Archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary artifact that can change the course of history.
After the abysmal “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008, I thought that was Indy’s swan song. And what an unsatisfactory way to go out it was. I was very skeptical when word came out in May of 2015 that Lucasfilm was working on another Indiana Jones movie. While I despised “Crystal Skull” and still do, at least it ended happily for Indy; he got to wed Marion (Karen Allen) and welcomed a new son, Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), into his life. In that regard, I was happy that Indy didn’t die and got to be with his family. Why the need to make one more film?
One reason; money, plain and simple. But I would be lying if I didn’t say the thought of a fifth and final movie in the series didn’t intrigue me. When I received an invitation to an early press screening, I took two people with me; my fiancée Ashley, and my mother. My mother brought me to see “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on a wet, miserable rainy day in Dublin in the summer of 1981, and over the years, we have gone to see many movies together, but every time a new Indiana Jones film came out, we would go and see it together on opening day. With “Dial of Destiny,” the chance to see it two and a half weeks before its June 30th release date was an invitation we couldn’t pass up. I will not ruin the film by giving away spoilers; just my thoughts on it.
The film opens in 1944 with Indy and his friend, Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), trying to stop Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi, from acquiring a mystical dial known as the Antikythera, a mechanical computer of bronze gears that used ground-breaking technology to make astronomical predictions. When Indy and Basil learn that it can do more than predict astrophysical events, they obtain the artifact and escape Voller’s clutches.
Twenty-five years later, in 1969, during the Space Race, Indy is on the verge of retiring from his teaching job at Hunter College on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. When his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Basil’s daughter, unexpectedly turns up, asking Indy to help her retrieve the Antikythera, he initially refuses, stating that the relic drove Basil crazy before he died years earlier, but after he and Helena are chased by bad guys, who Indy discovers work for Voller, realizing he is still determined to take possession of the ancient object, he changes his mind and agrees to help her locate the missing antiquity.
My initial trepidation with “Dial of Destiny” was that the filmmakers would put Indy in scenarios best suited for his younger self and still come out unscathed. I didn’t want to see Indy engage in fistfights with multiple henchmen that could easily overpower him due to his age or participating in a big action scene that younger Indy would have no problem triumphing over, but his older self could not; he is not Superman, he is very human and thankfully, the action is better suited for older Indy. That’s not to say that the stakes are not dangerous or life-threatening, but they are more credible because of Indy’s age.
While Shia LaBeouf doesn’t appear in “Dial of Destiny,” his character’s absence is explained, giving Indy some much-needed inner turmoil and a driving point for the story’s narrative. We also find out what happened to Marion (Karen Allen), and thankfully, both instances are presented as somber but realistic.
I hoped and prayed going into the press screening of “Dial of Destiny” that it would be better than “Crystal Skull,” and for me, it was. Even though watching my favorite actor and character in his ’80s was fun, nothing will ever come close to watching Indy in his prime in “Raiders,” “Temple of Doom,” and “Last Crusade.” I only wish Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford had made several more Indy films throughout the ’90s instead of waiting almost 20 years for “Crystal Skull” and 34 for “Dial of Destiny.”
While Harison Ford is my favorite actor, I have no problem with Lucasfilm recasting the role with a younger actor, ala James Bond. There are so many adventures Indy could partake in, especially in his 30s and 40s, that I would love for the series to continue, but Disney recently stated that “Dial of Destiny” is the last Indiana Jones film and the last Indy film with Harrison Ford in the titular role. Let’s see how long that lasts.
I stayed away from some of the other critics’ reviews of “Dial of Destiny” because I didn’t want to be swayed in any way, but I’ve heard a lot of displeasure stating that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the film’s real star. She’s not. Her character is the driving force behind the story, she begs Indy to help her find the Antikythera, but he resists, causing her to become more creative and persuasive. Eventually, he acquiesces, and they set off on one final adventure together.
In “Raiders,” it was Indy and Marion Ravenwood, but with each subsequent outing, Indy teamed up with more unnecessary companions. “Temple of Doom” added Willie Scott and Short Round, “Last Crusade” added Henry Jones Sr., Marcus Brody, and Sallah, while “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” added Marion Ravenwood, Mutt, Mac, and Ox. With each new film in the series, I longed for an Indy adventure where it was Indy and one other person, similar to “Raiders,” and “Dial of Destiny” came closest to that.
While Indy teams up with Helena, she has a trustworthy sidekick named Teddy (Ethann Isidore), a young kid that inspires memories of Short Round, but thankfully, he is not some precocious smartass that makes you want to reach into the screen and strangle him; instead, he has talents that serve Indy and Helena during their adventures. While he is along for a good chunk of the story, Indy and Helena have their individual moments, and that is what makes it feel like an Indiana Jones movie.
In “Crystal Skull,” especially in the movie’s last half, Indy is relegated to being an observer. He went into underground tunnels, watched doors open, experienced booby traps going off, and watched as the aliens sucked the lifeforce out of Irina Spalko, he pretty much did nothing except observe, but here, he is back to the Indy we know, and love, trapped in a temple with Helena, he must use his archaeological knowledge to escape, and the list goes on.
One thing that caught me off-guard, especially in the beginning, was the amount of musical cues borrowed from previous Indy movies. During the opening, we have cues from “Last Crusade” and “Raiders,” and these few moments, while I understand were harkening back to the original trilogy, I felt should have been original pieces instead. When you hear some of the music from the tank chase in “Last Crusade” or the basket chase in “Raiders,” it immediately takes you out of this film and reminds you of its predecessors. This only happens initially, but while it wasn’t a huge deal for me, it was still a little distracting.
This is the story of a man who has experienced some of the most incredible adventures known to man, on-screen and off. He is an archaeologist and adventurer who knows his life is slowly ending, which is the sad part. He is no longer the Indiana Jones who could outrun a crashing boulder, or make his way underneath a speeding truck, or hang off the side of a tank; he has acknowledged where he is in his life and has accepted it, no matter how much he might not want to. In the end, he gets the chance to take on one more adventure, and watching him again on the big screen is a true delight but also sad at the same time. It is the end of an era, not just because it’s the final Indiana Jones movie but also because my mother and I will never experience Indy again on the big screen together.
Available on Digital August 29th
