Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, John Hurt) — Steven Spielberg and George Lucas teamed up to create the Indiana franchise in 1981. For more than 18 years, they and star Harrison Ford thought about adding a fourth film to the trilogy, but they all had bigger things to do. Together, the ages of the director, writer/producer and star total 190 years of age. In the last film, they introduced Indy’s father, played by the venerable James Bond, I mean Sean Connery. For the newest edition, we get to meet Indy’s son, Mutt, played by hot young star Shia LaBeouf (Greatest Game Ever Played, Disturbia), who joins dad in searching for the Crystal Skull. Mom turns out to be Marion Ravenswood, the heroine of Raiders of the Lost Ark, reprised by Karen Allen, her first film in the 27 years since Ark). Spielberg and Lucas’ formula always included the search for an almost mystical object (e.g., the Holy Grail) that provided the passion and the financial prize to which archaeologist-hero Jones was drawn. The formula always included a ruthless, relentless enemy (e.g., Nazis). So this time, we are set in the Cold War 1950s, pitting Indy and crew against evil Russian Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett, the best actress of her generation but wasted here. Everything else is standard Indiana Jones action. On the good size, Ford handles the action role far better here than he did in Firewall; the dialogue is first-rate, wry, and tongue-in-cheek; and the action is plentiful. On the disappointing side, the film goes over the line in terms of action scenes (young Mutt’s straddling two Jeeps is silly); its sci-fi flavor derails the plot line; and it plays like National Treasure (which was clearly stealing the Indiana Jones formula). The film is very well-paced. It is beautifully directed. And, like Rocky Balboa, it is consistent with a beloved franchise. If the movie were a stand-alone, it wouldn’t have made a splash. But as a sequel to a sequel to a sequel, it’s a box-office smash.