I have yet to find a single Indiana Jones fan or casual movie-goer that is indifferent about this film. Nobody loved Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; people either liked it or they hated it. After listening to the reviews and hearing public opinion I can see both sides, but ultimately I have to choose one.

The curiosity over how I felt about this film has been so intense I have almost shied away from expressing how I feel about it at all, after all no matter what I say I'm bound to alienate half the Indiana Jones fan base. But then, controversy has never stopped me before, so here - once and for all - is where I stand on the film… I'm with the people that liked it on this one. I thought it was good.

Merely the first twenty minutes in I was surprised both by how early and how often I was laughing and enjoying my self. The pace of the film was excellent except for a few places, and the story was at least interesting enough to keep you in the seat. I was also astonished by how closely this film followed the Indiana Jones format. Unlike the dreaded Star Wars prequels this is an addition to a franchise that does not feel like it's on an island all by it's self; it was unmistakably Inide.

The chief complaints I've heard about this film have to do with the outlandishness of a lot of the scenes, and of the films theme. But try as I may (with one vine swinging exception) I was unable to locate a single scene in the film that was anymore outlandish or ludicrous than any other Indiana Jones film ever made.

The theme of course has to do with the aliens. I would worry that that was a spoiler if I thought there was a single person left in the world that wasn't aware there were aliens in this film (apologies if you are it). The alien motif had me worried as much as anyone else, and for a while I really wondered if this would not be to the films detriment. But as I sat there watching this play out I asked my self "Is this really anymore hard to swallow than a load of Ghosts flying out of the arc of the covenant?". Ultimately, my answer was no.

There was also some concern over Shia LaBeouf 's performance. LaBeouf has been another Jason Biggs (of American Pie fame) for me. Biggs irritated me in every type-casted role he had ever been in, and it wasn't until I saw him in something more serious that I actually found him to be good. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was worlds away from serious, but LeBouf plays a much more serious role, and he wears it well; much better than Transformers at least.

The film was certainly not perfect, but unlike most I did not think the problems were in the silly set ups and 'get out of jail free' solutions to perilous situations. If this film has a serious problem it was probably the story. It's just plain hard to keep track of most of the time. There is a tremendous amount of exposition (probably more than in any other Indie film), and if you aren't paying attention – and I mean like there's gonna be a quiz on this at the end – it's really easy to get lost. Particularly when it comes to a crucial plot point about someone taking the skull, bringing it somewhere, failing to unlock a puzzle, and taking it right back again.

Another interesting fact about this film, in fact what may have been too big a hurtle in the eyes of some, is that the 'deal breaker' scene comes very early in the film, and to protect those who have not yet seen the film, this deal breaker comes in the form of a refrigerator. As soon as this scene was over I said to my self "this is the point of no return. If the audience cannot accept this, they won't be able to accept anything else in the film". I did accept it, and once I sat back and said "whatever" (Indiana Jones films typically require extra suspension of disbelief) I had a great time at the movies. The Indiana Jones franchise has never been about the stories; not really. Indiana Jones has always been about having as much fun as you can in a movie, and I have to say this movie was a lot of fun.

When I came out of the theater I said that it was at least better than Temple of Doom. I'm gonna go ahead and take that back only because I feel that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was really just a revisiting of the franchise rather than an addition to it. It was a reunion film which is weird for me to say because I generally feel that no franchise should ever do this; no franchise should ever get the cast back together for the sake of a reunion. But Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a very rare exception in my view; it really does work on that level.

This film is hardly a classic, and will never grasp the adoration of the public the way the original trilogy did, and rightfully so, it's not in that league. But taken as a fun time at the movies as well as one of our favorite Icons coming back for one last adventure, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a success in my book. To those who hated it, I sympathize with a lot of the criticisms, but I liked the film. It inspires no standing ovations, it breaks no new ground, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.