Originally published to 8newsnow.com on June 16, 2023.

For many fans of the Indiana Jones franchise, 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull left a sour aftertaste. The bad CG, the strange plot, the Shia LaBeouf of it all, this was not the way to end a storied franchise. For 15 years, the series laid dormant. Rumors of a fifth installment would pop up from time to time, but only the announcement of Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 made possible the chance for Indy to ride off into the sunset (again.)

Enter Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 42 years after his initial big-screen adventure, Harrison Ford is back as the world’s most famous nazi fighting archaeologist. Older and a little worse for the wear, Jones finds himself at the center of a globetrotting expedition to find the titular dial of destiny. Joining the trek are Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw and Ethann Isidore as Teddy, who serve their roles nicely. Waller-Bridge nearly qualifies as a co-protagonist as Shaw plays an integral part in the plot, but rest assured, this is Indy’s movie. Of the newcomers, however, Mads Mikkelsen comes out ahead, unsurprisingly bringing just the right flavor to the film’s villain. Mikkelsen’s Jürgen Voller is a throwback to a villain of old who would feel comfortable in Raiders of the Lost Ark or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

And that’s the theme of Dial of Destiny. The film is a throwback. It genuinely feels like one of the original Indy movies. It can be stark at times. Innocent people can die. There is no 2023 glossy sheen on this movie. For any who were afraid that Disney would turn an Indiana Jones movie into a Marvel movie, that’s not the case. There’s no out-of-place humor here, and while the film can be funny, it’s not a “funny movie.” We get a reasonably gritty, pulpy adventure and, to channel an old colloquialism, “They don’t make ’em like this anymore.”

That’s not to say it’s a perfect film. Visually, the film can be dark and sometimes hard to track, and occasionally critical dialogue can be lost in the cavalcade of sound design, begging for a rewatch when the film is available to stream with the closed captioning option on. The plot could have used more archaeology in exchange for recurring car chases. Still, these minor gripes don’t detract from a return to form for Indiana Jones.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the MVP, the maestro, John Williams. As tends to happen with his orchestrations, the music becomes a character of its own in Dial of Destiny. It’s fortuitous that Disney could secure Williams for this project because any other composer filling his shoes for this film would have instantly downgraded the film to feel less like Indy and more like a fan film. Instead, Williams knows when to let the music drift into the background and when to punch through with nostalgia. It’s a near-perfect blend that creates a strong tapestry for the film to sit upon. At 91 years old, let us treasure this master of his craft. Few in cinema have left their fingerprint so definitively on the medium.

If Dial of Destiny had been the fourth film in the franchise and had been the effort reviving the franchise following The Last Crusade’s nearly-perfect ending, 2023’s addition to the series might not be so well received. However, it didn’t follow Crusade. It followed Crystal Skull. Arguably that film needed a chaser, and Dial of Destiny is just what the doctor ordered. It’s a delightful throwback that earns a recommendation. The 2023 summer movie season would be incomplete without seeing Indy’s last on-screen adventure.