Another commendable thing about the movie is that it does not lazily rely on CGI for most of its action scenes. Ford and the rest of the cast did most of their own stunts, making it easy to suspend your disbelief when they tear through Indy's college on a motorcycle or duel Russians on a pair of moving vehicles. Most of the CGI sequences in the film, in fact, are so jarring and unnecessary that the movie could have been improved had they been left on the cutting-room floor. In one particularly cheesy scene that could have been lifted out of King Kong, Indy and co. are menaced by a swarm of computer-generated ants. Though the ants were well-rendered, the scene still came off as artificial. Why not bring back the live snakes, rats, and tarantulas that gave the first three films so much texture?

The movie also looks good, especially in its first hour, when Spielberg lovingly evokes the early 60's. There's a soda shop and there are greasers in black leather jackets and teens joyride in an old jalopy as "Hound Dog" plays on the soundtrack. Spielberg even mocks his own perfectionistic recreation of the 60's in one weird and enjoyable scene that I can't reveal any more about.

That said, the film is probably the weakest of the franchise, and contains several scenes that smack too much of today's Hollywood. One ludicrous attempt to turn Mutt into Classic Indy leaps to mind, as does the film's last scene, which is far too calculated and crowd-pleasing. More disappointing is the way it lacks resonance. The religious overtones of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade lifted them out of the sphere of mere action movies. In them, Indy became an unknowing Christian soldier. Who can forget him making the "leap of faith" on his way to the Grail, stepping into that chasm to have a path of solid rock beneath his feet? Even The Temple of Doom had deeper implicatons: it was racist, to be sure, but its imperialistic subtext gave the mind something to chew on.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, on the other hand, makes some gestures towards McCarthyism and "homeland security," but these themes drop out of the movie early on. Its Russians might as well be generic Bond villains: their motivation for seeking the crystal skull is vague and quickly dispensed with. The entertaining fantasy archaeology of the original films becomes perfunctory here: instead of feeling like we're solving a mystery alongside Indy, here we're watching him quickly dispense with clues so he can get to the next action sequences. And the plot leans more towards sci-fi than the earlier films, eventually tipping over into National Enquirer territory.

What The Crystal Skull is really interested in is making sure Indy fans stay satisfied. Everything moviegoers associate with the character is touched upon. Indy's fear of snakes? Check. Resolution of his relationship with Marion? Check. That iconic silhouette, complete with hat and whip? Check, and check. The movie seems intent on giving fans closure, and in that regard it succeeds admirably. It's also a fun, exciting movie, and, while it doesn't achieve classic stature, it will let you leave the theatre feeling satisfied.