INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Definitely The Last Crusade

- Anna Smith

RELEASED 28 JUNE 12A | 142 minutes 

Director James Mangold

Cast Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann

Eighty-year-old Harrison Ford proves here that you’re never too old to star in a sequel to a billion-dollar franchise. But he also brings heart and humour to this affectionate update on the adventures of archaeologist Indiana Jones, ably assisted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter, Helena.

The opening scene takes us back to previously unseen events in 1944, when a digitally youthened Indy attempts a daring escape from Nazis with his pal (Toby Jones) – who is exactly what you’d expect from a professor character named Basil. Cut to 1969, and Professor Jones is creaking around his New York flat, moaning about the neighbours’ parties and preparing to retire from teaching archaeology. But goddaughter Helena – who is Basil’s daughter, if you can believe that – has other ideas, and the pair end up on a globe-trotting hunt for a relic called the Dial of Destiny. They’re pursued by a mixture of spies and criminals, with the boundaries often blurring between the two.

One thing you should know about this fifth in the Indiana Jones series is that it is very long – too long. At two hours and 24 minutes, it moves through the plot at a leisurely pace – not exactly a Zimmer-frame shuffle, but only occasionally breaking into a gentle jog. There are stand-out action set-pieces, but most of the connecting scenes feel a little drawn out.