Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Written by: David Koepp, George Lucas

Rated: PG-13

Release Date: May 22nd, 2008

Early on in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Mutt Williams (LeBeouf) asks Indiana Jones (Ford), “Whaddya, like 80 years old?” As humorous as the line was, it had me thinking: Just how old is Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford, and will he break a hip at some point in the movie? Even though I knew Ford wouldn’t be falling without being able to get up at any point during the movie, I was surprised that at 64 years old and with 19 years between “Indiana Jones” flicks that the cast and director would want to come back for one last run. IJatKotCS (even the acronym version of the title is lengthy) fares decently well as a summer escapist flick, but like many summer tentpole movies, it has its flaws on its way to a generally entertaining movie.

At the start, it's 1957 and we're in the midst of the first phase of the Cold War, Jones is kidnapped by KGB soldiers and Stalin adoring army member and so-called psychic Irina Spalko (Blanchett), trying to unlock the mystery behind Area 51. Mayhem ensues and Jones escapes and is approached by Mutt about the whereabouts of his mother and family friend, Professor Oxley (John Hurt). Jones realizes that the missing persons and the crystal skull everyone is looking for are all intertwined, which leads Mutt and Jones into South American jungle to unlock the mystery behind the City of Gold. Meanwhile, Spalko and the rest of the Russians are looking for the crystal skulls because they believe it can lead to mind control over Americans and the rest of the world.

A monkey wrench gets thrown into the situation as Mutt’s mother is no other than Indy’s former girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, her first role in who knows how long). This adds another subplot to the movie that I can't reveal but you probably already know where this is going anyway. Together, they all take on the Russians to stop their quest for domination.

Crystal Skull works best when it returns to the quirks that made the franchise so successful; Ford’s bumbling take on Indiana Jones and the adventure involved along the way. After staying out of the public light for the past few years, Ford does Jones justice when he is not trying to pull off an out of his reach action scene. At 64, his dry wit is far more appealing than swinging his whip and trying to punch out soldiers far bigger. Ford is not afraid to let the script take a swipe at his age, but less action scenes on his part would have made the film more believable. His chemistry with Allen is still good after nearly 30 years and you can tell where the ending is heading about halfway in.

Cate Blanchett does fine with the somewhat underwritten backstory behind her character and seems to be having a good time with the role, even though her casting seems a bit out of place for a big summertime action movie. She pulls off playing the almost dominatrix like Spalko with going over the edge with it. However, I am not convinced that Shia LeBeouf is the next Tom Hanks, like magazines have said in the past. Along with Speed Racer’s Emile Hirsch, the two come off as comical in trying to be badasses and should probably consider other types of roles. One can already hear the critics sharpening their knives at certain elements of the movie and ripping it to shreds. Some moans could be heard at the ending of the movie, but sometimes filmmakers are simply looking for a crowd pleaser, not necessarily to be gushed over by critics. Such is the path taken to the ending of Crystal Skull. Even though the movie has some flaws and is uneven at times, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a fun and whimsical throwback to adventure movies of the good old days.