Growing up with three brothers, I was exposed to movies that I otherwise wouldn’t have watched on my own. Indiana Jones was amongst them. It seemed like they were always on in my house and I felt like I owed it not only to myself, but to my family who introduced this hero to me, to witness this final adventure.
Indy (Harrison Ford) is struggling to fit in with the new era as his retirement looms near. When an all too familiar evil returns, he is thrown back into the life he thought he’d left behind to prevent an ancient artefact from falling into the wrong hands.
There’s been a lot of talk about the de-ageing technology that was used in the first portion of the film. In order to set up the plot, we had to go back in time to see a young Indy in 1939. Instead of recasting the role, they decided to go the CGI route. I have to say that for the most part it worked – seeing Ford in his prime again was quite something though it certainly wasn’t perfect.
With every Indy film comes fight sequences and chase scenes galore. Just when I thought they couldn’t outdo themselves, another would come along and knock the other off its feet. It’s important to suspend some disbelief here, but that’s part of what makes these films so fun. The subway chase and the whole third act were really cool!
The additions of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as goddaughter Helena, Ethann Isidore as Helena’s sidekick Teddy and Antonio Banderas as old friend Renado, were excellent and fit right along the rest of the cast. While I didn’t find Mads Mikkelson’s Dr. Voller to be very menacing, he does a great job at portraying the villain so I almost didn’t even mind it. And with returning faces Jonathan Rhys-Davies as Sallah and the incomparable Ford himself, I had a great time.
To think that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is supposed to the last of the franchise doesn’t seem real. It has meant so much for so many people and although Ford says it’s time to hang up the hat, I think the legend of this character will live on forever. Is this film perfect? No, of course not. But it’s filled with a ton of nostalgia that fans will appreciate and that’s all that really matters.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 