Directed by James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follows daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi who works for NASA.
Whenever it comes to classic adventure films involving the hunt for lost treasures the very first name anyone would bring up is Indiana Jones, a hero to many and a legend to all. I have always been a major fan of the character and like many, I grew up watching all four of his theatrical adventures. Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade remain certified classics for me while The Temple of Doom and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I consider to be poorly aged mixed bags that are only really held up by some fun elements, the titular hero, and of course Harrison Ford’s always perfect performance as him.
And now we are here with the fifth installment of the series as well as what is considered to be the final outing for Harrison Ford as the character. There was certainly a lot of pressure on this film for that reason but I had hope that it was going to turn out good or at least better than its predecessor due to talented director James Mangold being at the helm. After seeing the film I can happily say that my hope was validated for the most part. I found this film to be a mostly satisfying final adventure for the beloved hero that I had a lot of fun with, and I feel James Mangold did a solid job. This film felt like a proper classic Indiana Jones adventure in all the right places with a lot of elements that felt way more fitting to the series than whatever the hell we were given in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Now granted, there are a number of things that prevent this installment from being as magnificent as the classics but it gets pretty close and it does add some new things that definitely make this installment stand out from the rest in a good way.
To start off we have some really good performances from the cast, with Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge leading the charge as a surprising powerhouse duo with electrifying chemistry. These two together were an absolute delight but they also do manage to hold up on their own as well.
Harrison Ford might not be as physical as he used to be playing this character but he still delivers another perfect performance as this character in his final outing. He plays largely into the true strengths of the character this time around, which are his intellect and wisdom. One of the things people often forget about Indiana Jones as a character is that it’s not just his charm or his action scenes that make him a lovable adventure hero but his smarts. He’s a brilliant archaeologist whose knowledge and quick thinking act as his greatest weapon rather than his whip or his fists. Ford’s acting and Mangold’s writing really capture that element of the character perfectly as well as give him some surprising emotional moments that I felt were really effective.
I also love how this film highlights Jones’ age and the new era in which he lives which fits greatly with the themes of age, time, and family relationships in the film as well as adds a lot of depth to this portrayal of the character that you feel so much for. Everything that was done with Jones in this story was immensely satisfying for me and I salute Harrison Ford for really giving his all to his last time playing the character.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw is easily one of the best characters ever to be added to the franchise. She oozes charm and charisma, though she’s also quite a lovable scoundrel that I wasn’t expecting to love so much. She’s an excellent adventurer in the making but one that still has a lot to learn as shown throughout the film. She may have the youth and energy that Indy lacks but Indy still has the greatest amount of wisdom at the end of the day that she learns from.
The supporting cast also delivers good performances overall no matter how big or small their parts are, including some notable performances from Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas, and John Rhys-Davies who briefly reprises the role of Sallah.
As for the main villain of the film, Jürgen Voller, I will say Mads Mikkelsen does deliver a good performance as he always does and I did like the motives he had, but unfortunately, I did find him less than memorable in comparison to the other villains of the series. Granted the villains of this series aren’t exactly full of that much depth to begin with but they at least had personality and style that made them stand out. I unfortunately didn’t get any of that with Jürgen Voller but instead got more of it from his two henchmen played by Boyd Holbrook and Olivier Richters who I found to be a lot of fun as supporting villains but they made me wish that same energy was given to the main villain. Jürgen Voller is serviceable to the story but doesn’t quite hit all the marks for me.
This film’s narrative plays out like a classic Indian Jones adventure that features the fun MacGuffin hunting story that many are familiar with, but it does have a lot of interesting themes layered in that make this film stand out in comparison to the previous films. There are some new ideas explored that are interwoven with the fun and thrills, while also throwing in some greatest hits moments that will give you a boost of nostalgia in a similar manner to Star Wars The Force Awakens, though not entirely done in the same way. The opening especially felt like a true Indy opening with all the familiar beats we know and love that do work for the most part.
Now to be clear no one should be expecting a Logan-style story just because James Mangold is behind the film. While this film does play with the same theme of what an older hero can do for the world when it no longer has a place for him, it’s not being done in a dark and gritty way. This film stays true to the adventurous fun tone of the previous films although it does manage to throw in some surprisingly emotional moments that do manage to land really well in their moments.
Now there is a tradition with every Indiana Jones film to throw in a wild card plot element that fans will either love, hate, or be mind blown by. In the first film it was the malevolent ghosts that melt the Nazis away, in the second film it was voodoo and heart-ripping rituals, in the third film it was an immortal knight guarding the Holy Grail, and in the fourth film it was aliens, which didn’t go over well with most. So like the previous films, this one has a wild card element of its own that comes out of the blue that I feel will either make or break the film for people. For me personally, I had no issue with it and I very much enjoyed it. It might be crazy as hell but it felt way more fitting for the series than god damn aliens.
And as for the film’s ending even though I’ve heard some people say they didn’t like it I honestly liked how they concluded things on a certain note that left me feeling warm and satisfied when walking out of the theater. The film has some fun action and classic thrills that are filmed extremely well under the direction of James Mangold, especially when it comes to the practical work. The action may not be as immensely energetic or frequent due to Harrison Ford’s age, but there are still some great moments that had me full of glee.
I will say though some sequences do end up getting held down by one of the major issues with the film which is the abundance of unpolished CGI work. Now granted it never reaches the levels of horridly aged effects in Crystal Skull as not all the effects for the film are bad, and for the most part the film looks visually beautiful due to fantastic cinematography and directing by Mangold. But then there were other instances where the effects looked unpolished and needed more time, especially for the opening.
The opening as shown includes a De-aged Indy for the entire sequence who at times looks incredible but a lot of other times, especially during quick movements and action scenes, it looks very wonky and unpolished. Considering that Lucasfilm hired a new effects artist that perfected Mark Hamill’s De-aged look in The Book of Boba Fett I was really hoping to see that level of work put in for this opening sequence and unfortunately it wasn’t. It definitely could have been done a lot better.
As for the music of this film we have John Williams composing for the last time and once again I can only give praise to him as his music truly does elevate this film to serious heights with his legendary composing. He leaves behind a legacy of amazing scores and it was a fitting way to cap off that legacy by finishing off with one of his most famous works.
The film has its fair share of issues but even so, I was mostly satisfied with this film compared to its predecessor and I feel it was a fitting conclusion for Harrison Ford’s long run as the legendary character. There were many ways the film could have gone wrong for me but it didn’t and I think some people will be satisfied with this one depending on what it is you are looking for. I’m going to give Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a B+ = 89.
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