There is one question everyone has been asking: is Dial of Destiny better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
Yes, far better, in every way. Where that film failed, this one shines. There are only a few questionable choices here or there, but otherwise, the acting, cinematography, music, and design all befit a very decent Indiana Jones adventure.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Premiere: May 18, 2023 (Cannes Film Festival)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follows an elderly Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) and his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), on a quest for the Antikythera — a mysterious dial invented by ancient mathematician Archimedes. Functioning as an astronomical calculator, this device can allegedly determine and locate fissures in time.
The opening half-hour or so of this film is phenomenal, expertly capturing the essence of what made the original trilogy so iconic. While most of the story takes place in 1969, the beginning is in 1944, setting up Indy’s first encounter with the Antikythera and establishing the history of his friendship with Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), Helena’s father.
The study of the Antikythera and its potential dangers eventually drive Basil insane, while “former” Nazi & current NASA scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) continues to seek it for his own nefarious purposes.
Reception to this film has been somewhat lukewarm from critics, with a 58 on Metacritic, 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb, and 3.0 out of 5 from Letterboxd.
Yes, this may not be exactly on par with all of the originals, and that’s okay. Too much of the negativity is undeserved, though.
Dial of Destiny is somewhat different in feeling and approach from other entries in the canon, but it works well, and often-underrated director James Mangold approaches the material with a wonderful aesthetic here. It’s sprawling and epic in feel, with New York City chases, Moroccan escapes, and deep ocean dives. The cinematic craft is superb, every frame is beautiful to look at, and I was never bored. Those are three key artistic victories, topped with competent production design effectively transporting you to the summer humanity first set foot on the moon.
A Step Up from 2008
Upon re-watch, 2008’s Crystal Skull has innumerable horrifically stupid moments, poor plot choices, wasted use of talent, and is generally not aging well at all.
Many of us were probably attempting politeness toward the fourth Indy outing at the time, perhaps in denial, wanting to like it, and wanting to believe Spielberg could do no wrong with his own franchise. We hadn’t seen this legendary character since 1989, and spending such a great deal of time bereft of our iconic protagonist likely made us a tad extra forgiving.
Oof. It’s rough. Not 100% rubbish, with flashes of fun and value, though its mistakes are unfathomably strange, especially the Tarzan-style sequence, if you know what I’m referring to. The story is a scrambled assortment of a few good ideas mixed in with terrible ones, pushing empty characters from Point A to Point B without much tension or thought.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is simply an inadequate experience by design — and in execution.
Conversely, Dial of Destiny is pleasant & good, enjoyable at every moment, well-paced, and a much better farewell for Harrison Ford. The original Indiana Jones trilogy stands on its own, and yet, I’d be happy to say this one bears the right to the franchise name.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge was excellent, radiant, cunning, and more intricate than I expected. She shows the heart of an intelligent archeologist in Helena, along with the sly scheming of an individual who’s navigated the messy, sometimes criminal intricacies of the real world without close family or friends.
Mads Mikkelsen understands villainy, managing to balance dual portraits of a terrifying, powerful Nazi and an aged shadow lamenting the failure of the Third Reich in a world which no longer cares about him. Being forgotten makes him more dangerous in a way: after so much time starved of relevance, stewing in resentment, and contemplating past missteps, he’s more determined than ever to make drastic choices in an attempt to bend society back to his twisted will.
Voller is still resourceful, managing to hide in America under a new name and even manipulate the CIA, but his obsession over the apparent solution to his problems (the Antikythera) may also be his undoing.
Harrison Ford is Harrison Ford. This man is over 80 years old, still providing the wit, charm, energy, and wisdom we’ve come to expect from a matured Jones. He may not be doing everything he did in the 80s in his 80s, though the vivacity lives on, and this character is an inspiring testament that age does not preclude you from action, from living your life to the fullest.
One specific choice in the third act may turn some of you off — that’s all I’ll say. This story decision is quite the bold one, dramatically altering the direction the ending chooses to go, and I’m personally all for it.
Every Indy film always jumps toward something totally unbelievable and supernatural near the end. In our fantastical adventures with Dr. Jones over the decades, we’ve seen faces melt, hearts pulled out, voodoo practiced, brains eaten, a centuries-old knight guarding a cup providing eternal life — and that’s before the aliens.
All things considered, what happens here isn’t so ridiculous in the eyes of precedent. I will say the finale lost a little bit of its momentum, and after such a joyous ride, parts of the climax felt somewhat unceremonious and abrupt. Because this film peaks in terms of action and stakes multiple times, its conclusion, while still serviceable, will be a tad inferior to earlier sequences in comparison.
Personally, I believe people are way too harsh on this fifth installment (and Temple of Doom), while they can be far too kind toward Crystal Skull in ways that production does not deserve in the slightest. It’s not Shia LaBeouf’s fault, either. He continually proves himself a worthy actor when provided with good material. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, for whatever reason, simply couldn’t provide the cohesive vision that film so desperately needed.
Worthwhile & Creative
Could Dial of Destiny be in the top three Indy movies? Maybe. Guaranteed #4 at the absolute least. Compared to other adventure-type films of recent, it’s better than Uncharted, the new Tomb Raider, or Jungle Cruise.
Lucasfilm took some real creative risks, and they obviously approached this with respect and love. I can see the effort that went into it; a much better route to go than Rise of Skywalker, which is still a woeful movie and even worse ending to the original Star Wars saga, deprived of a singular direction after so much meddling, sloppy character development, and a fear of doing anything too brazen. If nothing else, Dial of Destiny possesses ambition.
The legendary Jones, Jr. has rarely displayed such moments of vulnerability, and even after four decades, he grew as a character. You will likely find the final few minutes to be genuinely sweet, along with its familiar faces.
I’m just grateful. Grateful it’s 2023 — 2023 — and there’s a new Indiana Jones movie, starring Harrison Ford, scored by John Williams. Unimaginable in 1981.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny receives an 8 out of 10.
Additional Information:
- Director: James Mangold
- Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp & James Mangold
- Cinematographer: Phedon Papamichael
- Music: John Williams
- Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm Ltd
- Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Images of Film from IMDb
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