Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.5 |
| Video |  | 0.0 |
| Audio |  | 5.0 |
| Extras |  | 0.5 |
| Overall |  | 4.0 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 14, 2021
Paramount has released Director Steven Spielberg's 2008 sequel film 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' to the UHD format. New
specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio. No new supplements are included. At the time of publication, this release is
only available in a four-film, five-disc boxed set with the other films in the franchise (as of 2021).
An elder Indiana Jones and his longtime companion Mac (Ray Winstone) are forcibly taken to a secret U.S. military installation. Russian agents
and
soldiers dressed in Army uniforms murder the Americans at the checkpoint. Indy and Mac are released from the trunk of a car and greeted by the
ruthless Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) who tasks Indy with entering a secret warehouse and locating an artifact with which he's all too familiar. No,
it's not the Ark of the Covenant but rather a mysterious, magnetic box that's drawn more than merely metal its way. Spalko believes it to contain a
great power that could turn the tide of the Cold War and give the Soviet Union the upper hand against the United States. Jones discovers its
whereabouts -- cleverly, as ever -- but stages a daring escape, even when Mac makes a surprise turn to the other side. Indy subsequently finds
himself in another sticky situation, the closest brush with death he's ever had, but his heroics aren't spun in a positive light after he's debriefed by
American agents. He's accused of aiding the enemy and is let go from his position at Marshall College. It seems like the end of the road, but he's
tracked down by a young motorcycle-riding "greaser" who goes by the name of "Mutt" (Shia LaBeouf). It turns out Mutt knows Indy's old friend
and
colleague "Ox" (John Hurt), a man who has spent much of his life obsessing over a
mysterious artifact known as the "Crystal Skull." Mutt and Indy begin a
search
for Ox, a search that can only lead to trouble, surprise revelations, and consequences and contacts once deemed only within the purview of the
fantastic.
For a more detailed film review, please click
here.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The included screenshots are sourced from the legacy Blu-ray disc.
Crystal Skull is the newest Indy film and by a wide margin, premiering nearly two decades after The Last Crusade. Yet this film shares a similar aesthetic with the others,
structurally and technically on UHD. The picture holds to a fine grain structure, the finest of the four to be sure, and the most consistent. Whereas grain
was a bit on the sharper side, at least at times, in the other films, here it's very light but very attractive, not necessarily more so than the others but
within its own style, at least. The result is a very pleasing, healthy, organic, and true film-like presentation. Details are effortlessly sharp across the full
spectrum, including basics like faces and clothes and extending to within and throughout the diverse landscapes and set pieces; some of the best come
in the final act both outside approaching the temple and within its darker interior where even low light cannot halt the exquisite texturing. Viewers will
never be less than pleased with the extravagant textures and fine grain pattern; it's far and away superior to the aged Blu-ray.
The Dolby Vision color grading is likewise very good. This is a rather intensive tonal solidification, bringing a substantial boost to color accuracy, palette
depth, and contrast perfection over the Blu-ray, which is flat and dull in comparison. As with all of the Indy films, there's a general gravitation
towards earthy tones which are full and fabulous here, but natural greens, bright blue skies, and other color output finds health and vibrancy well
beyond the old Blu-ray's limitations. Black levels are fabulous, perfectly deep and dark and never crushing the detail within. Whites, at the other end,
are bold and brilliant and perfectly crisp. Flesh tones couldn't be more realistic.
With no source splotches or wear and no encode flubs or failures, either, Crystal Skull stands as the best looking Indy film on UHD
though certainly each are by-and-large perfect in their own rights. This is just the most balanced of the four.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull features a five-star Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The film opens with subtle desert atmosphere,
followed by a hard-charging car and classic Rock tune, none of which really excite the aural senses but
that do play with solid clarity and spacing, the former more through the back, the latter a bit more fully but dominantly along the front. But the track is
consistently high energy and high yield, offering the best pure musical fidelity and sound effect clarity through the first four films. The familiar
Indy refrains and new arrangements alike for this film blast through the speakers with appropriate intensity and also superior spacing with no
speaker left unused and no gap in stage saturation. Action effects are full and immersive, too, likewise taking full advantage of every speaker and each
square inch of audio real estate within the listening environment. There are some terrific audio cues that hit the Atmos sensation hard, including a
series of swinging monkeys around the 83-minute mark which are so prolifically immersive and intense that the listener seems to be right there in the
midst of them. The ant swarms to follow are unique for the sheer mass of moving sound and the small bits of precision found within the larger whole.
Cavernous reverb, gunshots, and all variety of higher yield sound effects are crystal clear and generously spaced. Dialogue is center positioned and
lifelike in delivery.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's UHD disc only includes a trio of trailers (the same included on the Blu-ray discs released
in 2012), but the four-film set
in which this release is included does house a bonus Blu-ray special features bonus disc. Please click here for a listing of what's included on
that disc. As it ships in that boxed set, a digital copy voucher is included with purchase.
- Theatrical Trailer 2 (1080p, 1:51).
- Theatrical Trailer 3 (1080p, 1:55).
- Theatrical Trailer 4 (1080p, 1:40).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Paramount's new Indiana Jones UHD discs delight. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull looks amazing, sounds great, and the film isn't
half bad. The four-film set in which this disc is found earns my highest
recommendation.
