INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008), dir. Steven Spielberg

They’re back: Movie star Harrison Ford, director Steven Spielberg, and producer George Lucas return to their most recognizable creation. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull” represents the fourth outing of the globe-trotting archaeologist and adventurer, not to mention the first installment in nearly 20 years. This time around, both the series and its hero show their age, but even if Indy looks ready for retirement, he still has enough juice to carry this summer blockbuster past the finish line.

The movie takes place roughly 20 years after the events of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The Nazis no longer pose a threat; they’ve been replaced by the Cold War and McCarthyism, and the 50’s details include atomic testing as well. The film opens with Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., better known to his friends and enemies as Indiana, having been kidnapped and brought with an old war buddy named “Mac” (Ray Winstone) to a military storage facility in New Mexico, which happens to be called Area 51.

Their kidnappers are Soviet agents led by Dr. Irina Spalko (the wonderful Cate Blanchett, sporting an impressive accent and dominatrix-inspired outfit). With Jones’ grudging help, they locate a wooden box with magnetic properties, containing a corpse that seemingly looks of extraterrestrial origin.

Naturally, Jones manages to get himself out of this tight jam, dragging the Soviets through a nighttime chase which incorporates a jet thruster prototype and a mock suburb soon to be visited by Dr. Oppenheimer’s baby boy. However, his latest brush with death also brings him under governmental suspicion of collusion with the hated Russkies; Jones loses his job as a college professor, but on his way out of town, is approached by a teenager named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), who rides a motorcycle and dresses like Marlon Brando in “The Wild Ones.”

Mutt asks for Indiana’s help locating an ancient artifact called the Crystal Skull, setting off the obligatory chills and thrills associated with the Indiana Jones franchise: elaborate chase sequences; puzzles needing deciphering; encounters with poisonous creatures and unfriendly natives; wisecracking and fist-fighting. But there are also some unexpected developments, including the return of Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), a character last seen in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” who as it turns out, is the kid’s mother.

Of all Indy’s past leading ladies, Marian was always the gold standard by which the others were judged. But her return means more than just placating the fan base, it fits into the overall theme of the movie, which admittedly, gets somewhat muddled in David Koepp’s finished screenplay. Just as “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was about trying to live forever, this film is about how growing older makes you wiser on matters such as love, life, and fortune hunting. Indy’s eyes may glow a little less brightly in the face of a South American city made of gold, but he recognizes good fortune when Marian reappears, leading to one of the movie’s best lines delivered amidst a daring escape.

The movie could have used at least one more scene between Indy and Marian, not just to give her character needed depth, but to provide a break after yet another series of close calls. Overall, the breakneck speed of the film, which lacks the breath-catching moments of the series’ better installments, is one of many flaws keeping it from standing side-by-side with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Last Crusade.” Another problem is the overuse of computer-generated characters, something we’ve come to expect from the movies of Lucas and Spielberg. They might have taken a more “old school” approach, but at the same time, we might not have gotten quite so scary-looking an army of carnivorous ants that way.

Finally, although lots of Soviets are killed and things get blown up real good, the action sequences don’t feel on-par with Spielberg’s work when Indy was fighting the Nazis. But how could they? Perhaps fascist Germany was more ambitious in its attempts to dominate the globe than the Russians during the Cold War, and more likely to send a few hundred troops in pursuit of absolute power. Or maybe it’s just that Spielberg, who once admitted he enjoyed turning the Nazis into cartoonish buffoons and cannon fodder, doesn’t feel as personal about this new set of playthings. Either way, the body count never reaches the giddy heights of “Raiders” or “Last Crusade,” and the offing is nowhere near as slapstick-y or funny.

But comparing “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” to “Raiders” is comparing a good film to a masterpiece. As it is, this is as good as anything likely to come out this summer. It should please viewers who grew up with the character, those who grew older watching him, even audience members who never heard of Indy – provided they can stomach some horror movie-level violence. More importantly, perhaps, it’s open-ended enough to lay the groundwork for future installments, or to give Indy the opportunity to walk off happily into the sunset.

Overall rating: *** (out of ****)