WRITER’S NOTE: This review was written back in 2008.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is another in a long line of films listed as the most eagerly awaited in cinema history. However, what the “Star Wars” prequels and “The Matrix” sequels taught us, whatever you thought of them, is that the expectation of something tends to be far more exciting than the finished product. This always works against movies like these because we are just so excited about sitting down to see them, and we have images of what we would like to be inside our head, but they never quite meet our expectations. Ever since I saw “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” I have done my best to keep my expectations in check. It is far too easy to be disappointed by a movie you wait impatiently for. I came into this latest Indiana Jones adventure just wanting to have a good time, and you know what? That’s exactly what I got.

This Indiana Jones cinematic installment is not without its flaws, and this is typically the case with all the sequels in this franchise. The screenplay at times is a bit convoluted, and it’s a little hard to figure out what the whole deal with the crystal skull is (a second viewing may end up rectifying that). It’s not the equal of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” but expecting it to be an instant classic is ridiculous. The first adventure of Dr. Jones is such a favorite of moviegoers everywhere, and it has since been held so far up in the pantheon of cinema to where it is impossible to beat it in terms of its entertainment value and freshness. For myself, just seeing Harrison Ford put on that fedora one more time was more than enough for me.

“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” moves Indiana Jones to the 1950’s. The Nazis are all gone (or so we thought), and in their place are the Russians, the villain of choice back in the day. Indy and his pal ‘Mac’ George McHale (Ray Winstone) have been captured by them and taken over to Area 51 in New Mexico, the warehouse where the United States government hides all the things it wants no one to see. This leads to the first big action sequence which gets things off to a rousing start. While the circumstances might seem a bit ridiculous, these movies deal with death-defying actions and situations which do not instantly lend themselves to reality, and these are stories which take a place in a reality somewhat removed from our own.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. (his real name as we learned it from “The Last Crusade”) still teaches archaeology courses, but he soon finds himself dismissed as he is under suspicion of being a Communist. Back in the days of the Joseph McCarthy era, you were guilty until proven innocent. Time has certainly passed by for Indy and his university friend Dean Charles Stanforth (Jim Broadbent), and they have both lost friends over the years like Indy’s father and Marcus Brody (played by the late Denholm Elliott, who is appropriately acknowledged here years after his death). But just as Indy heads off to go around the world, he is visited by Mutt Williams, a 1950’s greaser played by Shia LeBeouf. Mutt informs Indiana his mother has been kidnapped and needs his help to get to the Crystal Skull of this film’s title.

The Russians are led by Irina Spalko, and she is played with utter relish by Cate Blanchett. Irina is a cold, steely Russian whose interest in psychic powers and education proves to be more dangerous than anyone can quickly realize. Like all the villains in this franchise, she lusts for ultimate power and is determined to get it at any cost. Of course, her lust and greed will lead to her eventual undoing. You know how these movies go, and while Irina may not be the greatest villain in this franchise, she is still a formidable foe as embodied by Blanchett, one of many actresses out there who can play just about anybody.

“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” does feature great stunts which, even if they are not entirely believable, still generate a good deal of excitement. Some are ridiculously over the top, like Shia’s character swinging along vines with the monkeys. But then again, not everything in this movie is meant to be completely believable. Spielberg said he would not rely so much on CGI effects in this movie, but you do notice them when you see them, and it does take away from the action a little. In the end though, the movie keeps up at a pace which never lets you catch your breath.

When this film was first announced, many said Ford was just too damn old to play this or any other role in your average action film. Frankly, I am sick of all this talk about any actor or actress who is at the AARP age level. Ford certainly doesn’t look his age (who does these days?), and he still handles the action scenes with a supreme gusto which proved how serious he is about staying in shape. No one will ever surpass Ford in this iconic role, and I would hate to see anyone else try.

But one of the greatest moves which Spielberg and Lucas did here was bring back Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Indiana’s love from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It is so great to see her again as she matches wits with Indiana at every step of the way. Marion also turns out to be Mutt’s mother, and this leads to other revelations ehich I invite you to see for yourself. There is a line of dialogue where Marion and Indy are in the back of a truck trying to escape, and she asks Indy why his other relationships didn’t last, and Indy says:

“Because they weren’t you, Marion.”

This points the obvious of how the other heroines of these movies didn’t even come close to matching the wonderful presence of Marion, and Allen continues to be such an immensely engaging presence in this and other movies she is in. Her character is not a whiny pain in the neck like Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) in “Temple of Doom,” nor is she the underwritten cold-blooded character played by Allison Doody in “The Last Crusade.” It is clear that everyone involved knew that they could do no worse than to bring Allen back. I am very glad that they did.

The big surprise I got from this movie was the performance of Shia LeBeouf. I expected him to be an annoying sidekick a la Short Round from “Temple of Doom,” and essentially give the same annoying performance he gave us in “Transformers.” But this was not the case as he perfectly slipped into the mold of a 1950’s greaser out to save his mother. He matches wits well with Ford as they journey to other countries on a search and rescue mission. Thus, we get another one of those scenes where we see a map and a red line showing where our heroes are going, silhouetted against the planes and other transportation they use to get to their final destination. LaBeouf is very good here, even if he does end up on the verge of some Wesley Crusher-like moments.

Ray Winstone is also very good, as he is in everything else he does. At first, I started to wonder if his character was necessary, and if was basically just there as a foil for both Indy and the plot. Winstone’s performance, however, helps to make some of the more implausible moments in more believable as he sucks us into what his character wants, and he convinces us of this as much as he does Indiana Jones.

I have to give the filmmakers some credit as they took their iconic hero and placed him in another period of time. Having Dr. Jones go up against the Russians showed that at least the filmmakers were trying something a little bit different instead of just giving us the same old thing. There are a lot of moments where Spielberg and Lucas pay homage to the earlier Indy movies as well as to other Spielberg movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” There is a big science-fiction/B-movie element to this one in particular, something the previous installments would have never gone near, but these movies have always indulged in the world of fantasies be it real or imagined, so why not deal with extra-terrestrials?

There is actually a surprising lack of snakes in this sequel, but one does make a memorable cameo appearance. The main animals to fear here are red ants who, even in their CGI form, are terrifying man and woman eaters. We even worry about them devouring the bad guys. Even if the angry red ants do look a bit fake, they still left me unnerved like all the dangerous animals in an Indiana Jones do.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is by no means a perfect movie, but then again, we should never have expected it to be. None of the sequels in this series were perfect either, but whatever flaws they had were eventually redeemed by their entertainment factor which was far above most other blockbusters overcrowding the local multiplex. The only movie in this franchise that has any right to be called perfect is “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and nothing is ever going to top that. Ever.

I would probably rate this particular sequel just right above “Temple of Doom.” While that one may have been a little more entertaining, it also had a first half and characters that drove me up the wall. It doesn’t have the same amount of heart and character as “Raiders” or “The Last Crusade,” but these characters still remain true to their origins and they keep us engaged in the action. And yes, I had no problem with the “nuke the fridge” scene.

In terms of the summer movies released thus far, “Iron Man” is still the movie to beat. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is not quite as good, but “Iron Man” is a strong movie for more or less the same reasons “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was when it was first released. They both brought a freshness and energy to their genres which had become somewhat dormant, and they were created by filmmakers who cared about the stories and the characters involved. “Iron Man” will eventually lead to a number of sequels, most of which will probably not hold a candle to the original. While we want some of the same old stuff, we also want something new which brings a fresh edge to what we saw before. With the latest adventure of Indiana Jones, it was business as usual, but that was more than enough for me.

And stop telling me that Harrison Ford is too old to be doing movies like this because, quite frankly, I don’t give a shit!

* * * ½ out of * * * *