Ah, summer. A season of overblown budgets and extravagant productions. For movie goers everywhere, this three and a half month stretch is what they have waited for all year. So as always, the prediction for this summer is: Hollywood makes oodles of money. Over these next few months, this column will be examining the phenomena of counter programming and how well it stacks up to the popcorn flick of the week.

This week: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull vs. Nothing

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If Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would have been released on the 24th, it would have been exactly 19 years since the last Indy adventure. 19 years. Since then, Spielberg won two directorial Oscars, George Lucas revived one of the most beloved film franchises of all time (to mixed results) and Harrison Ford… well, somewhere around Sabrina, he became a shell of his former self.

Something else happened during that 19 years. We spent the entire time thinking up the ultimate Indiana Jones adventure. An adventure so grand in scope and so endearing beyond our wildest dreams that it became just that: beyond our wildest dreams. In all seriousness, there is no way that anything Spielberg, Lucas and Ford delivered, including a film shot with the superior Frank Darabont script , would have completely satisfied any of us. Raiders was like capturing lightning in a bottle. I consider it to be one of the most flawless films ever made. It’ll never happen again so to even entertain the idea that an Indy sequel or any other adventure film could be on the same level is nigh impossible.

It’s really hard to review Crystal Skull. Probably the hardest review I’ve ever written. Not because its a bad film (its not) or because its almost impossible to critique it without getting into real heavy spoiler territory (it is) but because Indy is my childhood. It’s something that I can’t let go of, on the same level as Star Wars. Watching the series since I was able to formulate coherent memories, the Indy series was something that my young impressionable eyes went back to over and over again, invigorating my love of film. As far as film series go, I feel it is the most consistently satisfying.

So, after stewing about this film for the past decade, through the false starts and scripts revisions, I guess the only answer any real Indy fan wants to know is: Is Indy back?

Yes, the whip is back. And while I can’t sit here and tell you that it’s the best possible sequel money could buy or the exact film I wanted it to be, I will say that this is one guy who left the theatre with a smile on his face.

IJATKOTCS does have the “Indy” moments that we crave. The long winded fist fights. The high speed shootouts. In a nutshell, the trademark humor. It pops up enough for me to be able to look someone straight in the face and say, “No, this isn’t an imitation. It’s the real thing.”

What hurts the film is surprisingly, not the plot, which was a topic of heated debate and the main reason for the sequel’s delay. It’s the the script. Specifically, its extremely blatant in letting you know its a mish-mash of several different drafts. A great subplot, involving the FBI getting Indy fired from his teaching position because they believe he is a communist, disappears almost as quickly as it comes into play. By the film’s end, its almost as if it never happened. Does globe-hopping and treasure hunting make you American? David Koepp sure thinks so. The predicament also has the film going in a dozen different directions at once. It’s about the reuniting of a lost love. It’s a father-son affair. It’s a film about leaving your past life behind and starting a new. In certain respects, its a big mess but in the end, its still an entertaining film.

Something else really apparent from the script is the struggle Spielberg and Lucas had over the final product. You’ll find yourself constantly picking out which moments either came up with. A majority of the Lucas moments are, of course, groan worthy. Mutt being taught to swing from tree vines by an army of monkeys to get back to the jeep race is not clever. It’s asinine. Out of all the ridiculous moments that go beyond the normal Indy threshold (a flying refrigerator being the next most offensive culprit), this really sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s pointless and the fakest looking stunt in the film.

Harrison Ford still felt like he fit the role to a T. He might be almost two decades older than the last time he played the role but he nailed it. The attitude, the dry humor, the mannerisms. I only wish Ford’s other roles in the past decade had felt this alive and vibrant.

While LaBeouf will be the center of ridicule for every Indy fanboy, he actually pulled off his role just as well anyone could have. He had good chemistry with the cast and pulled off the action nicely in scenes like Mutt’s motorcycle ride through a college campus. My beef lies more with the character of Mutt Williams. To me, Indy just didn’t need another sidekick in this movie. He has, count them, four in Crystal Skull. Indy just doesn’t need a “younger sidekick” in this adventure. I would’ve rather had more emphasis put on the reuniting of Marion Ravenwood and Indy. Marion, at least by Raiders standards, is just a more interesting character, simply because she’s a great foil to Indy. By now, I’m sure we’ve all heard Lucas’ plan to continue the franchise with LaBeouf in the lead with Ford in the Connery role from Last Crusade. That’s the real reason Mutt is in there. But, I’m just not interested in that follow-up. The film’s final gag gives me hope that it won’t happen but I know I’m just fooling myself.

Karen Allen and Ray Winstone’s roles both feel very truncated, as they both don’t have much to do in the film. I have a feeling they both had really great, meaty roles in different drafts of the script but both characters are reduced to just standing around during the film’s final act (which is very reminiscent of Raiders), the same as Blanchett’s Spalko. She, at least, had more to do during the film as a whole.

While most of this review looks like I’m complaining, I’m merely just trying to look beyond my fan boy instinct. This film is not perfect. In fact, its far from it. But, damn it, its Indiana Jones. It’s probably the most nostalgic fun we’re going to have for years to come. It’s fast paced, entertaining and, more importantly, feels like an Indy film. It might be the least of the series but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the worst of anything.

Verdict: Narnia had six days to sit at the top of the box office. Come Thursday, its reign will be officially over. I haven’t seen Narnia yet so I can’t say whether Indy is better or not but at this point, it doesn’t matter. Indiana Jones is an ingrained part of American Pop Culture. The return of Indy has a lot of people puzzled. Right now, it sadly sits at #12 on Yahoo’s list of most popular movie of the summer. People are afraid of The Phantom Menace syndrome. Regardless, it will stomp everything in its path, at least for the first weekend. Early word of mouth on Indy was poor, with the Cannes reviews being mixed but, quite honestly, I’ve read some of those reviews and I’m convinced we saw a different movie. People just couldn’t put aside the expectations and see the fun adventure film that was up there on the screen. How well will Dr. Jones hold after this weekend is the real question. Sex and The City, not surprisingly, has a lot of buzz surrounding it. Indy buzz? No. But, buzz is buzz, even if you’re not working in a honeycomb.