Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been hailed as the most anticipated film of summer 2008, but can it live up to the hype? It has been 19 years since we last saw Indy, and the film has been a long time in the making.

As a crystal skull guardian, and author, whose book began life as a thesis on crystal skulls, I wanted to see this film as soon as possible. I was not disappointed. While there is a lot that was left out, the important seeds are all there, pointing us in the right direction, as Jesus said, "for those who have ears that listen and eyes that see".

The more I began to watch, the more similarities I saw between my book, Genesis of Man, and this film. So much so that I began to wonder if George Lucas or perhaps Steven Spielberg himself may have read it.

The main themes are all there - not least of all the skulls themselves. Lost civilisations, alien contact, intrigue, abuse of power, the opposing forces of light and dark, and how in the end, neither triumphs, but instead they cancel each other out.

Many believe that the crystal skulls are Atlantean in origin, but the film indicates that they are extra terrestrial. This may be disappointing to some but is closer to the truth than we realise, for the Atlanteans themselves had extra terrestrial ancestors. Only man could be arrogant enough to believe that we are truly alone in the universe, using this as comfort blanket to maintain the status quo, and the ego.

The ego has a vested interest in maintaining this belief, since if we realise that we are not alone, and are connected to not just each other but also other life forms then it has to cooperate and stop creating drama as a means to incite conflict. The irony is that it is through drama and conflict that we grow and learn who we are. We cannot experience what we are until we have experienced what we are not, as there is nothing to compare against. 

Against this backdrop of spirituality are the usual thrills and spills, high jinks and capers with Indy on top form. The setting for the film has moved on by 19 years, as has Harrison Ford, the actor who plays our hero. This gives the film a more realistic feel, although I doubt if many almost pensioners could pull off the stunts that this man did. Ford faced a gruelling schedule to get in shape for this movie, training for up to 3 hours a day.

The film is set in 1957, 10 years after Roswell. The opening scene is of a group of teenagers who are racing a convoy of soldiers travelling to a top secret base in the Nevada desert (assumed to be Area 51). This scene is reminiscent of Lucas' first major success, American Graffiti and is indicative of how we are the sum of all of our experiences. This theme is echoed in the skulls themselves, which are believed by some to contain a record of all that has occurred in Earth's history.

The soldiers we realise are not American, but Russian. In the boot of one of their vehicles is Indy with his companion Mac, played by Ray Winstone. The Russians, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), are seeking a top secret box containing alien remains from Roswell. Irina like Hitler is a collector of psychic artifacts, believing their power will help to accelerate her own.

Following the discovery that his colleague Mac is a double agent, Indy reluctantly leads the Russians to the box. When the box, stamped Roswell 1947 is prized open, we see a grizzly alien looking hand stretching forth.

After his escape, Indy returns to Marshall College, where his Dean, played by Jim Broadbent, explains that Indy's association with Mac has made him the object of suspicion and the college are suspending Indy from his post. On his way out of town, Indy is approached by rebellious teenager Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who claims to be friends with Oxley, an old colleague of Indy's, whom the Russians have kidnapped.

It seems that Oxley had been looking for the legendary crystal skull at the centre of the Akator mystery, with the intent of returning it to its rightful place within the temple. Akator is synonymous with the legendary El Dorado, the city made from gold which was sought by the Spanish Conquistadores. The Russians have kidnapped Oxley hoping that he will lead them to the skull.

Indy and Mutt travel to Peru, where they find the remains of the missing Conquistadores wrapped in shrouds. It is here that they find the crystal skull, in one of the shrouds.

The Russians though are hot on their tail. Indy and Mutt are captured and transported to the Russians encampment where both Oxley and Mary (Indy's old flame Marion Redwood and Mutt's mother) are being held. We learn later that Indy is Mutt's father. The Russians have done something to Oxley, as he appears to have lost his mind, making strange utterances that they hope will lead them to the skull.

The Russians hook Indy up to a psychic device and force him to gaze into the eyes of the skull in the hope that he will then be able to interpret Oxley's mutterings. A series of spectacular chases then ensue, as Indy attempts an escape. Oxley guides Indy and his group to Akator, where they are met by hostile Natives. When Oxley shows the Natives the crystal skull, they bow down in veneration and allow the group to pass.

Inside the temple, they are greeted by a spectacular sight of thirteen clear quartz skeletons, one of which is missing its skull. The implication is that these are crystalline skeletons from star beings which seeded the Akatorian civilisation, as the shape of the skull closely matches those in depictions of the Mesoamerican gods. These appear to be the same beings that crash landed at Roswell in 1947.

As the skull is put back into place, the skeletons activate and the room starts to spin. Irina stands in the centre of the room and commands that the skulls download all their information into her. As the room begins to spin, so does she, eventually combusting as her limited form cannot contain such vast knowledge and power. The darkness in her has been neutralised by the skulls light.

Indy and friends make their escape, and the closing scene is of Indy and Marion's wedding.

I first became interested in crystal skulls in 1999, and rapidly acquired several of these fascinating objects. In 2000 I enrolled on a course in crystal therapy. Halfway through the course, we were asked to write a thesis on a crystal related subject. I chose to write mine on crystal skulls. I kept on writing, and found to my amazement that it was developing into a book, which I published in June 2006.

The book includes information on lots of different subjects, not just crystal skulls, with a whole section on Atlantis and Lemuria, from where I believe the skulls originate. Lemuria was the first advanced civilisation upon the Earth, founded almost 1 million years ago. The skulls were gifted to the Lemurians by the Divine to act as a sentient repository of information and knowledge.

The early Lemurians lived beneath the Earth in underground cities and caves. As time went on, the Lemurians formed various colonies, or daughter Empires, including amongst others, Atlantis, Egypt, Mexico and Peru. Of all of these, Atlantis played the most pivotal role in Earth's history.  

Independent archaeologist David Hatcher Childress states that Akakor (note the slightly different spelling) was an ancient South American Empire near Machu Picchu, Peru, whose inhabitants also lived beneath the Earth. The Akakorians were said to be a super race similar to the Atlanteans.

In March 1972 German archaeologist Karl Bruggar met an Indian chieftain named Tatunca Nara, who told him the history of Akakor. This began in the year zero, (10,481 BCE in our calendar). Tatunca told Bruggar that his tribe, the Ugha Mongulala, were chosen by the gods 15,000 years ago (around 13,000 BCE), long before traditional academia dictates that humans first set foot on American soil.

3000 years before the year zero (16,000 BCE) glimmering golden ships appeared in the sky. The pilots looked like humans with fine features; white skinned with bluish-black hair and thick beards. Quetzalcoatl, who according to legend was the founder of both Aztec and Mayan culture, and is sometimes known as the feathered serpent, was also described as a white man, with a broad forehead, large eyes and flowing beard.

In the year zero, following a catastrophic war, the gods left. This seems to have caused a global catastrophe, reminiscent perhaps of the destruction of Atlantis, after which the surrounding tribes lapsed into barbarism. 

In year 13 (10,468 BC) the great flood came - the rivers changed course, mountains suddenly elevated, and there was a rapid and devastating climate change as regions which had previously enjoyed a warm climate were thrown abruptly into the cold.

The inhabitants of the Takla Mahan region of China and Mongolia are known as the Uighurs. Chinese legends state that the Uighur civilization reached its height around 17,000 years ago - which roughly corresponds to the destruction of Lemuria. The similarity between the two names of Uighur and Ugha Mongulala are obvious and should need little explanation.