Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  IT IS an Indiana Jones movie without a shadow of a doubt.  The less than stellar reviews that begun at Cannes and simmered away ever since ultimately played on my expectations and I wasn't expecting much before watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for the first time.  Maybe that was a good thing?  

The opening twenty minute scene with a young Indiana Jones played at an immense pace, what you would expect from any adventure movie let alone an Indiana Jones one.  I can honestly say if those twenty minutes were all I got from the movie then I would have been satisfied.  Nice plus points for the casting having such a fantastic actor such as Toby Jones to accompany Indy.  Fun fact: Toby Jones character in The Detectorists is called Lance and the artifact they are after in the beginning is also a Lance.  Okay, maybe not a fun fact but still made me smile.  The de-aging of Harrison Ford is some of the best CGI of its kind since this has become a possibility.  Much better than the now famous return of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian.

The rest of the movie plays out well with chase scenes aplenty.   There was plenty of negativity about Phoebe Waller-Bridge character, Helena but she turned out to be annoying but for the reasons the writers wanted her to be annoying.  She will grow on you throughout the movie and honestly despite what a lot of YouTube channels tell you and other outlets she does not take over the movie and there didn't feel like an agenda to make her THE Indiana Jones.

The resolution to the main plot was a tiny bit of a let down.  I was expecting a little bit more in regards to the final showdown.  It didn't lack action but it just felt that particular scene was over a bit too soon.  There's a cut to the final scene that kind of surprised me, almost like they had to keep the movie under a certain running time.  You'll know when you see it.

Also, it was so nice to hear a John Williams Indiana Jones soundtrack once more on the big screen.  The familiar Indy theme and other original cues can't help to put a nostalgic smile on your face.  Although, the soundtrack hasn't gripped me yet with a particular piece that stands out, this may change with multiple listens.

Regardless of my tiny issue with that final plot resolution nitpick, I enjoyed the movie.  Even the much talked about send off was done well, well I liked it anyway.  It seem to hit all the right nostalgic notes with me.  Again, negative reviews have maybe made me expect the worse and it was far from that.

I am no Disney shill.  I was expecting to hate the movie after the negative coverage this movie has received and to be honest I was all set to write here ranting away but it turned out to be an enjoyable adventure movie and a cracking Indy movie which we get to see for one last time.  We need these kind of movies on the big screen.  There's not enough family adventure movies out there and this is a blast from start to finish which the whole family will enjoy.  Go see it.   

A solid 7 out of 10.

Rob Wainfur

The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.