Title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp
Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, John Hurt
Rating: PG-13

Chances are you already know if you'll like "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" just by asking yourself, "Do I still enjoy watching the other Indiana Jones movies?" It's been 19 years since Indiana Jones literally rode off into the sunset at the close of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and our well-dusted hero, now Colonel Jones after an off-screen stint in World War II, bears the brunt of those years.

Very little is done to hide Harrison Ford's age - his hair remains gray and his face carries the lines of a life well lived - which is fine since "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" takes place exactly 19 years after "Last Crusade" was set. Yes, Indy has aged and seen much during his time away from us but he can still throw a punch and crack the whip as well as ever. "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is a terrific update to the series, and if adventure has a name, then it still must be Indiana Jones.

When the movie opens there's some initial awkwardness; like meeting once close friends after a long absence. It's the desert in 1957 and Elvis is playing on the radio of a Deuce Coupe full of teeny boppers straight out of Lucas's "American Graffiti." If not for the Paramount logo dissolving into a mountain - or in this case a gopher mound, a nice metaphor for the filmmaker's intent versus the audience's expectation - you might think you were in the wrong theater.

Even minutes later when Indy and his cohort Mac, played by Ray Winstone, are dragged out of the trunk of a car by menacing ruskies and threatened at gunpoint things feel a bit off. But slowly as you grow accustomed to the older Indiana Jones it starts to fall into place. The setting has turned from Nazis and the adventure serials of the 1930s to the Red Scare and the science fiction of the 1950s. It's still Indiana Jones as we've always known him but he's older and a tad wiser.

Cate Blanchett and Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

This is where I'd normally talk about the story but by doing so I could get into spoiler territory. So I'm just going to skip it all together. Part of the fun of this movie is watching an Indiana Jones film where you don't know what will happen next and it's been a long time since many of us have had that opportunity. I'll say that I enjoyed the story and felt that even though it's new territory for Indiana Jones it still feels like something he'd be a part of. There are still plenty of dusty tombs, skeletons and death traps to keep Indy jumping.

Indiana Jones films are always built around a quest for a "thing" and a series of action set pieces. "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" fulfills those requirements with plenty left over. In this current climate of whiz-bang special effects and superhero battles it can be difficult to keep audiences interested in old fashioned fist fights and car chases but Spielberg is nothing if not a craftsmen of escalating action and tension.

The action is certainly bigger than previous Indy films but it never feels too much. Spielberg tests the audience and their willingness to come along for the ride while also preserving that "Indiana Jones" feeling. He updates the action with more dynamic camera work than we've seen used for Indy before but it doesn't approach the "Bourne" horizon. Instead of quick-cut editing and chaos he uses elegant movement and well-staged action.

I'm going to get a tad negative here but keep in mind these criticisms come from a place of love. These flaws don't ruin the experience at all, instead they feel like too much fat on a really great steak. Where the movie falters is in the new character department. There are too many new characters thrown at the audience that aren't written well enough to establish themselves. Once the movie starts down the backstretch of the third act Indy is carrying around four other people with him; three of which are new to the series. Karen Allen is the known face returning as Marion Ravenwood but even her portrayal recalls very little of the brunette bruiser from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." I was as excited as everyone else when Spielberg announced Marion's return for "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" but she didn't bring the fire I expected.

Ray Winstone playing Mac McHale and John Hurt as Professor Oxley are two of the newcomers to the series. Unfortunately the two characters are perfectly useless. They each act as plot devices solely to push the characters in certain directions adding zero chemistry to the ensemble. Winstone plays the standard, scheming, treasure-grabbing toadie but without the wit or charm that Kevin J. O'Connor brought to that same part in 1999's "The Mummy." Hurt's character is a riddle-mumbling half-wit who could have easily been replaced by another Grail diary.

The final trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

The new faces of merit are sidekick Mutt Williams played by Shia LaBeouf and red army villainess Irina Spalko played by Cate Blanchett. LaBeouf's Williams is no replacement for John Rhys-Davies' Sallah from "Raiders" and "Last Crusade," but he's a nice young face for Indy to bounce dialog off of. Blanchett's Spalko doesn't have the history with Indy that Belloq did or carry the threat of Mola Ram but she's the right villain for this story.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is not just a great movie it's a great time at the movies. It reminds us why we loved Indiana Jones in the first place. "Kingdom" harkens back to the days before "Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Lord of the Rings" when the heroes were no more than human but no less "super."

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