Indiana Jones is one of the most celebrated franchises of all time.
Even if its fourth installment was a big let-down, the original trilogy of Raiders of the Lost Arc, the Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade are all rightly considered classics.
So when a new and most likely final film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was announced, fans were both excited and nervous.
Would this be as good as the films of the original trilogy or a disaster like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
Well, it turns out the answer is neither because Dial of Destiny simply alright.
It is a descent conclusion to the character of Indiana Jones with things to like and dislike about it. 

Directed by James Mangold, the film follows an elderly Jones (Harrison Ford) who is just about to retire from his job after suffering a family tragedy, when his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up.
She is here to take one of Indie’s artifacts, a piece of the Antikythere, which is an ancient device created by the Greek philosopher Archimedes to supposedly travel through time.
However, Helena is being pursued by Nazis who were pardoned for their cooperation after World War Two.
They are led by Dr Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi scientist Jones encountered decades before and now wants to use the Antikythere to change the course of the war.
And so, Indiana Jones has to go on one more, final adventure with Helena and her young friend Teddy (Ethan Isidore) to stop Voller. 

Whatever anyone may think about the Dial of Destiny, I don’t think any of them could deny that it was good to see Harrison Ford in the role of Indiana Jones for what will most likely be the last time.
As expected, Ford does a fantastic job as the character, even though it has been so many years since he played him.
He brings a lot of weight to his performance, both emotionally and physically.
I say physically because I quite liked the way Indie’s age was showcased.
It is quite clear that he is not as strong as he once was, given his age and this is portrayed well.
As for his youngers days, this is also showcased with the opening scene, which sees a digitally altered Indie working with Helena’s father Bazel (Toby Jones), fighting Nazis on a train.
This is the best scene of the film, with the CGI used to de-age Ford working, for the most part. 

What works less is the CGI used for the action, both in this scene and in the rest of the movie.
One of the many things that make the original trilogy great is how practical they are.
You could really feel the weight of the action because you knew that what you were seeing was mostly real.
Constant CGI, on the other hand, adds a level of disconnect because you can often tell what you are looking at is not there.
This was a problem with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and it is a problem here.
Although, to be fair, I do understand that some CGI was necessary because we cannot expect the 80-year-old Ford to pull off the stunts he used to. 

As for the younger actors in this movie, they unfortunately left a bit to be desired.
Helena is a very unlikeable character for the first half of the movie and, while I do understand that this was likely the intent, with the writers probably hoping her growth would in turn make her grow on the viewer, unfortunately I think they went a bit overboard with it.
Helena is quite callous throughout much of the movie and it is difficult to forget that, even when she has her development. 

As for Teddy, while he does get one standout moment, it did not feel like there was enough to make me latch onto him as a character.
It is the same for Voller who is serviceable as the villain but nothing beyond that.
Boyd Holbrook’s role is worse, with his henchman character being entirely forgettable. 
One thing that is certainly not forgettable, however, is the film’s third act, which goes in a crazy direction that I think may feel like a jump-the-shark moment for many viewers.
Personally, I quite enjoyed this twist, crazy as it was.
It is was some of the characters’ abrupt decisions during this third act that made me scratch my head, honestly. 

This builds into an ending that is emotionally cathartic but also not without its issues because the film forgets to resolve a plot point it set up in the first act, creating quite a jarring plot hole. 
So overall, the Dial of Destiny has a lot of issues.
It is certainly not without its merits, with the first scene, Ford’s performance, and the crazy third act making the film enjoyable.
However, as an Indiana Jones film, it fails to live up to the legacy set by the original trilogy. 
A decent film to be sure but Indiana Jones should never be just decent.