In the realm of the hero’s journey, as outlined by Joseph Campbell, one often encounters the “refusal of the call” – a moment when the protagonist chooses to reject the upcoming adventure, thereby intensifying the stakes for what lies ahead. However, in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the latest installment of the beloved Indiana Jones series, our well-known hero (played by the now 80-year-old Harrison Ford) is too disillusioned to care about much of anything. Instead, we find him shirtless and sipping whiskey in his easy chair, fast asleep before begrudgingly heading to his professorship at New York’s City College, where he receives a cheesy retirement gift from his coworkers. With a few scattered claps, he mumbles, “Thanks for putting up with me.”
This marks the fifth Indiana Jones film, the first one in fifteen years since 2008’s “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” That particular movie found humor in Ford’s advancing age, but “Dial of Destiny” truly embraces it, weaving a tale in which the whip-wielding archaeologist confronts and eventually overcomes his feelings of uselessness through one final global quest for an ancient artifact. Directed by James Mangold, the film retains a defiant spirit, but dials down the relative strangeness of “Crystal Skull,” aiming to deliver exactly what fans anticipate.
Mangold, known for his proficiency in a wide range of genres, is faced with an impossible task in joining a series whose previous entries were all helmed by the legendary Steven Spielberg, who redefined adventure filmmaking with the first Indiana Jones movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” in 1981. Spielberg understood that sequels should challenge audience expectations while still satisfying them. While two of his four Indiana Jones films, “Temple of Doom” and “Crystal Skull,” ventured into the realm of the peculiar and at times were openly antagonistic towards viewers, they remained fascinating and engaging works. Each film reflects Spielberg’s state of mind during its creation – the former was made in the aftermath of a breakup, while the latter addressed the encroaching digital revolution in cinema. With “Crystal Skull” ending with Indiana Jones married to his former companion Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), it is clear that Spielberg saw no further path for the character as he approached old age.
Mangold, lacking a fresh perspective himself, takes Indiana down memory lane for his final adventure. While the character faces personal struggles, including his aging body and his estrangement from Marion due to his failure to ease her grief after the death of their son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) in the Vietnam War, Mangold gives the audience what they desire – a familiar ensemble. Indiana quickly crosses paths with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), his quick-witted goddaughter, who drags him on a globetrotting chase in search of a Greek artifact rumored to possess time-travel abilities. They are joined by a resourceful street urchin named Teddy (Ethann Isidore), and John Rhys-Davies makes a cameo appearance as the loquacious excavator Sallah.
As is often the case with Indiana Jones, a band of Nazis is in pursuit. Set in the late ’60s, the Nazis are more discreet about their beliefs. The main antagonist, Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), is a rocket scientist who was recruited by NASA through Operation Paperclip. Despite their efforts to veil their true intentions, the Nazis remain unequivocally evil, driven by their malevolent goals and fascination with ancient mystical artifacts. This aligns them with the arch-enemies from the universally acclaimed Indiana Jones movies, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade.” In case viewers miss the connection, the film begins with an action-packed sequence featuring a de-aged Harrison Ford battling Nazis during World War II. Although the scene is technically proficient, it can’t escape the artificial and uncanny feeling of Indy’s CGI face.
For the majority of the film, Indy and his companions, along with their Nazi pursuers, embark on a clockwork-like journey, hopping across exotic locations such as Morocco and Greece. Despite Ford’s heartfelt portrayal of Indiana’s growing detachment from the modern world, the movie remains too fast-paced to fully explore these themes, whisking audiences away to the next action sequence before boredom can set in.
The final act of “Dial of Destiny” follows the grand tradition of Indiana Jones movies, delving into a mix of history, pseudoscience, and supernatural elements while departing from the relatively grounded material that preceded it. Personally, I found myself most satisfied during this section, bouncing in my seat as Indiana and his cohorts confronted perplexing metaphysical dilemmas that surpassed the witty banter of the film’s earlier segments. In the end, “Dial of Destiny” manages to avoid tarnishing the character’s legacy, leaving me with a vague sense of contentment. However, this sense of security cuts both ways – though it’s difficult to be angry with this movie, it’s equally difficult to muster any other strong emotions. If Ford decides to dust off the character once again, I can only hope that Indy returns to his easy chair and is genuinely allowed to retire in peace.
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