As promised, Ray and I did go the movies yesterday. I was suprised to see the theater was packed when we walked in. For some reason, I figured that after three weeks, it would be thinning out a bit.

Overall, I guess I liked the movie better than most. I think the big trouble is that people had a hard time adjusting to the changes in the storylines. With the war being long over and the Nazis gone, the communists have risen to fill the vacuum of villainy. Indy is dragged into the center of action after Dr. Irina Spalko breaks into Area 51 to steal an artifact. Little does he know, this is not going to be his last experience with her.

Out of the blue, a young man named Butt (it is a nickname) shows up. He comes with a request from his mother to ask Indy to help come down to South America to help. Indy is not sure who the woman is, but he does know that her husband is a colleague and feels obligated to help.

Before long, Indy and Butt and a cotterie of interesting characters are racing through the jumgles of South America to solve the mystery of the crystal skulls.

It is a typical Indiana Jones movie. Lots of action with humor thrown in. There is one thing that makes it atypical, and I also think that is why people are less fond of the movie. This major plot point is very different for the series.

Shia LaBeouf does a great job of being what he is supposed to be ... the two cool teen in the mold of James Dean, who quickly comes to realize he is in over his head. Karen Allen and Harrison Ford have no problem recapturing their feisty relationship. Cate Blanchette is a typical Indy villain ... all evil. Overall, the movie is definitely more of the same bow to the cheesy movie serials of early cinema.