Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Movie Review

Widely beloved by both old and new audiences, the Indiana Jones franchise delivered great thrills and entertaining adventures throughout the 1980s. In 2008, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was met with disdain and many believed it marked the end of the series. Fifteen years later, Disney and James Mangold have brought the famous archaeologist back for one more run. Regretfully, the end result is yet another failed legacy sequel.

Set in the late 1960s, an aging Dr Jones (Harrison Ford) uncovers a sinister plot to change the course of history using the titular artefact. Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi and member of America’s space program, has abused his position and resources, aiming to reverse the fortunes of the allies in World War Two. With his Goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in tow, Indy once again journeys to exotic locales like Morocco and Italy to avert the threat. The film opens with an extended flashback to 1944, one that ironically captures the spirit of the older films far better than the rest of the extended runtime. Indy and his old friend Bernard Shaw (Toby Jones) sneak onto a moving train and take on enemy forces in an energetic sequence. However, after a Tuk-Tuk chase, Indy 5 takes a tumble in both engagement and pacing. The narrative trudges along without much intrigue or fun, growing very predictable as Jones and Shaw conduct their search. The action feels tensionless and the characters are not fleshed out enough to make you care. The final act is a real headscratcher as the characters enter an unexpected realm; it rushes to the finish and tries to pull on your heartstrings without the proper build-up. As a conclusion to the renowned archaeologist and his expeditions, Dial of Destiny is a lacklustre affair that doesn’t live up to previous entries. Even Crystal Skull, for all its flaws, still had some entertaining moments in the middle.

Harrison Ford presents the adventurer as a bitter alcoholic at first glance; it’s a solid performance, but there is no escaping the fact that he no longer drives the action forward, heavily diminishing his presence. That task is filled by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who does a good job as Helena Shaw; she’s a self-motivated side-kick who often clashes with the protagonist while getting stuck into the fight scenes. In spite of good performances, the characters all feel very hollow, occasionally reaching for strong character arcs but failing to do so. There’s a moment at the halfway mark where Indiana explains what happened in-between films, but it doesn’t have the emotional punch it needed. There is some commentary on whether Dr Jones fits into the time period and it isn’t woven into the plot very effectively. Other characters range from competent to shallow. Mads Mikkelsen also gives his usual best, but his character begs for more depth. This is another villain who falls well short of the actor’s pedigree. The young Teddy Kumar (Ethann Isidore) tries to fill in for Short Round from Temple of Doom, but his character is nowhere near as likeable. The most disappointing members of the cast are John Rhys-Davies and Antonio Banderas; bringing back Salah feels incredibly muted and Banderas appears only once on a diving trip and quickly exits the scene. These actors were thrown in for marquee value and needed to do more.

With a hefty budget of three-hundred million dollars, the latest quest does boast a keen eye for presentation. Early on, the de-aging work for Harrison Ford is very well done, really selling the illusion of Henry’s younger self in the late 1940s. The same also goes for the action scenes; all of them are presented with fluid camerawork and solid lighting. The big highlight is an early chase through a lavish parade in New York City; packed with great period piece items and iconography, this scene pulls you right into the film’s setting. The soundtrack may be more muted to match Jones’s age, but John Williams continues to put out some excellent tracks that complement the action. For all of its outlandish tendencies, the climax also features some solid weather effects. There’s no doubt that The Dial of Destiny is well shot and produced, but it can’t make up for the tepid story and characters.

The fifth and presumably final Indiana Jones adventure is a thoroughly underwhelming affair. The opening sequence and New York sections may be strong, but the film quickly goes downhill at the halfway mark, serving up a bland outing devoid of both fun and flair. General audiences will be let down, but the fans will be feeling very downcast.

Rating: 2/5 Stars (Disappointing)