Best 5 & Worst 2 Action Movies of 2008

I will start with some good news and bad news. First, the good news; 2008 was an incredible year for action movies. The bad news; it was so good that though I have 5 best, I only have 2 worst. Also, these reviews assume you have seen them so read with caution: here be spoilers.

We'll start with the bad news:

#2 worst action movie of the year:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: There has to be a rule somewhere that says the length of a movie's title should not exceed 5 words; any more than that and the film makers should be fined. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this movie. The last Indiana Jones movie came out almost 2 full decades ago, so expectations were pretty high for a lot of people. I will admit, I am pretty jaded, so I was not surprised at all when people started complaining about it.

This movie has a lot of what I have come to expect from Spielberg and Lucas: flashy special effects, a big John Williams score, and about as much depth as a wading pool. The movie does succeed in some ways; a lot of what made the other Indy flicks cool is there (with a noticeable lack of bullwhip action), and Harrison Ford looks the part still, which is very impressive on the trailing edge of his 60s.

One disappointing thing that was done both in promoting this movie and the opening credits is that they mention Karen Allen, essentially spoiling what could have been a major twist, i.e. Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark is in it.

The action scenes were over the top, even for Indy, but basically well done. It was an enjoyable film, and admittedly more fun the second time, but it was objectively, a bad movie. The plot was ridiculous; the end was just cheesy and terrible. Kate Blanchette's death at the end was unimpressive and far inferior to the closing scene of Raiders, which had Nazi's with glowing eyes, 2 face meltings and a head explosion. Crystal Skull had some sparks shooting out of her eyes and a quick boring dissolution.

All in all, I would recommend seeing it if you like vapid fun, or just have to see every Indiana Jones movie, but just go into it knowing it ISN'T the first three. South Park was not very far off the mark in their assessment.