Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (12A)

Dir: James Mangold

Harrison Ford is as captivating as ever in this entertaining, but flawed, conclusion to the long running action-adventure saga.

After the successes of both Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Steven Spielberg produced arguably the biggest misfire in his long and fruitful career – 1941 (1979). The film was such a flop critically and commercially, Spielberg was heavily criticised by the industry and no distributor was willing to throw too much money his way again. To save on budget, Spielberg and good friend George Lucas teamed up to produce a film based on the swashbuckling serial cheapies of the 1930’s. This resulted in one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history – Indiana Jones. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), was a huge financial success, which Spielberg later stating it was a major turning point in his career. 42 years and four films later, we get to see Harrison Ford don the famous hat one last time.

The film starts by reintroducing us to an impressively de-aged Indiana Jones, as he is captured by Nazis in the final days of the World War II. Indiana and his colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), are trying to reclaim historical artefacts that have been stolen by the Nazis, and put aboard a plunder train. Amongst the artefacts is films titular “Dial of Destiny”, or Antikythera, to give it it’s proper historical title. The Antikythera gains the attention of Nazi professor and mathematician Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), who states the person who wields it’s power could be a “god”. Amongst the classic rip-roaring shenanigans upon the train, Indiana comes into possession of the Antikythera, as he and Basil jump off the moving train into a river below.

Cut to the present, New York City 1969, the day Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins return to earth after being the first people to ever set foot on the moon. The whole city is in high spirits to celebrate the monumental occasion – apart from a lonely and alcoholic Indiana. Now in his seventies, Indy has given up his days as an adventurer, and is now a full time history professor, taking more interest in ancient history than the current history taking place on the streets outside his dingy apartment. Since the events of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), we learn Indy’s son, Mutt (the painfully annoying Shia LaBeouf), has died serving in Vietnam, and the resulting grief has put Indiana and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) on the brink of divorce. Now alone in his old age, Indiana is a miserable grouch, more akin to Carl Fredricksen from Up (2009), than his former self.

Whilst in a bar lamenting his retirement, Indy is reacquainted with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), daughter of the now deceased Basil. Helena is also the goddaughter of Indy, who he last saw eighteen years ago, back when Basil had an unhealthy obsession over the dial. Now with someone of equal intelligence to bicker with, as well as the quasi-family dynamic that comes with it, we gradually see our favourite archaeologist regain his confidence and charisma. Indy and Helena hotfoot it around the globe to find both parts of the Antikythera, whilst being pursued by a determined Voller, who now is working with NASA to cover his Nazi past.

Spielberg is no longer behind the camera in his beloved franchise, instead directing duties have been put in the more than capable hands of James Mangold, fresh from the Oscar-nominated Le Mans ’66 (2019). Mangold is no stranger when it comes to creating old action characters that are past their prime; whether this be Hugh Jackman as an old, gruff Wolverine in Logan (2017), or Christian Bale as a tired, one-legged rancher in the excellent western 3:10 to Yuma (2007).

However, I feel he loses his way here, he cannot quite stage an action set-piece as engaging as Spielberg can, and this is immediately apparent in the opening scene. The sequence aboard the plunder train is actually well structured and had the potential to be one of the most iconic set-pieces in the franchise. An over reliance on CGI calls for dark, incoherent fights to hide any digital imperfections, which makes it hard to determine where characters are at any given time. Most of the stunts in the original three movies were practical and shot over a combination of wide and close shots. This choice of cinematography gave a sense of scale and presence, as well as emotion from characters to really emphasise the stakes at risk. Most of the clunky sequences in ‘Dial of Destiny’ are shot at mid-range, and with the poorly rendered CGI back drops, it gives the impression that the action taking place on screen is happening in a “nothing” space with no real sense of peril.

‘Dial of Destiny’ works best when it is scaled back to it’s low-budget roots, when we get to see Indy and Helena do actual treasure hunting. The back and forth between the two characters, and constant attempts at one-upmanship is a delight. We get to see Indy bond with old friends, some who we are familiar with, which gives Harrison Ford a real opportunity to give weight to the much beloved character. Despite being 80-years old, it is Harrison Ford who holds the film together, the opportunity to still be portraying this character decades later clearly means a lot to him. This emotional attachment to the role enables him to hit every emotional beat required, giving the character a heart-warming send off – Similar to his reprisals of the equally iconic Rick Deckard and Han Solo in recent years.

‘Dial of Destiny‘ serves as an entertaining but frustrating outing for Indiana Jones. It is not the best the franchise has to offer but it is definitely a step up from ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull‘. The action and plot have their flaws, the last act in particular is absolutely baffling, but Harrison Ford gets to give the iconic character the fitting send of he deserves.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now showing in Cinemas