'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Review: The Clock's Run Out
Over the last few years, Walt Disney Studios has been scrutinized for the way that it has milked its intellectual properties for all they are worth. While this criticism has been most common with its live-action remakes - despite some actually being better than their predecessors - it is more noticeable than ever in the long-awaited fifth entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
As the title suggests, the latest Harrison Ford-led film sees him return as the iconic veteran archaeologist/adventurer searching for yet another mystic artifact.
The film begins with a flashback to Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944, an uninspired setting, and one a bit overplayed within the franchise. Not only because audiences have been transported there countless times in other films but because it predictably serves no other purpose than to introduce the titular McGuffin. Fortunately, an impressively de-aged Harrison Ford is enough to remind the audience of where the franchise’s real strength lies - its technical mastery.
Whether Indiana Jones has tried to outrun a giant boulder in a booby-trapped cave or escaped nuclear evisceration by hiding in a refrigerator, the franchise has always made it easy for the audience to suspend its disbelief because the effects always looked so real. Dial of Destiny is no different. While James Mangold steps in for Steven Spielberg this time around, the transition is surprisingly seamless. That’s not to say Mangold has perfectly recreated Spielberg’s style. In fact, there are only a handful of moments where Spielberg’s signature sentiment is present. But Mangold is so good at balancing his care for the franchise and his own risks that nothing ever feels out-of-place. For example, towards the midpoint, there's an impressive and extensive car chase sequence through the markets of Morocco that demonstrates Mangold’s personal flare for action while being reminiscent of the good ol’ Spielbergian chaos from the first four entries.
Ford is also great here. Although his character is vocally reluctant to return to action its obvious Ford is giving it all he’s got. In fact, for the first time in the franchise you feel Indy coming to terms with his mortality. When the film flashes forward to his present, to 1969. We see how Indy can hardly get out of bed anymore. Despite his extraordinary travels, Indy lives a simple - and lonely - life in a normal New York City apartment. He’s traded in his hat and whip for an aimless 9-5. Funny enough, on this particular day we enter Indy’s life, that same job makes it clear to him that even his clock is running out as it is forcing him to retire . As we also come to find out, since the events of the last film Marion Ravenwood has filed for divorce from him. At this stage in his life, you can tell that he’s tapped out and that there are no more adventures to seek out. And it’s not a stretch to assume that Ford’s performance is so strong because he’s also coming to terms with his own mortality. Even as Indy sets off this adventure, there’s a part of him that you can tell does not want to come back because he has nothing to live for…until Helena Shaw arrives.
Shaw, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is both the daughter of a comrade who Indy rescues in that opening flashback (played by Toby Jones) and Indy’s goddaughter. Since her father’s passing, she has become obsessed with tracking down the “Dial of Destiny.” Her greed, disguised as intrigue, are what set the film in motion because she winds up crossing paths with a mysterious group of Nazis that have their own theories about what the dial can do, as well as how to use it to potentially rewrite history.
Of all the characters in the film, Waller-Bridge isn’t the worst, but she feels like the most miscast. Despite rising to notoriety as a morally gray character on her award-winning series Fleabag, that same ambiguity does not suit her here. Simply put, her turn from seemingly sweet relative to unapologetic rogue is awkward. And that awkwardness is amplified by the lack of chemistry she and Ford have. Without giving too much away, the emotion between the two feels as forced as their arbitrary connection. Every single heart-to-heart the two have over the course of the film feels well, heartless. Once again, that’s not to say that Waller-Bridge isn’t a good actress. It’s just that this doesn’t feel like a role she was meant to play.
Conversely, Mads Mikkelsen excels as yet another franchise villain. From the world of James Bond to Marvel to (now) Indiana Jones, Mikkelsen has consistently proven he can do no wrong. Sadly - and oddly, the film is the one that does the most wrong by him. Now, halfway through the film Academy Award nominee Antonio Banderas shows up in what can only be described as a glorified cameo. Compared to his character, the amount of screen time Mikkelsen gets in the film is still shockingly small. Any time Indy should really be facing Mikkelsen’s character, he’s instead forced to deal with his one-dimensionally evil henchmen (played by Boyd Holbrook and Olivier Richters). Mikkelsen’s obvious type-casting and brief time onscreen aside, as previously mentioned, he’s good. However, his motivation for obtaining the dial is better. While his reasoning should be the thing that audiences remember most, there are some other interesting liberties taken in the third act that will certainly eclipse it.
As a whole, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a serviceable sequel. However, with its faithful direction and Ford aside, it’s also a questionable one. Make no mistake, the film is a solid swan song for both Ford and Indy, but so was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 15 years ago, and The Last Crusade 19 years before that. The bottom line is that although fans are happy to return to this world, there’s barely a valid reason to return to it. While audiences have been proven to be suckers for nostalgia, they’re also smart enough to know when an idea is clear cash-grab, and although the Indiana Jones franchise has never truly stolen audience’s money, there’s a chance that even the most diehard fans might walk away from this feeling a little conned.