First Look at ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’
Harrison Ford will once again don the iconic hat and return as Indiana Jones in the fifth installment of the series: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Disney unveiled a poster and trailer for everyone’s favorite archaeologist, returning to theatres on June 30th, 2023. The newly released trailer gives fans a long-awaited first look at this latest entry into the series. Indiana has seemingly retired from his treasure-protecting days and is focused on being a professor. However, an old friend, Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), offers him an opportunity to return to the world of adventuring. While the exact specifics of what artifact Jones is after this time are still underwraps, eagle-eyed fans will notice some clues.
Jones mentions that while he doesn’t necessarily believe in magic himself, he has come across events in his travels that he cannot explain. Perhaps, like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before it, this latest film in the series will feature aliens or more supernatural elements. There are also at least two hints that point to an undersea element which would be new for the franchise.
The trailer also gives us a look at a de-aged Ford. The film’s director, James Mangold, has already said that the film’s opening will be a flashback to World War II. It’s likely these scenes that will feature the de-aged Indiana Jones. It’s a possible clue to a thematic note of the movie: how hard it is to grow old and make sense of yourself in a world that has outgrown its use for you. It’s a theme that we already saw spectacularly played out in Top Gun: Maverick this earlier year.
Walt Disney Studios
Ford, now 80 years old, has been playing the role of Indiana Jones since 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark. So much of his career has been tied to massive franchises and there must be soul-searching of sorts when an actor is most famous for who they were in their youth. There are also three scenes in the trailer that show how much the world has changed for Jones and how he does not fit in it anymore. At least, not in the way he used to. At one point, the trailer shows Jones on horseback trying to outrun a train. Another scene shows Jones brandishing his whip to a full room of adversaries only for all of them to pull out guns and begin shooting at him. It’s a jump to a conclusion, but would not be outside the realm of possibility.
While the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny gives us more questions than we’ll have answers for for months, it also gives us insight into Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, Helena. In the trailer’s final moments, a man asks Helena who this man (Jones) is. She answers that he’s “mildly related” at the same time Jones says that he is Helena’s godfather. This is the same scene where all of the people pull guns on Jones and since the man questioned Helena, it stands to reason that she could be part of the reason Jones gets back to his adventuring business.
Whatever the case may be, it will be exciting to once again see Indiana Jones back on the big screen.