It’s been 42 years since Harrison Ford first crossed movie screens as Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., better known by his nickname, Indiana Jones. The collaboration of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, that film in 1981 gave us an iconic character and created legions of fans.

Now, as part of a summer full of new chapters in established franchises, we get the fifth and perhaps final installment of the adventures of Indiana Jones. Ford is back, but this time James Mangold takes the director’s reins and brings the action all the way up to 1969.

We begin at the tail end of World War II, as Indiana Jones and his colleague, Dr. Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) have infiltrated a Nazi camp in search of a historical artifact. After surviving some close calls, they come away with half of Archimedes infamous dial.

Fast-forward to 1969 and Indiana Jones is in a tough place. His son is gone, and his marriage is near done. His students don’t really listen much, which makes it easier that he’s finally retiring. He’s broken and drinking too much when Shaw’s daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), finds him in a bar. She wants to talk about the dial, but it’s really a ruse to get the artifact from Indy. Once she has it, she goes on the run.

Turns out one Nazi (Mads Mikkelsen) had a soft landing as a U.S. scientist, but he never forgot about the Dial or its potential to change Germany’s fortunes in World War II. With the spark ignited, Indy heads out on another adventure to the unknown.

There’s a lot to process with this film. At more than two and a half hours, it feels overly long at times. Some of it feels dry and it lacks some of the emotional pop of the best of these films from the 1980s. But once it gets going, it’s hard not to give in to the nostalgia.

Ford is a gifted actor. He delivers a few emotional sequences that add the much-needed heart to this film. And he finds a great screen partner in Waller-Bridge. She adds some humor and pop to the proceedings and serves as a great scene partner for Ford.

The rest of the characters are just OK. Mikkelsen is capable of some great and memorable performances, but his character here is a little flat, while Boyd Holbrook’s henchman is too one-note. We get some glorified cameos from Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies and Karen Allen that add to the nostalgia but don’t do much for the plot.

Additionally—much like the last installment—you have to take the plot twist regarding the dial with a big grain of salt. It lands better than the last film but it’s not as strong as the quests in Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Last Crusade, the best of the Indiana Jones adventures.

Mangold does a serviceable job of creating a new story in a well-established pattern. The musical flourishes and other effects, including tracking progress on a map, add to the feel. There are some delightful moments, some engaging set pieces and enough heart to pull you in. This isn’t a great film, and it doesn’t equal the heights the franchise reached with its trio of films in the 1980s. But it feels like an improvement over the last installment in 2008 and it’s always fun to see Ford back in the fedora, cracking his whip and on another quest.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.