Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

This weekend, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the final entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, releases in theaters. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follows Indiana Jones as he goes on one final adventure to find a missing dial that he and his partner Basil worked so hard to find back in the 1940s. On his quest, he finds new allies as well as some old enemies that are also working to get the dial. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year. The Indiana Jones franchise is one of my favorites with the original trilogy being a part of my all-time favorite movies. I was a little skeptical about there being another Indiana Jones film with Harrison Ford at 80 years old. After seeing the trailer, I became cautiously optimistic but still worried about the film.

While this film may not come anywhere close to the heights of the original trilogy, it is still a good enough but safe Indiana Jones adventure film. Of course, it is a lot of fun to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again. Even at 80 years old, he is still able to supply the right level of energy and charm to play the character. It was also pretty fun to see a de-aged Indiana Jones in his prime during the opening sequence, though a bit weird that it was 35-year-old Indy sounding like an 80-year-old man. Like the other films in the franchise, this movie still manages to deliver some solid action sequences. I thought the parade sequence as well as the Tuk Tuk chase sequence were a lot of fun. Though they do use CGI, it doesn't feel too over the top or video game-like as so many modern movies do. The new characters in the story were also a lot of fun. The Helena character was a solid addition to the story and has a nice repour with Indiana Jones. I also thought Dr. Voller was an interesting character and a solid villain. It was also a lot of fun to see Sallah again after not seeing him since The Last Crusade. John Williams kills it yet again with another great score. He brings in a lot of callbacks from the other films while still adding some new themes to make the score unique. Finally, I thought the end of the movie closed out Indy's story in a decent enough way. It is satisfying enough and is passable as an end to the franchise.

While it isn't as disastrous as I feared, it still doesn't even come close to the magic of the original trilogy. It is pretty much right in the middle. It didn't do as many bad things as in The Crystal Skull but it also comes nowhere close to the original trilogy. It feels more like a generic adventure blockbuster than an Indiana Jones film. One of the biggest issues with the film is the CGI. Indiana Jones is known for having all practical effects and stunt work and this film just doesn't have that. It doesn't go over the top with the CGI but seeing it there just doesn't feel like Indiana Jones. It doesn't have Shia LaBeouf swinging with CGI monkeys but doesn't have the practical effects either. Just like with the movie in general, the CGI is just kind of in the middle. I also thought the third act and ending were just a bit weird. I wasn't the biggest fan of the direction of the finale and I thought Indy's actions at the end were a bit out of character. While we do get a decent enough and satisfying end to the story, I feel like it could have been better.

In the end, this was a fun enough Indiana Jones film that brings you in with some of the charm and action of the originals but truly pales in comparison to the original films. It may not be a bad film, but it certainly isn't good enough to justify its existence.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

Recommendation: If you love Indiana Jones, go see it. If not wait to stream it