Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Written by Cameron Geiser
After the previous final film in the Indiana Jones franchise (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) left many audience members on a bit of a sour note, Dial of Destiny had a lot to live up to while trying to leave the film franchise and its central character with a satisfying ending. Overall I'd say that James Mangold and Harrison Ford manage to do just that, even if the film is a bit overlong with only a couple of questionable moments in an otherwise rip-roaring summer blockbuster. The first twenty minutes or so is a flashback to Indy’s time during World War Two in which he is seen sneaking into a Nazi stronghold, fighting atop a speeding train, and surviving a classically designed Indiana Jones adventure.
This opening sequence however is where a lot of my qualms with the film rest. The technology used to de-age Harrison Ford looks impeccable when in a still picture. However, the moment Indy’s in motion, or when he utters a line of dialogue, the illusion is completely shattered. It's surprisingly jarring to see someone look young, but move and sound as if they are much older. The rest of the film leans on the age factor of our hero for the action sequences and characterization- which is refreshing, but for the opening sequence, it zaps the film of any immersion. That being said, the opening sequence does have a lot of that classic adventure film feel to what's happening on screen, despite all the obvious fakery used to craft the sequence. These scenes introduce us to the MacGuffin of the film, the titular dial- and our Villain, Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Voller.
While imperfect, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is lovingly told with mostly correct intentions.
Fast forward to 1969 in New York City and we catch up with Professor Henry Jones who's startled awake by Hippies blaring Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the apartment next door. He angrily bangs on their door with a baseball bat yelling at them to turn it down, firmly entrenching Indy as the old man that he is at this point, but to no avail- it’s Moon Day after all. Watching Indy grumpily grab a newspaper and coffee as he mutters “Moon Day…” to himself was something that I did not know I needed in my life, but as it turns out, I did. It was as if he was annoyed at the notion of the future itself. Anyways, one thing leads to another and would you look at that- a car chase sequence during the ticker tape parade in Manhattan with Indy on Horseback. From this point on the film does feel like it's constantly freewheeling from one set piece to the next, some better than others along the way.
James Mangold is a fairly underrated director overall, and I'd point people to his previous films, that aren't superhero oriented, to see the range of stories that he's efficiently helped to craft (The man made Walk The Line, the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, and Kate & Leopold. If that's not range I don't know what is). That being said, while I really had a great time with Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, there are moments during some of the chase sequences in particular that were sort of workmanlike. They were perfectly fine in the moment but even Kingdom of The Crystal Skull had more inventive and energetic filmmaking at times. Harken back to the motorcycle chase sequence in the beginning of that film and give it a shot-by-shot rewatch and then come back to me. Let's see, who directed that film again? Oh, right. So, while a lot of the action sequences were serviceable for the situation, they didn't exactly reinvent the wheel. Following up one of the greatest living filmmakers in one of his most famous film series- well, that's almost impossible to live up to, and Mangold got pretty darn close.
The film has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to its entertainment value and rewatchability. Mainly this is due to the core cast and the insanity of the third act- which I loved. Harrison Ford, as always, brings his A-game for every moment he's on screen, but it's Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Voller who is the film's MVP. It's a shame they didn't cut an action sequence or two and give more of that time to Voller instead, as he's the most interesting villain in the whole series in my opinion. Once his plan is revealed, and the scale of his goals is understood, he becomes the most diabolical threat since Adolf Hitler himself. The film also has John Williams back for another round of scoring the film. Admittedly though, this is the first time I've heard a John Williams film score and thought, “Am I crazy or is there no spirit to the music this time around?” I actually thought that maybe it wasn't John Williams since it was the first Indiana Jones movie without Spielberg- but no, he's credited for it. Maybe in his early nineties, he's just not inspired by retooling some of the same themes and compositions from forty years ago? I suppose that is his right. So, while Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny is a bit of a mixed bag at times, I think it does enough to smooth over Indy's final years with one last solid adventure. Oh and anyone incensed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge's performance or character can eat it- she did a fine job! Check this film out, it's worth a watch.
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.