The biggest strike against “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is that it comes 19 years after “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and within that waiting time anticipation levels are so high amongst fans, fans are going to initially dislike it. There’s no way Spielberg or Lucas can match what the fans have been fantasizing about. Lucas has been through this before with “Star Wars”. After a 15 year wait we got “Episode I-The Phantom Menace”. Expectations were high and were not met, causing a huge backlash against the prequel trilogy that it made the other two films unable to shrug off.

While “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is no “Episode I”, the 19 year wait hurts the film since then there have been numerous “Indiana Jones” clones. If this film came out say 6 years after “Last crusade” I think the Indy fans would be pleased, as is this film will split the fan base down the middle because it’s just an average adventure film.

Set coincidently enough 19 years after “Last Crusade”, Nazi are a thing of the past in the late 1950s and now the Red Scare has replaced them. KGB have kidnapped Indy and forced him to break into Area 51 to find this mythical crystal skull which is believed to harness telekinetic powers when brought together along with the other crystal skulls. The Soviets want it to use to corrupt our politicians and start a new weapon far superior to the H-Bomb we used on Japan. When Indy escapes he finds out that his old colleague has gone missing and it’s up to him to solve this mystery before the KGB do.

It’s an interesting set up to an older Indy, bringing the Red Scare up to the forefront, but it serves little to the overall story arc. The film begins rather clumsy; it feels vastly contrived and overly-scripted. These opening 15 minutes is challenge the hardcore Indy fans patience as it feels to glossy and there are numerous elements that will have you eyes rolling. Out of all of the Indy films, this one feels more like Lucas than Spielberg. Lucas’ obsession with the 1950 is quickly apparent from the opening drag race and the “West Side Story” bit late on in the opening third of the film. His ability to add oddball comic elements are here to with the Indiana Jones’ version of Jar Jar Binks-a couple of prairie dogs. They show up timely enough to witness Indy whizzing by or to laugh at his misfortune. They are horrible and it adds camp to the film.

By the time Indy goes to Peru, the film recaptures some lost magic from the franchise and becomes alive. Indy is best served and seen in tombs and caves, collecting clues and figuring out puzzles than escaping prairie dogs and nuclear bombs. From these scenes on, the film is highly enjoyable. Spielberg has no equal or imitators when it comes to action set pieces and that is apparent in the jungle sequence. It’s real and unforced, unlike the aforementioned opening, in which numerous co incidents help Indy out of a jam or serves as a crutch to a sloppy script.

If I had to pick the main reason “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” feels average is that the main McGuffin of the film just doesn’t belong in an Indiana Jones film. Roswell, aliens, and UFOs are all the rage back then, but this enters Indy into an extraterrestrial territory better left to sci-fi like the “X-Files” instead of an archeologist film. Indy works when he’s in caves or tombs like I’ve said before, instead of aliens. That’s not a spoiler people; the alien is seen in the poster. The ending is so unbelievable it really pushes an audience’s suspension of disbelief. I know this is coming from a series in which the Ark melts people’s faces, priests ripe out hearts, and a cup can keep someone immortal, but when you seen what happens it just sinks the film. If you take away the opening 15 minutes and the climax, the film would be better for it.

The very nature of anticipation is something that cannot be ignored. It’s unfair for high expectations to kill a film unfairly judged, something most fans will do, but you have to wonder how the film would be viewed if it came out a few years after the “Last Crusade”. It’s something we will never know, but you’d think it would be viewed in a better light.

Now the film isn’t without fun or highlights. Seeing Karen Allen back as Marion is a delight. She’s a perfect foil to Indy’s brainless antics. Their banter is priceless and sometimes heartfelt. When she says “Oh, I bet there’s been plenty of women since me”, Indy responses “Yeah, there’s been a few, but there was always a problem.” “What’s that”, she says. “None of them were you, honey.” An exchange like that is perfectly played and enhances their relationship. Together Allen and Ford haven’t missed a beat.

One of the biggest issues some fans sensed as the presence of Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams. Sometimes the presence of a kid is a smack of artistic desperation, but really Shia is fine. He handles the action well as in the fun and thrilling chase through the campus. He’s the butt of some jokes latter in the film but can quip back with some of his own. When he throws a line out to save Marion from quicksand, she escapes. When he throws Indy the lie, Indy gasps as the line isn’t a vine or branch but a very long snake. It’s the funniest thing in the film, which does feature some moments along with some non-funny ones.

Something must be left for you to witness but when it comes right down to it, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is an okay return. Hype and expectation withstanding, the film feels as if Spielberg was sleepwalking through it. There’s a scripted feel to the action at times, the look is a little washed out like some similar 50s era Spielberg films like “Catch Me If You Can” and it just doesn’t look right. The cinematographer is highly talented, just look at what he did in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, but he doesn’t know how to film an Indiana film. The look and film of this film is outside the previous trilogy.

While Cate Blanchett serves up a delicious villain the film’s main story arc cripples it from the feeling like Indy’s return is haphazard. When time goes on, this is likely to be the one in the series least watched; at times the CG and matte backgrounds are highly apparent, something the original trilogy didn’t have, hence the reason they are still watch able today. No doubt the copycats of Indy like the “Mummy” or “National reassure” franchise have worn some of the films mechanics on us, so the freshness is gone and some elements film tired. It’s no fault to a game Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and Ray Winstone, but Lucas’ bland humor, a hokey story arc, and aliens hinder Indy’s return. Instead of a rousing return to whip-cracking glory, it’s just an average summer film likely to be forgotten come a “Dark Knight”.