"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)"

The Further Adventures of the Fedora and Whip

Cannes, France - "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull" is a film for the boom of all ages, although you can bet that the bank a bunch of tots will be marked along with Mom and Dad, Grandma and gramps. Like the 1981 blockbuster "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the first in a monster franchise that has led to two sequels of previous films, a television series, comic books, novels, video games and Disney theme-park attractions This again was directed by Steven Spielberg, cooked and executive produced by George Lucas (with Kathleen Kennedy) and stars Harrison Ford as the archaeologist-adventurer-sexpot with the sardonic smile, rakish fedora and suggestive Bullwhip.

This latest escapade Indy, which was shown out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival and probably ball up more money than the rest of the selections combined, serves as the meeting of the main creative team. Nearly two decades have lapsed since the third chapter in the series, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989). In subsequent years, Mr Lucas - whose logo of Lucasfilm received the highest applause in the press screening at Cannes - continued construction of its special effects rule and resurrected the "Star Wars" Mr franchise, while Spielberg has ranged from serious mind-and financially instrumental animation projects.

For his part, Mr Ford riding the ups and downs of stardom high concept, ranging from the papers that asks ironically flash his usual smile or frown gruñón equally familiar. It takes both in "The Crystal Skull", despite the busy story makes an enormous effort to keep the mood happy and snappy and friendship decidedly PG-13 - PC friendly, too, as in politically correct, with a fewer dark-skinned people jump their eyes. Not that Indy se ha ido soft or hard natives han ido, you only that Mr. Spielberg no longer seem so eager to reduce the extra laugh.

Thank God for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Vladimir V. Putin, which have accelerated the return of blond hair, blue-eyed villainy to the screen. Established in 1957, this new Indy thread, written by David Koepp from a story by Mr. Lucas and Jeff Nathanson, takes place away from the Middle East, even if it opens in a desert. The bad guys are on this occasion Cold War view Reds for the first time poking around an American military base and directed by Irina Spalko. A crude caricature given, playful life of Cate Blanchett, Irina owes more than a bit of Rosa Klebb, the pint-sized Soviet played by Lotte Lenya, which was to James Bond in "From Russia with love."

Dressed in gray overalls, his hair Bobbe Slavic accent and sliding and sliding as far south as Australia, Ms. Blanchett is his role with verve, snapping his black gloves and all, but clicking on your boots of black, as one of those Nazi cartoon that traipse across Indy previous films. She is almost a hoot, the life of a drearily familiar from elsewhere. Among the other guests are Ray Winstone, John Hurt and Shia LaBeouf, who plays Mutt, the Sidekick youth on board to bring those viewers whose parents were still in elementary school when the first film success. Karen Allen, who played Indy's love interest in "Raiders", is here too, with a megawatt smile and a bit of the old spunk.

If only the filmmakers seem so eager to see - and please - the audience as Ms. Allen. There are a lot of energy frantic here, a lot of noise and money, but what is missing is any sense of rediscovery, the kind that makes it necessary every time a filmmaker dusts off an old standard formula or gender. "Raiders Of the Lost Ark" now creaks with age, but to look back to see Mr Spielberg is more active participation in an organic whole, taking a template and loved to re-for the modern age that he helped successful to create. On the contrary, "The Crystal Skull" comes alive only in isolated segments, in a sequence intelligent motorcycle ending in a library and, best of all, in a mysterious in a sequence of atomic tests that wittily puts nuclear power in family.

The original Indiana Jones adventure is inspired by Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg's love for 1930 series, but you want to be difficult to find much inspiration in his latest collaboration. There are a lot of sweat, of course, bringing the wall to wall pursues - deceived many with obvious computer-generated effects - which side one another as hitting big platforms. As expected, high jumps and long jumps impressive to see, even if it is a kind of annoyance when one of the best managers today (Mr. Spielberg) does not seem to be working as hard as the double of the crew. Initially, I thought I was bored with the material (which would not be alone), but now I think it has grown only in this kind of sticky things for children.

Creative boredom certainly could explain why spends so much time riffing both in its own greatest hits - Indy and company have a meeting of his order, insipid kind - and other films. Some of these allusions fun (a sea of red ants heading to "The Ten Commandments"), while others are just painful (Mr. LaBeouf done so resemble Marlon Brando in "The Wild One"). It is strange to see Mr. Spielberg recycled plot points already chewed through Roland Emmerich on "Stargate", although the Indy brief encounter with some feathered Indians fiercely to do right by Mel Gibson "Apocalypto" is a tantalizingly sweet pip, a sequel waiting ( "Indiana Jones Meets Mad Max") or maybe just YouTube mash-up.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). The death, but little blood.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the crystal skull

It opens nationally on Thursday.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Koepp, based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson, director of photography, Janusz Kaminski, edited by Michael Kahn; music by John Williams, production designer, Guy Hendrix Dryas; visual effects and animation by Industrial Light & Magic; executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Mr. Lucas, produced by Frank Marshall; released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes.

WITH: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Cate Blanchett (Irina Spalko), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), Ray Winstone ( "Mac" George Michale), John Hurt (Professor Oxley), Jim Broadbent (Charles Dean Stanforth) and Shia LaBeouf (Mutt Williams).