The following contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, in theaters now.
It's safe to say the Indiana Jones franchise is one of cinema's most iconic and timeless properties. From the moment Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters in 1981, fans knew something special had been struck. It helped build the résumé of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, raising the bar for treasure hunt movies.
With James Mangold taking over the director's chair and Harrison Ford retiring Indy, fans are eager to see how it all ends. However, with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull being a dud, many wondered if Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny could undo those errors and become the best of the bunch, even topping the first three movies. While it's not the best overall, it does outclass all the others in one particular field.
Indiana Jones 5 Masters the Series' Action Sequences
The fifth chapter is a bit thin on the story as Indy, Helena and Teddy try to stop Jürgen Voller and the Nazis from going back in time via the Dial. While it speaks to family, it's not as nuanced or complete in terms of story as the 1980s films. However, the action sequences are off the charts, easily becoming the gold standard in the franchise.
This isn't to knock at the past where fans have seen train chases, spine-chilling escapes off dangling bridges, and fight sequences featuring planes and other vehicles. But when it comes to The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, they were all a product of their era. It was mostly practical effects, with slowly-choreographed fights. However, the modern era has made strides with technology, CGI, combat training and even new camera angles to create a more intense aesthetic. It's seen with a de-aged Indy on a high-speed train scrap in the beginning, fighting Nazis and ducking tunnels.
Other key chases include Indy in a tuk-tuk outracing enemies a la Fast & Furious, The Italian Job and Mission: Impossible. There are also epic plane firefights in the sky, Indy racing a horse through the subway and avoiding getting smashed. There are even dire sequences where the heroes fight off eels on a deep sea dive, and bugs in a cave. The action sequences are as dynamic as ever, combining all the thrilling elements from the 1980s. It updates them in terms of cinematography, and uses these polished, high-octane scenes to add suspense, tension and thrills the way comic book movies do.
Indiana Jones 5 Makes Indy the Ultimate Hero
What this does is position Indy, not just as a relic hunter and teacher, but the ultimate action hero. To this point, he has that superhero aura. What helps is him evolving the way he uses his signature whip, pistol and his overall style of fighting. Sure, he's older, but he rolls with the times and adapts. He also has Helena and Teddy improvize as sidekicks.
Mangold's style of directing organically blends Indy into these breakneck scenes too, making it believable a veteran actor like Ford could pull these stunts off in high-stakes scenes. It's something Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lacked, which disconnected fans from the emotional and physical aura of the film. But in The Dial of Destiny, Indy embraces technology, his allies, and shifts his demeanor to match the action, which makes the vibe ultimately feel natural and as ramped up as ever.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is in theaters now.