My take on the new Indiana Jones, now without spoilers

Just finished seeing the new Indiana Jones and had a chance to discuss it in depth with my fellow viewers and feel I can talk about my official review here... I won't revel any major plot details, so no need to worry.

I started the day by showing all my kids the original films. Almost none of them had ever heard of Indiana Jones let alone see a movie. It's my theory that these kids turned to a life of crime because they didn't see Harrison Ford punch a Nazi early on in life. So by the time 10 oclock Eastern Standard time rolled around, I was more than ready to watch some more Indy.

We showed at the theater an hour before show time, thinking that this thing was going to be sold out and we would have to wait in an insanely long line. We were the only four idiots in the entire theater. In fact, we got there before the previous showing was finished. So we had to wait outside the theater for almost 45 minutes waiting for them to clean the place, only to waltz in there and have the pick of any seat in the theater.

Overall I give the film one thumb up and one thumb undecided. Harrison Ford still looks great in the fedora with the whip. However his age was showing a little. Some of the fist fights involving Ford and not a stunt double were obvious because he was a bit more slow. At one point he uses the whip against an enemy and even the whip skills seemed slowed by the cruel cold hands of old age.

In recent true George Lucas fashion, he gives some props to the older films, at least Raiders and Crusade. (I didn't notice any Temple of Doom nods) Those were kind of nice to see, much like the countless references to the original Star Wars trilogy. I guess I felt like an Indy elitist noticing the objects in the background. (Although they were fairly obvious)

Shia LeBeolf (I think thats how his name is spelled) was surprisingly not bad in the movie. I've heard he's a good actor, but I've only ever seen him in the Disney original series, Even Stevens. He starts out as a complete "Greaser" stereotype, but its soon dropped in favor of a more realistic character. He holds his own, even when next to Indy.

The only complaints I had were these. The witty dialog from the original movies is non-existant. This isn't saying the script is bad. Its fairly solid. I laughed out loud during several parts of the original triology, not so much in this one.

Second, CGI (Computer Generated Images) weren't used obsessively in this film like in Star Wars. However, the two parts that were CGI, completely took you out of the movie. They almost gave a Jar Jar Binks, child like feeling to what should be a bit more adult oriented.

I suggest you see this movie. It's entertaining enough to where I'm going to go see it a second time in theaters.