A steelier Indy>

There was some suggestion when it came out that "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" had jumped the shark. That its orginal charm or qualities had been lost.

Jumping the shark usually happens when filmmakers or TV shows try something bigger, dumber, louder or more outrageous in order to juice things up - or simply because they've run out of real ideas. So what did director Steven Spielberg, creator George Lucas and writer David Koepp do that was so crazy? Nothing really.

"Crystal Skull" may have its ridiculous plot points, but what "Indy" film hasn't? The new one is a melding of old Saturday afternoon adventure serials, '50s sci-fi and Cold War/Atomic Age paranoia, new age-y fantasy, high-tech special effects, old-fashioned stunts, a little slapstick and comfort food. The latter in the form of Harrison Ford's Indy - a heroic character who's been around since 1981, giving him enough time to be loved by kids and their grandparents, thanks to DVD. Although Ford is grayer and craggier, his brown fedora and whip fit him well.

Back, too, in the new one - especially for the boomer generation - is Karen Allen, who played Indy's love interest Marion in the first Indy adventure, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." She's still spunky and still has a winning smile. New are Ray Winstone as another archeologist/adventurer, John Hurt as a dotty professor/colleague of Indy's and Shia LaBeouf (he for the younger generation), who plays Mutt (Lucas' goofiest name choice yet), who is Marion's son and tags along with Jones.

Since "Crystal" is set in 1957, gone are the Nazis as villains, replaced by the Soviets, and led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett vamping it up with a black wig, boots and sword in hand). There is a plot amid all the action and goofiness, too, although even having seen "Crystal" at the theater, I was hard-pressed to remember what it was until I watched it again on DVD.

Still, no one goes to an "Indiana Jones" movie for the story line. Spielberg and Lucas practically invented the roller-coaster-ride movie. "Crystal" is just the latest one. "Raiders" was like that old wooden structure at the amusement park, a little rickety (you wondered if it would hold together) but perfect in its own way, filled with enough chills and thrills that when you get off, you feel exhilarated. "Crystal" is sleek and steely but a bit too dizzying.

Lucas and, especially, Spielberg seem a bit too established to be playing this kids' game, though. While the filmmakers looked like they were having fun making "Crystal," at least as is seen on the DVD extras, there's a bit of a going-through-the-motions quality to the film. Spielberg is just too prideful and too much of a virtuoso to put out anything bad, but you sense he may have been more interested in the reunion than the film.

As for the many extras, fans will definitely enjoy them. For instance, we see how many Indy hats, jackets and whips they have. There's a fairly interesting 17-minute segment of Spielberg and Lucas talking about how they developed the story ideas for the movie and got the script and cast together. And we learn - most importantly - that "American Graffiti"-era teen Lucas taught LaBeouf how to comb his ducktail haircut.

The war>

Dan Aykroyd hits the bull's-eye (at least from this angle) in his parody of Dick Cheney in the satire "War, Inc." The rest of the film, which stars John Cusack as a hit man on a mission in a place that is supposed to be an Iraq of the future, rarely hits the target, which is pretty much explained in its title. While the current incarnation of the military-industrial complex that President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about is overly ripe for a "Dr. Strangelove" farce, unfortunately, "War, Inc." doesn't have the steel in its writing (Cusack was one of the scribes) or direction (Joshua Seftel) to make it work.

On the other hand, Errol Morris' "Standard Operating Procedure," which is based on the infamous prison torture photographs from Abu Ghraib, is a disquieting documentary.

In an attempt to understand what happened at the Iraqi prison in 2004, Morris uses interviews and re-enactments in which actors restage actual historical events. Whether he learns anything new remains the question. He approaches Lynndie England - the young female soldier photographed with a leashed, naked prisoner - with a relatively hands-off manner, pretty much just letting her talk. But like lots of young people caught up in the terrible situations that war and combat create, England doesn't have much perspective on what occurred.

Getting to the heart of the torture matter was probably impossible. Many who are interviewed have no real insights, but taken together they offer a grim picture. Who's to blame? Clearly, Morris, like many, think that it goes further up the chain of command than the military or the Bush administration ever acknowledged, and "Standard Operating Procedure" deserves credit for exploring the issue.

Rob Lowman (818) 713-3687; robert.lowman@dailynews.com

out tuesday>

NEW FILMS

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" $34.99/$39.99 - two-disc special edition/$39.99 Blu-ray

"Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Collection" ("Raiders of the Lost Ark"/"Temple of Doom"/"Last Crusade"/"Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") $99.98

"War, Inc." $28.98/ $34.98 Blu-ray

"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" $24.95

"Standard Operating Procedure" $28.96

"Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan" $27.98/$35.99 Blu-ray

TELEVISION

"The Sarah Silverman Program: Season Two, Vol. One" $26.98

"Long Way Down" $39.98

"The Unit: The Complete Third Season" $39.98

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation The Eighth Season" $84.98

"Nash Bridges: The First Season" $39.98

"The Universe: The Complete Season Two - History Channel" $44.95

"The Partridge Family: The Complete Third Season" $29.95 "Lovejoy: Christmas Specials" $24.98

"Back to You Season 1" $39.98 "Rules of Engagement: The Complete Second Season" $29.95

"Lil' Bush: Resident of United States Season Two" $26.98

NEW TO BLU-RAY

"American Gangster" $29.98

"The Ultimate Matrix Collection" $129.95

"Casino" $29.98

"Constantine" $28.99

"Romancing the Stone" $39.98

"Eastern Promises" $29.98

"The Jewel of the Nile" $39.98

OLDER FILMS

"Chaplin - 15th Anniversary Edition" $19.98

"Ludwig" $39.98

"Short Cuts Criterion Collection" $29.95

"Capricorn One" $19.98

"The New World: The Extended Cut" $20.98

"Spellbound" $19.98

"Icons of Horror: Hammer Films" $24.96

"Notorious" $19.98

"Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection" $119.98

"One Touch of Venus" $14.98

"Holiday Inn" $26.98.

FOR KIDS

"Charlie and Lola, Vol. 1-8" $79.98

"Christmas Wish - Little Einsteins" $19.99 "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" $14.93

"SilverHawks, Vol. 1" $44.98