"B+" Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

How delightful it is to say that Indiana Jones a/k/a Harrison Ford has got his mojo back. Preposterous good fun from beginning to end, it succeeds for the simple reason that it never talks down to the audience.

Sadly, Indy's magic had been diluted in recent years with each increasingly pasty sequel. While seldom articulated, there is one fundamental reason. Once Karen Allen disappeared from the cast, Indy and his adventures were never the same.

While I fully admit to having a soft spot in my heart for Karen Allen, she was simply tremendous in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). She was smart, irreverent and in every sense of the word an equal match for the roguish Mr. Jones. Who, after all, can ever forget the opening sequence in that extraordinary film where she was drinking some Tibetan sheep herders under the table?

While certainly not a classic beauty by traditional Hollywood standards, Ms. Allen's attractiveness is found in her wit and inherent intelligence. She always seemed like the small town girl who was consistently smarter than any of her male pursuers. Equally important, she was capable at all times of throwing a mean punch.

Think about her performance as Katy in the classic "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978). While she loved Boon (Peter Riegert) in particular and his extended group of lovable idiot friends in general, she knew that it was time for them to grow up. As the reluctant lover of Jeff Bridges' extraterrestrial "Starman" (1984), she again exhibited a smart resiliency that was central in making a very modest movie a tremendous one.

What was Spielberg ever thinking when he replaced Ms. Allen's fiercely independent Marion for a screaming, air-headed blonde like Kate Capshaw in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984)? Why did we all have to suffer simply because Ms. Capshaw is his wife?

But Ms. Allen is not the only female who makes a mighty contribution to the success of this version of Indiana Jones. The multitalented Cate Blanchett is superb as Indy's amoral Commie pursuer. (The movie is set at the height of the Red Scare in 1957.)

Just as she so creatively portrayed Bob Dylan in last year's "I'm Not There," she breathes life into a villain that would have likely been a simple caricature in a lesser actress's hands.

But what also makes this film work is the contribution of Shia LaBeouf as Indiana's young sidekick. Young Mr. LaBeouf established his dramatic acting chops in "Holes" (2003) and last year's underrated "Disturbia," while proving in the fascinating "Transformers" that he is capable of carrying a large action film on his young shoulders.

The writing of this film is at its best when Harrison Ford and LaBeouf are playing off one another. LaBeouf's mocking references to Indy as "Gramps" politely allows the story to develop honestly around a lead character who is in his middle sixties.

Finally, Ray Winstone brings a touch of whimsy to a character who may or may not be a friend of Indy's. Winstone is clearly one of the more underrated actors working today. He can go from fine supporting dramatic performances in such films as "Sexy Beast" (2001), "The Departed" (2006) and "The Proposition" (2005) to playing the mythic hero in Robert Zemeckis' under appreciated 3-D spectacular "Beouwulf" (2007). Here, he brings a sense of comic relief without the need to chew up the scenery.

This story recaptures the same spirit of Indy's original adventure. While the special effects allow our gang of heroes to repeatedly survive catastrophes that would immediately have killed anyone on earth, it is, after all, Indiana Jones. The movie captures the essence of what makes a film a great summer action movie. It is a serious movie that is not to be taken too seriously.

But the beauty of this film lies with the reunion of Indy and Marion. In that regard, there is a special exchange between the two when they are sparring about why Indy left long ago. When Indy derides Marion for getting married so quickly, she says something to the effect that she bets Indy did not waste his time either. To which he memorably responds, "Yes, there were several women. But there was one problem, none of them were you."

In addition, during the climatic ending scene (which, by the way, contains on-screen applause that somehow seemed appropriate for this movie), John Hurt looks on wistfully at Indy and Marion and says, "How much of human life is lost in the waiting?" A fitting comment as to why it took 27 years to team up Indy and Marion again.