I’ve been alive for every Indiana Jones movie (so far). And while TEMPLE OF DOOM was the first I saw in the theater, there’s something inherently Gen-X about growing up with this franchise. Whether it’s memorizing key lines of dialogue: “Throw me the idol, I’ll throw you the whip.” “Snakes? I hate snakes.” Or recognizing John Williams’ incredible score just by the first couple of notes. Or by forever knowing that a brown fedora and whip can ONLY belong to the titular Jones. Indiana Jones has been a part of my entire life, and as Indy’s gotten older, so have I. DIAL OF DESTINY uses this nostalgia to its benefit while also delivering an action-packed and touching story that we’ve come to expect from this franchise.Â
If there’s one thing that almost no one (except maybe Captain America) does better than Indiana Jones, it’s punching and defeating Nazis. The two best films of the franchise (RAIDERS & LAST CRUSADE) have got this going on in spades. While DIAL OF DESTINY takes place 33 years after RAIDERS, the filmmakers are aware that audiences love watching Indy take down the evil Nazis. They’ve crafted a clever and exciting story that figured out a way to make the antagonists relevant more than two decades after their defeat in WWII. Â
Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) is 80 years old, and Indy himself just turned 71, born 7/1/1899 per franchise mythology. No one, including Indy himself, expects him to run, jump and take risks like he did when he was younger. Indy knows that his adventuring days are over, and he’s content winding down his career as a college professor. DIAL OF DESTINY moves Indy’s job from the fictional Marshall College to the very real Hunter College in NYC. I loved that the writers chose Hunter instead of, say NYU (my alma mater) or Columbia as Indy’s teaching place. He is a world-renowned archeologist who could teach anywhere, but I love that he picked a smaller, public university that primarily served those who grew up in New York. It’s a small but lovely touch that reinforces how Dr. Jones was never in it for the money or fame.Â
Joining Ford’s last outing as Jones is Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena (aka Wombat) and Mads Mikkelson as the main antagonist, Dr. Voller. Much like the bad guys in the previous films, Voller is presented as an intellectual equal to Indy. He wants something that Indy has and we know that if he gets it, all hell will break loose. Waller-Bridge is an incredibly talented writer and actress who received acclaim for her television show FLEABAG which won tons of awards both here and in the UK. This is her first big starring film role, and I hope just the first of many to come should she stay in front of the camera. She was also a credited co-screenwriter on the last Bond film, NO TIME TO DIE, and had a voice role in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Helena’s relationship with Indy isn’t as clear cut as it may seem, and she proves both a formidable foe and partner for him as he races across the globe, trying to stay a step ahead of Voller. Â
Mads Mikkelson was made to play an Indiana Jones villain. He hasn’t built his entire career on playing bad guys, but when he’s cast in these types of roles, it’s just about always a homerun. John Rhys-Davies returns as Indy’s oldest friend Sallah and again I wish he’d had more screen time. Â
I was a bit worried about how the film would be without Steven Spielberg at the helm. Director James Mangold has shown through his work on 3:10 TO YUMA, LOGAN, and FORD VS. FERRARI that he’s more than capable of taking over the reins. As much as I will always love Spielberg, he’s not missed here at all. We’re lucky that John Williams (who is 91) chose to return as the film’s music composer. When the familiar music dropped, all my fears of seeing Indy sans Spielberg melted away.Â
I cried multiple times throughout DIAL OF DESTINY. Or at least tears filled my eyes if I didn’t outright sob…I had a little of both. This isn’t a spoiler. My tears weren’t the reaction to losing beloved characters, but they were tinged with sentimentality and knowing this will be the last time we see Ford as our hero. I hope we’re able to put Indiana Jones, the character, to bed now. I wouldn’t mind seeing similar adventure films like this in the future, but no one else should don the fedora and whip.Â
No Indiana Jones sequel was ever going to match RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a nearly perfect film. DIAL OF DESTINY beats out both TEMPLE OF DOOM and CRYSTAL SKULL and perhaps falls just shy of LAST CRUSADE. It’s a great film to say goodbye to one of the best heroes to grace the silver screen in the last 42 years.Â
I tip my proverbial fedora to you, Indiana Jones. There will never be another one like you, and I’m grateful for the adventures you took us on.Â
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY is now exclusively in theatres.
