Movie Review: 'Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny'

Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny (2023)

Directed by James Mangold

Written by Jez Butterworth, John Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, James Mangold

Starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook

Release Date June 30th, 2023

Published June 29th, 2023

The thing that bugs me about our microwaved nostalgia culture is how often I fall for that nostalgia. Take my reaction to The Flash. I did like that movie, I stand by my positive review, problematic star aside, but the reality is that my judgment was clouded by nostalgia for my childhood. Seeing Michael Keaton in the Batsuit again, playing the role that was so important to my childhood, made me very emotional. Was I emotional because the presentation was artful and meaningful? Sort of, but I can't deny how much nostalgia for my own childhood colored that reaction.

Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny is that moment of seeing Michael Keaton as Batman again in The Flash as an entire movie and the effect didn't last nearly as long. In the first few minutes of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, the legendary John Williams score played and my breath caught; for a moment as I was transported back in time to being a very little kid seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time. I was transported back to the even more significant impact, for me, of seeing Temple of Doom in a movie theater with my mother. That John Williams score is an emotional trigger for me and for millions of other Gen-X movie nerds.

Then a ragged and grumpy Harrison Ford came on screen and the adventure began and my mind began trying to rationalize what I was seeing. Instead of actually enjoying the action of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, most of my mental energy was dedicated to convincing myself that I was enjoying this rehash of greatest hits from an aging action star and a character well past his relevance. Even as I was falling in love with Phoebe Waller Bridge, who joins the franchises as Dr. Jones' heretofore unknown Goddaughter, Helena, I could not escape the mental gymnastics I was having to perform to will myself to enjoy something familiar and formerly beloved.

Is Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny bad? No, not really. The film is directed by James Mangold who is a perfectly solid, professional director. Jez and John Henry Butterworth are solid screenwriters with a solid track record and David Koepp, co-credited on this screenplay, is among the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood. The pieces are there to make a perfectly satisfying action movie. So why don't I like this movie? Why am I having to convince myself that this is good? It starts with a half-baked and convoluted plot that lacks the energy and invention of the first two Indiana Jones movies.

Aside from Phoebe Waller Bridge, Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny appears tired and lurching toward adventure as opposed to the excitement and vigor of its youthful beginnings 42 years ago. The original adventures weren't bullet proof in terms of plotting but they made up for plot holes with energy, excitement and adventure. Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny however, feels obligatory and that feeling works to reveal more about the poorly thought out, too many cooks in the kitchen, plot holes. Three screenwriters and director James Mangold have clearly cobbled together pieces into the whole of Dial of Destiny and the patchwork is all too clear.

One of the biggest problems is what I have come to call 'Main Character Powers.' Once our protagonists are identified, they will not be in any real danger because they have 'Main Character Powers.' Good movies get around this with clever plotting and misdirection. Heck, Indiana Jones has always had 'Main Character Powers,' but it's never been more obvious and irksome as it is in Dial of Destiny where the rest of the movie isn't strong enough to hide the problem that no sense of danger exists. I just kept thinking, 'why don't they just kill Indiana Jones?'

Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook are the big bads of Dial of Destiny and in continuously boneheaded moves, they continue to leave Indiana Jones and his Goddaughter alive, even when killing them would be the prudent move. They certainly aren't opposed to killing people, an old friend of Indiana Jones, a friend we've not met in previous adventures, is brutally slain in a scene that is painful in its obviousness and damning in its predictability. That 'old friend' didn't have main character powers, nor did his loyal crew, he was dead the second Indiana Jones mentioned him.

The search for the MacGuffin, the titular 'Dial of Destiny' is deeply dumb as Indiana Jones leads the bad guys to the things they are searching for three different times. If Indiana Jones had simply destroyed the Dial of Destiny, as his old friend asked him to, the Nazis wouldn't have a chance to go back in time and try and re-fight World War 2. If Indy and Helena don't go looking for the other pieces of the MacGuffin, if they'd just stayed home, the Nazis would never come close to getting the thing they are looking for.

I'm pulling strings here that I would prefer not to pull but the movie isn't strong enough in terms of action, adventure, or humor to give me anything else to focus on. The original Indiana Jones adventures weren't exactly flawless but each carried a particular quality and charm in characterization, action, suspense and humor that made it easy to overlook the flaws. The latest adventure feels like a bloated corporate product, market tested for maximum box office and nostalgia appeal. No one seems to have cared enough tighten up the scripting, everyone was more concerned with making sure the ad campaign would work.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had me trying very hard to will myself to enjoy it. In the end, I was exhausted by it. The warmed over nostalgia has worn completely thin for me. I simply could not remain engaged and invested, especially at the end when the force fed nostalgia really reaches peak levels of cheesy. It's possible that your tolerance for force fed nostalgia will be higher than mine and you may be able to find some pleasure in Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. I wish you luck in that. For me, I am tired of having my childhood memories microwaved and served back to me like leftovers parading as a gourmet meal.

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