Welcome back, Mr. Jones; you've been missed. That was my sentiment both before and after I had seen the much anticipated fourth Indiana Jones film, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." As we all know, this was a journey 19 years in the making...

For nearly a decade, rumors had been active about the return of the series but no middle ground could be reached until recently. After finally having agreed on a script, the principal team all returned back to resume the adventures of the beloved archeologist andy by doing so, they entered dangerous territory. No matter how great this film is or could have been, critics were ready to pounce on it as were the esteemed members of the fanboy communities. While I am no critic, and I am certainly not fanboy in the classic sense of the term, I am a lifelong follower of the work that both Spielberg and Lucas have created, thus I tried to heed what was being said to not get my hopes up too high. Like "Star Wars," the sequels in the Indy series can never duplicate that first ride we took as Dr. Jones sought the Ark of the Covenant.

I'll jump right to it -- for the most part, I really enjoyed "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and found the majority of it to be classic Indiana Jones fare. Updating the story to 1957 really opened up a new arc in the Jones saga and extended the story line further than any of the previous 3 movies. The time frame also played into Lucas' hands with some wonderful retro moments in the film that reminded me a bit of his "American Graffiti" days. From the hot rod car chase at the beginning of the movie to the greaser/prep rumble later on, it was all welcome, fun material. Seeing how an aging Dr. Jones fit into all this was also great fun to follow even though he hasn't lost too many steps at his older age! That much was evident from the film's first sequence of scenes as he outfoxed and out slugged his way past a platoon of undercover Soviet agents in Area 51. These moments in Area 51 were priceless for fans of the series -- we got a new look at Indiana Jones, had a chance to meet the new villains and also got to dabble with some retro science fiction themes. That, plus it was set in the locale where we last saw the Lost Ark. Very cool!

The first 45 minutes of the film were perfect. When the investigations for the lost Crystal Skull got underway, that is when the tempo stalled a bit, in the middle portion of the movie. While the other Indy movies seemed to get rolling and never let up, 'Crystal Skull' lost some momentum in telling its story. However, all is forgiven by the time Indy and companions enter the jungles of Peru in a grand and entertaining showdown with the pesky Soviets. There is so much going on in this chase sequences that the entertainment level is jacked up off the charts and offers some of the best high octane moments from the entire series.

The final act in "Crystal Skull' is where some of my critique comes into play as I believe the story became a bit too far-fetched, even for Indy's world. I think the payoff for this movie was weaker than the events leading up to, thus I can't put this one on the same level of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

To summarize more of the film --

• The cast, both new and returning, deliver decent performances with Shia LaBeouf standing out amongst the newbies.
  
• The sets of the film are phenomenal, with a special nod to the underground bunker in Area 51 (the set pieces just kept expanding!)
  
• The music is vintage John Williams though it is the weakest score in the series (which is still great music, don't let the word 'weak' fool you).
  
• This movie, more than any of the others, falls more closely in line with the serial adventures that inspired this whole saga. Plenty of camp here, so be forewarned!

Ultimately, I did get what I hoped for from "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and that is one heck of an entertaining ride. Sure, the movie has some flaws, but it's an adventure worth taking for fans of the series. Just be prepared to move along in some new directions with the series that you might not have expected going in, specifically during the film's climax.

Special Update: After having seen the film for a second time, I am reducing the grade from my original review by half a point. While I still contend there are segments of the film that offer excellent entertainment value, I found that the weaker elements of the movie really stuck out more in the encore showing.