Every phase of this is given ample room to develop, becoming bigger and wilder as it goes.

It is summer entertainment as it used to be; grounded spectacle, with basic, small-scale stakes, likable heroes and a high-concept plot that is easy to follow. It is the exact type of movie that caused some of us to fall in love with the medium in the first place.

This is a tremendous, fast-paced, dramatic, exciting, sneakily passionate take on the material, that is faithful, despite some modernizations.

The result is a goofy, and surprisingly heartfelt, ode to old Hollywood, with tons of references and in-jokes that will go over the heads of not only kids, but a lot of adults, too.

The focus, as expected, is on warmed-over wisecracks and lots of chaotic action where you can’t really see what’s going on.

It is still likable, there are some inspired ideas and funny scenes. If the magic is gone, well, the series already had the best possible ending sixteen years ago.

It is quite enjoyable and shows that the aging master still knows how to hit all the right notes.

It wants to be a big fantasy action movie, with effects, larger than life heroes and pure evil villains. It also wants to be a sendup of exactly that kind of movie. It turns out that this combination does not work.

A standalone entry that doesn’t really further the plot of the show in any way, almost like it was designed to appeal to audiences who have never seen the show.

It is cute, with funny moments, and does enough different things, while still feeling a lot like its predecessor. In short, it is fine; I am not mad that I saw it.