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In perfect fashion, Indy is back. Unlike Sylvester Stallone (see Rambo, Rocky Balboa), Harrison Ford returns to reprise his 1980 character with the same energy and charisma as he had 20 years ago. Perhaps it's because the movie wasn’t simply titled Indiana Jones. Maybe it is because there are no cliché, rehashing moments in this movie; sure there’s a few obligatory moments at the beginning, but I assure you that it’s pure energetic nostalgia. Stallone could easily learn a thing or two from Harrison Ford.

Much like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull recaptures the lost style and magic of 1940s pulp cinema. From the set pieces to the dialogue, Kingdom firmly sets itself into a fantasy-adventure world not commonly seen since the golden era of film. Today’s gritty realism of film is forgone and replaced with a sense of light-hearted, not-so-over-the-top, goofy action-adventure that made the original trilogy a roaring success.

Gone, of course, is Sean Connery -- somewhat of a disappointment -- but in his stead are a mish-mosh of lovable characters that help propel the storyline. Shia LaBeouf, Indy’s new side kick, is surprisingly entertaining in his comical turn as a 1950’s “greaser” character who gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “more useful than he seems.” Cate Blanchett, much in the style of the Nazi characters from the original trilogy, also gives a remarkably convincing performance as Stalin’s protégé. Additionally, a certain love interest from a previous Indiana Jones movie make a delightful comeback (who, I will leave for you to discover).

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes place sometime in the 1950s -- America is knee deep in the red scare of the Cold War and Indiana Jones is starting age a bit. The Russians are on the lookout for a new weapon to tip the balance of power in the world to their favor: psychic warfare. Legend has it that he (or she) that returns a lost crystal skull to the city of gold will be endowed with powers of the mind beyond imagination. Indy must travel across the Americas (North and South) to stop them.

That may not sound like much of a plot, but neither does a description of Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones searches for the Ark of the Covenant and tries to keep the Nazis from getting it). Kingdom remains true to the “high concept” film style that Spielberg and Lucas invented in the 1970s.

Nothing more could possibly be desired from an Indiana Jones movie. Unlike fellow revived franchises such as Rocky, Rambo and Alien, Indiana Jones has lost nothing with time and “sequelity” (a word I made up to describe exacerbation of a franchise). From the ensemble cast to the storyline and dialogue, to even the cinematography and set design. Kingdom has all of the style, comical wit and entertainment of the original trilogy. I highly recommend it to all; just make sure you catch up on the plots of Raiders, Temple and Last Crusade first.