Lost in Translation

While in Italy last week, I had the strange experience of watching a dubbed version of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
I wanted to see it back home but I was very curious, even though I only know the Italian for 'please', 'thankyou' and 'can I have a chocolate ice cream please?'
And anyway its a family film and I was with two thirds of my family, plus it was a 'treat' for my dad, a left-winger with a hatred of cartoon violence and a love for the Russians.
Luckily, you don't really need to listen to the dialogue to get such an action-packed film.
Proving he still 'has it,' this latest offering starts with old 'Arry leaping from box to box at an old warehouse to try and get a precious aztec artefact from bad Russian Cate Blanchet (whose accent was still Russian even in Italian -wierd!)
It gets very silly quite quickly, with our main man hiding in a fridge to escape an explosion and even riding on the back of a bike through a university library, before it gets even sillier than a dog wearing a clown outfit when the action moves to South America.
But then that's what Indiana Jones is all about.
Sadly, I don't think this fourth installment could be called a modern classic, unlike the other three.
The frontman still has the charisma but lacks part of the Indiana charm as he's stopped smiling as much and his new sidekick, played by Shia LeBoeuf, is miscast as the rebelious Teddy Boy who may end up inheriting the signature hat.
But the biggest let-down from Mr Spielberg can be summed up in two words - if you've seen it you know what I'm talking about.
Aliens Eh
I just can't shake the feeling that I've missed something in the translation though.
Maybe it will be much better in English.