Tag Archives: Steven Spielberg

Jun 29 2026

Five Genre Films For Steven Spielberg To Direct

With the release of the sci-fi film Disclosure Day, fans of director Steven Spielberg have been wondering what will be his next film. It could very well be a non-genre drama or another sci-fi/fantasy film. Whether or not audiences enjoyed Disclosure Day, it is obvious that the film explored one of Spielberg’s favorite subject of his previous films; alien visitation. As he plans for the future he may want to direct a genre film covering a sub-genre he has not done before. Here are five types of genre films that Steven Spielberg could direct.

Time Travel

A time travel film would be right up Steven Spielberg’s alley. In his non-genre films, the director has displayed a stunning attention to detail with historical settings as seen in Amistad, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, West Side Story, War Horse, and more while injecting those films with a human touch that made them relatable to current audiences. You can even throw in the Indiana Jones films as evidence of his ability to present engaging and authentic voyages to our past. Speaking of Indy, if Spielberg had remained the director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with its time-travel storyline, he would have notched this sub-genre to his filmography.

Now imagine if the director used his cinematic artistry for a time travel film. If he directed films like Timeline, the remake of The Time Machine, The Philadelphia Experiment, or The Time Traveler’s Wife (which he expressed interest in adapting before the film version of the book was eventually made), those films would have been much better made and memorable thanks to his focus on details and exploring the wonder and thrill of actually time traveling, and the dangers and philosophical debates, (think Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park), as well.

Superheroes!

The closest Steven Spielberg has come to superhero films were the cameos of icons like Batman and Wonder Woman in Ready Player One. At one point he was involved in an announced adaptation of Blackhawk, a comic book character that is more of an adventurer than a superhero and there was a brief rumor a couple of years ago that he was considered for Fantastic Four: First Steps (“sigh” that film would have been phenomenal if he directed it), and early in his career he was offered Superman: The Movie. Another close call for Spielberg was his animated film, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn, which was based on the popular comic books which have nothing to do with superheroes.

One obstacle to directing a superhero film, especially one based on a popular character like Spider-Man or Superman is that Spielberg would be under tight creative constraints from film studios and companies that own the rights to the supeheroes. Meaning, he may not want to play with toys that he does not own. Then again he might, given his capability of adapting other works. Another hurdle is that the budget of superhero film based on a popular character would be astronomical when you throw in his salary, and given the struggles superhero films have had lately, film studios may be hesistant to hire him. The best bet is to either work with original characters a la The Incredibles or do adaptations of lesser known, and cheaper, characters. As a suggestion, he would do wonders with an Astro City live-action film.

Space Adventures

The director has turned in some great sci-fi classics but none of them involved space travel, although has come veryclose. Spielberg directed some scenes in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, was seriously considered for Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, was offered the opportunity to direct Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (before that film morphed into Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and was supposed to direct Interstellar before abandoning the project to Christopher Nolan. Not only is he a vocal cheerleader for the Star Wars films, but has expressed his admiration for Guardians of the Galaxy, which he lists as one of his favorite films.

Being that Star Wars is struggling now, Lucasfilm, if backed financially by Disney, could do a hail mary and get him to direct a future Star Wars film. The same could go for Marvel Studios if they decided to revisit the Guardians of the Galaxy. But in any event, Spielberg doing a grand space adventure taking place on farflung spaceships or exotic planets with weird aliens would be a perfect fit for his skills in conveying grand adventure, mysteries and thrills.

A Stephen King Adaptation

Both Stephen King and Steven Spielberg came into their own in the mid 1970s and throughout the 1980s. It is odd that in all that time the two have not successfully collaborated on a film project. Note the word successfully. In the 1990s, King wrote a screenplay for a remake of The Haunting, which was to be directed by Spielberg. However, the two had creative differences which caused both men to leave the project. Who knows how a Spielberg-directed version of The Haunting would have been; it certainly would have been more memorable than the remake that eventually came out in 1999.

Spielberg has also tried to adapt The Talisman, based on King and Peter Straub’s book. It’s too bad, he didn’t succeed because this film would have been a perfect vehicle for his skillset as a director. Maybe one day soon, this will become a reality, if not with The Talisman, but with King’s exhaustive line of books. Let’s start with The Dark Tower books, at least with The Gunslinger. Spielberg could direct the first film and hand off the rest of The Dark Tower books to other directors.

A Jaws Prequel

Back when Jaws 2 was pre-production, Universal Pictures offered Steven Spielberg the chance to return to do a sequel to the film that made him famous when the film studio had difficulty with the production. Spielberg was interested and wanted to go in a completely different direction. His proposed idea was for the film to be a prequel and focus on Quint and his ordeal as a survivor at sea after the U.S.S. Indianapolis was sunk in the last days of World War II. Quint’s recounting of his struggle in survive shark-infested waters was one of the most haunting and riveting moments in Jaws. It would have been a great opportunity to do something different with the Jaws series which might have fared better in the long run.

Unfortunately scheduling conflicts prevented Spielberg from going through with his idea since he was busy with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Given how revered the original Jaws is today, and is considered one of Spielberg’s best if not his best film, and how dormant the franchise is since no one with a 100-foot pole is even considering remaking it, why not go with a prequel helmed by Spielberg himself? It would be a unique way for him to return to the IP that made him famous at this point in his career.

It’s not known at this time what Steven Spielberg’s next film will be and he is very busy with his production company. As we know, he has been attached to many projects that either never came to fruition or ended up in another director’s hands, so trying to predict his next work is difficult. Wtih that said, Spielberg is a gifted filmmaker who should stretch himself and try something different in sci-fi, fantasy and horror, and he most likely will do so.

Jun 14 2026

The Truth Is Revealed With Disclosure Day

Auteur director Steven Spielberg returns the UFO/UAP genre that he helped revolutionized with Disclosure Day. It serves as the conclusion to his loose trilogy of extra-terrestrial contact films that started with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. War of the Worlds does not really count because it was a remake of the 1950s classic and was more simplistic with its portrayal of extra-terrestrials. In other words, Aliens bad, humanity mostly good. With Disclosure Day, Spielberg once again proves that he is the master of his craft with this tense and thought-provoking film.

Disclosure Day stars Josh O’Connor as Daniel Kellner, a hacker on the run with his girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) from a nefarious government-associated organization called Wardex run by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) because Kellner stole film evience that the U.S. government had recovered alien technology and beings from crash sites throughout the past 79 years, and imprisoned and tortured the recovered alien beings. He also stole a piece of alien technology that has to be handled delicately because of its unimaginable capabilities. Scanlon will stop at nothiing to capture Kellner because Kellner’s ally, Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), is preparing to reveal the truth about extra-terrestrials to the public in a desperate attempt to bring the world back from the point of no return since it is on the edge of World War III.

Kellner is challenged not only by Scanlon but Jane herself, who questions the consequences of revealing the truth to a human populace that may not be ready to learn the truth about their place in the universe.

The film also follows the story of Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a restless weather meterologist in Kansas City, who begins to display psychic powers after encountering a cardinal in her apartment. These powers manifest in her ability to speak languages she never knew including an unearthly garble of clicks, and with the capability of understanding the emotions and thoughts of others. She too, goes on the run after being hospitalized after Wardex goons pretending to be FBI agents show up at her hospital room.

The paths of Fairchild and Kellner eventually cross paths as she is psychically drawn to seek him out and help him in his quest to disclose the truth to the world.

Unlike his previous films about extra-terrestrials, Disclosure Day is more mature, grittier and a fitting conlcusion to what Spielberg is trying to convey about contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence. While Close Encounters of the Third Kind focused on making contact and E.T. was about buidling relationships, Disclosure Day tackles the consequences of contact and how we react to that. The film tackles many important questions such as where do we go from here? What would happen if humanity learned it was not alone? What impact would such a disclosure have on societal institutions like religion? The end of the film may frustrate some but it is quite appropriate to leave its conclusion up to audiences since it respects them enough to let audiences come to their own conclusions.

Do not think the film is some kind of dry treatise about alien life. Disclosure Day moves briskly and is unbelievably riveting at times with the intense and creative action scenes that made Spielberg so renowned. Such moments include a thrilling pursuit that takes place in an abandoned farmhouse and an edge-of-your-seat sequence involving cars and trains. The moments when Scanlon uses an alien artifact to mentally hunt down and enslave his victims was downright disturbing and added to the film’s paranoia. Wardex is symptomatic of the runaway military-industrial complex that is plaguing this world supposedly for the good of all of us. It is quite easy for audiences to despise Scanlon and the corporate stooges that work for this malignant corporation and to root for the underdog heroes.

Fairchild’s use of her empathic powers was both eerie and captivating and shows how one can accomplish wonders without resorting to violence. Speaking of empathy, although the film is more adult and darker than Spielberg’s other alien films it still holds on to the loose trilogy’s message of hope and empathy being what wins out despite the obstacles the films’ heroes face. Unlike previous efforts where the idea of love and empathy being the greatest tool we need to get along, this film does not get lost in syrupy and over the top scenes to tug at our heartstrings. It lets the actions of the characters and events to convey that something more is needed for us to get by in this downtrodden world that is on the brink of a nuclear nightmare. To its credit, the film does not go overboard with its presentation of the eve of a world war, then again it disturbingly echoes what goes on with the real world, as people try to go about their normal lives with the backdrop of the global nightmare awaiting them. The film’s message about humanity having to be more empathic and trusting feels more relevant and resonant with us given our current circumstances.

The famous Spielberg tropes and camera work are present in the film and they still work. The film has a few flaws such as some of the special effects could have been better, although the found footage of the U.S. military recovering the alien crash sites are topnotch. The film also features many terrific performances especially by Emily Blunt who is at her best portraying someone who has been touched by something extraordinary and is understandably confused by her situation. Yet despite her situation, Fairchild is quite determined to find out what is going on with what is happenging to her and we can’t help root for her and Kellner as they stay one step ahead of Wardex.

For fans of his alien films, Disclosure Day is a logical conclusion to the theme of humanity and its place in the universe as we are given the chance to think outside the box for something better. One concept the film explores fittingly is that the aliens are not important but instead it is how we react to them. This was why Spielberg in his original cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind never showed us any details about the alien spaceships, nor why we never learned about the aliens in his films or their motives, except in E.T.’s case that the aliens are explorers. This film comes closer to giving us the answer in that the extra-terrestrials are probably here to help us frrom ourselves, though that is up to any person watching the film. For anyone captivated by the recent renewed interest in the UFO/UAP phenomenon and is displeased by the lack of true disclosure, despite promises from government officials, the film feels very cathartic in its final moments.

The most important question for fans is how does Disclousre Day measure up to Spielberg’s other films, many of which are classics. Well, it is his best genre effort since his work in the early 2000s and a return to form for the master director. Disclosure Day shows that Spielberg is still in top form and the film itself has to be seen and treasured.

José Soto

Aug 30 2025

Jaws: Still Terrified Of The Water 50 Years Later

One of the things this summer movie season will be remembered for is for being the 50th anniversary of the first blockbuster summer movie, Jaws. It’s not an exaggeration to say this movie changed the film industry forever.

The 50th anniversary of Jaws was this past June, but the film is having special screenings in theaters this Labor Day weekend to celebrate the event. If you’re lucky, your local theater will have the film in 3D or some other upscale format like IMAX. What is surprising is that the upscale of the film actually holds up and the genius of the filmmakers, including its director, is the reason why with the way the scenes were filmed.

Everyone knows Jaws was one of master director Steven Spielberg’s earliest works and is still considered one of his finest films. Thanks to his brilliant directing skills, Jaws was elevated from a standard thriller into a masterpiece of adventure and horror. Plus, it made many viewers afraid or at least wary about going into the water during beach visits.

Jaws excelled at creating a sense of dread and unease with the way the ominous ocean was filmed as it hid the terror of the great white shark that feasted on the hapless citizens of Amity. This uneasiness with the mysterious ocean hit us right at the start of the film when a drunk young woman foolishly went for an evening swim; something you must never do, sharks and other water predators are at their most active at this time. She was attacked by an unknown, unseen force that turned out to be an unusually large great white shark that would go on to terrorize the town of Amity. The scene where she was attacked was punctuated with unsettling dark imagery, John Williams’ iconic score and the fact we never saw the shark. Not revealing the shark until later exploited our fear of the unknown, and increased our anticipation of finally seeing it when the film’s heroes, Amity Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and the salty shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw), confronted the great white terror.

An important reason why Jaws worked so well was that Steven Spielberg was forced to keep the shark offscreen for most of the film. That was because the mechanical shark built for the film rarely worked and Spielberg had to work around this by implying the shark’s presence. You would hear the haunting bars of John Williams’ Jaws theme to announce the shark’s presence, just offscreen. You would see quick shots of the shark’s fin or a blurry image of the shark just underneath the surface or later in the film when the shark was speared with lines attached to barrels. These were supposed to keep the shark close to the surface as the film’s heroes hunted it. However, it wasn’t too long before the film’s heroes realized the barrels not only were not effective, but whenever the barrels bopped up to the surface, their presence signaled the approach of the invisible enemy and added to the scenes’ tension and suspense.

Spielberg’s challenge with creating suspense and keeping the shark hidden until the pivotal final act helped forge his directing skills early in his career. Of course, he had a miserable experience directing the film and avoided directing films set in the open ocean afterwards. In fact, he was so bothered by his experience that it was only recently that he was able to bring himself to watch the film. He admitted to liking the film. Who knows what he could do with the film if he made it today?

What is incredible about Jaws and one reason why it is held in such high esteem today was that after a few inferior sequels, there have not been any attempts to remake or reboot it. Yes, there are other skilled directors that could film a theoretical Jaws remake today, but they would have to compete with the mystique of the original film. How could a remake distinguish itself and improve upon perfection?

As mentioned above, a major reason why the 1975 film still terrifies us today is because it exploited our collective fear of the unseen. Most directors today would be too tempted to have a CG shark popping out of the water every five minutes. Sure, today’s special effects could easily have the shark out in the open in nearly every scene, but it would not work. We’ve seen this with films like The Meg, the Sharknado films, and Deep Blue Sea, though the latter film has its merits. So, while it is tempting to pine for a Jaws remake it is best for now to leave that idea alone and enjoy the original classic…even though it will leave you too afraid to go into the water 50 years after its release.

Jul 11 2023

The Indiana Jones Films Ranked

Now that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has been released, the Indiana Jones film franchise is complete and we can rank all five films.

The quality of these films are generally high, some of which are genuine masterpieces. Even the films that rank at the bottom are entertaining with their own merits, but have their flaws, of course.

Here are the Indiana Jones films ranked from least to best. Be aware of spoilers ahead and feel free to drop a comment about your own preferences!

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

It had been nearly twenty years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade came out in theaters when the fourth film premiered. This was the best they could come up with? This was the film that gave us the infamous phrase nuke the fridge because Indy survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. Our favorite archaeologist deals with the 1950s as he searches for the lost city of Ankakor in South America.  Among the 1950s tropes Indy grapples with include the red scare, bug-eyed aliens, and a greaser who turned out to be his son.

It was great seeing Harrison Ford reprising his role as Indiana Jones and how the adventurer functioned in a different decade. Some of the images from director Steven Spielberg were jaw dropping such as Indiana witnessing an atomic mushroom cloud or a great motorcycle chase on a college campus. But more often than not it felt like many of the filmmakers were phoning it in and taking the easy route. The film is riddled with obvious and needless CG images and stunts, and most of it looked fake. There was little sense of danger in many scenes.

Despite the fact that the script had been worked on forever, it still needed work as the motivations of characters did not make sense. The camaraderie between Indiana and his son was undeveloped and paled when compared to that of Indy and his father in the previous film.

4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

As the franchise’s only prequel the second Indiana Jones film turned out to be the darkest in the franchise due to personal issues regarding divorces that creators Spielberg and George Lucas were going through at the time. The result was that the film feels mean spirited at times and dated with its misogyny and questionable depictions of other cultures.

It lacked the epic scale of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the filmmakers reveled too much in trying to gross out audiences and with trying too hard to be different from the first film. At times, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom felt more like a romantic comedy instead of an adventure film. Also, the MacGuffin Indy hunted for was far less impressive when compared to the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant. What exactly do the Sankara Stones do except glow? The characters were annoying and unlikeable especially Willie Scott. She was supposed to be a sharp contrast to the tough-as-nails Marion Ravenwood from the previous film. But by trying to make Willie the opposite of Marion, the filmmakers turned her into a stereotypical screaming damsel in distress who lacked any substance.

Despite its faults, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has some of the franchise’s greatest action scenes that still hold up to today and are iconic. Ford was great as always, as was the production design and score by John Williams.

3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The fifth and final Indiana Jones film has had a mixed reaction from fans. It will take some time to see how it holds up, but for now this is the rank it has earned. There was a lot of trepidation over the film since Spielberg did not direct it and many questioned how an old Ford could believably play a swashbuckling treasure hunter. But the film is an enjoyable send off to the franchise.

Even though Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny lacks a lot of Spielberg’s visual flair, director James Mangold does a fine job with this look at Indiana Jones as a senior citizen in the late 1960s. Embittered over the death of his son which destroyed his marriage and facing retirement, Indiana carries out one final treasure hunt with his goddaughter, which involves time traveling to ancient Syracuse and meeting Archimedes.  Harrison Ford Is Too Old for This Shit – Rolling Stone

There are some issues with the plot mechanics and its credibility (something that the other films suffer from, such as characters using life rafts to jump from an airplane and other feats that would have killed them). But Ford has some good chemistry with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays his goddaughter and the film has some exciting moments, especially during a flashback scene set in World War II and an intense tuk-tuk chase sequence. Anyone hesitant about the film because of Spielberg’s absence should put doubts aside and see Indiana Jones in his last great cinematic adventure.

2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

After the mixed reaction to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Spielberg and Lucas went back to basics and delivered a rousing adventure that is nearly as great as the first film. It is also the funniest film in the franchise.

The film opens with a rousing flashback to 1912 which features River Phoenix as a teenaged Indy. After we find out why he fears snakes and how he got his famous fedora hat, the film jumps forward to 1938. Indiana travels to a pre-World War II Europe to find his missing father, who he has not spoken to in some time. Sean Connery was magnificent as Indiana’s father and the two actors share some of the best moments in the franchise thanks to their incredible chemistry.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows some of the same beats as Raiders of the Lost Ark, such as Nazis, intense chases, epic scenery and spine-tingling explorations of ancient sites. Thanks to Spielberg’s skills, a great script and inspired acting, the third film is definitely classic cinema. Oh, be sure to watch the film to the end as it features one of the most beautiful ending scenes ever filmed as Indiana Jones and his companions ride off into the sunset.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, this is the first and still greatest Indiana Jones film. When thinking about the recent Martin Scorsese “This is Cinema” meme, Raiders of the Lost Ark certainly applies to that phrase!

Set in 1936, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduces us to Indiana Jones, a two-fisted, globe-trotting archaeologist who hunts ancient treasures. Inspired by the movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s, Raider of the Lost Ark elevated that kind of cinema into the greatest action-adventure film of all time. This was due to the groundbreaking collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg who wanted to do his version of James Bond. Here’s a bit of trivia, Lucas initially called the hero Indiana Smith and we’re glad the name was changed to Jones since it flows much better!

Spielberg was at his best when directing this monumental film. It featured many of his trademark visual touches like his God light on characters and inventive composition of shadows and silhouettes to showcase characters. Of course, none of this would mean much without a great script, which is what the film thankfully had from Lawrence Kasdan. Each shot was nearly perfect as the level of excitement and mystery increased with each passing second. Raiders of the Lost Ark is true cinematic treasure that has endured through the years and set a standard with adventure films that is difficult to match. That is why it is the best of the Indiana Jones films.

NOTEWORTHY MENTION

Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues

During the 1990s, ABC aired The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which were historical dramas about Indy when he was a child and a young adult. The episodes had opening and closing segments that starred George Hall as an old Indiana Jones in his 90s telling tales of his youth. In one episode, “Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues”, Harrison Ford reprised the role as a bearded Indiana in 1950 who told a story about himself in Chicago in 1920. This episode has been recut into a television film with the same title, but honestly the best part of the episode involved the two segments with Ford.

José Soto

Jul 1 2023

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny Is A Fine Finale For The Legendary Hero

Harrison Ford returns one final time in his famous role as the swashbuckling archaeologist Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise has been in development hell for several years and it seemed that it wouldn’t ever be made.

Many fans were skeptical that the fifth installment would be able to compare to the previous four films directed by Steven Spielberg. Adding to the doubts were Ford’s age (he turns 81 this month) and the mixed reactions to the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. So, the question most of us have is does the film deliver? For the most part, yes it does.

 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens with an extended flashback sequence in 1944 where Indiana or Indy is battling Nazis in Europe during the waning days of World War II. Unlike the previous films, there aren’t any title cards that establish the time and place, which was disappointing.

Anyway, Indy and his friend Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) are after a macguffin called the Lance of Longinus, which the Nazis possess. A German astrophysicist named Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson) that is working for the Nazis deduces that the artifact is a fake and tells his superiors about half of another artifact that he possesses. It’s called the Antikythera or the Dial of Destiny and it could help Germany win the war. Before long, Jones and Shaw clash with Voller and the Nazis and are able to acquire the Dial from Voller.

The film flashes forward to 1969 in New York City. Jones is now an old, embittered man who emulates Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Torino. He is about to retire as an archaeology professor in Hunter College and cannot be bothered to join in the citywide celebrations over the Apollo 11 moon landings. He runs into Shaw’s daughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who is a treasure hunter and archaeology student and wants to acquire the Dial of Destiny, which is in the college’s storeroom. Also interested in the Dial is Voller himself and his henchmen. After the war, Voller fled to the United States and helped NASA with their efforts to get to the moon. Voller is able to steal the Dial and sets out to find the other half, which is somewhere in Europe.

It turns out that the device was built by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, and allows a person to track fissures or cracks in time, which would let that person travel to different time periods. Obviously, Voller wants to use the re-assembled device go back to Nazi Germany and win the war. The film turns into an extended series of exciting chases as Indy and Helena try to find the other half of the Dial as well and stay one step ahead of Voller and his goons.

Even though Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was not directed by Steven Spielberg, the film is still a fun adventure while trying to evoke the spirit of the older films in the franchise. While director James Mangold cannot compare to the great Spielberg, he does an admirable job with this film.

In a way, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny echoes some themes from Mangold’s Logan, in that that film also dealt with an aging hero past his prime who is forced to go on one last adventure. Don’t worry Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not bleak like Logan, but the themes about aging are well explored. Indy’s age and his lot in life in the late ‘60s may alarm some fans but this honest look at the aging hero in the twilight of his life is a novel theme that had not been explored before in the franchise. On the other hand, his physical feats and invulnerability given his ages does stretch credibility.  

The film is similar to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in that the macguffin is more sci-fi based, but unlike the fourth film it doesn’t have sci-fi tropes involving aliens and flying saucers. The Dial’s usage was quite astonishing and fit in well with Jones’ world view. It’s too bad there cannot be another film that would make up a trilogy where Indiana Jones sought sci-fi based macguffins instead of the religious ones he hunted in the first three films. Oh well.

 A huge reason why Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny works is due to Ford himself. He pours himself wholeheartedly into the role since he knows it is the last time he will play the plucky archaeologist. At this point, Ford is an acting legend that should be treasured and most of us are grateful he was able to don his fedora and leather jacket one last time. The other actors are also excellent in the film including Waller-Bridge and Mikkelson.

The production perfectly captured the look of the different time periods. The special effects, especially the de-aging done for Ford when he played the character in the 1940s was excellent aside from a few quick hiccups. But Mangold was able to keep the action and story moving along to keep us from focusing on the occasional effects flaw.

The only other gripe about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is that it is a bit long. It tries to capture the feel of the Spielberg films and while it quite can’t do it, the effort was commendable. As mentioned above, the story usually keeps moving and we’re engaged during the ride. However, it does not have silly moments like nuked fridges and is also not afraid to have more grounded and emotional moments for Indy. But don’t worry, once the action starts, Indiana Jones finds his old groove, which is always a delight to watch.

José Soto