Well it's finally here. And of course the big aching question for all: was it worth the wait? In short, absolutely.
Probably at this moment, it's my 3rd favorite of the 4, but that might change upon repeat viewings. The main thing the movie doesn't do wrong is emphasize on Jones being old. If Spielberg had done that, the movie would have gotten old fast (no pun intended) and the audience's interest lost. Thankfully Spielberg crafts Ford's character as badass as he ever was. CGI also worried many people, creating the impression that the original feel of the first 3 movies would be lost. But one's got to remember that back in the 80's, those movies were also constantly finding ways to outdo themselves with impressive visuals. It's just now, the industry has CGI. But even still, the CGI isn't overdone with only maybe 3 scenes total that are heavily CGI centered. For the most part, CGI never gets in the way of the film.
The acting by everyone was pretty exceptional. Harrison Ford still had the best performance of the movie, but Cate Blanchett followed close behind. Her performance might have bordered on stereotypical of "the Reds" at times, but she was still phenomenal, as cold and haunting as ever. John Hurt performed well too, but nothing too extraordinary. And Karen was Karen. Which leaves us with Shia LeBouef. What's there to say about him? Has he ever truly played a deep and emotional character up to now? He's been in I, Robot, Disturbia, and Transformers, to name a few. He's not exactly the deepest of character actors, as of now. Then again, the role he's in doesn't need a truly extraordinary actor. He does do a fairly great job in the movie though, as the comic relief known as "Mutt" Williams. For most of the movie, he's a typical grease-ball of the 50's, combing his hair back constantly. And that really does get annoying the 100th time he does it. But later on in the movie, he gets the chance to stretch his acting muscles a bit especially with emotional scenes involving his stepfather and such. (SPOILER) It's a little cliche to see Mutt be the son of Jones and doesn't really come as a surprise to the audience when the reveal comes, but does give the chance to have a strong bond form between LeBouef and Ford. (END SPOILER) Overall, everyone performed well, but besides Ford, everyone had room to improve to reach greatness.
With the CGI, action scenes became more explosive and intense. The major car chase scene, while over dramatic, was still awesome. Also the scene with the ants has got to be one of the most chilling scenes in all of the 4 movies. That could have not been done easily, if at all, back in the 80's. The part in the beginning where all the crates explode after the car drives through them made no sense, and the whole magnetism thing was a complete stretch.
One of the most important aspects of the movie is the story, and overall it's kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, it maintains the historical-ness of the first and third movie, not pulling any of that Temple of Doom cult stuff, which is a good thing...until the Crystal Skull is found. (SPOILER) The whole alien aspect of the story just seems silly. I understand how it ties into Indy's whole "not believing in supernatural crap", but still, Lucas and Spielberg should have left their love of extra-terrestrials out of the Indy franchise. Everything about the flying saucer and the aliens "being one" was out of place and just an excuse to actually think of some historical artifact to chase after. Or something along those lines. The story still didn't get too destroyed by all the aliens, so overall it was still fun and exciting.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade all are amazing films. And so is the latest Indiana Jones movie. It combines all of the exciting elements of the previous films, providing a fun and exciting follow up to the first three films. Anyone who is a fan of the Indiana Jones movies or of action/adventure movies to begin with, should go see this, as its full of charm and character. Here's hoping that Indy 5 will be equally as great, if not better, than Crystal Skull. And yes, there will be another; its basically spelled out all over the movie.
Mel AND Gary Sinese 
i guess i was right on the cusp of when everything changed.
Often my mind can't help but go to Signs when I listen to Wire.
