Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Lived Up To Expectations

We’re living in the age of the legacy sequel. As more and more producers and movie studios decide, or realise, that there are no new stories out there to tell, they’re left scrambling to find old IP to regurgitate into something new enough or exciting enough to draw a crowd. 

When we learned of the latest in the Indiana Jones franchise, which is somewhere between an extension of the franchise and a legacy sequel, we didn’t have high expectations. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull fell well below our expectations when you compare it to the first three films. I won’t go into the flaws of that film now but we do in the podcast episode. 

But keeping in mind how generally poor and badly received the film was, it’s fair to say that the majority of moviegoers and Indy fans weren’t holding out a lot of hope for Indy 5.

But as we left the theatre we decided we weren’t too disappointed. It ticked a lot of boxes in terms of both being a quality movie and being a quality Indiana Jones movie. 

Notes on the Story

The story was solid. To open the film, we got back to Indy punching Nazis, which is a huge part of what we loved about the original trilogy. The de-aging of Harrison Ford is passable. It seemed to come and go, at one point it fit really well, at others his pupils ended up the size of dinner plates. And, as much as you can digitally remove Ford’s 80-year-old wrinkles, he still sounds like an old man and whenever young(er) Indy runs it’s very clearly either CGI or an old man trying to keep up with a young Nazi. If we’re still believing that he’s in his 40s during WWII then he’s had a pretty hard life to that point. To be fair, he does remind us he’s been shot, drunk the Blood of Kali and survived a nuclear blast later in the film. 

Grumpy Indiana Jones

As with Crystal Skull they play on his age a bit. Though many have criticised the ‘grumpy old man’ Indiana Jones trope which seems to be added in from Indy 4, Lee liked it. Harrison Ford does seem to be a grumpy old man now. So it makes sense that his character is presented that way now. Let’s be honest, if you see Harrison Ford these days you don’t think of him as Harrison, you think of him as Han or Indy. So why not blur the lines a little more?

Yes there’s been criticism saying that they’re doing to Indy what Rian Johnson did to Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, but you can draw as many connections as you like between films. 

Another similarity that has been criticised is the split between Han Solo and General Leia and between Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood-Jones. We would have loved to have seen Marion but if it didn’t work for the story then it didn’t work. It’s been pretty well agreed on that Phoebe Waller-Bridge was a great addition to the franchise. We certainly enjoyed her banter, her questionable moments and her relationship with Indy added some depth to the story and some impetus that we didn’t get in Crystal Skull. 

The Indiana Jones Tropes

Overall the story hits the Indiana Jones tropes that we love from the original trilogy. The sense of adventure is there. There’s a strong reason for Indy to be chasing this item across the globe. While there’s a fair bit of CGI action the action is still exciting and the story is still a lot of fun. We get a super action start, though we questioned the effectiveness of a Nazi henchman attempting to shine his torch through a castle roof to see the Allie planes. From there we get the backstory of the item. As with all of the Indy films there’s a character which give Dr. Jones a chance to explain to the audience the significance of the item. In this case it’s Helena Shaw, daughter of Jones’ old colleague. Rather than a straight-up explanation, a little friendly competitive back and forth fills us in on the history and purpose of the Antikythera. Then we travel, my red line map, across the globe in search of it, only ever one step ahead of Mads Mikkelsen’s new Nazi-esque recruits. Car chases, punch-ups, a new Morrocan version of Short Round, a potentially unnecessary cameo by Antonio Banderas, and then we find it. With Dr Schmidt right behind. 

Does the Time Travel Work?

The time travel bit is pretty cool. The only bit of the whole story that feels a little forced is Indy’s realisation and announcement of “continental drift” as an explanation as to why they’re flying to Syracuse in 212 BC and not the 1930s. Dr Henry Jones Jr. saves the day, of course, but in the process meets one of history’s greatest figures, Archimedes. That’s all very well and good, but a Doctor of Archeology wouldn’t even think to stay behind in history. He would know the impact he would have. But maybe he’s having a Dr Emmett Brown moment of “What the hell?”. Helena shows some reason and with a beautiful-sounding punch, knocks him out to take home. 

How Does It End?

The ending of the film, while a little cheesy, is a great callback to Indy and Marion’s first kiss during Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s also a pretty clear indication that Dr Jones has not only retired from professoring but also from ‘grave robbing’. It’s a fitting end to the franchise and considering John Williams didn’t compose a theme for the character of Helena Shaw, there’s unlikely to be a follow on with her. It’s also unlikely that internet trolls would accept a female replacement anyway. 

Overall, this film lived up to our expectations. Those expectations might not have been too high, but we weren’t disappointed. It was a fun adventurous ride with an old favourite. It’s not ranking above any of the original trilogy, but it’s certainly well ahead of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If you’d like to hear our full review, including Brett’s discussion of the impact of the franchise, have a listen below or find Two Drink Cinema in your podcast app.