Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) on Netflix
PG-1320082h 2mActionAdventureFantasy
In 1957, Soviet agents hunt a crystal skull. Archaeologist Indiana Jones is pulled into the search when a young greaser, Mutt Williams, brings a coded message from a missing colleague.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.2/10517,983 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes77%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1957, Soviet agents led by Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko seize the archaeologist Indiana Jones and George "Mac" McHale, his partner, and take them into Hangar 51 in Nevada, where they want his help in locating a mummified alien body tied to the Roswell incident. Jones gets away, reaching a mock town on the Nevada Test Site, and survives an atomic blast by climbing into a lead-lined refrigerator. The FBI then questions him, and at Marshall College he is told he must take an indefinite leave of absence. A young greaser, Mutt Williams, arrives with a coded message from Harold Oxley, a colleague who went missing after finding a crystal skull in Peru while hunting the mythical city of Akator. Soviet agents try to grab the two of them, and Jones and Mutt set off for Peru.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Disappointed fans coined the term 'nuking the fridge', the moment a franchise turns absurd, from the scene where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator; Time put the phrase at No. 5 on its 2008 list of top ten buzzwords.
- While filming a scene in which Indiana Jones drives a truck through crates, a timed explosive failed to detonate and landed in the seat beside Harrison Ford; it did not go off and he was not injured.
- Sean Connery turned down an offer to cameo as Henry Jones Sr. because he found retirement too enjoyable; George Lucas said in hindsight it was good, since briefly appearing would disappoint audiences when the character did not join the adventure.
- Russian actor Dimitri Diatchenko bulked up to 250 pounds to play Spalko's right-hand man Dimitri, a role originally set for ten days of filming; when Harrison Ford accidentally hit his chin during the fight, Steven Spielberg liked his reaction and expanded the part to three months.
- The Communist Party of the Russian Federation called for a ban on the film, accusing its makers of demonizing the Soviet Union; Steven Spielberg responded that setting the story in 1957 left no choice but to make the Russians the enemies, since the Cold War had begun.
- In late 2012, Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize, sued Lucasfilm, Disney and Paramount on behalf of Belize over the film's use of the Mitchell-Hedges skull's likeness, arguing the skull had been stolen from his country if it was found there and the defendants profited from it.
- An approaching hurricane stopped Steven Spielberg from shooting a fight at a waterfall, so he sent the second unit to film Brazil's and Argentina's Iguazu Waterfalls; those shots were digitally combined into the fight, which was shot at the Universal backlot.
- Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing, attributed the campaign to nineteen years since the last film and a pent-up demand for everything Indy; Paramount spent at least $150 million to promote the film, where most film promotions range from $70 to 100 million.
