Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Indy 5 Mega Review 

I'm much more excited for this review than the actual movie

The fact they couldn’t figure out how to bring Short Round back, even while Ke Huy Quan was enjoying a career resurrection, may be this production’s greatest sin.

I will never stop being in sheer awe of how well River Pheonix captured Ford's "physical acting" style and line delivery. It was just PERFECT. That Pheonix family is a talent fountain.

I went to the theater. When the movie was over, there was silence. There was continued silence as everybody filed out of the theater. Sadly I had forgotten most of the movie as I left the parking lot. To me, Indy’s story ended when they road off into the sunset.

It took 3 days and multiple sittings but I finally reached the end of the video. Amazing breakdown and review, highly entertaining. This video reinforces my core belief that just because you’re a fan of something (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, super heroes, video game franchises, etc) does not mean that I have to accept and consume what a soulless corporate owner of that franchise produces. Blind fandom is why so many beloved franchises are broken now. I will continue to cherish the originals, and simply ignore modern garbage. Thank you RetroBlasting, this video is amazing.

OK so the girl punches indy and he wakes up in his bed. So we're supposed to believe that she dragged him Inside a plane, out of a plane, in a cab and up the stairs with him unconscious the whole time? That's one hell of a punch. Meanwhile he gets punched a dozen of times throughout the movie, which does nothing exceptit just feels like elder abuse

The worst thing about this movie is that it's a time travel story with no motto whatsoever. They had the perfect ending RIGHT THERE. "Would you like to go back?" "No. I've already lived it".

This was a love letter to Indiana Jones if people cannot figure it out. The frustration, the disappointment, and the heartache can only happen when someone loves something so much.

This is quite possibly the best review I've seen on RU-vid. I'm so glad you mentioned the changes to the costume and the continuity errors, as those are things that always bother me and yet I rarely hear fans bring up those issues. Top-tier work.

This is it. The ultimate RetroBlasting video. A true love letter to Indiana Jones. This is a masterpiece, unlike the source its taken from.

I used to believe the great tragedy of my life was seeing Harrison Ford grow old. In reality, the real tragedy is watching what my generation of film makers call 'entertainment'. This video was a joy to watch Michael and is truly a reflection of what a damn fine content creator you are. Without a doubt, your magnum opus. I tip my hat to you Sir.

I came out of this movie with an almost crushing sense of overall sadness which lingered for days, which I feel is the exact opposite of how an Indiana Jones film should feel

It took about six installments to get through this incredible piece and I can honestly say that it hits home far harder than the movie ever did. Truly spectacular work Michael. I wish that Hollywood had talent like you working as editors to make these beloved properties stick to their core values and apply that test throughout the writing, shooting, and editing process. Thank you for your effort and unique voice. Keep up the great work!

I just now fully sat throughout this. Wow! Saying this is beyond impressive or comprehensive is an understatement! This’s the most fully, explained breakdown for a movie I have watched! Bravo, Michael! You truly put passion and effort into this, and should be proud of yourself!

I did not know that I needed to watch an in-depth dissection of the evolution of Indiana Jones' costume until this video. Now I wonder how I ever lived without it.

This was almost therapeutical, thank god there's an actual Indiana Jones fan like you that truly cares to represent the feelings we all had towards this pile of shit. Love your videos

DOD erased everything that ended CS with a happy ending! Just imagine if the movie had started out with an adult Short Round, who still wears his baseball cap AND who himself was now an archaeologist! He always saw Indy as a father figure and perhaps he felt inspired by him. He finds something mysterious and decides to seek out Indy after losing contact for the past 20 years. Indy is now head of the university and has become somewhat wealthy and famous after writing several books about his adventures over the years, which would have been later adapted into the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Him and Marion are thriving and Mutt has become much more mature with him and Indy on good terms now. Maybe he comes along for the ride? Anyway, Shorty and Indy have a very happy reunion and he manages to convince Indy into one last adventure after he privately confides to him that hes been thinking of retirement. Maybe Mutt becoming a father and his age be a motivator? They go on an adventure together and they have a touching moment in the middle. The movie ends with Indy's retirement and him taking his fedora off and putting it on Shorty's head, as a symbol of passing the torch to a younger generation. Similar to the beginning of The Last Crusade. NOW THAT would have been a trihumph! I would have loved it! It would have been so easy! What do you think?

Honestly watching this movie is like an experiement to see if a film can be developed to actively suck the enjoyment out of your day. Nothing in it had the same "Fire in the belly" so to speak. It was basically elderly Ford being cut a fat check to play role of a broken depressed Indy, being escorted through the story by other people while he just dodders around the screen, while the viewer is supposed to pretend like everything is great. For as messy as Crystal Skull was, at least it was trying to be a fun movie. It didn't spend it's time degrading the main hero and undermining him in his own story.

Congratulations on this Michael, that was a amazing break down on Dr Jones. It's such a shame all these film characters from our youth have been dragged into our middle aged years and all been tarnished. At least we can still count on Kylie to still bring out some banging tunes in the 2020s!

This is how you do a movie review. Wish more reviewers would be this informative and interesting.

Your longtime interest in Indy, your film background, your journalistic background, and your experience with RetroBlasting have culminated in a compelling, informed, well-edited, epic review. Thank you for making this and sharing it.

Wow. 4 hours. Superb. A documentary on Indiana Jones without peer.

Well done. The state of movies today is depressing and this drives home that point. Movies no longer seem to be an escape but a shadowy reflection of anxious times.

I can't fully express to anybody how excited I am for this review.

I've been waiting for this,it's the closest I'm ever going to get to watching the movie.Thank you,sir,for watching it so I don't have to,you have truly taken one for the team.

This was the BEST film review I have ever seen on RU-vid ever. No stone was left unturned in this remarkable critique. Congrats on a wonderful video!

Brilliant video, the last chapter especially so. When I try to explain to people what made the movies we grew up on different, I usually end up citing one thing: sincerity. Sincere aspiration, sincere heroics, sincere sense of adventure, sincere sense of fulfillment, sincere sense of hope that things could be better. I think you put it so well in your final chapter.

The ending hit me like a truck. Because I was one of those fans that always had faith that Harrison Ford did like Indy and that the franchise was this magic lovechild of Lucas, Spielberg and Ford. And the realization that it wasn’t really hit me. It’s sad but I’m glad I know the truth. Fantastic video Michael. You really outdid yourself. If only someone in the writing room for this movie had an ounce of the passion and love you have for Indy.

I haven’t seen dial of destiny, and decided watching this four hour breakdown was most likely going to be a better use of time than watching the actual movie. You did not disappoint as this was a great video. I can’t believe the amount of work you put into this.

Bar none the most epic dismantling of a movie ever. Absolutely taken apart scene by scene. Amazing, you put more work into your project than Disney and Lucas Film put in Indiana Jones.

Michael, thank you so much for making this wonderful review! I believe Lucas, Ford, and Spielberg really cared about Indy... but as they each grew older, their perceptions changed, what they wanted out of life changed, and perhaps rabid fandom affected their goals and desires. Disney (currently) has the most money and is leading to charge with these careless mistakes and money losing efforts, and I do not think Hollywood will learn the lesson any time soon.

This review left no stone unturned. Really incredible work. I may never watch this movie, but the review gave me chills at the end. Michael’s love of the character and legitimate disappointment and sadness about this ending for Indy really comes through. I hope people in the industry see this and learn some lessons. Given the box office flop you’d hope there would be some self reflection.

This is unbelievable work. Entertaining, insightful, educational, and so much more all the way through. Clapping loudly.

Finished this masterclass in reviewing. Not going to lie that ending you had for this left me in tears and memories. Fantastic work as always.

Michael, very well said. This is a masterpiece. Thank you. It is disappointing when the core or the characters is lost and writers do not seem to know how to craft a great story, let alone a great story. I have not seen the new movie, because I could not stand to see what I have been hearing. But yet I am willing to watch this because you are always so thoughtful and fair in your criticisms. I agree with all of your closing points. Thank you!!! P.S. I am glad this was not a short. Long live the long form content.

Excellent work man. Something that bothered me a whole lot, was Indy not in his home we see in Raiders, Last Crusade and Crystal Skull. Kills me

They should have hired you as the consultant on this film

Brilliantly done. I am saddened that such an iconic character has been treated like a throw away cash cow, and that the the audience was seen just as expendable. Indiana Jones was the reason why I got a degree in anthropology and studied archeology. His love of adventure, history, and lore, made archeology seem electric and vibrant. All this movie did was put out the flame of hope, excitement, and curiosity that the character inspired and distilled in us. Thank you Michael for standing your ground and saying outl oud what we all have been thinking. Amazing work as always.

Monumental work! A bitter ending for a beloved character but I guess we will always have Indy in our hearts the way we want to remember him. Sending love to the Retroblasting team!

Wait wait wait wait wait, you're telling me people don't like Temple of Doom? it's my favorite one!

I'm only halfway through so far...Indy being fluent in many languages, and then not knowing German in Dial of Destiny is the ultimate take down! It is like they didn't watch any of the previous movies? Man that is bad!!!

I cannot get over how well you pin pointed everything I was feeling! Thank you… a lot of time was put into this review. Really well done.

Damn! This made me cry at the end!!! Best thing I’ve ever seen on yt. Thank you Micheal and all of retro blasting!! I feel your pain of how Hollywood destroyed one of your beloved and cherished things in life. Something that gave you so many memories, and experiences.

That was an amazing deconstruction. Well done. You actually changed my opinion on story beats. I assumed Indy was the one who actually couldn’t get over the death of Mutt, and that sent him into a spiral. While he said Marion couldn’t get passed it, he would never admit to someone like Helena that it was actually him. As a viewer you have to take head-cannon leaps to get there and read into Fords performance. I think your take down is actually more on point and proves what a mess the film actually is. I was sad to see Indy end this way as well, especially when put the film in direct context to the other films and what the character truly does in them. Your point about what Star Wars, Raiders, & Superman’s impact on their time vs. where we are in cinema right now is right on point.

This "SuperThanks" is way past due. This is a PREMIUM video with premium effort on display and, as I have said many other places: This video is more entertaining and a better value that the actual Indy 5 film. It's a sin that it's not doing better, because it really should be.

I remember Retroblasting saying in a previous video that you don't want to become a movie review channel but I do hope you make more videos like this one - in terms of the depth of analysis, not neccessarily length. Your love of and experience with the medium of film is very obvious, meaning you can produce a different type of video than most other full-time movie review channels make. (The fact you noticed that the dates written by a British character were not written in a British format is a perfect demonstration of that.) Cheers!!!

Incredible review! I know it took a lot of work to make this. Hope to see more of these style of videos from you!

This....this video/review right here is what you would call a masterpiece. All I can say now is thank you Michael and Retroblasting...and I am sorry that you had to watch this movie, because I wont.

Wow! What an amazingly thorough review of this cinematic travesty.

Worked like the blazes to get done with my online teaching so I could watch this in its entirety. Splendid work, Michael and Co., both on the film review and the historical background. This is the definitive critical video on Indy 5!

Holy smokes! A staggering comprehensive piece of work that I'll be rewatching from the start since caught this about halfway through. Masterful.

A Retroblasting MasterClass. Thanks for the considerable effort to produce a work like this. The time flew by, watching & appreciating your analysis.

This is truly an incredible breakdown of this feeble attempt at a “movie”. Much more entertaining than the film itself! Thank you for this.

Review was well worth the wait. Thank you for providing such great content.

Your review was awesome.

Wow, this is your master piece!! As I suspect we are the same age, I really connected with the part about your attitude on Ford changing over the years due to interview after interview.

We went from Indiana fighting tanks on horseback to a lame tuk-tuk chase. We went from running from giant boulders and surviving the deadly trials of the grail to Indy splashing some water in a drain. Oh look its Antonio Banderas for some reason! Oh he's dead. And all of this cost $300m.

An absolute BRILLIANT breakdown!!! Kudos Mr. French. Disney and Mangold should be ashamed

Critical Drinker alerted me to this phenomenal effort. Everything covered in measured detail. Have not and will not see this film, but this review should be mandatory for all those who ever loved the character and the tenacity and bite-life-on-the-arse vitality he once represented. RIP Indi.

Excellent. I've heard a bunch of reviews of this film, but this is the one I was truly looking forward to.

I haven’t finished this video yet, but I really appreciate the entire section breaking down the Indiana Jones outfit through the movies.

I laughed. I cried. I had a good time... just watching this review. (Nearly ZERO emotion while watching Dial of Destiny.) Well done. This is a masterpiece of review.

Amazing work. Thank you for articulating so many things that felt off

Epic work to create this. Really insightful and highly detailed video.

The best review. The fact that Harrison Ford was ok with doing this to the character makes me not want to collect anything related. And that they had Anthony Ingruber in the film and he was not even young Indiana was a waste of talent and time Thank you for watching this cause I did not have to. Your review made me want to sell all my Indiana Jones stuff cause if the actor or producers do not care about this character and create a story so horrible cause they don’t care about the fans, legacy or just good story why should I. RIP Indiana Jones.

Thank you, Michael for reminding me I never need to watch this movie again. Your review was far more entertaining and insightful.

How is possible you do things like this? Very sincere and complete dissertation of this movie. One of the best review you ever done! Nothing more to say ! Great Jod !

I’m starting this at midnight PST. Been waiting for this and will watch it through! Thank you Micheal!!

Great review! This is a masterpiece and you can really see the effort, work and critical thinking put into it. Which is definitely way more than the writing department at Disney could muster when they made Indy 5.

Thanks for putting so much blood sweat and tears into this. I haven’t gotten around to wanting to watch this and it’ll probably be years before I do. I’m just honestly sick of phony cgi and the whole “ look how woke and enlightened we are “ Disney Hollywood culture. I agree with you, I like these in order of release, I LOVE TOD. I can’t believe indy uttered “ this isn’t an adventure “ in this movie ! WTF ?!

Congrats for an amazing video! An incredible insight to this universe.

Excellent review! You pointed out all the things that bugged me and also things that I didn't even notice.

One silver lining of Dial of Destiny, whether you loved it or hated it, is that we got some Indy merchandise we wouldn't have had otherwise (even if it was less than we all hoped for).

Nailed it ... An incredible review by a person who cares deeply for the character.

You and my husband and kindred spirits my husband grew up with Indiana Jones and went into the field of Archeology before his ending early and joining the military in 2005-15. He traveled all the way to his father’s nation of heritage South Africa and Joined the SANDF. My husband was in the boy scouts my husband was an Air Force brat and my husband speaks several languages. Today he is co-owner of a private security company and influences our son and daughter for adventure. I said it before i love your channel so does my husband we love how much detail you go into on things my husband grew up with and i have interests in today. Thank you for everything you and your group does to give many of us a window into things some of us never seen before. Thank you for everything Sincerely Mayumi Tsurugi Cromartie

Thank you for all your hard work.

Oh-Boy, been waiting for this one. Really interested in Michaels opinion about it!

Michael: you did not mention anything about John Williams’ score. I wanted to hear your opining about it.

Bravo. Not only for the review of this movie,but of the ending chapter to this video. Your opinions and criticisms of movies and the movie going business is shared by many,including myself. Thank again for another brilliant video,Michael!

This is a great review, well done, thank you

3:10:50 - Who knew that ancient Romans had harpoon cannons?!

THIS…should be played in cinemas across the globe!!! Well done Michael!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Thanks so much for the video, I will be watching it many times this week and beyond. A really great in depth analysis of the last Indy movie.

Dear Michael, thank you. In this video you've created the true love letter to Indy that Dial vehemently refused to be. Thank you for speaking for so many of us, giving us in turn a cathartic release to the stomach knot that is Dial, (and to a lesser extent was Skull). You do excellent work! Muchas gracias amigo, enhorabuena!

Great video that I enjoyed way more than the actual movie. Thank you for your passion.

Worth every minute of my time just for the clip from Miami Connection

Michael this was incredibly awesome! Thank you!!!

I couldn't make it all the way through Indy 4 & 5 without lots of fast forwarding. This review was more entertaining than either movie. I actually enjoyed the review.

Hello, this was, without a doubt, the most thorough and well thoughtvout review I've seen. Sure, anyone can point out flaws or logic gaps in this, but your attention to detail, and more importantly, your historical knowledge transcends modern movie reviews. Thank you good sir.

i was satisfied with EFAP and Little Platoon's breakdown of this latest Indy movie. But this one stands out as the most comprehensive. Thank you retroblasting!

As a boomer sitting on the East side of the pond my I say sir this review is absolutely blinkin' marvelous. Thank you so much for the work you put into it. I fully agree about those films from the late 70's and early 80's which took me from my late teens to my early 20's. Please keep up the excellent work.

Sterling work,Michael. Hope you reap the rewards for all your efforts!

Thank you for this, I know it was very much a passion project for you and it shows.. so once again thank you. Lets face it I have just sat here for four hours and feel at the end that not only do I have a better understanding of the characters and the series in general, but that the afore mentioned four hours were indeed well spent. (I wish I could have said the same for the actual film) As to the reshot ending, do you give any creedence to the rumours that it was going to involvle a actual handing of the hat over to Helena, and that is what the studio balked over?

This is going to be great!

This is a perfect review if I ever saw one. You gotta do more of these RB. Great stuff!

Wow. You are so thoughtful. Thank you. May fortune and glory come your way.

I never thought about Mutt's character that way. You're completely right. I tend to let my opinion about Shia as an actor be clouded by those awful transformers movies and the way they have him stutter his lines and say NO, NO, NO , NO, NO, NO..... 😂😂

Michael you never disappoint, thank you for an incredible video well worth the wait, we all see the love and passion you have for this character, your attention to detail is impeccable and the amount of time, energy, and soul you sunk into this masterpiece truly pays off. This should be mandatory for any up and coming film maker to watch because it shows how to treat and respect a beloved character such as Indiana Jones. Bravo!

Great review Also like you said in many past videos if you want us to go along with a show/movie you have to have rules set by that genre. They like so many others have abandoned there rules. Keep up the good work. And look forward to great future content. Thank you

I really wished for you being involved in the production of indy 5 in some way as a writing consultant. Maybe we'd have had good closure to a character we've loved for most of our lives. Thank you for a great analysis, once again.