'Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny' movie review: The Americans have landed on the moon, but Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), aged and aching 70 plus, is on the verge of retiring from his job as a professor at a nondescript university in New York
Still from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Film: Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson
Director: James Mangold
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 154 min
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It’s great to see Harrison Ford's intrepid archeologist back in the saddle, riding off into the sunset in search of the next great artifact. That said, it’s also a little difficult to believe in all the action stunts he gets up to in James Mangold’s globe-hopping adventure about the quest for an ancient gadget able to locate fissures in time.
This movie opens in 1969. The Americans have landed on the moon, but Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), aged and aching 70 plus, is on the verge of retiring from his job as a professor at a nondescript university in New York. The adventure begins when his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) inveigles him into finding a dial from ancient times that is rumored to have extraordinary capabilities. Indy soon discovers that a foe from his past, a Nazi scientist (Mads Mikkelsen), is also after the same thing.
The flashback featuring a digitally de-aged, augmented Harrison Ford as a younger Indy in his first brush with the titular Dial on a train that carries all the Nazi’s precious loot, tells us the back story in a manner that honors the past. As is wont, the Nazi hater is following a lead to a lance that was used to bleed Christ - only to realise that the artifact in Nazi possession is a fake. Aided by an anxious professor (Toby Jones), Jones realises that the Nazi’s are in possession of a much more precious artifact - one-half of Archimedes' Dial of Destiny also known as Antikythera, and the duo set out to steal it away in an enticing opening action set-piece. In fact, that sequence is as thrilling as the action can get here.
This film aims to celebrate all things Indiana Jones but the action feels like deja vu - the character is well past his prime and therefore makes his action indulgences look rather fake. But Harrison Ford’s presence fortifies this endeavor. The Hollywood icon reliving an iconic character is certainly a big plus here even though it's disquieting to see Indiana Jones valiantly trying to live up to his past antics. Ford may not be at his best but he can still give the rest a run for their money (the old-fashioned way).
This film is better than the previous outing, ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,’ and does well to wrap up a lot of the loose ends left unanswered after that experience. Dial of Destiny, the final installment of the franchise, doesn’t hesitate to go head-on in its daunting task of living up to the legendary Indiana Jones trilogy, widely regarded as one of the greatest film series of all time. While not without its flaws, the film embraces its imperfections and delivers an enjoyable experience, much like a greatest hits compilation. The nostalgia-inducing set-pieces, old-fashioned camerawork and editing, John Williams’ instantly resonating, beautifully calibrated background score and James Mangold’s reverential treatment help keep the fans invested. This film may not live up to all expectations but it certainly manages to check a few boxes in the adventure and thrills department!
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