Raiders of the Nostalgic Arc

Before Star Wars (1977), my introduction to and admiration for Harrison Ford stemmed from the original three Indiana Jones movies (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)), a significant part of my childhood. Here is a quick overview of my thoughts on all the prior movies leading up to my spoiler-filled review of Ford's fifth and final entry, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023):

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a cinematic classic that continues to influence generations of filmmakers and passionate film enthusiasts (myself included), thanks to its stellar cast and characters, still-mind-blowing action set pieces, still-impressive practical effects and stunts, Lawrence Kasdan's immaculate screenplay based on executive producer George Lucas and Philip Kaufman's highly original story, Steven Spielberg's masterful direction, and John Williams' rousing musical score and character themes that have yet to be surpassed in terms of memorability and energy (10 out of 10).

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a darker, scarier, and more violent prequel than the original. Still, it manages to thrill and makes an impression thanks in part to newcomers nightclub singer Willie Scott (played by Kate Capshaw) and the enthusiastic and resourceful Short Round (played by Ke Huy Quan in his film debut), and the iconic mine cart chase during the third act, despite its racially insensitive depiction of India, its people, and its cuisines (9 out of 10).

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my personal favorite of the franchise, thanks to the famous opening prologue set in 1912 with the late River Phoenix as a young Indy that sets the plot in motion (both figuratively and literally) with a chase on top of and through a circus train (that was filmed on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Colorado and New Mexico), the fun father-son dynamic and storyline between Indy and his father, Henry Jones, Sr. (played by the late Sean Connery), as well as a return to basics with the return of Nazis as the main antagonists, John-Rhys Davies as Sallah, and the late Denholm Elliott as Dr. Marcus Brody, as well as several riveting action sequences that would have made this entry a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy had it stayed that way (10 out of 10).

Finally, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) has a lot going for it, namely the returning cast and crew, like Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Spielberg returning to the director's chair for the final time, and Lucas returning as executive producer and receiving a story credit, along with its new additions in Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams/Henry Jones III and Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko. However, David Koepp's overly-campy script based on Lucas and Jeff Nathanson's sometimes logic-defying story and overuse of computer-generated (CG for short) effects completely undermines whatever goodwill this film initially built up and, at times, makes this installment feel like a parody of the franchise it is a part of (5 out of 10).

With all of that out of the way, on with the review.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the first Indiana Jones movie without the direct involvement of either Steven Spielberg and George Lucas (instead, they receive executive producer credits) or Paramount Pictures (the franchise's sequel rights were transferred to the Walt Disney Studios in 2013 following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and all of its assets the year prior, and thus received a residual associate credit or, as it appears in the movie, an "in association with" credit), and it shows. The film begins with the Walt Disney Pictures logo (an odd sight, for sure), followed by the Paramount logo and the one for Lucasfilm, leading to the famous fade-through transition effect (traditionally reserved for the Paramount logo). Instead of Spielberg again returning to the director's chair, it is Walk the Line (2005), Logan (2017), and Ford v Ferrari (2019) director James Mangold who takes up this film's directing duties. Overall, Mangold does an exemplary job at making this film his own while keeping it (mostly) grounded in what made an Indiana Jones movie work in the first place.

This installment finds the legendary history professor and archaeologist retiring from teaching at Hunter College in New York City during the Space Race in 1969. A sudden visit from his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge), prompts Indy to take up his signature fedora, bullwhip, and leather jacket one final time to track down Archimedes' Dial, an ancient device with potentially earth-shattering powers that is also eyed by the nefarious Nazi scientist and astrophysicist Jürgen Voller (played by Mads Mikkelsen), who wants to use it for his sinister plans.

Once again, Harrison Ford shines as Indiana Jones, for his continued love of the character is evident in every frame of this movie and he remains the strongest asset this film has to offer, from his sarcastic wit and ever-resourcefulness to his natural charisma and screen presence. While Ford has undeniably aged with the character, he proves that he can still handle the movie's action and stunts with ease. He also shows off a more vulnerable side to him, as he eventually reveals to Helena that after his son, Mutt, was killed in action after getting drafted into the Vietnam War, he fell into a downward spiral resulting in his wife, Marion Ravenwood (played once again by Karen Allen), leaving him and filing for legal separation. This aspect is heartwrenching, for not only adds another layer of emotional depth to one of cinema's most iconic heroes, but also significant emotional payoff at the end, which works splendidly (more on that later).

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a talented actress and writer, and her performance as Helena is a compelling one, even if her initial characterization is morally shady with her grifting and 'in it for the money' mindset that teetered on being unlikeable at times. However, as the story progressed, Helena grew on me as she becomes more sympathetic toward Indy, the loss of his son and subsequent collapse of his marriage, and ultimately serves as an excellent counter in terms of personality and objectives, and later, loyal adventure partner to him.

Moving on to the other characters, Mads Mikkelsen's Voller is a solid villain in his own right with his cold and calculating presence, but the added backstory of him being hired by NASA to run the Apollo program under the name "Dr. Schmidt" as part of Operation Paperclip (a secret government intelligence program that employed more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians from Nazi Germany for their technical knowledge to help the United States beat the Soviet Union in the Space Race between 1945 and 1959), adds a level of shadiness to him and the United States, coupled with his fanaticism for "correcting" history's mistakes which not only makes him a worthy adversary for Indy but is also low-key terrifying. Toby Jones is enjoyable as Basil Shaw, an Oxford professor of archaeology and Helena's father, who partakes in Indy's adventure at the beginning and provides plenty of historical wisdom, and engages in plenty of light-hearted banter with the legendary hero (akin to Marcus Brody from Last Crusade).

John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah for the first time since Last Crusade, albeit as a cameo, and is still a delight to see on the big screen, albeit for the last time. Speaking of cameos, Karen Allen returns again as Marion Ravenwood for the film's final scenes: a heartfelt reunion with Indy where they make amends. Allen's presence in this movie feels more emotionally satisfying than in the last entry, for despite her extensive amount of screentime in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, that film did not do her or anyone else justice.

Speaking of not doing characters justice, Shaunette Renée Wilson's character of Agent Mason, a CIA agent assigned to work with Voller at the beginning, is compelling in her own right, but just as the audience is starting to get attached to her, she gets betrayed and killed off by Voller. Antonio Banderas makes a brief appearance as Renaldo, a new character who is an old friend of Indy and is likable enough but, like Agent Mason, also gets killed off by Voller after an underwater sequence that involves deep sea diving, which is honestly, a disappointing waste of both actors' talents.

Going back to the positives, the opening prologue, set in the French Alps circa 1944, is incredible, for not only does it feature a young (and de-aged) Indy punching Nazis and 'making it up as he goes' from a Nazi-occupied castle to a steam train filled with looted treasure, but it is the closest resemblance to the original three movies in terms of action, pacing, musical score, and overall visual aesthetic (more on that later), only with more CGI effects.

Legendary film composer John Williams continues to deliver another excellent musical score that evokes all the thrills and emotional resonance possible for this movie to succeed. His character themes are instantly memorable and carry with them a sense of movie history and musical tradition that will undoubtedly outlast the films themselves. One musical track I especially enjoy is known as "Helena's Theme", a beautiful track which appears to imply a sense of pathos within its graceful lyricism that blends well with "Marion's Theme" and the rest of the franchise's unforgettable medleys.

The action sequences are rivetingly directed, shot, and edited, for they feel like an attempt to recapture the visceral thrills of the original three entries, even if they never completely reach those same magnificent heights. My favorite sequences are the ones during the prologue, which are on-par with the action from Last Crusade, and the Tuk-tuk (or auto rickshaw) chase through Tangier, Morocco, which, in my opinion, does go on a tad too long, but is still exciting enough. The action is undeniably more visceral than the ones in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which I didn't find myself fully emotionally invested in.

The digital de-aging effects for the young Indy are impressive, considering how far visual effects companies like Industrial Light & Magic have come within the last ten to fifteen years of de-aging actors from Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) to Michael Douglas in Ant-Man (2015). Yet, I still noticed certain moments that I suspect could have used additional work on the younger Indy's vocals for a more convincing recreation of Indiana Jones in his prime. Specifically, I don't know whether present-day Harrison Ford provided the vocals for his younger self or a sound-alike spoke for him. Still, that aspect took me somewhat out of the experience, thus reminding me that I was watching a de-aged character rather than being completely lost in the action and characters.

On the subject of digital, while well-made and well-acted, the rest of the movie felt like a newer production. Perhaps that is because, unlike the previous installments, this entry was filmed on digital film instead of analog film stock. Not that the final result looked terrible, but it does feel like a deliberate technical departure from the overall aesthetic set by the original filmmakers. While an admirable one given that Spielberg is not in the director's chair, part of me wishes that more of the movie maintained the originals' timeless look.

What happens in the third act will undeniably be debated for years, but here are my thoughts on the matter. When I first heard about the element of time travel being implemented into this film via Archimedes' Dial, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever put into an Indiana Jones movie. However, I then remembered that the last entry introduced aliens and a flying saucer during the third act, so the franchise has already jumped the shark in that respect. However, the execution of the villains' attempted time travel sequence from 1969 Sicily, Italy, to 1939 Germany to assassinate Adolf Hitler and ensure Nazi Germany's victory in World War II, only to travel to the Siege of Syracuse in 212 BC due to the Continental Drift was better handled than I anticipated and didn't completely take me out of the experience.

Like I stated in my review of Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023), this movie's big bad is none other than Disney itself. Not for making this film but rather for continuing to go through and exploit beloved nostalgic film titles and properties from the 1970s like Star Wars and '80s like Indiana Jones, respectively, and insisting on quantity over quality with most, if not all, of the properties until people eventually get tired of them, and the once-mighty brand(s) are left shells of their former selves. Fortunately, this movie doesn't retcon or undermine the legendary characters' arcs, but leaves enough room for a potential spinoff (not that I am necessarily asking for one).

While not Indiana Jones' finest hour, it is still an enjoyable entry and conclusion to the beloved franchise. While I find it ironic that the very first Indiana Jones movie I watched in a theater was the last entry in the series, I do not regret participating in the experience. Will Dial of Destiny be a timeless classic? That remains to be seen. However, I am still glad that Indy got a happy ending like he deserved. Check it out in theaters before it inevitably heads to Disney+ alongside the original four movies.

Final Score: 7 out of 10