It has been the better part of two years since the final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," was released.
The perception by many is that it was basically a flop.
Now admittedly, my own reaction to the movie was mixed. I enjoyed being able to see one last new Indiana Jones movie in actual theaters. There were parts of the movie which I enjoyed and appreciated. That said, there were parts of it which were, frankly, underwhelming, and probably would have been better being left out.
Still, I was glad overall to have a new Indiana Jones movie to go see, and was especially glad to share that movie experience with my son. Obviously, each movie from the original trilogy came out in the eighties. But even the fourth one, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," came out in 2008, when he was still only two years old. So this was going to be the first time that he got to see a "new" Indiana Jones movie, although he had enjoyed watching the movies on DVD once he did get older. Perhaps not surprisingly, he enjoyed the last one the most, perhaps because it was the most modern one, so he maybe felt that he could relate to it the most.
My own favorites were the first and third. That is pretty common for fans of the franchise, of course. But I did not really hate Crystal Skull, nor the most recent one, either, which differentiated me from some hardcore fans. Like with some of the more passionate Star Wars fans, there were people who really hated this movie, and probably some felt that it ruined their childhood, or something like that.
The big star of the movie, Harrison Ford, has now played Indiana Jones five times overall. And while the two most recent installments felt like they lacked some of the energy and charm which seemed to come so easily during the original trilogy, these nevertheless still were bona fide Indiana Jones movies. They did not generate the often wild enthusiasm surrounding the original trilogy, which came to be among the favorite movie franchises for many during the eighties, and the last one in particular was even hated by many.
Ford himself, however, remained mostly philosophical about it all:
“Shit happens,” Ford said. “I was really the one who felt there was another story to tell. When [Indy] had suffered the consequences of the life that he had to live, I wanted one more chance to pick him up and shake the dust off his ass and stick him out there, bereft of some of his vigor, to see what happened. I’m still happy I made that movie.”
He hardly seems all that worried about it, does he?
For the most part, I agree. This is a different time, a different era. Most of the younger people really did not know who Indiana Jones even was. I knew some people who had vague ideas about who he was, and some others who knew him exclusively from video games, never having even bothered seeing any of the movies. And while the reviews for the original trilogy were often glowing, there were more criticisms than anything else from underwhelmed reviews this time around.
So be it.
Like Ford himself suggests, it's time to let it go. I doubt that I will be watching that last movie many times over, like I have now watched the original trilogy many times over. Still, as I said before, I was glad to be able to go to the theaters - especially with my son - and just sit with some popcorn and enjoy Indiana Jones on a big silver screen one last time. If it was not everything that I personally would have hoped for in a new Indiana Jones movie, so be it.
Sometimes, life is like that.
Time to move on.
Below is the link to the article which got me on this topic, and from which I obtained the quote from Harrison Ford used above. Below that are some links to articles which I used in previous blog entries for reviews of the movie, and how the major story at the time seemed to be how it largley was regarded as a flop. Also, it seemed worth sharing a review of the movie from shortly after it was released, as well. Enjoy:
Harrison Ford Says ‘S— Happens’ Over ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Flop, Joined the MCU With ‘No Script’ Because He Saw Actors ‘Having a Good Time’ in Marvel Movies by Zack Sharf, February 5, 2025:
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/harrison-ford-indiana-jones-5-flop-marvel-no-script-1236297797/
Indiana Jones 5’ Underwhelms With $70 Million at International Box Office, ‘Spider-Verse’ Hits $600 Million Globally by Rebecca Rubin, Jul 2, 2023:
https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/indiana-jones-dial-of-destiny-international-box-office-misfire-1235660093/?fbclid=IwAR28GioUq0XErPgpFy7VAZXIaHoI3f453QdgkFnUJZR3l76Pz3Fj5t4bEDQ
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY - Movie Review deepfocuslens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_HIIxbcGaM
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Spoiler-Free Movie Review
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