INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023)
Updated: Apr 23
The Beloved Franchise Goes Out With Less Than a Bang
Grade: C+
(**Spoiler Alert!!**)
I remember the first time I became acquainted with Indiana Jones. I was eleven years old, and my parents had taken me and my brother on our first Disney World trip. At MGM Studios (Now Hollywood Studios), we saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular show, and it was here that I witnessed this archaeologist dodging booby traps, fighting Nazis, and running around a Cairo marketplace. In the years to follow, I saw the movies and was hyped to see the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). And now I have seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, ostensibly the last time Harrison Ford will take up the hat and whip. Unfortunately, despite some fine action, humor, and performances, The Dial of Destiny does not quite inspire the same awe that I felt when I saw the Disney World show.
The film opens with a thrilling sequence set in 1945 at the end of World War II. Indy, having been brought back to his 40s via de-aging technology (which, for a Disney/Lucasfilm production, doesn’t look half bad), and his friend, Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) are doing one of the things Indy does best: fighting Nazis. In true Indiana Jones fashion, the hero punches, whips, and disguises his way past the enemy before performing a death-defying jump into a river from a train. It is amusing, exciting, and intriguing. In short, it’s everything an Indiana Jones movie ought to be.
Cut to 1969, in the aftermath of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Indy has hit rock bottom. His son, Mutt, was killed in Vietnam. His wife, Marion (Karen Allen), is divorcing him. He is retiring from archaeology, and he feels like the world no longer has any place for him. Then along comes Basil’s daughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who wants to learn about a mysterious dial that Indy recovered on the train in 1945. The dial, which once belonged to the ancient scholar Archimedes, is apparently one half of a device which can locate spots on Earth where one can travel through time. And, of course, evil people want it for their own nefarious ends. Here the evil ones are former Nazis, led by the dial’s original custodian, Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson), who wants to go back to the beginning of WWII and change history, so Germany wins the war.
The director is James Mangold, taking over for longtime veteran Steven Spielberg (who, along with series co-creator George Lucas, is an executive producer). On a technical level, Mangold was the perfect choice, since he populates the movie with a number of thrilling action sequences. In addition to the intro, we also have some exciting chases through the streets of New York and Syracuse, as Indy hijacks a horse and three-wheeled vehicle to evade/catch the enemy. And then there’s a hilarious and exhilarating third-act development which completely befuddles the villain while at the same time subverting the usual formula for the franchise.
Unfortunately, Mangold is missing a few key ingredients which made the first three movies so successful: namely, momentum and heart. Ford, as usual, gives it his best, but the swagger and droll attitude that his character exuded in his first three adventures is no longer present. Instead, he looks angry and sad throughout most of the film. It doesn’t feel like we are seeing an old friend again; instead, he is just going along with it.
On top of that, he never seems to have a whole lot of chemistry with his friends, which was also another draw for the classic films. The most energetic character in the movie is Helena, who starts out caring only about money and ends up helping Indy find purpose. Mangold seems to be setting up Helena to take over the franchise. No offense to Ms. Waller-Bridge, but there are some icons who cannot be replaced…and the same applies to the directors, as well.
The movie would’ve benefitted immensely from the direction of Spielberg, who helped infuse the other movies with their sense of fun. It is this tone which is largely lacking; it isn’t that the movie is too dark, it’s just that it isn’t much of anything. It never feels like it needs to exist. In this modern cinematic landscape oversaturated with legacy sequels, there is not much in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to help it stand out. The stakes never feel as high as they should. Even the action sequences, which again are well-made and entertaining, don’t rank among the best in the franchise, although the horse chase comes pretty close.
Dial of Destiny is not the franchise killer that many have already described it as. It’s just the latest in a long line of flicks that exist primarily to profit off the nostalgia of audiences. We go to see it, we go home, and then continue with our lives, and that’s not the kind of film Indiana Jones is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be an over-the-top adventure that tries its hardest to set itself apart from other movies. Instead, it makes it clear that the novelty has worn off of the franchise. Dial of Destiny is apparently the last movie in the franchise; it is also proof that the franchise definitely needs to be put to rest. Though maybe not in a museum.
Director: James Mangold
Screenplay: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, James Mangold (Based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufmann),
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Simon Emanuel
Cast: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Helena Shaw), Mads Mikkelsen (Jürgen Voller), Antonio Banderas (Renaldo), John Rhys-Davies (Sallah), Toby Jones (Basil Shaw), Boyd Holbrook (Klaber), Ethann Isidore (Teddy), Shaunette Renee Wilson (Mason), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood)
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