Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Five Questions I'm Anxious to Have Answered

It's been 19 years since I was able to watch a new Indiana Jones movie. Heck, when the Last Crusade came out, I was in the 8^th grade. So, with the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming out this weekend, you can't even imagine how anxious I am to stand in line for my ticket.

However, because of the time between the Last Crusade and this movie and because of the secrecy surrounding it, I will be entering the theater with several questions on my mind and hope for answers that will satisfy me.

First, what animal or animals will Indy be trapped with? In Raiders of the Lost Ark, he was thrown into a pit of snakes. Temple of Doom featured a room of bugs and Last Crusade had rats. Assuming the movie follows the same format, it would be interesting to see what creature they have in store for him this time; maybe a room with all three.

Will the actors just phone this in? I'm fine with watching a movie with an established format. But, I don't want to sit through one where the actors are just going through the motions. I also don't want this to be another film that spends a great deal of time with flashbacks to other movies (like Rocky Balboa).

Will having the Soviets as the bad guys have the same effect? It's easy to hate Adolf Hitler and the Nazis; Jones' nemesis in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade. This is because Hitler wanting supernatural weapons to help him take over the world was very believable. I'm not sure if you can say the same about using the Soviets without relying on Cold War assumptions and propaganda.

Will Indiana finally settle down with one woman? Simply put, three movies, three different women falling for the hero. This time, Karen Allen is coming back in her Raiders of the Lost Ark role of Marion Ravenwood. Does this mean Indiana finally committed to her? Are they married? Or, have they spent all this time apart only to rekindle the romance (assuming they aren't just friends)?

How many ancient artifacts will he destroy seeking the Skulls? As several articles I've read have stated, Jones is a great adventurer but a lousy archaeologist. I can't wait to see how many ancient temples and priceless items he destroys while fighting bad guys and escaping with the treasure.