Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
I don’t have many memories of watching movies in theatres prior to a projection issue-laden initial screening of “Return of the Jedi,” but I do (vaguely) remember seeing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at the Midway Drive-In with my parents. And then “Temple of Doom” with my mom and grandmother in 1984. And “Last Crusade” with my mom in 1989. And then a midnight screening of “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008. Indiana Jones has always been a foundational part of my moviewatching. I do hope that this is, indeed, the last time we see him onscreen; Harrison Ford certainly seems ready to finally say goodbye. So should we.
Even though “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a step down in the franchise, one can feel moments of the Steven Spielberg magic in that film, and that he, Ford and George Lucas had something to say about the character. Even though Spielberg and Lucas are credited as executive producers this time, Ford is the only one who remained a core part of the creative team after Spielberg bowed out of the director’s chair. James Mangold is in an unenviable position no one has really been in since “Jaws 2”- following up Spielberg in taking over a franchise. All he can do is hope he does justice to one of the most iconic characters in film history. Personally, he and Ford accomplish that.
We begin at the tail end of European combat in World War II. Indiana Jones is in an SS uniform, and taken to the main officers at a depot where the Nazi’s plunder is being loaded onto a train to Berlin. Jones and his partner, Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), are trying to find a particular artifact- the spear that killed Christ- but come across something much more extraordinary. So, to, does Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a scientist working with the Nazis, who not only realizes that the spear- which Hitler was after- is fake, but they have a greater treasure in a part of Archimedes’ dial, an ancient object that- it is said- could open humanity to the power of the Gods. After a spirited chase along the train, Indy and Basil get away with the half of the dial, which is the last anyone thinks about it for 25 years, when Basil’s daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), comes to Indy- recently retired from teaching- to renew the search for the other half. They are met by Voller, who has just helped Americans beat Russia to the moon, but has not given up his search for the dial.
The first two things that standout in “Dial of Destiny” are the length of that opening sequence- which runs at least 20 minutes or so- and the de-aging of Ford to his younger self. For the most part, the de-aging is probably the most extraordinary use of the technology we’ve seen to date, but the longer the sequence goes on, the more the seams of the technology become apparent, and like with when Michael Keaton is back under the cowl in “The Flash,” the more obvious it is that we’re watching a stunt man as Jones as opposed to Ford himself. That’s fine, though, because I enjoy the energy that Mangold and his team- including the legendary John Williams- bring to the scene, which follows in the footsteps of the one damn thing after another openings of the first and third films; also, I feel like we’re getting good exposition along the way. They probably could have used de-aging throughout and set the film in WWII and done a good job, but I think Ford, in particular, had other ideas in mind.
I’ve known for about 30 years that Ford always held Indiana Jones closer to his heart than he did Han Solo, and you can tell that on-screen, and especially in “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Dial of Destiny.” As flawed as both movies are, you feel like Ford and co. want to tell a specific type of story about this icon that is- in its own way- as deconstructionist as what we got from Rian Johnson about Luke Skywalker in “The Last Jedi.” At its core, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was about being at the point in life where you seem to be losing more than you have to gain, and getting a chance to find something to renew you when you’re older. In “Dial of Destiny,” what was renewed has been broken by circumstance. When we first see him in 1969, he is looking at a retirement alone; he and Marion (Karen Allen) are separated, and their son (Shia LaBeof’s character from “Crystal Skull”) is out of the picture. Initially, that seems like a calculation done by the screenwriters (Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold) to justify leaving one of “Crystal Skull’s” most controversial characters on the sidelines, but when we really think about why, it is not only a way for the film to explore a specific type of loss for characters, but also tap into the feelings of a generation about war and conflict, and how one generation seemed on a noble quest for freedom from fascism, and another was cynically used for political purposes. This feels like a very personal issue for Ford, and seeing how it plays out, you can see that in his performance, which is- I think- as memorable a performance as he gave in “The Force Awakens.”
In the text of the film, Helena is Indiana’s goddaughter. Does that mean she’s a replacement for LaBeof’s Mutt Williams, someone for Jones to pass the torch to? Not at all. When we first meet her, Helena comes as a friend to Indy, with further revelations about the dial, which was her father’s obsession. But quickly, we see that she has her own designs on what to do with the device. I enjoy Waller-Bridge thoroughly in this role- she’s a mix of Lara Croft (and adventurer who can handle herself in a tight situation) and a femme fatale, someone walking that fine line of morality and playing all sides against each other in hopes that she comes out on top. The question is, can Indiana get through to her that this pursuit of archeology- for “fortune and glory”- leads no where, and protecting history is more important than profiting off of it. I like this dynamic for this final adventure for Jones- passing off what he has learned.
Mangold is a terrific filmmaker who doesn’t have as distinct a voice as Spielberg, but has a knack for muscular adventures and dramas that lean into formula and executing them successfully, whether it’s a thriller like “Knight & Day,” biopics like “Walk the Line” or “Ford v. Ferrari” or superhero fare such as “The Wolverine” and “Logan.” He was a strong choice for “Dial of Destiny,” as he keeps this movie going at a decent clip, and gives us some energetic sequences (including one that, oddly enough, feels like a live-action version of the single shot sequence in Spielberg’s “Adventures of Titin”), even if none of them stand out as particularly noteworthy in the franchise. I do like how he and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael give the film a visual look that is familiar in the franchise’s history, and even if it doesn’t pop like the work Douglas Slocombe did in the first three, it doesn’t feel out of place, either.
I’m of very mixed mind when it comes to the end of “Dial of Destiny.” There’s a huge swing the film takes that is patently silly, but also offers the opportunity for something extraordinary for Indiana Jones. Even though this isn’t a Spielberg film, this feels like an ending that will infuriate people the same way he ending for “A.I.” did at first. On the one hand, it would have been an amazing way to end the series with the character, but truthfully, it also would have felt out of step with the series, as well. Each ending in this series has the extraordinary shown to Indiana Jones, but reminding him that it’s not an archeologist’s place to become a part of history, but to preserve it. The film’s actual ending makes sense, and for someone whose life has involved following this character on each adventure Harrison Ford has wanted to tell with him, it makes me happy to see Indy realize that there are things more important than shaping history, and given the chance, what we need most might have needed some time to work out on its own.
