I genuinely looked forward to immersing myself in Harrison Ford’s latest escapade, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Regrettably, the film was met with many simple issues that severely hindered my ability to savor this nearly three-hour-long journey. “Dial of Destiny” was disappointing: poorly acted, shot, written, and executed.
The storyline revolves around Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), accompanied by a new addition to the series, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (from “Fleabag,”) who portrays Helena, Jones’ new sidekick. In this installment, Jones embarks on a quest for a MacGuffin, reminiscent of his pursuit of the Ark in “Raiders.” This time, his objective is to obtain a dial with the power to alter the course of human history. The film’s introduction establishes that Jones’ pursuit of this artifact has spanned decades since the 1940s, with Nazis also craving the dial and stopping at nothing to acquire it.
Although the plot appears intriguing on paper, the film falters in its actual execution, leaving the premise to fall underwhelmingly flat. Stretched across a runtime of about 2 hours and 40 minutes, it plays out as overly generic, lacking the necessary depth to captivate the audience’s – and my own – sustained interest. The hallmark of the original Indy trilogy is in its innovative handling of uncomplicated storylines — for instance, Jones’ quest for the mystical stone in “Temple of Doom” wasn’t compelling solely due to the search for a stone. What truly gripped the viewers was the film’s masterful cinematography and breathtaking set design. In fact, “Temple of Doom” holds my all-time favorite set design.
In contrast, if “Temple of Doom” houses my most treasured set design, “Dial of Destiny” contains my least favorite. A profound letdown, the film is riddled with underwhelming action, evident in scenes that are supposed to take place outside but were clearly filmed within a Los Angeles warehouse. The screen is plagued by a lackluster car chase, and the audience begins to feel trapped in the theater by the third generic iteration.
Likewise, the acting follows suit with a similar sense of generic mediocrity. Harrison Ford’s portrayal lacks the dynamism expected of a renowned adventurer, leaving the audience grappling with an awkward balancing act. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the unsettling and jarring de-aged version of Indy during the initial 30 minutes. We’re transported back to the 1940s, and the film attempts to restore the essence of the original Indiana Jones. However, the illusion shatters as the supposedly 38-year-old Harrison Ford moves with the stride of 81-year-old Ford in the present day — a disconcerting and implausible mismatch that is just as uncanny in practice as it sounds.
The young actor portraying Teddy in the film, a sort-of Short Round wannabe, delivers a decent performance but feels surplus in an already crammed and underdeveloped storyline. Mads Mikkelsen, a personal favorite of mine in his international works (most notably in “The Hunt,” where he delivers one of my favorite contemporary performances), suffers from being underutilized here. Through no fault of his own, his character lacks the depth one would naturally anticipate, leaving him feel like a villain-of-the-week. Set in the present day, it might have added a captivating dimension if Mikkelsen’s role wasn’t that of a conventional old-school Nazi but rather a modern-day figure, complete with a MAGA hat and an affinity for following right-wing talking heads like Alex Jones. Given the current surge in online Neo-Nazism, such a portrayal could have infused the film with much-needed depth it needed and could’ve even added a layer of intriguing social commentary. Regrettably, the film’s creators, the Disney corporation, appear disinterested in such reflections on society, focusing solely on selling tickets to their theme parks.
Phoebe Waller Bridge’s performance shines as the only one I would label genuinely exceptional. However, much like Teddy and Mikkelsen, her potential remains untapped. While she may not reach the stature of Sean Connery in “Last Crusade,” her vitality is undeniable, evident in her delivery of the funniest lines in the movie.
One might have anticipated the film’s conclusion to signify Ford passing the torch to Bridge. This expectation goes unmet. Instead, we’re reacquainted with figures from Indy’s history, with the narrative concluding that his adventures will endure for years to come. Nevertheless, as previously mentioned, given Disney’s fixation on financial performance and the movie’s lackluster box office results, it’s unlikely this scenario will unfold — thankfully so.
The wisest course is to leave Indiana Jones in the past, a relic of a bygone era.
Film Credits
Top Cast:
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena
Antaino Banderas as Renaldo
Ethan Isiodore as Teddy Kumar
Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Voller
Screenplay By:
Jez Butterworth
John-Henry Butterworth
David Koepp
Directed By:
James Mangold
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) – 2 Hours and 34 Minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking
Available on Disney Plus and 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital later this year
2 / 5