BY JOHN BILLINGER
This is a spoiler-free review
A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” In it, I wrote that I would give the brand new “Dial of Destiny” a fair shot, and since then, I have done just that. The film has thus far received mixed reactions. Some people like it, and some don’t. This reaction should’ve probably been anticipated because, as in the case of the last 25 years, virtually any new film from Lucasfilm is prone to a polarized response of some kind (especially since the Disney buyout of 2012). As for me, I had a good time watching it.
The plot for this film is: It’s 1969, and Indiana Jones (played once again by Harrison Ford) is retiring from his university job, looking to put his life of adventure behind him. That is until his long-lost goddaughter Helena Shaw (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) meets with him to discuss Archimedes’ Dial. The Dial is an ancient clock-looking device that is said to have the ability to create “fissures in time”(I think you can see where this is going). Meanwhile, a group of villains led by former Nazi scientist/former enemy of Jones, Dr. Voller (played by Mads Mikkelsen), also want to get their hands on the Dial for their own evil purposes. In true series fashion, this results in a journey across Europe, with both parties eager to find the Dial first.
There are a lot of things to like about this film. First off, the first 20 minutes are great. It’s an opening prologue scene set in 1944 France, where a younger Jones and Helena’s father (played by Toby Jones), are on a mission to retrieve the Lance of Longinus (the lance that supposedly pierced Jesus during the crucifixion) from the Nazis. Not only does this prologue set up the movie with Voller and the Dial being introduced here, but it’s also a showcase of what feels like a classic Jones adventure. It’s like a look at an alternate universe where they made more Jones films in the 90s. The use of the Lance as the MacGuffin in this sequence is excellent, as I always thought that the Lance would’ve been perfect as the MacGuffin in a film.
With that said, not everything in the opening is perfect. The biggest glaring issue for most is the fact that they digitally de-aged Harrison Ford. In my opinion, they did a good job. There are a few shots where he does look a bit off, but most of the time, it works pretty well. It’s not quite as awkward as the de-aging effects in “The Irishman.” Here it appears that they used a clever mix of Ford and stunt doubles. It could’ve been a lot worse, but one can imagine that there’s a decent amount of people who would have a problem with it.
The cast is pretty good. Harrison Ford, as always, is great as the title character; however, he doesn’t take part in the fight scenes as much as he did before. On one hand, this is understandable, given the age of both Ford and the character, but I still would’ve liked to have seen a few more punches from him. Phoebe Waller-Bridge seems to get some hate online, but I think she’s an ok addition. I didn’t find her as annoying as some do, although some of her jokes and one-liners didn’t work for me that much. The villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is a good antagonist for the story, being a dark reflection of Jones. The rest of the cast does a good job with their screen time. John Williams delivers a great score, as he always does, with a few returning tracks from prior films thrown in for good measure.
The MacGuffin of the film is a definite improvement over the Crystal Skull. Unlike the Skull (which originated with frauds and lies in the early 1900s), Archimedes’ Dial finds its roots in ancient history, with both a similar-looking ancient Dial being discovered a century ago, and its inventor, Archimedes, being a real person. It has a personal connection with the two main characters and the villain, as well as tieing into Jones’ arc in the film. An item about the Dial to discuss is a minor spoiler, but as my synopsis implies, the Dial is a time machine, so like the Crystal Skull, it also mixes in science fiction. The idea of time travel might turn off some people, but as discussed in the review for “Kingdom,” Indiana Jones has encountered far stranger things in the expanded lore of novels, video games, and comic books.
It’s now time to be a bit more critical.
First off, the action scenes contain a bit too many CGI effects for me. For some scenes, this is understandable, but for others, it took me out of the action for a bit. They lack some of the intensity of prior films. Sometimes, things look better when there’s something in front of the camera. They also bring back some characters from the previous films, such as Sallah (played once again by John Rhys-Davies), but they feel more like extended cameos rather than integral parts of the story. Waller-Bridge’s character also has a kid sidekick similar to Short Round from “Temple of Doom,” whom I didn’t really see much of a point to in this film. He doesn’t really contribute much plot-wise until the end.
Lastly (and we’re not going to get into spoilers here), the climax of the movie right before the ending scene is insane. I didn’t really see it coming, and I remember thinking, “Where is this going?!” The film mostly stays true to what a Jones film usually does, but then they decided to kick it up to 11. It’s crazier and more out there than any of the other climatic sequences in the other films. I still don’t know how exactly I feel about the climax, and it’ll probably be another rewatch until I definitely do.
But overall, I had a good time with “Dial of Destiny.” I don’t think it’s a perfect film that stands up there with the classic trilogy, but it’s better than “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” The way I would score the films is this: Original Trilogy is 10/10, “Crystal Skull” is 6/10, and “Dial of Destiny” is 7(maybe 8)/10. I’d say it’s worthy of a watch, especially if you’re a Jones fan like myself.