The Future

With the upcoming fifth movie, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", it's natural to wonder where the series is going from this point on. The franchise has seen a lot of recent interest, as more video games, comics, and even LEGO sets have been released. Some people's first introduction to this series are through these other mediums (I played "Original Adventures" on the Wii before I ever watched the movies), and with the recent resurgence of interest in the franchise, a lot of important projects are now in the works. An adventure game developed by the Halo creators Bethesda is in the works, slated to be released in 2024 or 2025.

In terms of the movies, though, "Dial of Destiny" seems to be the end of the line, which may be for the better. The series' quality started to slip with "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", which wasn't as fantastic as the original trilogy. With a change in director and a lot more oversight from the good doctor himself, Harrison Ford, the hero's fifth outing looks to be an exciting and fitting conclusion.

While initial critical reviews for "Dial of Destiny" aren't necessarily promising, the audience seems to be pleased, and "Indiana Jones" as a series has always put its fans before being a necessarily critic-friendly product. Harrison Ford has been collaborating with Lucasfilm since 1973's "American Graffiti", and while he wasn't a fan of characters like Han Solo, he's continually been devoted to the idea of giving Indy a satisfying and logical conclusion. While there's definitely some exciting new content down the road, at least for now, "Dial of Destiny" is shaping up to be the send-off worthy of the legendary archaeologist himself. 

Unlike other franchises that always promise the end but never really go through with it (looking at you, "Star Wars"), "Indiana Jones" seems committed to the idea of the bullwhip-wielding hero finally hanging up the fedora. While spin-offs and content based around the timeline of the first four films are surely on their way, for now it seems that Indiana Jones will finally get to ride off into the sunset with his head held high.