'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' film review: 'Dial' fails to recapture the fun of past Indy flicks

The iconic globe-trotting archaeologist embarks on his final adventure in the action adventure 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (in theaters June 30).

In short: Retiring professor Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), his adventurous goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Nazi scientist Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) race against time to retrieve a legendary artifact that can change the course of history.

Yes Harrison Ford is back as Indy, albeit an elderly yet still resolute version of the adventuring cinema hero. And yes Ford is still pretty great as the whip-cracking adventurer ... but sadly no, this sequel probably should not have been made. 'Dial of Destiny' doesn't justify its bloated runtime and Dr. Jones should have been allowed to quietly retire in peace rather than shoehorn him into this slog.

The fact that 'Dial of Destiny' is not quite 'Crystal Skull' bad is not a compliment - it merely means 'Dial' is not the worst 'Indiana Jones' film in the series and still means the first three films remain vastly superior. And to be quite clear, this has very little to do with the fact that Dr. Jones is a septuagenarian retiring from the quiet halls of academia, much less tomb raiding escapades. If anything the aging, reflective Indiana Jones is quite interesting - after a personal tragedy, he has looked inward and looked at his lonely personal life. He has saved the world multiple times over, yet, Dr. Jones has many regrets. It's obvious Harrison Ford himself isn't as spry as he as in 1980, however, Ford still retains glimpses of that wry humor and laser-focused determination.

And the introduction of newcomer Helena (Waller-Bridge) allows 'Dial of Destiny' to still have a dashing hero on an incredible adventure, packed with fights, car chases and exploration. The notion of recasting Indiana Jones in any sort of misguided 'Indiana Jones' reboot seems sacrilegious - but 'Dial' introduces an intriguing new hero every bit as charming, smart and resourceful as the iconic archeologist. It's easy to imagine a spin-off franchise focusing on Helena's continuing adventures involving ancient relics - even if she has slightly less pure reverence for history than Dr. Jones (itself a fun new take on the franchise).

But Ford seamlessly rocking the iconic fedora again and the pure charm of Waller-Bridge are simply not enough to offset the film's two biggest weaknesses: its runtime and its meandering plot.

'Dial of Destiny' ... is dull. It lacks energy - mostly because the exact stakes are super vague. Some "former" Nazis are trying to get their hands on some powerful McGuffin - a thin premise that other better 'Indiana Jones' flicks have embraced and overcome. The script declares whoever wields the Dial will have god-like power - and that's about it. This alone is not a problem and vague McGuffins are not a problem. The issue is Dr. Jones and company spending the entire movie trying to find a thing which can lead them to the other thing, which apparently does stuff. Not knowing what the Dial is or is capable of accomplishing undermines the perceived threat - aside from the general 'do not let the WWII-era Nazis find the thing' sentiment.

Making matter worse: a meandering sequence of plot points to find a thing ... is drawn out to nearly three hours long. It’s simply too lean on story or character values to justify this obscenely long runtime. 'Dial of Destiny' is by far the longest film in the series - and has virtually nothing to show for it, except to allow Dr. Jones to quietly saunter into the sunset. 'Dial of Destiny' just peppers in some requisite, traditional 'Indiana Jones' action pieces across a rudderless story and makes the audience sit through this slog for two and a half hours. While there are fleeting glimpses into what made the original 'Indiana Jones' flicks so much fun, just a handful of moments amid such a long runtime does not make 'Dial of Destiny' worth the price of a cinema ticket.

Final verdict: ‘Dial of Destiny’ is a dutiful if dull knock-off of better Indiana Jones flicks. Ironically this lumbering conclusion feels like a replica of a beloved antiquity.

Score: 2.5/5

'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' opens in theaters nationwide on June 30. This comic book adventure has a runtime of 154 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking.