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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull rightfully deserves a place among the rest of the Indiana Jones trilogy. It may be more Temple of Doom than Raiders or Crusade (which isn't a bad thing, I really like Temple of Doom), but this is still the same ol' Dr. Jones that we all know and love. He may be a bit older, but he still knows the meaning of the word adventure. In a summer when National Treasure 2 is releasing on DVD and The Mummy 3 is coming out in theaters, Crystal Skull reminds us why everyone else will forever be mere imitators of the original.

Any time you have an entry into a franchise almost twenty years after that franchise "concluded," it's going to be impossible to live up to the anticipation and expectation of the fans. No matter what, some fans are going to be disappointed with this new Indiana Jones. Still, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have done a commendable job of doing exactly what they set out to do: make another Indiana Jones film. That means this movie really isn't radically different from the other three; it hits all of the same beats, follows the same formula, and basically doesn't mess with success.

The fact that it is so similar may leave some feeling like it's just going through the motions. I say that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford realized that if they changed things up too much and didn't remain true to the series, this really wouldn't be an Indiana Jones story; so it may be familiar, but that's a good thing and I say it's still a whole lot of thrilling fun.

Make no mistake, however, this is Indiana Jones in a different era. Spielberg drives home this point in the first twenty minutes in a couple ways. First, he starts the movie with none other than Elvis Presley singing "Hound Dog" (something that caused me to instantly fall in love with this movie), and reminds us that there was a time when the Red Scare and paranoia were very prominent in America. Second, Spielberg gives us an iconic silhouette of Indiana Jones with a giant mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast in the background. It's a hauntingly beautiful scene and does an excellent job of establishing the fact that Dr. Jones is in a different era from the first three films.

There's been a lot of questions about whether or not Harrison Ford and an older Indiana Jones could still be as thrilling as he was in his younger days. In fact, I was one of the very skeptical fans who wasn't quite sure I wanted to see my hero as an older man. All my concerns, however, were laid to rest with the first punch Indy throws. Not only did it have that classic, over-the-top sound effect, but it also proved that even an older Indy still knows excitement and adventure. Harrison Ford still looks the part, and he definitely still knows how to play the part.

True, there are moments where you're pretty sure nobody, especially someone Indy's age, could endure what he goes through, but it's all in good fun and the best tradition of the Indy films (which, let's be honest, have never really been known for their realism). Nonetheless, Harrison Ford is and forever will be Indiana Jones. Granted he may be a slighty more grizzled, harder, embittered Indy this time out, but he hans't lost his punch or his sense of humor. It's good to have you back one more time, Indy.

I wish I could say the same for the rest of the cast, but unfortunately they're mostly there as plot devices. They're mainly used to give Dr. Jones something to do, something to play off, something to prompt his witty one-liners and something to help move the story forward. Shia LaBeouf escapes this problem for the most part, but his characterization is still pretty thin. However, he does a solid job with what he's given to do and holds his own quite nicely with Dr. Jones. In fact, I would say that their chemistry was enjoyable enough that I wouldn't mind seeing another adventure with LaBeouf in the main role and Harrison Ford's Indy playing a role similar to Sean Connery's role in The Last Crusade.

Still, the only real character in this film is Indy, and everyone else is merely a prop. That's especially unfortunate since Karen Allen makes a return as Marion. While it's fun to see her back, I wish she would have actually had something to do other than be "the love interest." Cate Blanchett does her best as the token villian, but she isn't the most memorable or even menacing villian Indy has faced. Don't get me wrong; the cast is solid and they do their best, but the fact remains that they're really just glorified scenery for Indy to interact with. Couple that with a very brisk pace, and this adventure doesn't have quite the same weight as the previous ones, but it's still a lot of fun.

On this adventure, the treasure Indy's seeking is a crystal skull (duh, you knew that from the title). What exactly this crystal skull really is, I leave to you to discover when you see the film for yourself. Suffice it to say, however, that treasure doesn't always mean the same thing to different people.

In fact, do you know what the greatest treasure in all the world really is? It's you. You are more precious than any treasure on the face of this planet. How do I know? Because God sent his one and only son to die on a cross and rise from the dead to pay the price for you. It cost God the life of his only son, and yet He loves you so much and treasures you so much He felt that price well worth it. The fact is there is nothing more valuable or treasured than your soul, and God has done everything to give your soul freedom and forgiveness. If you want, you can be like Indy and search the entire world for valuable treasures, but you'll never find anything as valuable as God's love for you.

There's a lot more I could say about this latest adventure with Indiana Jones, but I really feel that the less said the better. It's better for you to experience it for yourself. This isn't a perfect film; indeed, it has quite a few flaws, but it feels familiar and nostalgic while still feeling fresh and exciting. It combines a brilliant musical score from John Williams with subtle nods to the previous films and a few of the other films from Lucas and Spielberg. Spielberg still knows how to direct and craft exciting action sequences while balancing that with the series' trademark humor. Through and through, this is an Indiana Jones movie, nothing more and nothing less. Quite frankly, I couldn't be happier with that, and I think Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was well worth the wait.