Movie Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is a good, but unnecessary goodbye
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” is good and fun, but ultimately had me wondering why the movie was made in the first place. But in the end, it’s a fitting goodbye to a legendary character.
By Connor Webber
“Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history.”
Let’s get this out of the way, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” is good. I enjoyed myself from start to finish. The score will give you chills. Seeing Harrison Ford put on the outfit for one last adventure will make you levitate off your chair, and James Mangold’s directing is fantastic. Mangold took this relic of a franchise and handled it with great care, blending both his style and what we’re used to seeing from an Indiana Jones movie. But I worry the film was handled with a little too much care. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” takes little to no risks, making for a lackluster adventure.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” drags, and what I mean is the film is two hours and 34 minutes long, and I felt like it could’ve been less than two hours. There was a lot of the extra time thrown into the action. Don’t get me wrong, I love the action set pieces in this film – a few of them I would consider the best of the franchise – but every time there was a chase or a fight scene, they would just keep going and going, dragging on for way longer than they should have. I found myself ready for whatever was next. I will say if you’re not a fan of the direction “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” went, there is a chance you will not enjoy where this new entry takes its adventure.
I’m surprised how far “deepfake” technology has come in the past five years. It was great in Dial of Destiny and I never felt the look of a de-aged Harrison Ford was weird, and it never took me out of what was happening in the film.
The new additions such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen were great. Mikkelsen was a fun villain, despite his motives being incredibly basic, and Waller-Bridge was a wonderful companion for Indy.
In the end “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is a fun summer adventure for multiple generations to enjoy, and even I had many issues with the movie, I will more than likely see it again. I mean … come‘on … it’s Indiana Jones!
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” is rated PG-13 and hits theaters worldwide on June 30, 2023. There are no post credit scenes.
In The Parks
“Attractions Magazine” recently had a chance to check out some of the new merchandise coming out for the new movie. Check out our story and video:
Also for a limited time, head of to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to check out Indiana Jones and the Den of Destiny pop-up bar.
Looking to join Indy for an adventure or two? Multiple Disney parks are home to an Indiana Jones attraction. There’s the Indiana Jones Adventure ride at Disneyland Park, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Also check out this Indiana Jones and Star Wars mash-up that was held for a special event.) And there are these international attractions:
Indiana Jones Adventure Temple of the Crystal Skull (Tokyo DisneySea):
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril (Disneyland Paris):
And if you’re at Disney Springs, you can stop by Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar:
