In the wake of its premiere at Cannes this evening, the first reviews are now out for the upcoming “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” – the fifth and final film in the franchise and Harrison Ford’s final outing in the role.
James Mangold directs the film which is set in 1969 New York, American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is now mostly retired and has spent a decade as a college professor.
As the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of the old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Here’s a sampling of reviews thus far:
“Exciting and excessive in equal measure, so over-the-top that an audience needs to throw up its collective hands and suspend disbelief… There are some beautifully affecting moments. If this is the final Indiana Jones movie, as it most likely will be, it’s nice to see that they stuck the landing. ” – Steve Pond, The Wrap
“However much action swirls on the surface of this kind of film, its foundations are built of reassuring nostalgia…[Mangold] is never anything but brisk… it moves along in the frame-by-comic book frame way that ‘Raiders’ did, but with more international destinations.” – Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline
“The final reel may take a serious flight of fantasy, but unlike those aliens in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it somehow feels an apt journey for Indy. Perhaps the film could’ve been more daring – it feels fairly safe – but fans will leave cinemas feeling like their old hero had one final great outing in him” – James Mottram, Radio Times
“Nobody with a brain in their heads will compare Dial of Destiny favourably to the first three films. There is a sense throughout of a project struggling to stand beneath the weight of its history. But Mangold… knows how to keep his foot on the pedal… Think of it as one of those halfway decent David Bowie albums from the 1990s” – Donald Clarke, The Irish Times
“This one has quite a bit of zip and fun and narrative ingenuity with all its MacGuffiny silliness that the last one (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) really didn’t… The finale is wildly silly and entertaining.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Tonally, the film wavers. It pulls in too many different directions at once. On the one hand, this is an exercise in affectionate nostalgia. On the other, like its predecessors, it’s an old-fashioned matinee adventure in which characterisation is deliberately broad. Certain episodes are knowing and ironic, while others seem painfully naive.” – Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
“A sluggish sequel that in fits and starts recaptures the playful derring-do of the previous chapters, but director James Mangold, taking the reins from Steven Spielberg, never delivers the rollicking adventure that franchise fans have come to expect” – Tim Grierson, Screen
“The film is loaded with mayhem but painfully short on spark and bravado: there’s no shot here, nor twist of choreography, that makes you marvel at the filmmaking mind that conceived it. Even the unapologetically pulpy climax… feels frivolous and offhand” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“Indy’s final date with destiny has a barmy finale that might divide audiences – but if you join him for the ride, it feels like a fitting goodbye to cinema’s favourite grave-robber. [Mangold] moves confidently through action set-piece after action set-piece, keeping up a frantic pace – but he is clearly at pains to keep track of the man under the hat.” – John Nugent, Empire Online
“Not only is ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ an almost complete waste of time, it’s also a belabored reminder that some relics are better left where and when they belong. If only any previous entries in this series had taken great pains to point that out.” – David Ehrlich, Indiewire
Phoebe Waller-Bridge co-stars as Indiana Jones’ goddaughter, Helena, Mads Mikkelsen plays the villain with Boyd Holbrook a secondary one, Antonio Banderas is an old friend of Indy’s, John Rhys-Davies reprises his role of Sallah, whilst Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann and Toby Jones also have roles.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is slated to hit cinemas on June 30th 2023.
