by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
We go to the movies for many different reasons. For entertainment, for a leisure activity, for its storytelling and empathy, and so much more. We go because we want to be taken on an adventure. Over the decades, there has been one adventurer who we’ve loved to follow almost more than any other. We’ve gone on raids with him. We’ve seen temples and kingdoms with him. We’ve gone on crusades with him. Now, here in 2023, a whopping 42 years after the franchise’s inception, it’s time to come back for one last ride with cinema’s most famous adventurer. It’s time to cheer on Harrison Ford one last time. It’s time for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and it is… perfectly… fine.
Our latest Indy escapade follows Henry Jones, Jr. (Ford) as he fights for possession of Archimedes’ Dial. An ancient device that is supposedly capable of locating fissures in time and making time travel possible. You know, a flux capacitor. We see him in 1944 during the fall of the Nazi regime in a thrilling opening sequence ripe with classic Indiana tropes. It’s easily the most exciting portion of the film, and it’s not close. It’s also filled with enough digital de-aging technology to make your head spin. While most scenes actually look decent, there are several moments where the facial movements/lips don’t match up, and, because of that, it’s no wonder they set this scene at night to hide the CGI’s faults. Though, the film never acknowledges how Indiana sounds like he’s 80 years old in this picture, especially when we know exactly how he sounded as a late-30-to-early-40-something in the other films that took place during this timeframe… but I guess that’s besides the point.
After our riveting and engaging opening, we slump forward to 1969 and the dawn of the space age. Here we meet a dour and glum Indiana who resents almost all aspects of life, and has no desire or purpose to go on being the relic that he is, a man out of time. But against his wishes, and against all odds, he is pulled into one final globetrotting jaunt. His godchild, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), shows up to rob him and unintentionally pull him into a wild chase between the C.I.A., as well as a rogue group of Nazis, led by Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), who Indy fought back in 1944, that are still fighting Hitler’s fight after all these years. It’s a race against time with nothing less than the fate of the world at stake.
I guess, before we even go any further, we should tackle the one set of questions that really matters. The ones that everyone is asking as we go into this new Indy flick. Is it better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Is it as good as the original trilogy of films? Well, yeah, I can say that this is better than Crystal Skull. It’s less hokey, fits in with the tone of the series better, and has deeper thematic resonance. But, if I’m being honest, I don’t know if it’s more fun than Crystal Skull (we’ll get to that later), and it’s certainly not nearly as good as the original Indy trilogy from the 1980s.
The one thing Dial of Destiny gets right above all else is the overall action vibe. That’s the element that feels the most like Indiana Jones. There is, almost to the film’s detriment at times, nonstop, pulse-pounding action running rampant. There’s a visceral, hard-hitting brutality to the action, but it also maintains a bit of the zany, slapstick, almost cartoonish action the movies are known for. You will hear deafening sound design as characters are punched, shot, and smacked around, and get a bit of a chuckle out of characters getting clocked in the face by bundles of wood, or others bouncing around a castle even while they’re tied up into a hangman’s noose. There’s intensity that’s matched with silliness.
Additionally, this movie knows how to craft a setting. Leave it to James Mangold, taking over directing duties from the legendary Steven Spielberg who’s stepping away from this franchise for the first time in its history, to restore some of that claustrophobic tomb raiding vibe. There are ancient crypts, booby traps, and massive creepy crawling bugs that will harken back to the entirety of the original trilogy. In these regards, this movie is great. But…
I truly wish this movie knew how to have fun while doing all of these things. Because Dial of Destiny is easily, by far and away, the most self-serious film in this franchise’s history. Long stretches of runtime will go by without a joke to be had, either via dialogue or physical humor. Our characters, outside of Helena, largely don’t seem to even want to be here, and the acting performances match that “I wasn’t even supposed to be here today” energy. In fact, dare I say it, there are some times where this movie even felt… boring. And I mean, we are in the middle of an action chase sequence, and it’s boring. There’s a narrative why Indy is so depressed, and I bought into that reason. It makes sense, and it’s believable. More than that, it’s empathic. I felt for Indy. But as much as I understand this emotional turn, it doesn’t change the fact that this narrative choice sucks the air out of the room. It drains the film of a lot of its potential fun. All the funny lines of dialogue, whimsical action moments, and overall jovial and exciting tone that these movies are known for is largely absent from this movie. This may be a better film than Crystal Skull, but I wouldn’t be shocked if I find myself rewatching Crystal Skull more often than Dial in the future, because at least that movie, for all of its flaws, has fun, makes me smile, and makes me laugh.
As I stated, the action here is really solid, Mangold really delivers in that regard. But holy crap does it go on for far too long. Almost every action scene throughout this entire movie could be cut by a whole five minutes, and the movie would be better off for it. It’s as if every chase had to go on to match the length of the runway chase during the finale of Fast & Furious 6. At some point you have to start cutting, and this movie refuses to do that. It doesn’t help that much of this action is often a visual mess, packed full of bad, and altogether too many, editing cuts, atrocious green screen, and an overabundance of CGI. I mean, we don’t just get scenes shot at night to shroud poor CGI in darkness in this movie, we get scenes shot at night in downpouring rain to hide the bad visual effects. Long gone are the days where this franchise actually used stunt doubles and practical sets and effects to display realistic, tension-filled, and compelling action set pieces. Now it’s just a visual cacophony of noise and clutter, all of which looks really fake. Apparently, practical effects, like Indy himself, are a relic that we don’t get to enjoy anymore.
Furthermore, I’m not sure when major Hollywood studios got it in their minds that all of their massive summer blockbusters need to start clocking in at two-and-a-half to three hours long, but damn, it is completely unnecessary. Very rarely do these movies have the narrative story to support such a runtime, and this is no different. Dial of Destiny lasts 153 minutes, and the whole time you can feel that weight. Especially when there are characters introduced here, given zero character development other than the fact that they’re a quirky Indy sidekick, and then unceremoniously dismissed to no avail. There’s a character called Renaldo (Antonio Banderas) who is just a complete waste of time. The movie wants you to feel a certain way about him, but it’s impossible when he is in the movie for 10 minutes. Similarly, there’s another character named Teddy (Ethann Isidore), who is clearly meant to evoke memories of our beloved Short Round from Temple of Doom. But he never comes close to matching Ke Huy Quan’s energy, excitement, and lovability, and he certainly doesn’t get the character development he needs either. If you trim three to five minutes from these action scenes, and cut out Renaldo and Teddy entirely, this instantly becomes a 120 minute adventure that’s much more exhilarating.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. As I said, the action is intense and fun. It may be visually messy at times, but it works. Additionally, Ford, for as depressing as his portrayal may be, does a great job. He’s not here for the paycheck like with Kingdom; he’s really trying. He doesn’t have as many fun, cheeky lines as you’re used to, and his old skeleton is definitely hobbling around and struggling to keep up, but he still really delivers here, and brings pathos to the role.
Waller-Bridge is genuinely electric. She’s an unreliable side narrator of her own story. Full of bravado and convinced that she’s leading a fun and exciting life, while an ex-fiancé is attempting to cut off her head with a scimitar. The small, lighthearted, fun nature of this film is in her hands, and she does a great job of carrying that energy through the film.
Mikkelsen, although he’s fairly shallow and one-dimensional as a character, still gives a great performance. An argument could even be made that he’s the most memorable and menacing villain in the history of this franchise. Although that could be some backwards commentary on how unmemorable many of the villains are in this series.
I will say as well that the technical acumen in this movie is truly impressive. The art direction is great, and the sets are tremendous. The construction of some of the tombs and catacombs, or the way they utilize location filming, is great. Tied into this, to truly conjure up the era, the costume design is fantastic. From the end of World War II, to the late 1960s space age transitioning into the 1970s, and even some ancient clothing in this film, it’s all fantastic. And while the sound design and mixing is solid, it’s the iconic John Williams original score that will have you beside yourself with glee. All of the classic themes are back, with triumphant trumpets and melodic strings, but there’s also a ton of new material that will give you goosebumps and raise the hair on the back of your neck. There’s nothing more immerse for a film than its score, and there’s nothing better than a Williams score — this is one of his all-time greats. Even the themes really work, as there’s a decent amount of sentiment regarding what it means to age up and become a relic as the world around us passes us by. This is a sobering message we all must confront at some point as we confront Father Time in our own ways, and I appreciate how this film approaches such a subject.
One last thing to keep in mind, and then I swear I’ll stop with my insane ramblings, but we need to discuss the third act in this film. To keep it brief and spoiler-free, this movie goes somewhere that will undoubtedly bother some people. If the alien at the end of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made you mad, please temper yourself now. Personally, I had no problem with the narrative decision that was made. I feel it’s in keeping with the tone of the franchise and some of the extreme places it has gone before. I enjoyed it. Not sure I enjoyed the way a character’s choice was not respected, but the narrative choice was fun and interesting. But, as much as this turn worked for me, it might not work for you. Even if you see it coming from a mile off, it could ruffle feathers. Just be prepared for debates and arguments to potentially be had…
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a fine movie. It has its flaws, sure, but it’s still entertaining, and it works as a better sendoff to this iconic character than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you’re ready to jump in the saddle for one last ride with Indiana Jones, this movie is more than happy to give you a ride.
Rating: High side of okay
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently playing in theaters
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