It’s been almost 20 years since the prior sequel, and the story, the setting, and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) have the feeling of being long in the tooth. Actually, toothless is a more appropriate cliché. 

The story is essentially the same. Hunt for treasure in exotic places, and repair personal relationships while making multiple hair-raising escapes from the bad guys. 

Those who may welcome this movie might be anyone tired of seeing Muslims portrayed as wild eyed terrorists. The mean Russians have returned. To the extent they are meant to exude that campy meanness, familiar in the Indiana Jones yarns, the movie hits the mark. 

The key bad guy is a girl, Irina Spalko; played by Cate Blanchett in probably the only role we’ve seen her in that leaves us flat. Marion (Karen Allen) returns as the ex love of Jones, and she brightens the film with her sparks flying personality. It doesn’t take too long to figure out where Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) fits in. And even at 65 years old, the action man antics of Harrison Ford are mildly interesting.  

Some of the CGI scenes, as in the caves, look a little lame. On the other hand, a chase scene and one escape involving three waterfall drops are pretty cool. 

Put everything together and for anyone old enough to have seen the last Indiana Jones movie on the big screen, there is very much a been there, seen that feel. Much of the target audience was not old enough to see the last film so they may find this one quite the new thing. 

Sequels make sense when there is a compelling story that has more to say than the prior movie was able to convey. Today it becomes automatic, based upon box office only, rather than that and the quality of the next film. 

We need more Will Smiths in Hollywood! That’s someone who constantly delivers fresh, exciting material. It’s not all great, but there’s always something new. Most sequels have the appeal of a double cheeseburger and fries from McDonald’s dollar menu: consistently pleasant but always unexciting. That sums up the most recent, and hopefully last, Indiana Jones saga.