“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” may look like the other three movies in the franchise, but at its core holds little in common with its predecessors.

On its own, the film marginally works. But in regards with the legacy it was billed to uphold, it is a downright failure.

Harrison Ford turns in his best performance in well over a decade as Indiana Jones, now an aging World War II hero, still working as a history professor in the Cold War climate of 1957 America.

He is joined in his search for the great mystical something-or-other by a mischievous biker youth (Shia LaBeouf), and his love interest from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (the magnetic Karen Allen).

The highlights of this film generally come from the interplay of these three characters, as LaBeouf proves he can hold his own next to these seasoned veterans.

They are contended by an army of Soviet Communists, led by actress Cate Blanchett, playing a laboriously uninteresting and frustrating takeoff of Natasha from the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoons.

Her villain does little to add conflict to the film, and the lack of a strong villainous presence is the first of two things this film is most painfully lacking.

The second is a sense of tension and peril. The other three “Indiana Jones” movies worked because although they were adventure-comedies, there was always a sense of mortality to the grandiose action sequences. There was always a feeling that Indiana or the other characters could die at any moment.

Here, within 20 minutes of the opening credits, Indiana has survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator, and comes out of it unscathed after the blast throws him an impossible distance. After that, nothing else is seen as perilous.

Equally unnatural is the use of computer effects. While the movie uses old cameras and antiquated cinematography similar to the previous three, the green-screen backgrounds stick out like a brand new Toyota Prius in a show room full of dusty antique Oldsmobiles.

“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a divisive film. This film’s elements either work or fail spectacularly, with very little in between, which makes it feel disjointed and disingenuous.

“Indy” fans will likely love this film for the sake of seeing Ford back with whip and fedora.

Other viewers may be able to enjoy this film as a mediocre adventure-comedy, which is all it ever manages to be. This franchise cash-in does no justice to its predecessors and barely stands up on its own merits.

Two out of five stars.

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