in his sixties, incredibly still looks and feels the part. From the opening scene when he is re-introduced to life long fans and new ones alike, right through to the end, he rarely misses a comic beat and can still pull a big punch. It is abundantly clear how much he does care for this character.

All those Indy trademarks you know and love are all here for everyone to enjoy. In fact this is the biggest positive of this new Indy adventure. Spielberg has cleverly made sure pretty much everything you loved about the previous installments is included here. Indy's snake phobia, lots of creepy crawlers, artefact's doing unbelievable things, fist-fights, the famous world map charting Indy's movements and of course the most famous of all scores which will once again give you goose bumps.

Something else that Spielberg has smartly done is to set the film in 1957, therefore ageing Indiana Jones correctly. And the picture creates a very 50's feel, including the soundtrack where Elvis Presley's Hound dog blares out over the opening scene. Also incorporated into this is Indy's new sidekick Mutt Williams,

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