Film Review – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

After the release of 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” it seemed impossible that another sequel featuring cinema’s most exciting archaeologist would be put into production. It felt like a victory lap with the original creative team, giving the iconic character one more round of danger to manage. Apparently, nobody mentioned this finality to star Harrison Ford, who suits up again for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” and he’s pretty much alone, with creator George Lucas enjoying some form of retirement and franchise director Steven Spielberg focusing on other features. This leaves co-writer/director James Mangold (the outstanding “Ford v Ferrari,” but also the helmer of “Knight and Day”) to take control of the series, perhaps intentionally diluting the Spielberg-iness of it all to craft his own take on the hero and his magnetic pull to danger. “Dial of Destiny” is missing the maestro’s directorial playfulness and timing, but Mangold doesn’t embarrass himself here, giving the last(?) Indiana Jones extravaganza some pounding action and artifact obsession, while Harrison Ford still maintains enthusiasm for the part, adding his human touch to the massive endeavor and its newfound reliance on visual effects. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com