Many people reviewing this movie seem to suffer from "Star Wars Syndrome" -- in other words, the originals were beyond reproach and the new ones were so woefully bad that a team of chimps could have written better stories. In fact, ANYONE could have done better! Nothing good about the new movies - not one thing.

But the ORIGINALS -- why, they were written, directed and produced by God himself, so flawless were they! It's amazing how Lucas was able to pull off three flawless Star Wars films (with the possible exception of Ewoks), and yet he can do nothing right today.

And so it goes with Indiana Jones. Blah, blah, blah.

People have criticized the plot device in this movie. They can't quite come to terms with such a "supernatural element." But the original movies -- why, they were just fine! The opening of the ark? The worship service in the Temple of Doom (removing beating hearts, anyone)? The healing power of the Holy Grail? No problem. In fact, we see it every day. But ALIENS -- can't quite stomach that, even though they were all over pop culture in the fifties and fit in well with the period.

This movie, instead of just making stuff up, follows the structure of the first three films. It incorporates many supernatural elements with which we are acquainted-- crystal skulls, UFOs, Nazca lines in Peru, Area 51, and even the legendary El Dorado. Everything fits in nicely, though the plot is a bit more convoluted than the first three films.

When did so many people stop enjoying movies and resort to being so critical? I imagine if this had been the first breakthrough movie, made in 1981, and "Raiders" was the new 2008 film, it would be criticized beyond reason:

"'Raiders' is just more of the same. The plot was non-existent; Indy had to find a headpiece that would point him to the location of the ark by using the sun's rays. For some reason he's able to simply escape from an underground chamber full of CGI snakes after being sealed up, ostensibly for all eternity. At one point Indy goes underneath a truck going 50 mph and gets back on to fight! And at the end of the movie all credibility was lost when they opened the ark and the bad guys were destroyed -- what a cop-out! Aside from the relationship between Indy and Marion, the characters were poorly-drawn, one-dimensional caricatures -- especially the cartoon Nazis. Lucas has lost it and Spielberg has seen better days."

You see?

In fact, before this movie was released I asked a friend if he was planning to see it. The reply: "I don't think so. Been there, done that." As if, after nearly twenty years, one more movie was just too much to handle. Amazing! This same person probably hasn't missed a single Bond movie in the same twenty years (talk about "been there, done that")!

Take the criticisms with a grain of salt. This movie was made for one reason -- public demand. There are four elements that make a good Indiana Jones movie: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford and John Williams. Lucas's plot is better than anything I -- or any of the other critics -- could have plausibly come up with. Spielberg's direction is great (though not spectacular, as in "Raiders"). Harrison Ford is fantastically fit -- in fact, were it not for the grey hair, he hardly looks much older than he did during "Last Crusade." And John Williams's eerie score is excellent as always. This movie fits in well, in tone and in feel, with the other movies and is a worthy successor. Is it as good? I'd say it's at least as good or better than "Temple of Doom." But that's the point -- it doesn't have to be -- it's its own movie, designed to entertain and nothing more.

This movie was thoroughly entertaining to me; I'm glad I can still enjoy movies without being overly critical. I recognize it for what it is -- just a fun movie. That's all it is. Not the Second Coming.

See this movie. Enjoy. Welcome back, Indiana Jones!

Alright, so I've heard so many people complain about this movie that I've decided to write my own opinion on the matter. First of all, people felt the CGI was used way too much for this movie. Granted, the monkeys swinging from the vines scene was a bit too cartoonish, and could have been left on the cutting room floor. Regardless, I thought it was used appropriately, compared to many other movies today which rely so heavily on it. Watch the special features and you'll see Harrison Ford doing a majority of the foot work in this film. Even Spielberg noted that if Ford had an odometer, the mileage for this film would be greater then all the other ones.

The one complaint that I absolutely cannot and will not hear or accept is that this Indy flick is "way too unrealistic", saying that the aliens have no place in an Indiana Jones film. WHAT!?! Are you joking? Listen, what's more plausible: Me ripping your heart out while it simultaneously combusts or opening a box that releases ghosts that melt your face off? Oh, you say neither one is plausible? Wow, that's funny.....cause I swear that's what was in the previous Indy films. The fact that it's unbelievable and ridiculous makes this a fitting addition to the Indy franchise. I love the fridge scene just as much as I like the face melting scene from Raiders. Don't look at the ghost and you'll be okay. Stay in the fridge and you won't be nuked. I see no difference.

Entertaining film and would love to see another. There I said it.

Harrison Fords does an outstanding job in this fourth (final?) episode of the series. This is a captivating film from start to finish. It won this viewer immediately with the breath-taking cinematography of the Nevada desert landscape. Also highly appealing were the teenagers driving down a lonely Nevada road, with the radio on full blast playing an Elvis tune. They challenged the lead car of an Army convoy to a race, little did anyone realize what was soon to transpire. At the checkpoint, the convoy soldiers murder the guards. Russian soldiers and their leader infiltrated a secret storage facility hidden in the Nevada desert. There, Indiana Jones and a former British MI6 agent were prisoners, forced to locate a treasure they had discovered about 15 years ago ... It turns out, the Russian leader Dr. Irina Spalko (played exquisitely by Cate Blanchett) was a scientist who was involved in mind research and needed the Crystal Skull which was purported to have secret powers. I loved the ingenious technique by which Indy found the chest which contained a mummy from Peru with a disfigured skull. It verified something of great importance to the Russian scientist ...

Next, Indy is interrogated by the CIA for his association with the British Agent who turns out to be a spy working for the Soviets. The CIA pressures Marshall College to fire Indy who instead is given a leave of absence based on a deal made by the President of the college with the Board. On leave, Dr. Henry Jones Jr (Indiana Jones) plans to teach in the UK where he has connections. On his way out of town, he is tracked down by a rebellious teenager named Mutt who has a personal letter from someone very well known to Indy, a UK archeaolgist who disappeared on an excavation in Peru. I loved the fight scene in the cafe which was deviously initiated by Mutt to allude the Soviet Agents. Mutt needs Indy's help to locate the missing professor and Mutt's mother, both of whom disappeared while on search of the Crystal Skull ...

Indiana Jones and Mutt fly to Peru where they dig through the tombs of Spanish Conquistadors to locate clues. The Soviet soldiers and Dr. Irina Spalko are hot on their tails. Naturally, Indy and Mutt free the professor and Mutt's mother from their captors. The jungle chase scenes and the Amazon River escape with the two falls, were particularly enjoyable. High accolades and loud praise to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas who outdid themselves with a spectacular ending. The special effects and cinematography associated with the temple at Akator were inspirational. The ending was dynamic and jaw-dropping. This entire sequel was filled with superb creativity and amazing craftsmanship ...Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

The first disc starts off with "The Return of a Legend." With the final shot of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Special Edition), Steven Spielberg assumed that he was done with Indiana Jones but five years ago fans started asking about another film. It was Harrison Ford who expressed an interest in revisiting the character and kept after George Lucas and Spielberg. This featurette takes a look at how this new film came together.

"Pre-Production" examines the preparation and planning that went into the project. Spielberg wanted to maintain the same look as the previous films. We see Ford getting outfitted with his iconic gear while Shia LeBeouf says that Spielberg gave him three films from the 1950s to study in order to get a handle on the time period that the film takes place.

The second disc starts off with the impressive "Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." It is broken down into six featurettes or can be viewed all together for a feature-length look at principal photography: from the first day to the final one. For Spielberg it felt like no time had passed between films. This is a detailed look at shooting in key locations of the film: New Mexico, Connecticut, Hawaii, and four soundstages in Los Angeles. There is plenty of on-location/on the set footage as we see Spielberg and co. at work.

"Warrior Makeup" takes a look at the make-up job done on the warriors that guard the temple that houses the Crystal Skulls.

"The Crystal Skulls" examines the legend behind them and the mystery of how they were made. Stan Winston and his team created the props for the film and we see how they were constructed.

"Iconic Props" takes a look at some of the gear used in the film - who uses it, when its used, and its source.

"The Effects of Indy" examines the digital photography and matte paintings done in the film. We see the scenes that were enhanced by CGI and how the final product was achieved.

"Adventures in Post-Production" takes a look at editing phase. Spielberg shot and edited on film, the latter of which is rare nowadays. Editor Michael Kahn talk about the challenge of working on this film while Ben Burtt shows how he created some of the sounds used in the film.

"Closing: Team Indy" is a brief montage that pays tribute to the cast and crew of the film.

"Pre-Visualization Sequences" features the rough, CGI footage for three seqeunces from the film that gave the filmmakers an early look at what they would look like.

Also included are five galleries of artwork, production stills and behind-the-scenes photographs.

Finally, there are three trailers.

I'm not going to waste my time defending this film to everyone who didn't like it. It's not really everyone's thing (especially in these modern times) and I can respect that.

However, I thought this movie was alot of fun with dialogue that ranges from cheesy to hammy (keeping in tune with the previous three films). There are a few moments which felt a bit off-beat and dated (and a bit forced), but none if it memorable enough to make me stop watching. The films's not very realistic, but was anyone actually expecting it to be?

The special effects are terrific and while the revelation at the end of the film might seem a bit out of place for some people, I felt it fit right in tune with the energy and imagination of this movie.

This film was a fun adventure that sets out to entertain and accomplishes just that.