If there were ever going to be a movie that film buffs would struggle to remain impartial about, it was going to be the final Indiana Jones installment. After all, for a lot of us, it was one of our parents’ favorite franchises, and they passed down that adoration. For that reason, the character has become an indelible part of many lives, growing to mean more to folks than merely some guy who entertains us from time to time. Indeed, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was always going to be divisive, and I think the current debate surrounding it has obfuscated a simple truth: it’s really not that bad. In fact, and I’m sure my hatred for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has a hand in this, I’d go as far as to say that it gives Temple of Doom a run for its money as third best in the series.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which I’m going to call Indiana Jones 5 for the sake of ease, picks the story back up in 1969. Indy (Harrison Ford) is now in his seventies, separated from Marion, and nearing retirement. Needless to say, the guy is bored and miserable. That is, until his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who he hasn’t seen in 18 years, reappears and asks him for help to find two parts of a priceless artifact, a dial crafted by Archimedes. Unknown to Indy, an old Nazi scientist named Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) also seeks the dial, hoping to use its power to travel through time and change the course of World War 2. When Voller and his henchmen clash violently with Indy and Helena, the aged archaeologist is thrust into one final adventure, bringing a tired old man back to life.

First and foremost, Indiana Jones 5 gets the primary hero and villain right, which wasn’t the case back in 2008. Harrison Ford gives another stellar performance as the fedora-donning adventurer, although this time, there’s the extra challenge of playing our hero as a badass past his expiration date. Ford fully understands his brief this time around, filling Indy with just enough jaded depression and wry wit to make him both tragic and endearing. Ford doesn’t take a single scene off, and his obvious effort and passion comes through on screen so much that no fan should walk away from this 100-percent disappointed. As for the antagonist, Mikkelsen’s Voller is top-notch. He’s not like the menacing, murderous Nazis of past entries; his actions are more reflective of a sententious scholar. It’s this very softness that makes Voller so terrifying. Mikkelsen has always been adept at portraying bad guys, and that trend continues here.

As for the supporting players, they’re not quite as well-drawn. Helena is the most prominent, and the most problematic. I foresee a lot of people throwing hate her way, or rather Waller-Bridge’s way, but her character’s faults aren’t due to a bad performance. It entirely comes down to the script, which clearly doesn’t know where to go with Helena. There’s a constant push and pull from antihero to quasi-villain to heroic successor that’s abjectly frustrating to watch. Not only that, but her connection to the dial is sometimes personal, sometimes detached, changing from scene to scene. She feels like she was created by committee, which is probably because she was; there are four credited screenwriters of Indiana Jones 5. All of this being said, I often appreciated what Waller-Bridge was bringing to Helena Shaw. She’s full of energy and sass, and I never doubted her toughness.

The remaining supporting characters have fewer issues, but still aren’t that great. My favorite is John Rhys Davies as Sallah, Indy’s long-time ally and friend. Sallah only features in a handful of scenes, but they’re so filled with warmth and nostalgia that they stand out from the pack. Indiana Jones 5 also has a kid sidekick in the form of Teddy (Ethann Isidore), who accompanies Indy and Helena in acts two and three. He actually adds a bit of life and humor to a few scenes, but simultaneously feels superfluous the entire time. The movie didn’t need him. Lastly, there are the “huh, why did they do this movie?” characters, such as Voller’s main henchman Klaber, played by Boyd Holbrook. Klaber is in the film quite a bit, actually, but he has so few lines that anyone could’ve played him. The same goes for Renaldo, a role so negligible that I’m shocked Antonio Banderas took it. I can only guess that both actors wanted to be in an Indiana Jones movie so badly, they didn’t care about prominence. I can’t blame them.

It’s not just the characters that are a mixed bag; the action and adventure elements are too. If you’ve read any other reviews, then you’ve likely heard that the opening 20-minute sequence is the most like past Indiana Jones films. I’ll happily acknowledge that the prologue is fun, but it’s also so dark that the action is hard to make out. Its CGI and VFX are also shaky, but that’s the case with the entire movie.* If you go back and watch the originals, you’ll notice that there were a lot of wide shots and slow-moving action set-pieces, like the tank chase in The Last Crusade. On top of that, those scenes were done with practical effects, adding to their awe-inspiring effectiveness. In Indiana Jones 5, that CGI/VFX I mentioned is ever-present, forcing the camera in tight in order to disguise the fact that Ford and company can’t actually do what’s occurring on screen. While some of these digital effects add a great deal, most of the time, they’re overtly detectable and lessen the stakes.

Thankfully, the adventure side of this movie is pretty captivating, as Indy goes from NYC to Morocco, then on to the Mediterranean and beyond. Taking a page from the original trilogy, Indiana Jones 5 sees Indy and his allies delve into multiple tombs that house gnarly creepy-crawlies and intriguing ancient relics. I would’ve preferred a few more booby traps, but what’s there is undoubtedly nifty. It’s in these scenes that the practical side of things really shine, as the set design is impeccable, being both eye-catching and eerie. I have a feeling that many longtime fans will enjoy these adventure scenes. As for where the journey goes in the final thirty minutes or so, that will likely make some eyes roll. For me, it was fine. In truth, I’m good with where it went. I mean, it could be a lot worse. It could be aliens.

Story-wise, Indiana Jones 5 is barely passable, but again, it had four credited screenwriters, not to mention a well-known overseer in Kathleen Kennedy and an acting legend who wants to do justice to his best role. These things considered, the fact that this film is passable at all is sort of incredible. For this, I have to give credit to director James Mangold, who was absolutely the right man for the job. He feels like a sports manager here, having to balance a ton of talent and supervision in order to put the best team on the field, so to speak. All of these disparate inputs meant that Indiana Jones 5 was never going to be a great movie, but because it had a great director at the helm, it managed to be a good one. Outside of management skills, the thing that stood out most to me in regard to Mangold’s direction was how he worked with cinematographer Phedon Papamichael to capture a style akin to Steven Spielberg’s. Visually, Dial of Destiny fits in seamlessly with its predecessors, which is quite an accomplishment.

Before I conclude, I need to take a moment to praise the score composed by the inimitable John Williams. Every single scene is elevated by his propulsive, old-school soundtrack, often to the extent that it cloaks how middling the action is. I’m quite confident that had anyone else done the music for Indiana Jones 5, it would’ve been notably worse, detracting from the whole film. Williams made it seem like this would be his final movie, but has since retracted that statement. All I can say is, thank god, since there’s no one in the industry who can compare to this 91-year-old maestro.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny really surprised me. Early feedback coming out of Cannes had me expecting something only slightly better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but that’s not the case. Indiana Jones 5 is markedly better than that film, ranking much closer to Temple of Doom as the third best installment in the franchise. Sure, that movie was campy and brutal, and it had Short Round. But it also had Willie. Indiana Jones 5 has no Willie, so let that sink in. That fact alone has got to earn it points. Then factor in the performances of Ford and Mikkelsen, Mangold’s direction, Williams’ score, and some killer adventure scenes, and you’ve got yourself a contender for bronze. Considering the winners of gold and silver were never in doubt, bronze ain’t half bad.

If I had to score it, I’d give Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a 7/10.

Notes:

* A lot has been made of the de-aging VFX used in the prologue, so I thought I should state that it’s decent, if not fairly good. I didn’t find it to be as distracting as some likely will, but even I have to acknowledge that a few moments look extremely fake.