9. The Plot Is Just As Silly (And That's A Good Thing)
The original trilogy has become so highly regarded, by the public and critics alike, that its very easy to view them too venerably. The more respectable a film becomes, the more we feel the need to take it seriously, which in this case would be a very bad thing. Many people were offended by the inclusion of aliens in
Crystal Skull, feeling that it wasnt in keeping with the tone and subject matter of the originals. But lets be honest the plots of the original trilogy were pretty damn silly. They were refined compilations of even sillier B-movies from Lucas and Spielbergs childhood, cobbled together with cutting-edge action and good humour. Part of the charm of the original trilogy is how light they are on their feet: they know theyre silly and so work hard to keep us entertained even if we dont exactly follow whats going on. Theres nothing wrong with being knowingly silly, and
Crystal Skull is no exception. The idea of aliens having influence in human civilisations, borrowed from
2001 and the writings of Erich von Daniken, is every bit as ridiculous as looking for the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or a series of magic stones. In the end they are macguffins: theyre not of tantamount importance, since theyre a means to character development. While the execution might not be to everyones liking, the idea is drawn from the same well of borderline absurdity as all the other plots. And speaking of borderline absurdity