Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

If we rank all the Indiana Jones films in order of their entertainment value, The Dial of Destiny would land somewhere beside The Temple of Doom or perhaps just behind it with the first sequel's nostalgia factor giving it the edge. This fifth and final installment is a notable improvement over The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which admittedly is not a high threshold to surpass in the first place. Nevertheless, this script, co-written by David Koepp, picks up twelve years after the events of battling interdimensional aliens, communists and Shia LaBeouf, and Dial of Destiny is surprisingly a good deal of fun. Not only does it bring back Harrison Ford as the iconic hero for one last adventure — the crusty, crotchety old man actually suits him, given his life and hardships. But it also wonderfully replicates that swashbuckling action feel of the first three films, which is exactly what was sadly missing in the fourth, and this is thanks to director James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari) knowing what an Indy movie is supposed to look and feel like. 

However, the plot's biggest misstep or drawback, the one area I feel is the production's weakest element, is unfortunately Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Helena Shaw. And the problem is not her performance because the Killing Eve star is an absolute delight to watch. The issue is with the character, an incredibly unlikeable and often obnoxious person who continuously and callously puts Indy in fatal danger for selfishly greedy reasons. She doesn't have much of an arc either, or at least, one that feels genuine or deserving of absolution. Her redemption feels tacked on and contrived rather than organic or earned. Nevertheless, the film ultimately works despite the character offering little more than being the central reason for this story to exist, as in being the primary cause of it all. Part of what also makes it work is Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook playing formidable Nazi villains seeking to alter the course of history, challenging and aggravating our hero at every turn, which again is a return to form — Indiana Jones punching Nazis.

Compared to the last entry, The Dial of Destiny works as a better, more satisfying farewell to a dearly beloved character, and the ending leaves fans with a heartfelt reunion that brings the entire franchise to a satisfying close. 

For a more in-depth take on the film, check out Bryan Kluger's theatrical review HERE.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Walt Disney Home Entertainment brings Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a code for a digital copy, which unlocks 4K streaming rights with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. The triple-layered UHD100 and Region-Free BD50 discs sit on opposing panels of a black, eco-vortex case with lightly-embossed slipcover. At startup, viewers are taken directly to a static screen with the usual selection along the bottom and music playing in the background.

Indy braves one final adventure on Ultra HD with a gorgeous, reference-quality HEVC H.265 encode, offering a notable step up from its Blu-ray counterpart. The freshly minted, native 4K transfer boasts sharper, cleaner details throughout, and even the CGI looks fantastic in the higher resolution. We can plainly make out the finer aspects of the vehicles, the small pockmarks and cracks in the roads and sidewalks, and the little fuzzy fabric of the costumes. The HDR10 presentation also has improved contrast and brightness balance, giving the photography a bit more of a pop with clean, brilliant whites. Specular highlights supply a radiant glimmer and sheen along the metallic surfaces of the plains, trains and automobiles while also furnishing a crisper, tighter sparkle on the water surface. The 2.39:1 image is bathed in inky rich blacks while shadow details maintain outstanding visibility within the darkest, murkiest corners of the frame. The cinematography favors a very warm earthy palette, lavishing the action with a sumptuous array of vivid golden yellows, fiery oranges, dramatically animated reds and a wide variety of full-bodied browns while still maintaining accurate, life-like skin tones in the entire cast. Overall, this is a vibrantly colorful and razor-sharp presentation with tons of demo-worthy moments. (HDR10 Video Rating: 96/100)

The fifth installment swings to home theaters with an equally marvelous, reference-quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack, besting its DTS-HD MA counterpart to easily become the preferred way to enjoy Indy's final swash-buckling adventure. Right from the start, the room fills with a medley of effects flawlessly and effortlessly panning from the fronts to the surrounds and directly above the listening area. With the sounds of airplanes flying overhead, debris raining down from all sides and the commotion of busy street traffic, the object-based track immediately generates a fully immersive hemispheric soundfield that is consistent to the end of the movie. Imaging continuously feels broad and spacious as background activity seamlessly moves across the front and height channels while an extensive mid-range exhibits discrete definition and clarity into the upper frequencies, even during the most chaotic, loudest sequences. All the while, vocals are always prioritized and come through cleanly, and finally, a robust and potent low-end provides some hefty, occasionally couch-shaking weight behind the action and music, making this 3D audio mix an absolute delight to listen. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 96/100)

Sadly, Disney didn't see fit to equip our favorite swashbuckling hero with the extensive treasure of bonuses deserving of such a cinematic icon. The selection is more like a retirement gold watch.

Ultra HD

• Isolated Score (HD) in Dolby Atmos

Blu-ray

• The Making of (HD, 57 min) is a five-part documentary giving fans an in-depth look into the production, littered with various cast & crew interviews and tons of BTS footage
• Isolated Score (HD)

Bringing back the swashbuckling adventure vibe missing from the last movie, director James Mangold's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is good deal of fun and excitement, the better and more appropriate farewell to a dearly beloved character, played once again by the legendary Harrison Ford. Sadly, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's self-interested antiquities smuggler Helena Shaw is more annoying and frustrating than she is charming, making the character the sour spot of the plot and in cast that also includes Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook. Walt Disney Home Entertainment brings the fifth and final installment of the franchise to Ultra HD with a gorgeous, reference-quality 4K HDR10 presentation and a fantastic, demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Unfortunately, the studio didn't equip our favorite hero with a treasure of bonuses, yet the overall UHD package nonetheless makes for a Highly Recommended addition to the library.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review. 

Order your copy of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

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