Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is terribly flawed, a bit of a mess, and yet still easy to like.

Harrison Ford, now 65, doesn't get in and out of the cave as easily as before, but as the iconic Indiana Jones, adventure always seems to find him.

The confusing plot concerns magical alien skulls, a bad girl Russian played by Cate Blanchett, a good- natured reunion with Karen Allen, and a kid on a bike played by Shia LaBeouf.

The new Indiana Jones film is produced by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. What keeps their film from living up to the hype is the screenplay: It's convoluted and corny, with almost no sense of genuine danger.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is rated a mild PG-13, and — unfortunately — sits near the bottom of the four Indy films.

Don't get me wrong; it's not a bad film, just not a great film — average in every way, with enough good moments to keep you entertained.

E-mail gcogill@wfaa.com