The fifth & final instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise and also the first to not be helmed by Steven Spielberg, Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny brings the famous archaeologist back for one final outing yet finishes as a bland & bloated blockbuster that fails to replicate the magic & bravado of its predecessors despite having all the necessary ingredients at its disposal.
Co-written & directed by James Mangold (Logan & Ford v Ferrari), the film opens with a thrilling & action-packed prologue that brings the titular artefact into play but then it follows it up with a series of events that just unfold with a straightforward monotonousness. Despite being the final chapter, it doesn't have the urgency, even the exposition is lame, and the action set pieces lack flavour.
What makes the ride dull is the same rinse-n-repeat approach that surface throughout the film in addition to it not having any genuine sense of danger or adventure or escalation. Humour is often poorly timed and the picture also fails to provide John Williams any moment to allow his music to soar. Harrison Ford manages to hold his own in spite of the frailty in his performance but the rest are forgettable.
Overall, Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny begins on a promising note but gets bogged down by issues of its own makings. Most of the problems plaguing this latest sequel can be found in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull too but even that disparaged entry employed better use of shots, cuts & outrageous set pieces. This one fares somewhat better as a whole but it is still a lifeless, overlong & mediocre offering.
Co-written & directed by James Mangold (Logan & Ford v Ferrari), the film opens with a thrilling & action-packed prologue that brings the titular artefact into play but then it follows it up with a series of events that just unfold with a straightforward monotonousness. Despite being the final chapter, it doesn't have the urgency, even the exposition is lame, and the action set pieces lack flavour.
What makes the ride dull is the same rinse-n-repeat approach that surface throughout the film in addition to it not having any genuine sense of danger or adventure or escalation. Humour is often poorly timed and the picture also fails to provide John Williams any moment to allow his music to soar. Harrison Ford manages to hold his own in spite of the frailty in his performance but the rest are forgettable.
Overall, Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny begins on a promising note but gets bogged down by issues of its own makings. Most of the problems plaguing this latest sequel can be found in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull too but even that disparaged entry employed better use of shots, cuts & outrageous set pieces. This one fares somewhat better as a whole but it is still a lifeless, overlong & mediocre offering.