Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023

Personally, I don't understand all the hate around this final installment in the series. I thought this was a pretty good Indiana Jones movie, all in all, and I've watched them in the theater since they first came out (except this one).

Yes, the beginning has some de-aging and it's not great - but you get used to it pretty fast and I was seeing old Indiana Jones in no time. Yes Harrison Ford doesn't do his own stunts anymore but he's pretty old to be jumping horses through downtown New York. Lots of CGI in this one, but that's where we are today - you don't see hardly anything but CGI these days so why should this film be any different?

The story is pretty outlandish, but then again the first one that everyone loves had spirits jumping out of an mythical box so you have to suspend your disbelief if you want to watch shows like this.

If I were to rate this in the series as a whole:

#1: Raiders of the Lost Ark
#2: Last Crusade
#3: Dial of Destiny
#4: Temple of Doom
#5: Crystal Skull (mostly because Shia LaBouff sucked)

I get that some people, particularly with Temple of Doom, will disagree with my ranking but they are mine, not yours.

I went Into DoD with a ton of trepidation, all I heard was how bad it was in places like Trakt, but in reality it surpassed my expectations by a pretty large amount. They had a nice nod to all previous characters (except Brody, that was disappointing to me - I know the actor is dead but a mention would have been nice). I think this was a good final movie for Indie.

For me, the main question I wanted to know going in was, "Is this going to be better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
Happy to report that, yes it's vastly superior in almost every area to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
But with that out of the way, does it compete/equal the originals, to which the answer for me was no.

But it had its moments and felt way more in line with "an Indiana Jones" movie than Crystal Skull and had it's share of flaws. I still think Hollywood should use younger actors or makeup/prosthetics instead of "de-aging CGI" as it continues to look horrible IMO, or at least use it the same way the used emerging CGI in the late 90's early 00's by keeping it in shadow/not the focus point.

The cast, both legacy and new are solid across the board, soundtrack and score work well, plot was a big fun dumb adventure that actually felt like following the breadcrumbs in a good way.

Not at all a bad film, but one that probably won't make my top 10 of the year, but unlike Crystal Skull this probably also won't make my worst 10 of the year either.

If you've ever felt like watching a movie that is the definition of playing it safe, you should definitely give the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise a chance. There really isn't a single risk taken here, which leads to a film that is shockingly boring for long stretches. Tension or even a sense of adventure hardly ever arise in the 2.5 hours of runtime. And even the finale disappointed me, similarly to the miserable fourth part.

In spite of that, "Dial of Destiny" actually gets off to a halfway promising start. If you can overlook the fact that the deaging technology is still not truly ready, then the opening sequence during World War II is really fun. Unfortunately, it's also the last time the film is genuinely good. James Mangold is by all means a capable director, but here he fails to convey any personal style at all. The plot is pretty basic, with pretty much every twist and turn being predictable until the absurd finale.

The cast also, regrettably, didn't entirely work for me. Harrison Ford is still good, but age has definitely caught up with him. Mads Mikkelsen isn't bad as the villain either, and there are a few nice cameos as well. However, I was disappointed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose character Helena is terribly written and who seemed like a miscast to me. In my opinion, she's no better than Shia LaBeouf in the fourth movie. And I don't even want to mention anything about Ethann Isidore, who plays a poor man's Short Round.

It all certainly sounds a bit more negative than it actually is. Ultimately, the film has hardly any serious lows, but it also has pretty much no satisfying high points. It's all pretty mediocre. At most, the occasional fan service moment managed to elicit a chuckle from me. But for a good film, they should have taken some risks, at least at some points. As it is, I can't really recommend "Dial of Destiny".

I've anticipated this movie since at least 2014 and when COVID hit, I was sure the last chance for Indy V was gone. All this to say I've been EXTREMELY hyped for this movie. It had impossible expectations to fill in but, at least for me, it most definitely did.

The de-aged Harrison Ford looks AMAZING. I loved seeing Indy fight some nazis again and it really made it feel like the original movies.

Mads Mikkelsen is obviously an amazing actor.

I also loved seeing Indy in the '60s, I feel like they acknowledged his age without making too much fun of it.

The story was amazing. I'm a sucker for time-travelling and I didn't dare hoping he would actually travel in time. 2000 years at that. Ofcourse it would have even been cooler if he ended up at a time and location of the original trilogy but that's just me.

I feel kinda bad for Shia! And for the characters in general, losing a son must be the most devestating feeling in the world. Therefore I felt genuinely happy when we saw Marion and that they reconnected.

If rumours are to be believed, the ending was rewritten. So I'm not sure at all but it did feel like Indy really intended to stay in the past. I think he would have died quickly so he wouldn't really change the past. It would have been cool if he was the skeleton buried at Archimede's grave.

I'm not sure what those final moments were about, Indy (?) picking up his hat again?

The score might go down on a rewatch and I have small complaints. I didn't understand why Fleabag would lock Indy in with some stone cold killers.

For me it's a perfect Indiana Jones movie. It had everything I could wish for and I had 2,5 hours of fun!

I recently re-watched the whole saga because i wanted to have a fresh memory of them; and watching them now that i'm older and i have seen a lot more movies than when i was 10, i found them all boring, repetitive, badly acted and written, and many other issues. And i'm safe to say that this one not only is not the exception, but i think is even worse than KoCS. First of all, while re-watching the saga, and watching this one, i couldn't help to take out of my mind the "issue" presented in The Big Bang Theory (i know, is kinda stupid, but at the same time is not): Essentially Indiana usually doesn't alter the outcome in any way. The "bad guys" end up getting the artifact of the movie (one way or another), end up dying in a horrible way, and that's it. Here, Voller had the first half of the dial. Then Indy stole it. Then Voller got it back. Then got the second half. Travelled in time to ancient greece and crash his airplane. The only thing Indy did maaaaaaaybeeeee, was delaying the whole feat. If he hadn't stole the first half, Voller would probably had done everything sooner, but die in the same place. I don't know, maybe it's a stretch, but couldn't mind to notice the same pattern in all the movies; in some more noticeable, in others less; but still there.

About the movie itself, the story is more or less the same as the other 4 (nazis, again. Mild shock). As i said, the acting is mostly poor (even for Mads). DEFINETLY Harrison Ford is no longer in shape, form, color, sound, frequency or wave length to do an adventure movie. The few scenes were you can see him "running" (more like a fast-paced walk tbh), you are half expecting him to crumble into dust or break his hip for stepping wrong. I like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but i found her character annoying. It could very well have been a passing torch to her, but i don't think they should continue, reboot nor remake the story. I think this should be Indy's end, even if it is not appropiate. I hope Disney gave the CGI team a fat bonus for this one, because between all the de-aging, and the scenes where they put Indy's face into someone younger; must have been hard work.

Anyways, for me is a bare 5, and i'm being generous.

This is so bland and inessential, they might’ve as well put it directly on Disney Plus. Why are we investing 300 million dollars in an action/adventure flick starring an 80 year old grandpa? Look I have a lot of respect for Harrison Ford, but everything that’s wrong with this movie is connected to the larger issue of him and the franchise being way past their expiration date, so this never should’ve been greenlit in the first place. Nothing is offensively bad here, but it’s more a case of wrong decisions piling onto each other.

I understand Lucasfilm’s decision to hire a director who just delivered two crowdpleasers in a row, both of which were acclaimed by normies and snobs alike. Mangold understands what makes the world and character work, but he doesn’t get the soul. Right from the opening scene, the movie looks drab, underlit and generic. There’s almost no imagination to the set pieces, and some of the more impressive stuntwork is undone by poor effects work. Take the Tuctuc chase. Ford’s stunt double puts in the work for the wide shots, but when you cut to a close-up of characters in front of a green screen, you’re not exactly selling the sequence. It’s not going to stick on my brain, it’s too unremarkable. Again, what’s the point of making an Indiana Jones movie if there’s no viscera or imagination to the action?

Then there’s the story, which is also very by the numbers and low on risk. It feels like wheel spinning, which in theory could be fine (the Bond franchise got away with that for decades) but there’s nothing to hold my interest. Some of the new mechanics introduced during the third act I found to be underwhelming, and this is coming from someone who didn’t mind the inclusion of aliens in the last film. All of the new characters are boring and underdeveloped (especially the villain), despite the actors putting in decent performances. It’s quite funny how this suffers from the same problem as Furious 7, where villains will show up on the same location as our heroes despite there being no story reason for it. Occasionally there’s a brief fun interaction, or a fun set, or a good visual idea (like the final shot, for example), but that’s not enough to fill its bloated runtime.

4/10

Like its titular character, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny exists in a world that has moved on from it. What's more, even though it's a perfectly serviceable film that's got fun moments, fine acting, and some heartfelt character work, there doesn't seem to be a reason for it to exist at all. The movie is all about reliving the past (or, more to the point, trying to save it), and it starts off with a flashback action set piece that is both exciting and full of technical wizardry. Disney seems determined to perfect the art of de-aging onscreen and the effect here is the best to date. It's a throwback that works, as Director James Mangold constructs the most Indiana Jones-esque part of the movie with fast-paced action and plot development that work really well together. Once its done and we fast forward to 1969, however, the story becomes a bit of a morass that challenges even the most fervent suspension of disbelief.

Harrison Ford is 80. He looks great- not a day over the 70 years old that he's playing, in fact. But watching him punch Nazis and scramble up cave walls while keeping up with his goddaughter, Helena, who even he points out is half his age, is absurd. Her character arc is the plot's biggest surprise and forces Indy to ask some interesting questions, but it doesn't help that Phoebe Waller doesn't look the part that she's trying to play, nor does she have the gravitas to feel like the heir to Indy's legacy that the film so obviously wants her to be. And those questions that get asked? Well, they're never answered. For a movie so interested in the past, it never really wants to reckon with it.

It's more than just missed opportunities to talk about Indy's history of "grave robbing" or the casual colonialism inherent in his ethos. (Whose museums do all of those artifacts belong in, anyway?) Even Nazi ideology is once again breezed over, save for one moment when Mads Mikkelsen is at his chilling best when he needles a Black WWII vet. The worst offenses are the obvious callbacks to iconic scenes in the first 3 films. Not only do they reflect lazy writing, it feels like the entire structure of the movie was built around them. At one point Indy grouses about an experience from one of the first 3 movies that everyone watching will remember, only to have a repeat of that film's other most memorable scene take place just a minute or so later. It's beyond fan service. It's insulting hackery.

This would have been a much more impactful and meaningful film had Harrison Ford been forced into the background, if there had been a worthy heir who could have taken the lead in the adventure as he advised. This would have worked as a nostalgic film as well, as he could have found himself playing the role that his father did in (the far superior) Last Crusade. Alas, the folks at Disney's Lucasfilm division seem much more interested in trying to repeat the successes of the past than inventing something for the future. If the world really has moved on from Indiana Jones, it'll have to keep waiting for what comes next because there's no sign of it here.

when watching 2008’s Crystal Skull that Harrison Ford was too old to play Indiana Jones any more, and I stick by that statement.

CGI scenes early in the movie were clearly done by the 10th grade work experience kid. Where Indy runs on top of the train, I haven’t seen CGI natural movement and CGI physics that bad since the Garland Spider-Man movies.

The tuk-tuk scene felt like it took forever and a day, and my suspension of disbelief just couldn’t handle it. But then again, people genuinely pay to watch the Fast & Furious movies and actively enjoy them, so I guess that scene was for that crowd.

The big conclusion of the action portion of the movie felt like it was all done in green screen. Something just felt off about it all. It was a scene that could have probably been done on location too. If it WAS on location then what ever they did to it in post needs to be re-assessed.

Token snakes, token bugs. Both forced and added nothing the way they did when first used in the original movies. They don’t need to be in EVERY movie.

They close out with a nod to the original movie, but it was built up so badly it just felt like empty platitudes than a big moment.

Overall this movie was MUCH better than Crystal Skull, but doesn’t hold a candle to the original trilogy. It does actually have the feel of an Indy movie for most of it, which is a good thing. Like Crystal Skull though, it shouldn’t have been made either. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago sure, but not now.

When I first heard they were making another one of these, I groaned. When I saw the title, I buried my head in my hands. Indy’s last adventure, 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, didn’t leave me with much hope for the franchise, and that first impression - an abrasive, clunky moniker - stunk with precisely the same odor. Man, do I really want to put myself through this again? The first three Indiana Jones films are an indelible part of my cinematic childhood. What’s the point in dragging their names back through the mud? I don’t really need to see an eighty-year-old Harrison Ford don the fedora and try to move like a younger man. Do I?

Well, curiosity sometimes makes us do funny things. Nostalgic fondness, too. And, despite my better judgment, I did indeed take the time to breathe deep, hold my nose and sit through the ’23 model. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s not half as bad as I’d feared. Several important lessons have been learned from that preceding misfire, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to put this on the same pedestal as the first three (not even Temple of Doom), it’s still a great relief. Good enough that I felt no embarrassment about watching, at any rate, though I remain unconvinced about the need for its existence.

Like most of the other Indies, even the good ones, the plot involves an international MacGuffin hunt. Our hero has, and then loses, possession of an ancient mathematical artifact that can somehow transport skilled users through time and space. Something of an analog flux capacitor, in other words. Indy thinks it belongs in a museum, but a small pack of Nazi leftovers (including ringleader Mads Mikkelsen) sees it as a means to revive their evil empire. During the pursuit, we catch up with several recurring members of the broader Jones family (many offscreen), cross paths with the Apollo 11 astronauts, endure a thrilling tuk-tuk chase in Tangier (easily the film’s best scene) and meet a feisty prodigal goddaughter. Who, for what it’s worth, represents one of the more valuable items learned from Crystal Skull. She’s no force-fed Shia Labeouf. The stakes aren’t so artificially high, either, with less supernatural mumbo jumbo and (thank goodness for this) more practical effects. The CG in Dial of Destiny is a crutch, an enhancement, not the constant center of attention like it was in Crystal Skull.

So, yeah, Indiana Jones 5 is better than the abomination that came before. I might even say it’s a mildly above-average old-timers' action movie. It doesn’t feel so much like a classic adventure serial, though, lacking the magic that made the first trilogy sing, and I think the dial itself is partially to blame. There’s just no romance in chasing a wholly-invented artifact; not like there is for an ark of the covenant or holy grail. Those probably never existed either, but generations of treasure-hunters clearly felt otherwise and their documented, accumulated conviction lends a certain, tangible sense of history and authenticity that’s missing here. Archimedes’ dial may be shiny and bright, but in comparison to the genuine article(s) it’s just fool’s gold.

The second time Disney Lucasfilm took a hero from my childhood and practically destroyed them right in front of me. So it might be odd for me to remark that It's not completely bad. But if you've seen literally any other Indiana Jones, yeah. Don't watch this one. It's 100% milquetoast. Every creative decision was the safe one. The CGI they've implemented seems more to show off "the latest and greatest" the tech has to offer, but it's still not even great and when I noticed it, it took me out of it. We'll see more of the seams in probably a year or so, and it will probably be laughably bad.

There's a chase scene that takes too long, the god-daughter is terribly annoying, scene to scene it's pretty dry, and the villains are always right behind the heroes because movie. Lots of dumb "coincidences" where things line up because the characters need a reason to continue to follow the plot. When our heroes solve puzzles and riddles they just instantly know the answer. And the Nazis instantly take the solution, which in a cat and mouse way is reminiscent of the old films but the silliness of the chase in Dial of Destiny is so implausible at points it just makes you roll your eyes. This not to mention that the writers expect you to thread together some important plot points and developments by your own assumptions and it's just lazy.

I think the biggest highlight is the climax, I'm glad the writers actually did something with the McGuffin. But if course, out of every interesting scenario that could have happened, they picked the milquetoast one. There's maybe 2 jokes that landed for me across the whole movie. I dunno. More than anything I appreciated the score, which of course John Williams does his thing and slams it out of the park. I suppose I also appreciated some fight scenes and the sound work surrounding those.

I have a lot of negative things to say but I didn't walk out of the theater before it was over, and my family overall said they thought it was better than expected, so in an act to be objective I'm just gonna leave it at a 5. Maybe I have rose tinted glasses, but I think Crystal Skull was better? Also there's no Shia La Bouf. Don't even bother getting excited to see him. He's written off. Would have honestly rather had him star in a reboot, but he doesn't even make an appearance. But he could have! The plot could have taken so many more interesting turns with the elements in this story, it's practically a shame that this is the one that got weaved together.

In short, I think Hideo Kojima said it best when he tweeted: "Went to see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny."

Things I liked:
- The premise (it's more bonkers than the aliens in the four movie, but it somehow works)
- Harrison Ford's acting (he's not actually phoning it in this time!)
- Mads Mikkelsen is great at playing the bad guy
- The musical homages to previous Indy films (such good memories)

Things I didn't like:
- The runtime is way too long (they could have trimmed at least 15 minutes, if not more)
- Indy is sidelined for far too long (outside of action scenes, oddly enough), then they had the gall to complain when he actually started doing archeology more than halfway through the movie
- The villain's henchmen (there were too many of them, and they were annoying)
- A LOT of the CGI is pretty rough (what did the $300 million go toward if it looks that bad?)
- The musical homages to previous Indy films (makes me wish I were watching one of the good ones)

At least this one felt more like an Indiana Jones movie than the last one, but between the bloated runtime and sidelining of the titular character, this movie should have become a novel, or stayed as an idea in someone's head.

Feels needless, but 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' still gave me suitable entertainment.

I'd personally rank it higher than 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', though to be honest I feel similarly about all five films from this franchise - evidently, given I've rated them all 7/10. I wasn't someone who grew up with this series and when I finally did watch it well over three years ago I didn't connect to them massively, so this fifth installment isn't too far adrift from the original trilogy. If this was much shorter, I may have even liked this more if I'm to be truthful.

So yeah, I found the run time to be excessive. It's actually paced relatively well, I'm just not convinced the story itself needed to be told over almost two and a half hours. There is good action adventure in this and the music is done nicely, that theme even gives me goosebumps despite my lack of strong affection for the films.

Cast-wise, it's positive. I'm not that much of a fan of Harrison Ford if I'm honest, don't get me wrong I have literally zero against the guy either but from this franchise and that certain other space franchise (I forget the name...) he has never stood out to me strangely. In these and those, I prefer others. Admittedly, I wanna check out his other work away from these sorta flicks. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is very good, as is Mads Mikkelsen. Ethann Isidore and Boyd Holbrook play their parts too.

Overall, it's worth watching. The opening and closing sequences are my favourite bits.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is close to masterpiece level. The subsequent films of the original trilogy are also very good and are staples of my childhood. Then the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out and I felt similarly towards that as I do with the Star Wars prequels and sequels. On one hand, it felt unnecessary after the fact but when going through it I was excited to have another adventure with my on-screen buddies. After the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I wasn't champing at the bit to go on another adventure with Indiana Jones but I was willing to give it another go around.

With all that said, the Dial of Destiny is a better film than the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The story is better. The adventure is more fun. It is not better than the original trilogy.

Positives: I thought the story was pretty good, Harrison Ford was really good when he was able to play his age, I found Phoebe Waller-Bridge a lot of fun and she injected some whimsy that I liked, and I'm always Mad about Mads Mikkelsen.

Negatives: The runtime is 2.5 hours, the de-aged Harrison Ford was very off-putting, the treatment of Antonio Banderas's character was uneven and a little disrespectful when I think about it, and the seemingly over-reliance on CGI.

I feel I have to mention the beginning. I really hated the de-aged Harrison Ford. It felt like I was seeing an Indiana Jones on a video game. It looked good, but it's not perfect and until it could be perfect I'll always argue that it's creepy. I loved watching the old Indiana Jones, so I wonder if they could have set up the story without having to actually see the events that happen with the train that set up Archimedes' Dial. The filmmakers didn't go that way, so we'll never know for sure.

Overall I give this a Fair rating. I wouldn't recommend rushing out to watch it, but if you have 2.5 hours and want an easy watch then, sure, go ahead and check out Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Having recently done a rewatch of three of the four previous entries in this franchise (I skipped Temple of Doom because I was never a big fan), I have come to the controversial conclusion that Dial of Destiny was the most enjoyable. To clarify, I’m not considering historical context, cultural significance, or any of the numerous other factors that make Raiders an all-time classic. I’m simply saying that, for me, as a modern audience member used to the style and trappings of modern film, Dial of Destiny was more enjoyable than the rest. It’s simply too hard for me to ignore the dated and/or goofy elements of the old films or the over-the-top ridiculousness of Crystall Skull.
The de-aged WWII opening sequence was impressive, with some clever set pieces to boot (the interrupted hanging was particularly fun). The motivation for the villain was surprisingly unique given the franchise’s long history with Nazis. The McGuffin’s secret power and its effect on the plot is far more interesting than previous McGuffins (though perhaps I’m just a sucker for time-travel).
All of that said, there are still some things I could have done without. I’ve just been worn out on car chase sequences, and having it be in a tuk-tuk wasn’t enough to differentiate it. The final sequence crosses into Crystal Skull territory with some of its more ridiculous elements (e.g., kid hotwiring and flying a plane, bomber flying stupidly low so as to be shot down by arrows).