Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny earns its place in the fedora’s shadow by letting Indiana Jones be more than a stunt machine: it’s a late-career adventure with a pulse, a sense of weariness, and the stubborn spark that made him iconic in the first place. James Mangold stages the action with old-school clarity and momentum, then threads in wry humor and a sharp new counterweight in Phoebe Waller-Bridge, while Mads Mikkelsen brings a sleek, chilly menace that feels right out of a classic serial. The vibe is globe-trotting escapism with a slightly autumnal ache—less about topping the past than about reckoning with it—and that gives the film a surprisingly human emotional lift. If you want the pure, breathless lightning of the earliest entries you may feel the years, but if you’re open to one more romp that’s funny, muscular, and ultimately heartfelt, this one sends Indy out with real movie-star grace.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is clearly trying to give Indy a proper send-off by mixing old-school globe-trotting with a more reflective, end-of-an-era mood, and Harrison Ford still brings real weariness and charm to the role. The problem is it often feels dutiful rather than thrilling: the pacing drags, the set pieces lean heavily on CGI, and the script doesn’t consistently land the wit or momentum that made the classics sing. Phoebe Waller-Bridge adds some bite and Mads Mikkelsen is a solid villain, but the movie’s nostalgia-first approach can make it feel like it’s going through the motions instead of creating a new adventure you’ll remember. If you want a breezy, practical-stunts romp, this may disappoint; if you’re mainly here to spend one last evening with the character and can tolerate a longer, gloomier ride, it’ll do the job.