Return of the Archaeologist
I really enjoy the original Indiana Jones films as a kid with their offer of pure escapism, blended with adventure, horror, action, humor, and interesting history. While I wouldn’t consider myself a purist of the franchise, I certainly have fond memories watching these films for the first time. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t bother me as much as it did for other people who were well invested into the franchise, but coming back at it with a fresh mind now I do see the dip in quality. Now, 15 years later, we have the fifth and alleged final film in the Indiana Jones franchise and it offers glimmers of the spark of the original films and delivers a decently entertaining Summer adventure. It’s not quite the failure that some critics have made it to be, nor is it a return to form, but somewhere in the middle.
Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.
Harrison Ford is 80 years old and yet he is giving it his all in his performance as the famed archaeologist. Due to events that took place in the gap between movies, Indy is a more rugged and grumpier version of himself as he sits on the doorsteps of retirement. Ford easily slips back into his role and maintains the same spirit of adventure that his character once possessed. While Indy was never known for having a big character arc, I do appreciate the small bits of depth they tried to give his character, even if all of the parts don’t quite land as well as they want to.
The other members of the cast also fare well with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw providing a nice youthful and bombastic dichotomy to Indy’s rugged and traditional demeanor. The movie tries to make it seem like there is more of a bond between these characters, but it’s only through dialogue we are told that they are really close. The movie never shows their bond grow, be tested, and tried and true to the end. While the banter and wit is fun, the movie doesn’t always hit on the familial beat it is trying to go far. Mads Mikkelsen’s character on the other hand is a fantastic Indiana Jones villain that imbues the spirit of the original films and capitalizes on a truly evil performance. While his character’s motivations are shown a bit too late to be truly invested, this was truly a memorable performance as always by Mads Mikkelsen.
The story for the film starts out very strong in the opening 30 minutes, with a flashback and de-aged Harrison Ford going on an adventure to retrieve an artifact. It felt like a classic Indiana Jones adventure, and masterfully captured the energy and sense of mysticism that made me enjoy the franchise. Once the film jumps into 1969, the story slows back down and quickly travels from location to location giving a sense of whiplash. It isn’t always clear why we are going to certain locations, nor why they have to change so quickly. There are some pacing issues until the film reaches near the middle of its second act where more motivations are revealed, characters are thrown into conflict, and the action picks up does the film start to pick up some steam. Once we enter the third act, though, it becomes something else.
The third act of this film will definitely be polarizing for audiences especially for fans of the original three Indiana Jones films. I found it to be equally parts brilliant and absurd, making the end result feel a little mixed. Without getting too much into spoilers, the film makes a choice with its characters that seems out of place and resolves it all too quickly without many repercussions. It felt honestly human but also completely idiotic at the same time. I’m not sure how other people will feel about it, but it did leave a weird feeling.
The action in the film is quite good, though there is an overreliance on CGI and greenscreens which take out some of the tension that made scenes like the rolling boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark or the tank rolling in The Last Crusade feel exciting. There are quite a few chase sequences in the film and one in particular did have me on the edge of my seat while the others had too much distracting CGI for me to stay invested in the conflict. John William’s score certainly elevates these moments and help to keep things exciting, no matter what the score will never be the weak part.
Dial of Destiny overall is an enjoyable Summer movie and it certainly is a good Indiana Jones film, but despite that it still feels like there is something missing from most parts of the film. The character dynamics are good but not great, the story has the outline of a good adventure but falls short in its execution, the action scenes are exciting but lack investment, and ending feels sweet but lazily put together. It’s overall a mixed yet enjoyable film but I feel that everyone will have their own take on it depending on how you enjoy the franchise.
What can be said for Dial of Destiny is that it does provide a nice trip to the movie theater this Summer season. If you’re looking for a fun adventure with some pretty decent production value and directing, then this is the film for you. Don’t go in expecting the original trilogy, but rather something that emulates it as closely as it can. I would recommend this film more than I wouldn’t recommend it.
(B -) Adventuresome
Raj Reviews 