The stellar cast of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" with their biggest fan/director. From left - Shia LaBeouf, Director Steven Spielberg, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, and Harrison Ford.

His exploits are the stuff of legend and his name has become the very definition of adventure - Indiana Jones. The whip-toting, punch-packing, snake-hating, globe-trotting archaeologist with a fedora is back on screen in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," debuting worldwide on May 22. As with the three previous installments in the series, which began with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, the new Jones is directed by East Hampton resident Steven Spielberg.

This latest adventure begins in the Southwest desert in 1957 – the height of the Cold War. Indy (Harrison Ford) and his sidekick Mac (Ray Winstone) have barely escaped a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents on a remote airfield.

Now, Professor Jones has returned home to Marshall College, only to find things have gone from bad to worse. His close friend and dean of the college explains that Indy's recent activities have made him the object of suspicion, and that the government has put pressure on the university to fire him. On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt (Shia LeBeouf), who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist - if he'll help Mutt on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history - the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition, and fear.

Watching the magic unfold - George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on the set.

But as Indy and Mutt set out for the most remote corners of Peru - a land of ancient tombs, forgotten explorers and a rumored city of gold - they quickly realize they are not alone in their search. The Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull. Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), whose elite military unit is scouring the globe for the eerie Crystal Skull, which they believe can help the Soviets dominate the world - if they can unlock its secrets.

Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets, follow an impenetrable trail of mystery, grapple with enemies and friends of questionable motives, and, above all, stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands.

Spielberg has assembled a top-notch cast, led of course by Harrison Ford, with Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Cate Blanchett, and Shia LaBeouf. The screenplay is by David Koepp from a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. The film is produced by Frank Marshall. The executive producers are George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy. The director of photography is Janusz Kaminski, who has made several previous pictures with Spielberg, and no surprise, the music is by John Williams, who has been scoring Spielberg's movies since "Jaws."

Like its predecessors, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is distinguished from anything else in the cinema landscape by Steven Spielberg's unparalleled vision, George Lucas's limitless imagination, and Harrison Ford's embodiment of a timeless adventure hero. From his first appearance nearly 27 years ago, Indiana Jones has become one of the most beloved heroes of the silver screen, and almost since the day 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was released, audiences all over the world have announced their collective desire for another Indiana Jones adventure.

"We created Indiana Jones, but it belongs to the world," said Spielberg. "And now we're the custodians. Our job really is to serve up a huge helping not only of what Indiana Jones means to audiences who grew up with it, but to introduce the character to those who haven't. This new film is for the fans."

Harrison Ford as his adventurous alter ego - Indiana Jones.

Few actors have been as inextricably identified with a character as Harrison Ford is with Indiana Jones - and he returned to the role with all the style and swagger that helped turn the archaeologist-adventurer into a cinema icon. Spielberg called Ford's casting the most important element in the unique alchemy of Indiana Jones.

"More important than my directing it, more important than all the writers that came in, more important than almost the sum of all of its parts, was the fact that this series would not have been as successful as it was if it were not for Harrison Ford playing that role," said Spielberg. "Harrison is at home in the skin of Indiana Jones."

For years after the release of "Last Crusade," Spielberg harbored a belief that the time for Indiana Jones had ended. "I shot Indiana Jones riding a horse into the sunset because I thought that brought the curtain down on the story," he explained. "And in a sweet, nostalgic way, that was fine with me at the time. But there were some people who weren't fine with it - and this movie really started with the fans."

It took the energy, enthusiasm and persistence of Harrison Ford to inspire the team to reunite for another adventure. "Harrison called me and said, 'Why don't we make another one of these pictures? There's a fan base out there that wants it,'" Spielberg recalled. "He was tenacious. He called George [Lucas], and George got to thinking about it, and then George called me and said, 'Well, Steve, what do you want to do? It could be fun to make another movie.'" "I have to give the credit to Harrison for starting the ball rolling and then to George for working to get me to consider the possibility of at least one more story," Spielberg added.

Together, Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford agreed that they would only pursue a fourth Indiana Jones adventure if the idea - and the execution - were up to the standards of the first three movies. It took 19 years to find just the right script – and one of the first points of agreement between the three was that 19 years should pass for Indiana Jones, too.

Harrison Ford and Shia LeBoeuf unlock a few mysteries in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

When we last saw Indiana Jones on screen, it was 1938, and the world stood on the brink of war as Dr. Jones chased down evildoers to find the Holy Grail. Nineteen years later, he's cracking his whip again, and many things have changed - but some have remained the same. Again, the world is at a precipice, this time caused by the specter of nuclear annihilation, and Indy's struggle is once again to ensure that a precious, mysterious object remains safe from those bent on destroying humanity.

"It was important for me that the character move into the Atomic Age," said Spielberg. "Our film takes place in 1957, which is totally informed by the Cold War, by McCarthyism, by hot rods, and girls wearing letter sweaters, ponytails, and saddle shoes. For me, the 1950s were emblematic of music, of the very beginning of rock and roll. It was Technicolor. The 1950s means the bright young faces that Norman Rockwell loved to paint."

The changes also meant the filmmakers could explore a different kind of villain. As Spielberg explained, "Setting the story in 1957 planted us firmly in the middle of the Cold War with the threat of nuclear annihilation and the Red Menace, as it used to be known in America. Those were things that were in the headlines on a daily basis, so when it came to who the villains would be, the Russians got the job."

Despite the changes in setting and tone, some things remain undeniably the same.

"All the traditions of Indiana Jones are back again," said Spielberg. "We've got the map; we've got the plane and the vehicles with the little red line showing you how you're hop-scotching across the globe - and it's just part of the milieu that we've spent many years establishing."

The end result is a movie for both old fans and new ones. This reporter happens to be a long-time fan of the series, but I bet when the film opens in the Hamptons next week, I'll be fighting for a spot on line with viewers 20 or 30 years younger than me.

New Russian villan Irina Spalko played by Cate Blanchett taunts the heroic Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford).

All photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures.