AT LAST, INDY'S BACK

> The sidekick: John-Rhys Davies (Gimli in the "Lord of the Rings" movies) plays the Egyptian Sallah who, when his monkey dies, warns Indy of planted poison: "Bad dates."

> The girl: Karen Allen plays the feisty Marion Ravenwood who greets Indy in Nepal with a fist to his jaw.

> The vermin: Snakes. Oh, how Indy hates snakes. There are countless numbers of them in the Well of Souls.

> Where are they now? English actor Paul Freeman, who played the conniving Frenchman Belloq, portrayed the Scottish caddy Angus in "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius" (2004) and a reverend in "Hot Fuzz" (2007).

> Mini-review: One of the great adventure films of all time steeped in homages to the action serials of the 1930s and '40s. Grade: A

"INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM" (1984)

> Best scene: Sure, it's gross, but it's during the evil sacrifice when Mola Ram reaches into the chest of one guy and pulls out his beating heart.

> The sidekick: Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), the Vietnamese kid who talks a mile a minute, drives a 1936 Auburn Boat-tail Speedster and spouts, "I keep telling you, you listen to me more, you live longer."

> The girl: Nightclub singer Willie Scott (played by Kate Capshaw, who later married Steven Spielberg). She gets the willies around bugs, elephants and danger.

> The vermin: Big bugs and slurpy, slimy creatures who are served for dinner at an Indian palace.

> Where are they now? Amrish Puri, who'd gone bald to play Mola Ram, kept it as a trademark, making 261 movies, mostly in India, before his death in 2005 from a brain hemorrhage.

> Mini-review: Though popular with many fanboys, the story is weak, the special effects are less-than-riveting and the supporting players lack any real charisma. Grade: C-

"INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE" (1989)

> Best scene: Anytime Sean Connery, playing Indy's dad, is on screen with Harrison Ford. Especially during the up-in-the-sky dogfight with Connery manning the machine gun and shooting out the tail on his and Indy's plane.

> The sidekick: Connery is the best in the series, providing great wit and sarcasm throughout.

> The girl: Austrian Dr. Elsa Schneider, played with blond, stiff-shouldered charmlessness by one-time "Bond" girl Alison Doody.

> The vermin: Rats. Lots of them. All creepy-crawling around in an underground crypt.

> Where are they now? River Phoenix, who played the young Indiana Jones, died in 1994 at age 22 of a drug-induced heart failure.

> Mini-review: At its best, it evokes the nostalgia and tradition of the original "Raiders" while bypassing many of the problems of the second film, "Doom." Plus, Connery makes it a winner. Grade: B-

"INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" (2008)

> Best scene: As the evil Russian Irina Spalko, Cate Blanchett strides in with big black leather gloves, round sunglasses and a pageboy wig. Her heavily clipped dialogue causes Indy to remark about "the way you're sinkin' your teeth into those Ws."

> The sidekick: Hollywood's new everykid Shia LaBeouf rides in on a roaring Harley as Mutt Williams and, by film's end, has laid claim to any future sequels.

> The girl: Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood and, even at 56, is as feisty as ever.

> The vermin: Army ants cover the jungle floor and have their way with a couple of ruffian-style Russians.

> Where are they now? Pat Roach, who acted in every "Indy" film but this one, died in 2004. He played the giant sherpa in Nepal and the bald German mechanic Indy fought at the airstrip in "Raiders"; was the chief guard in "Doom"; and part of the Gestapo in "Last Crusade."

> Mini-review: An often entertaining joyride that contains too much CGI for some, but keeps a firm hold on the nostalgic nature of series' original. What it lacks in clarity it makes up for with the screen chemistry Harrison Ford conjures up with the co-stars. Grade: B