But following Disney's 2012 buyout of Lucasfilm, and the rebirth of Star Wars, it seemed inevitable that Indy would return as well, here with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This time directed not by Steven Spielberg, but by Logan director James Mangold, who looks to give the aging hero the same satisfying send-off he gave to Wolverine. However, for as thrilling as the latest adventure may sound, and I'm sure will entertain audiences, I ultimately leave this treasure hunt not wanting more, but wondering whether the journey itself made that reward worth it.
In 1944, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) recovered one half of a stolen artifact called the Antikythera, a device invented by Archimedes that can predict fissures in time, and send its user back to the past. Now in 1969, the aging professor is approached by his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and pursues her when she steals the device from him, intent on recovering its twin half. All the while, former Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson) also pursues the device, and the race is on to recover Archimede's ancient artifact.
Continuing Indiana Jones was hard enough with Crystal Skull in 2008, given what a perfect, literal riding off into the sunset ending The Last Crusade was. Even moreso with Dial of Destiny in 2023, given Harrison Ford is now 80 years old at time of release, and old-school serials that Indiana Jones was paying homage to are all but extinct amidst the superhero genre. And yet, that very factor gives the film its first real nugget of inspiration; Indiana's age, something that had already been dabbled in 15 years prior, but Dial of Destiny now makes the main meat of the story, in both subtext and literal text.
The film starts off strongly enough in the 1944 prologue, where a deaged Harrison Ford - the effects of which are not always consistent - infiltrates a speeding train, throwing punches and knocking out the Nazis one at a time. This whole sequence alone is its own rousing mini-sequel, one of the most superbly directed pieces of the series, and all before we get into the main portion; Indy is now the cowboy eclipsed by the astronaut. Indiana is a much different man in the film's main 1969 setting. He's bitter, his students are always inattentive and dismissive, and he himself has become a relic of times long since past.
Even his step in the action has taken a hit, as Ford is obviously older and frailer now, and so while Indy is still ready and willing for adventure, the remainder of the movie is grappling with how time has changed him, and how precious that time was, and still is to him. It's fascinating new layers being given to this character, and Ford as always acquits himself terrifically to the part, making that infectious spirit of adventure feel as pronounced now as it's ever been, even as his body and soul have become more jaded.
Not only that, but there now buds a struggle of wills between him and the younger Helena Shaw, his goddaughter and the film's co-lead. Helena is a brash, reckless adventurer, who views the treasure hunting in a more cynical fashion, treating the heaviness and danger with a very cavalier demeanor. Which makes sense, given that treasure drove her father, played by Toby Jones, to insanity, and so she's inherited a sense of nonchalant defiance because of it. While it does come across as somewhat annoying, including a weird tangent in Tangiers with her old past, Phoebe Waller-Bridge really holds her own, and comes away as the breakout character.
But every Indiana adventure needs an entertaining villain, which we have with Mad Mikkelson's former Nazi scientist Voller. Admittedly, villains are some of the series' most one-dimensional elements, and it's usually the charisma of their actors elevating them; see Paul Freeman and Cate Blanchett for proof. And Mikkelson has played so many villains, he can act them in his sleep, but he feels genuinely enthused to be here, getting to revel in his character's hissable acidity, and vile sense of superiority. But to be fair, the film does give him that extra attempt at depth, given that he's also a prominent player in that 1944 train sequence. Even though he still is a blood-hungry maniac, you see the sense of logic propelling him to his end goal, and the twisted humanity Mikkelson is giving him.
Where the film really feels like a step down is in its side characters. Indiana Jones usually has some terrific sidekicks along the way, but here, that seems to have alluded the film. The most prominent attention goes to Ethan Isidore's Teddy, whom we first meet in Morocco, and essentially acts as this movie's Short Round. The problem is, despite the fact that he does have crucial plot beats, he just doesn't give this movie any personality. And it's not Isidore's fault, it's the fact that this character just feels boring and convenient.
Honestly, that could go for a lot of the supporting players, some of which are only here for a cameo, and some who just fade into the background. Antonio Banderas makes a cameo as a friend of Indy's, but really feels like he should have been tagging along the whole way. Boyd Holbrook shows up as trigger happy Klaber, who serves as the co-antagonist to Voller, but his only real trait, is vague menace, and I feel like Holbrook's only here as a favor to Mangold for Logan. There's even a bulky henchman, meant to be a stand in for the kind Pat Roach played in the original trilogy, but he doesn't even get a proper fight scene with Ford. He gets casually discarded, and could have been combined with other characters.
And of course, John Rhys-Davies reappears as Sallah, for the first time since The Last Crusade. And this is bittersweet, because he's clearly enjoying getting to come back, and his appearance feels poignant. But he's underserved by the movie relegating him to that small cameo, when I think it would have made sense, especially considering Indy's age being a heavy theme, for him to join in. As such, it kind of feels like just another nostalgia button, of which the film is full of. Which makes sense with this being the last movie, but it can feel odd when the movie is making all these callbacks to prior entries, some deliberately stopping the film where it stands, and yet Crystal Skull gets conspicuously swept under the rug. That just feels like pandering to the audience, and what they supposedly want to see to me.
As such, a lot rests on the action scenes, which as you would expect of Indiana Jones, are thrilling in their own right, and easily the biggest difference between the styles of Spielberg and Mangold. Mangold doesn't attempt to try and directly copy Spielberg's action sensibilities, especially considering Phedon Papamichael's camerawork is nothing like Douglas Slocombe's. But he is still true to the vibrant spirit and silliness of an Indiana Jones set-piece, whether it be the casual annoyance of accidental friendly fire, or the ickiness of a gross out creature encounter (eels being this movie's stand in for snakes). But the real highlight for me is the Tuk Tuk chase in Tangiers, especially in regards to the high speed movement and whip pans reminding you "yes, this is from the director of Ford v Ferrari."
It helps that the action, as always, is so thoroughly driven by the power of John Williams' score, who returns to the series with the same gleeful spirit he did with Star Wars, bolstering those set-pieces with his sophisticated action beats, and those gorgeous central melodies. If this sadly becomes the last time I hear Williams in a multiplex, it was a phenomenal send-off to his career.
That said, the action brings up another one of my main issues; namely too much CGI. I'm not against digital enhancements for more dangerous stunts, but even as early as the train sequence, it's blatant, and at times distracting. Given that Ford is 80 at filming, it does feel like a concession that, maybe, he can't do the stunts that he used to do. I'm fine with that, but if you're going to take that road, don't make it so noticeable. Even during the Tangiers scene, it keeps cutting back to inserts of Ford and co. plopped in front of what looks like the Volume, where it's obvious they're not actually in the car. And I know that the Indiana Jones films have always had this kind of corner cutting, but at a reported $300 million dollar price tag, you would think these digital touch ups would be more smoothed out.
I also have very mixed feelings about the ending. Not because I dislike the idea, and I think it has merit, but because I feel like the execution to that eventual reveal feels unearned. Given this is Indiana's last hurrah, I feel like the MacGuffin, the Antikythera, has potential that goes untapped, especially because it doesn't feel like a treasure Indy would risk everything for. It goes more for symbolism and emotion than it does logic, but even then, eventually things just get resolved with a joke. And while I have a soft spot for the final moments, even I'll admit that as an ending, it's less letting Indy ride off into the sunset, and feels more like a shrug. I get the intention, which was to give Indy an intimate send-off, but I just don't think the endgame has panned out, and ironically, the perfect ending for him still remains that Last Crusade sunset.
Dial of Destiny is not bad by any means, and in fact, it has some of the most ambitious ideas the series has ever had. Despite his stylistic changes, and the multitude of CGI, Mangold leaves a confident stamp on the franchise, especially with Ford's always unwavering commitment to the part. But if it was a worthy extension? I'll leave that for you to decide. Admittedly, I'm always a softy for Indiana Jones, and the only entry I actually hate is Temple of Doom. But compared to Crystal Skull, I think the two are roughly equal, and both have their merits and disadvantages. For this fifth film, while it probably is a disappointment, I still had so much enjoyment getting to go on another treasure hunt, getting to be thrilled on the edge of my seat, and giving its main hero some closure. It could have been better, but as Indy always manages to prove, "it isn't the years. It's the mileage."
*** / *****
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