In King Solomon’s Mines, the 1885 adventure novel introducing Allan Quartermain (a definite proto-Indiana Jones), the quest for the ancient mine’s diamonds concludes with our heroes unable to transport all the treasure home - but rather, just enough so that each is able to live comfortably to the end of their days.

Indiana Jones and his companions are never so fortunate as to reap the earthly benefits of the objects they seek. Those who try (the baddies) are punished for their pride. Series producer George Lucas readily admits that the Lost Ark, the Sankara Stone, and the Holy Grail (from 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1984’s Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom, and 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, respectively) are MacGuffins, objects to motivate the characters and jog the plot along.

We can now add the Crystal Skull to this collection, a ridiculous prop seemingly made of crumbled-up aluminum foil encased in clear plastic. Though Jones manages to get his hands on the skull about an hour into the runnings, returning the object to the Lost City of Akator (a.k.a. El Dorado) is the kicker.

Indy (Harrison Ford, still rugged and virile at 65) is one of those lone wolf characters who nonetheless picks up a gaggle of companions en route to wherever he’s going. Old and new faces fill stock roles: feisty Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allan) returns from Raiders to let sparks fly anew; greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is the young sidekick; Mac (Ray Winstone) is the older sidekick turned rival; and Harold Oxley (John Hurt) takes on the fatherly role. (Sean Connery opted not to come out of retirement, but can be briefly seen in a photograph.) The latter three characters are new to the series, which might rest on Shia LeBeouf’s shoulders in the future, who, while agreeable, has little of the needed charisma.

The villains of the piece are Soviet, a throwback to Cold War-era adventure and spy movies but a move forward in the series time line, to 1957. Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, fabulous in a severe bob cut and with warbly Ukrainian accent) leads a Russian squad in search the Crystal Skull and the power it presumably brings. Their run-ins with Indy and gang include two kidnappings of our heroes before a wild and varied chase through the jungles of Peru.

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Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LeBeouf, Karen Allan, Cate Blanchett

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Written by: David Koepp

An element of mysticism has always been present in Jones’s stories. Here the focus is not so much on Mayan tradition as we know it but how it intersects with a much more contemporary American cult, UFOology. The Crystal Skull, with its elongated back and strange magnetic properties, is certainly not of this earth. The weaving of Rosewell, psi powers, and flying saucers into a folk mythology clearly expresses director Steven Spielberg’s love of ’50s science fiction, but all fits seamlessly into the Indiana Jones template.

Erich von Däniken’s 40-year old theory that aliens built significant Ancient World monuments such as the Egyptian Pyramids is considered by some undermine human achievement (as well as being being completely untestable.) But in Indy’s universe, humans are always at the mercy of forces unknowable and uncontrollable, and Jones, for all his prowess, is repeatedly humbled in the face of superior beings.

Deprived of power and knowledge as the reward for all his troubles Indiana Jones must take his satisfaction from the adventure itself, the friendships, laughs, and scares along the way. These elements are pulled off as much aplomb as in the previous installments. The action scenes, while more polished than in the older films, don’t lean lazily on CGI (digital matte paintings are in abundance in Akator, however.) The characters are likable and bond convincingly, becoming a true family by the film’s conclusion. While the wit is far from acerbic, there are a few one-liners and running gags worth a chuckle. And as for frights, an army of ants and leaps over three consecutive waterfalls ramp up the gross-out and edge-of-your-seat factors.

Whether or not Crystal Skull has “the magic” of the ol’ Indiana Jones trilogy is a subjective question, but all there isn’t really any change or variance. It’s not as blatantly silly as 1999’s The Mummy and its sequels, nor a bloated vanity project like Lucas’s revived Star Wars franchise. It matters not whether the film was worth the 19-year wait, but rather that it will entertain you for a few hours.

Upon leaving the theatre, however, you might remain unconvinced by Jones’s reassurances that knowledge is the greatest treasure. Though he is a professor and archaeologist, Indy’s the star of some essentially dumb movies that don’t really increase your knowledge of anything but old serials. It’s about the journey and not the reward, I guess. But once in a while, you wish the guy would walk away with some diamonds.