INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023)
MATTHEW LEYLAND REVIEWS EDITOR
As Scary Movie 3 so sagely reminded us, ‘Great trilogies come in threes.’ They don't need a half-hearted part four. And they definitely don't need a part five that tries to relive past glories (that messy, overextended prologue) but ends up reminding us of Bill & Ted instead (that silly, overreaching climax).
And so I like to pretend that Indy's journey ended with the ride into the sunset that perfectly capped Last Crusade. It's not that I don't want to see my heroes get old; I just don't want to see them get crap. Dial of Destiny is a dud that adds nothing to the lore, nothing we haven't seen before. Juvenile sidekick? Done, but with an actual arc. Youthful flashback? Done, with none of the tech and a million times the charm. Nazis? Like Indy, I hate those guys… but there's little to fear from these disorganised losers. As for the umpteenth reunion with Marion, at least Crystal Skull didn't reduce Karen Allen to a grocerieslugging Easter egg.
Seriously, gimme that stupid Dial right now; there's 154 minutes of my life I'd like to erase.
SECOND OPINION
Upon first viewing , I was like, ‘Get in the Batsuit already!’ Second
