Every Indiana Jones Movie Ranked Worst To Best (Including Dial Of Destiny)

5. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Although certainly not unfeasible, the idea of making an Indiana Jones movie without the involvement of either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg is an odd one. While Spielberg and Lucas were initially involved in the making of the fifth Indiana Jones, both stepped aside at various points during pre-production, with Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold stepping in to direct as well as rewrite David Koepp's screenplay with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth in 2020.

The end result, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, lacks any of the charm or drive of Spielberg and Lucas' originals. Worse still is that it ends the franchise on an oddly dispiriting note.

Dial of Destiny is arguably the most introspective Indiana Jones installment yet, starring a near-80-year-old Harrison Ford as the character reckons with his twilight years and - surprisingly, given Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's uplifting ending - the rubble of a life he has been left with. Much of the runtime is spent with Indy having suffered a grave emotional burden, and it's one he never truly overcomes despite the ostensibly happy note it leaves the character on. Mangold's film undoes Kingdom's affectionate conclusion and leaves Indy with nothing but ruins to sift through.

There are some positives; the ever-reliable Mads Mikkelsen turns in a great performance as the spectre of Nazism Jurgen Völler, and there are moments where the film finds a compelling footing by diving into Operation Paperclip (the US scheme that recruited Nazi scientists following the conclusion of WW2). But any fun or narrative intrigue to be derived from this setup is crushed by the weight of Dial's depressing approach to growing old, as well as a frustratingly smug turn from Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy's goddaughter, Helena Shaw.

Closing the book on one of cinema's most beloved ever series was always going to be a tall order. It's just bizarre that, out of all the different approaches that could have been taken, Dial of Destiny opts to be miserable instead.