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Parents' Guide to

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Entertaining fifth Indy movie has some shocking violence.

Movie PG-13 2023 154 minutes
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you willā€”and won'tā€”find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 13 parent reviews

age 10+

Classic Indy movie but skip the previews

This movie has lots of classic Indy action with several fun chase scenes. The action and gun violence is a little more intense than other movies in the series, but still on par with Marvel, Star Wars, etc. Several main characters get shot or killed. It was fun for me and our teens but our 10 year old got a little bored (it's a longer movie). There are a few scenes with skeletons and gross bugs but less than other Indy movies and no jump scares. Harrison Ford's face de-aging was good quality and didn't take away from the movie. However, my kids agreed that Lucas Films needs a voice de-ager, as you could tell it was still an old person talking but with a young face. As usual, the problem our younger kids had was with the R rated previews at Markus Theaters brand: Last Voyage of the Demeter; Meg 2; and a couple others had my kids closing their eyes. Even Disney's Haunted Mansion was a little scary for them. All in all, the movie was great, but I'd skip the previews for younger kids or talk to them about it ahead of time so they know it's coming.
age 12+

Fun family movie for tweens and up

I loved that it contained some true history about Archimedes and the Ear of Dionysius. It is probably my second favorite Indiana Jones movie, the first one being the best. It's just a fun Summer movie and nice conclusion to the series.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (17 ):

This satisfying fifth (and presumably final) Indiana Jones adventure hits all the right beats, understanding that these movies have always been about more than just chases and fights. Directed by James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some of the same flavor that he brought to his earlier movies about seasoned adventurers (3:10 to Yuma, Logan), and plenty of soul. Ford, 80 at the time of the movie's release, is allowed to look and feel his age (while climbing a stone wall in a cave, he complains about his aches and pains). And yet the stunts and action are all very much still exciting, with Waller-Bridge more than holding her own. A pair of flashbacks that use de-aging digital technology to give us a younger Indy are nearly seamless, too.

One of the best things about the Indy movies is that they revel in scenes set in musty old libraries or storage rooms and delight in the piecing together of 1,000-year-old puzzles -- and this one is no different. These beats provide rests between chases and build the characters. Even though Mangold goes long with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, at 154 minutes, the pacing largely feels right. We really get the sense of just who Indiana Jones is here, what his history is, and how he feels about things. Now that his story is well and truly told, he's still our hero, but we feel like part of his family.

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