Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny reviewed

BACK in 1981, in Raiders of the Lost Ark – the first epic adventure that introduced audiences to the globe-trotting archaeology professor and Nazi fighter Indiana Jones – a weary Harrison Ford said the line, “It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage.”

Well, more than 40 years later, the years and the miles have caught up with Indy, as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sees him dragged out of an unhappy retirement for one last adventure – 15 years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which itself was billed as Indy’s final adventure at the time and has a mixed to negative reputation.

Dial of Destiny starts off with an action-packed prologue set during the dying days of World War Two as Indy and his somewhat buffoonish colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) attempt to recover some artefacts from fleeing Nazis, including the fanatic Dr Voller (Mads Mikkelsen).

The biggest takeaway from this scene is the extensive use of de-aging technology to make Ford look as young as he did decades ago (the actor is now 80 years old!). Opinions vary, but personally it worked well enough at capturing his facial expressions, but the body movement was off a bit. They were definitely working around his age – including with the editing – but it’s not too distracting.

The movie then jumps to New York City in 1969, as Dr Jones is retiring from his job as a college professor, when he is visited by his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag herself). She wants his help to find an artefact – the titular Dial of Destiny.

Unfortunately, she is pursued by Voller and his men, Nazis who have been hiding in plain sight in the US government, who want the device for their own ends. It can supposedly access rips in time, and Voller has plans to make sure the Nazis win the war.

What unfolds is an adventure that jumps from New York to Tangier to the Mediterranean to Sicily and beyond as Indy, Helena and friends race against time (literally) and Nazis.

The Indiana Jones movies up to this point have been a partnership between Ford, Steven Spielberg (who directed all of them), and George Lucas (who worked on the stories). This time the latter two are gone, staying on as producers. Picking up the reins is James Mangold, who directed Logan – another story of an iconic hero going out with a bang.

Dial of Destiny is not as satisfying a conclusion to a saga as that movie, but that’s only because it exists in the shadow of some of the most beloved and influential blockbusters of all time (Crystal Skull not included).

They also include some incredible action scenes that have aged incredibly well. The phrase ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ is overused, but it applies here. The Indiana Jones movies were shot on film with a lot of practical stuntwork – Ford would jump from vehicle to vehicle and do his own fights. They are decidedly old-fashioned.

Dial of Destiny has good action sequences, from the opening to chases in New York and Tangier, with plenty of satisfying Nazi punching, but it’s just not the same. There’s too much of a modern gloss to everything and there are a lot of computer-generated effects, too much for an Indiana Jones movie (the movie’s budget somehow ballooned to US$300 million).

For his part, Ford is locked into the role – Indiana Jones being the favourite character of his career (yes, over Han Solo). There’s a sense of sadness and mortality to him that’s different from what’s come before, but that’s an effect of his age. Mangold has to work around his physical limitations.

Helena is pretty much the co-lead of the movie, which will probably disappoint fans who just want Indy to punch Nazis. Ford and Waller-Bridge have chemistry with some witty dialogue, and she does get the better of him at points, though he does act stupidly sometimes. Mikkelsen plays a lot of villains, but he’s usually wasted in Hollywood. There’s nothing surprising about Voller, but he’s a competent villain.

The problem with the movie is that it’s an ending to a saga that already ended twice before, one more satisfying than the other. We’re also living in the era of peak nostalgia, of iconic characters returning after a long hiatus. That’s just not enough to be a good movie.

Dial of Destiny doesn’t go overboard with the nostalgia, in fact it’s mostly tasteful and hits the right notes as a swan song to Indiana Jones. There’s just the sense of going back to the well too often that dilutes any power this movie might have. – The Vibes, July 2, 2023