As is my practice, I caught the last showing of George Lucas' "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I'm not sure if it's the popularity of the flick or the fact that summer has started, but usually it's me and 3-4 other people at these showings. Tonight it was closer to a dozen.

This latest incarnation isn't as good as the previous three, but it is what an Indiana Jones movie should be -- fun. There is chase scene after chase scene -- just like the old ones. And while a suspension of disbelief is required for movies of this type, some of this stuff was just a little too over the top. (I'm thinking specifically of a Tarzan-like monkey swinging scene.)

Cate Blanchett does a convincing portrayal of a humorless, commie pinko Irina Spalko and John Hurt does an excellent job as the possessed/insane Professor "Ox" Oxley.

I think the biggest problem with this film was the pacing. The other films always gave you some opportunities to catch your breath between the wild chase scenes; there was more weight on solving the mystery -- of where the Ark of the Covenant was or the Holy Grail. The puzzle-solving portions of the originals gave the viewer an opportunity to synthesize the plot and understand what was going on in between the rock 'em, sock 'em bits. In this movie, there's a set-up and then it's largely one really long chase scene.

Which isn't to say that you should wait for it to come out on DVD. It's well worth seeing on the big screen, but don't go expecting to see another "Last Crusade."