by Josh Sewell
First, the good news. Thankfully, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – which hits theaters this weekend – provides a much better sendoff for the iconic titular character than 2008’s underwhelming Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Harrison Ford clearly loves playing Indy and he’s fully dialed in and engaged. Unfortunately, though, despite his best efforts and a charming performance from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the movie surrounding the two actors is just okay.
Dial of Destiny never comes close to the heights of classic entries Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade. Still, journeyman director James Mangold, taking the reins from the great Steven Spielberg (who stepped away to make last year’s outstanding The Fabelmans but remains an executive producer), shouldn’t beat himself up too much. There are a bunch of fun chase sequences and the last half-hour is genuinely bonkers in the best way.
Besides, even the bearded, bespectacled master only went two-for-four with the franchise. (I know Temple of Doom has its admirers, but I was never a fan of its pitch-black tone. Plus, a lot of the humor and gross-out moments haven’t aged well.)
There are a lot of big plot developments in Dial of Destiny, so I’ll keep things vague to avoid spoilers. As the United States is celebrating the moon landing, archaeologist Indiana Jones (Ford) is winding down his teaching career. However, his goddaughter (Waller-Bridge) reappears in his life with information about a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Of course, they’re not the only ones searching for it – they’re being pursued by a former Nazi (Mads Mikkelsen) who now works for NASA and his deadly henchman (Boyd Holbrook).
The screenplay (credited to Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, along with David Koepp and Mangold) is hit-or-miss, but Ford and Waller-Bridge’s commitment to the material carries it through the weaker moments. The same goes for Mikkelsen, who can probably do this kind of smarmy villain role in his sleep by now. The talented actor clearly just jumped the opportunity to play the heavy against a legendary hero. Can you blame him?
The story takes a lot of big swings that work, such as the aforementioned crazy finale and some brutal developments in Indy’s personal life. It’s also poignant and compelling to watch a fictional hero and the very real, 80-year-old actor who portrays him come to terms with their twilight years. Plus, we get to see some familiar faces (that I won’t ruin here) return for brief curtain calls.
But a significant creative misstep threatens to derail the entire flick from the start. That would be the extended flashbacks scattered throughout that utilize the familiar de-aging technology Disney has previously incorporated in their Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
It looks terrific when Indy is sitting still, but the illusion shatters any time Ford moves or talks, making the whole endeavor feel like a scene from a video game (or those wonky flashbacks in Martin Scorsese’s otherwise masterful The Irishman).
Even though it has some significant issues, Dial of Destiny is worth checking out if only to see Ford play one of his favorite characters a final time. The film leaves Indy in a heartwarming place, establishing a definitive end to his adventures while taking a less controversial path than the Bond franchise did with saying goodbye to Daniel Craig in No Time to Die.
Still, even though Mangold handles the material admirably (which makes sense considering he covered similar ground with 2017’s Logan), I can’t help but wonder how Spielberg would’ve approached it. Would he have relied so much on the de-aging technology? Would his approach to the last big action sequence been as audacious? Or would he have gone for something more intimate?
I realize that asking “shoulda, woulda, coulda” is pointless and those questions had no bearing on my evaluation of the version of the movie we got instead. But I’d be lying if I said they weren’t running through my head during the screening. Nevertheless, considering how many ways the fifth installment in a series that has spanned nearly a half-century could’ve gone wrong – again, look no further than Crystal Skull – viewers should take the minor win.
(Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking. Opens in theaters on June 30.)
Grade: B-
Dial of Destiny never comes close to the heights of classic entries Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade. Still, journeyman director James Mangold, taking the reins from the great Steven Spielberg (who stepped away to make last year’s outstanding The Fabelmans but remains an executive producer), shouldn’t beat himself up too much. There are a bunch of fun chase sequences and the last half-hour is genuinely bonkers in the best way.
Besides, even the bearded, bespectacled master only went two-for-four with the franchise. (I know Temple of Doom has its admirers, but I was never a fan of its pitch-black tone. Plus, a lot of the humor and gross-out moments haven’t aged well.)
There are a lot of big plot developments in Dial of Destiny, so I’ll keep things vague to avoid spoilers. As the United States is celebrating the moon landing, archaeologist Indiana Jones (Ford) is winding down his teaching career. However, his goddaughter (Waller-Bridge) reappears in his life with information about a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Of course, they’re not the only ones searching for it – they’re being pursued by a former Nazi (Mads Mikkelsen) who now works for NASA and his deadly henchman (Boyd Holbrook).
The screenplay (credited to Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, along with David Koepp and Mangold) is hit-or-miss, but Ford and Waller-Bridge’s commitment to the material carries it through the weaker moments. The same goes for Mikkelsen, who can probably do this kind of smarmy villain role in his sleep by now. The talented actor clearly just jumped the opportunity to play the heavy against a legendary hero. Can you blame him?
The story takes a lot of big swings that work, such as the aforementioned crazy finale and some brutal developments in Indy’s personal life. It’s also poignant and compelling to watch a fictional hero and the very real, 80-year-old actor who portrays him come to terms with their twilight years. Plus, we get to see some familiar faces (that I won’t ruin here) return for brief curtain calls.
But a significant creative misstep threatens to derail the entire flick from the start. That would be the extended flashbacks scattered throughout that utilize the familiar de-aging technology Disney has previously incorporated in their Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
It looks terrific when Indy is sitting still, but the illusion shatters any time Ford moves or talks, making the whole endeavor feel like a scene from a video game (or those wonky flashbacks in Martin Scorsese’s otherwise masterful The Irishman).
Even though it has some significant issues, Dial of Destiny is worth checking out if only to see Ford play one of his favorite characters a final time. The film leaves Indy in a heartwarming place, establishing a definitive end to his adventures while taking a less controversial path than the Bond franchise did with saying goodbye to Daniel Craig in No Time to Die.
Still, even though Mangold handles the material admirably (which makes sense considering he covered similar ground with 2017’s Logan), I can’t help but wonder how Spielberg would’ve approached it. Would he have relied so much on the de-aging technology? Would his approach to the last big action sequence been as audacious? Or would he have gone for something more intimate?
I realize that asking “shoulda, woulda, coulda” is pointless and those questions had no bearing on my evaluation of the version of the movie we got instead. But I’d be lying if I said they weren’t running through my head during the screening. Nevertheless, considering how many ways the fifth installment in a series that has spanned nearly a half-century could’ve gone wrong – again, look no further than Crystal Skull – viewers should take the minor win.
(Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking. Opens in theaters on June 30.)
Grade: B-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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