‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Review: It Might Be Silly, But It’s Indy

thewrap.com:

Cannes Film Festival, is about the years and the mileage. Then it’s about the years some more because the semi-supernatural twist this time around involves time travel.The film is full of action, stunts and escapes from Nazis, because that’s what “Indiana Jones” movies are.

It relies heavily on the charm and charisma of Harrison Ford because of course it does. And it contains lots of satisfying fan service, from old friends popping up, to familiar situations unfolding in different ways, to a nice little spin on that scene mentioned at the beginning of this review.Is it as fresh, bracing and enjoyable as “Raiders” was way back in 1981, when director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas teamed up to do nothing more ambitious than give audiences a really, really good time at the movies?

Of course not. And 42 years later, it couldn’t be. A 2023 “Indiana Jones” movie starring an 80-year-old Ford has to serve as a valedictory to a beloved character and a beloved series, even if at least two of the entries in that series weren’t all that good. (Nos.

2 and 4, by my reckoning.)“Raiders of the Lost Ark” was an unexpected lark, while “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is an action flick that also needs to serve as a monument. “Raiders” was pure Saturday-matinee stuff; “Dial of Destiny” had its debut in front of a black-tie audience at a tony film festival in the South of France, in a place called the Grand Théâtre Lumière that wouldn’t dream of putting a popcorn machine in its sleek lobby.But, you know, maybe they should have sullied the movie palace with popcorn on Thursday night.