INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY movie poster | ©2023 Walt Disney Pictures/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Rating: PG-13
Stars: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Ethann Bergua-Isidore, Olivier Richters
Writers: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp and James Mangold, based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Director: James Mangold
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release Date: June 30, 2023

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY is a worthy successor to the original RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

Is THE DIAL OF DESTINY as magical and wonderful as the first film? Well, no, that’s what RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was for, back before it had a few hundred would-be emulators.

So, does INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY do something completely new and different with the franchise? Well, no, because then it wouldn’t be an INDIANA JONES movie.

What INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY does, commendably, is feel very much of a piece with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. It looks and feels like RAIDERS, with the same sense of purpose and discovery, and just the right amount of sweetness.

James Mangold, taking over the directorial reins from Steven Spielberg (who helmed the other four), establishes right at the start that he knows how to stage and shoot a Spielbergian action sequence. Mangold also knows how to juggle time periods, as DIAL requires, keeping a throughline of style throughout.

As is often the case with this type of blockbuster, there is a bit of wait-what-the-hell-is-happening-who-fell-off-what-where in the stunts and editing. We understand the upshot, but a little more clarity in a few sequences would not be amiss.

Mangold was one of the screenwriters here, with the team of Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, and David Koepp. The writers show that they know what makes Indy himself. This time, they also finally get the sidekick thing right by not having anybody be dizzy, incompetent, and/or sulking.

Since it’s in the trailer, it’s no big spoiler to say that Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones has been digitally de-aged for the WWII sequences. While the real-world implications of this tech are pretty scary, for the purposes of INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY, the process works like gangbusters. We’re momentarily astonished, and then just fall into the sheer pleasure of watching Ford bring the character to life again.

Ford is as surehanded as ever, and seeing him in this role, in this context, is perhaps the best kind of screen nostalgia. There are all sorts of screen adventures out there, but there’s no INDIANA JONES adventure without Ford. He gives it his all.

The supporting cast is excellent, whether we’re talking Phoebe Waller-Bridges as an urbane, hard-to-ruffle historian (of sorts), Mads Mikkelsen as the self-assured villain, the welcome return of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah, the introduction of Toby Jones as another ally, and some other delightful appearances.

In the end, INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY feels like getting together with an old friend and having a great day together that concludes with a heartfelt hug.

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