Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should. Case in point: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Harrison Ford was game to reprise his role as the Nazi-hating, snake-loathing archaeologist, and there seemed to be, if not demand, at least an interest in another Indy adventure. Unfortunately, the lack of a compelling story or memorable action scenes results in a missed opportunity and a rather lackluster conclusion to the blockbuster franchise.
Dial of Destiny time travels back to the 1940s to explain the film’s title and set up the retrieval of the archaeologically important centerpiece. The flashback gives us a Harrison Ford at about the age he was in Raiders of the Lost Ark, courtesy of some groundbreaking VFX technology. With access to hundreds of hours of footage in Lucasfilm’s vault, artificial intelligence matched 25 minutes’ worth of footage of a younger Ford’s face to replace his current 80-year-old self.
Although the result looks great, it’s still jarring to see Ford’s younger face in place of his current one as Indy battles Nazis on a train in the ‘40s. For a few scenes, it might have worked. But 25 minutes is really pushing it.
Indy and sidekick Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) are trapped onboard a Nazi train loaded with stolen treasures. Initially, Indy’s after the Lance of Longinus (a sword with Christ’s blood), but after discovering it’s a fake, he and Basil set their sights on the Antikythera (aka Dial of Destiny). Created thousands of years ago by Archimedes, the Antikythera contains the power to time travel. But, of course, there’s a huge catch. The dial is split in two, and both halves are necessary to activate its powers.
Indy and, to a lesser degree, Basil fight Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) for control of one-half of the Antikythera through railcars loaded with soldiers and eventually on top of the train in the middle of the night on a bridge with Allied planes attempting to take out the train.
Since this is an Indiana Jones film, we know who ultimately emerges victorious.
Flash-forward to 1969, and an Indy who looks like 2023’s Harrison Ford is retiring from teaching. The psychedelic ‘60s provide an underutilized backdrop to Indy’s reunion with Basil Shaw’s daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Helena’s got a chip on her shoulder and a grudge against Indy that leads to her backstabbing her godfather, causing Indy to be once again caught up in a fight with Nazis for control of the Antikythera.
The globe-trotting action provides plenty of opportunities for homages to Indy’s past adventures. And as Indy and Helena work through their relationship while attempting to stay one step ahead of Jürgen Voller and his minions, there are brief moments when Dial of Destiny captures the spirit of the first four Indiana Jones films. Yet even when it nails that vibe, Indy 5 is still a pale imitation of its predecessors.
Even Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gave us a few memorable action set pieces, including the bizarre bit with Indy riding out an atomic blast in a refrigerator. (That weird twist spawned “nuke the fridge,” another way of noting that a series or film franchise has jumped the shark.) Crystal Skull also gave us Shia LeBeouf channeling Tarzan and a bunch of unimpressive CG monkeys. But still, the story was sort of fun, and Steven Spielberg understood the assignment. The plot may have run out of steam, but the action scenes never did.
15 years later, and with James Mangold subbing in for franchise director Spielberg, the steam that once powered this franchise has long dissipated, leaving no trace of it to ignite this final, unnecessary installment. The action set pieces don’t have the pizzazz of a Spielberg production, and while Harrison Ford certainly appears to be completely invested in this finale, there’s only so much an actor even of his caliber can do when the energy and adrenaline-pumping action scenes fizzle rather than explode on the screen. (A week out from the screening, none of the sequences have left an impression.)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the first film of the franchise that doesn’t need to be seen in theaters, which is a shame since the shared experience of rooting on an action hero in a big summer popcorn flick is something we could use after coming off a few years of Covid isolation.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s just okay and certainly not in the same league as Raiders, Temple of Doom, or the Last Crusade. Spielberg’s touch is sorely missing. Also missing was someone with the power to chop off 30 or so minutes from the excruciatingly long runtime.
GRADE: C
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, action, sequences of violence, and smoking
Release Date: Jun 30, 2023
Running Time: 2 hours 24 minutes
