Note: This review contains no Spoilers.
A heroes journey must end at some point, even ones as iconic as Indiana Jones. First exploding onto the big screen with 1981's Raiders Of The Lost Ark, the popular action-adventure franchise has experienced its share of ups and downs with its peak moments being both Raiders and The Last Crusade with its downs being the excessively dark Temple Of Doom and the hugely divisive Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. With Disney's Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, the hope is that the fifth and final entry in the series with Harrison Ford retiring as the franchises main lead will give its hero a fitting sendoff. Their efforts ultimately prove to be a mixed bag with Dial marking a considerable improvement over its predecessor, though still struggles to match the franchises previous glory days.
Set in 1969, Dial has Indiana Jones and his estranged goddaughter Helena going on a new adventure in hopes of trying to locate a device that could change the course of history before a Nazi-turned-NASA scientist, Jurgen Voller, can take it for himself and alter the outcome of World War ll. Right off the bat, Dial Of Destiny aims to reverse some of Crystal Skull's controversial moves such as the glaring omission of Shia Labeouf's character Mutt Williams, and the ommitting of aliens with the franchises previous enemy, Nazis. As a story that's meant to give its star a fitting end at playing the role, it serves as being an respectable finale that leaves the series in better place than it was previously, although fans won't go crazy over it.
With Dial's cast, the ensemble brings their A- game with delivering strong performances which demonstrate a clear enthusiasm for being apart of the series. Harrison Ford proves he's still got it as the legendary titular hero with his performance serving as the stories heart. Here, he nails it at playing an aging hero whose reflecting on his past adventures and mistakes as he faces retirement. Joining him on his latest adventure is Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Jones charming and flip-flopping grifter goddaughter, Helena, whose also the daughter of an old friend of Jones, Basil. Bridge makes the most of what she's given and holds her own alongside Ford. Mads Mikkelsen proves to be brilliant as German scientist and former WWll Nazi, Jurgen Voller, who seeks to use the Apollo moon landing program for his own gain. Mikkelsen is commanding as a sinister Voller, who desires to carry the Nazi's mantle. The rest of Destiny's cast shine including Antonio Banderas as Jone's loyal old friend, Renaldo, the return of John Rhys-Davies as Jone's old ally, Sallah, Toby Jones as Jones ally and Helena's father, Basil Shaw, Ethann Isidore as Helena's young Moroccan sidekick, Teddy Kumar, Shaunette Renee Wilson as US government agent, Mason, Boyd Holbrook as Voller's trigger-happy right-hand man, Klaber, and Karen Allen as Jone's divorced-wife, Marion Ravenwood.
Taking over the franchise directing reigns from Steven Spielberg is Logan director James Mangold who delivers some impressive set-pieces. He manages to keep intact the adventurous spirit of the previous installments, while taking a more personal approach with the character. With the films violence and moments of peril, he keeps things moving frequent with intense sequences showing characters being thrown from moving trains and in-flight planes with the occasional fist fight being accompanied by conveniently large explosions. Some of the films key moments involving heavy usage of CGI including a thrilling sequence involving Jones riding a horse through a parade or a thrilling 25-minute opening sequence involving a de-aged Indy fighting Nazi's on a train with the latter making for some of its best usage yet. At 2hrs and 34 mins, Dial moves at a steady pace that never makes it feel too slow nor as masterfully paced as Raiders. The films costume and set design are stunning with the Moon landing celebration parade making for stunning background scenery.
With Ford's final outing as Jones, it's only appropriate that Destiny's story explores the concept of an aging Indy facing his twilight years. Key themes including teamwork, family, loss, grief, and how doing the right thing ultimately comes with its rewards are prevalent here with the plot making for more of an emotional journey involving Jones character than previous films. One sequence, in particular, that effectively shows Indy reflecting on his past failures has him admitting what he would change if he had the ability to do so. Such a moment is beautifully acted while showing the grief and loneliness that his characters experienced over the years. When the story revolves around Jones, it works well, but runs into trouble when attention is directed towards other characters who aren't as well-written. Indy's goddaughter, Helena, comes across as being awkward and unlikable given that her character feels inconsistent in terms of the way she's written that audiences won't find themselves caring much about her by the end of the film considering that she chooses to betray Indy at every opportunity presented. Voller's character had potential to be a fantastic Nazi villain that the series deserved, but comes across as feeling underdeveloped. The films side characters all show potential to be good, but aren't given enough time to properly shine and ultimately make Indy feel somewhat of a side character in his own story.
Overall, Dial Of Destiny marks itself as being a reasonable improvement over its predecessor and can even be considered as being a decent movie, but its nowhere near the level of previous entries and further supports the notion that the series didn't need to be continued after how perfectly The Last Crusade ended things. Then again, audiences wouldn't be treated to the heartwarming reunion that happens at the end of the film that feels fitting for the character and his legacy of uncovering lost treasure and battling Nazi's. It's not the near perfect finale that fans wish for it to be but as a send-off to an actors legacy with playing the role, it's an honorable one.
Final Verdict: An honorable send-off for the character that's worth watching, largely due to Harrison Ford's emotionally charged performance.
Images Courtesy Of Disney
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