Harrison Ford addresses the backlash to ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’

Indiana Jones has been a part of the cultural zeitgeist for more than 40 years, and throughout Indy’s action-packed adventures, plenty of people have weighed in on which is their favorite. Yet our beloved Dr. Jones would nothing without Harrison Ford, an entertainment icon who needs no introduction.

With four Indiana Jones films behind us, and a fifth squarely on the horizon — one installment in particular has always seemed to be the black sheep of the family. We’re talking about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Critically panned upon release, this movie didn’t seem to sit well with anyone. Still, 2008 was a long time ago, and Harrison Ford has never really had time to care about what others think.

While sitting down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his illustrious career, Ford finally addressed the criticisms surrounding Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with an introspection seldom seen in show business.

“No. I mean, (the critics) were harsh on it, but what are they doing now? I understand. But those were their rules — not (director Steven Spielberg’s and co-writer George Lucas’) rules. They were imposing their rules on what the movie should be. I don’t feel it’s necessary to address those issues. I think that everyone has a right to their opinion. The film was not as successful as we wanted it to be, perhaps. But it didn’t create an attitude or a behavior that carried over into this film.”

It’s true that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t live up to expectations, but think about the movies it had to compete with.

There’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is literally a perfect movie. Up next is Temple of Doom. Sure it’s is a tad witchy, and a little too subterranean, but it’s passable. The film’s opening sequence is perhaps the best in the franchise, and how could we forget Ke Huy Quan’s turn as the incomparable Short Round? Finally we’ve got The Last Crusade, an incredible bookend to a well earned trilogy, this movie also gave fans profound insight into Indiana Jones’s compelling past. Oh, and Sean Connery is there too.

Now that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has been pegged for a June. 30 release, we won’t have to wait long to see ‘ole Indy back in the saddle. Until then, we’ll be trying not to get the theme song stuck in our heads.