Narratively speaking, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a worthy sendoff to the beloved character.
It does little to setup other characters to take the place of Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford) and does a fair amount to acknowledge that the octogenarian actor who portrays him is both irreplaceable and a little too old to be doing this. It’s an interesting commentary on aging and the true conflict within it: the spirit never grows as old as the body.
The film also features a likable sidekick in the form of Indy’s goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who provides the film with a different sort of companion for the intrepid archeologist. She’s also on her own “scoundrel’s journey,” but it acomplements Indy’s growing understanding of his age as the pair seek out the titular artifact. Additionally, Mads Mikkelsen is great as a Nazi spirited away to the States during Operation Paperclip who also seeks the Dial. And while we’re talking cast, Antonio Banderas performs a magic trick as a character who only has around ten minutes of screentime and yet feels more vital and alive than most of the characters in the previous Indy adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
And, perhaps, that is the best metric by which to measure the film. It is markedly better than Crystal Skull. And while that might seem like faint praise, Dial of Destiny succeeds far more than that picture in terms story, performances, and craft even as they share more of a common visual language when compared to the classic Indy adventures of the 20th century.
Which brings us to the true problem of the film. Visualy, Dial of Destiny spends much of its runtime looking more like a pre-viz reel for a film director James Mangold intends to make than a genuine Indiana Jones movie. This, of course, is unavoidable as the techniques used by director Steven Spielberg and the visual effects wizards at Industrial Light & Magic in the 1980s and early 90s are no longer available. And while computer effects, digital color grading, and other modern technologies can make amazing looking movies, it does the look of Indiana Jones a disservice. Outside locations ostensibly set in Manhattan or Tangiers feel like cramped interiors extended by computer trickery. The grading gives everything a warm, orange glow that never stops feeling at odds with the established visual grammar of the first three films. Even genuine location shooting feels unnatural until the film arrives in Sicily, where a more familiar reality — for both exteriors and interiors — emerges.
That discontinuity may not be something most moviegoers acknowledge or even perceive, but the unreality of the film’s visuals will get in the way of those who can see it. And after the absolutely atrocious visual effects in Crystal Skull, it may leave you never completely trusting Dial of Destiny. In turn, that suggests this isn’t just the last Indiana Jones picture, but the last adventure movie as the required suspension of disbelief cannot be achieved by modern filmmaking.
Or, perhaps, this criticism is too grandiose considering what the technology can do in more fantastical films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Star Wars galaxy, or the better superhero flicks. But it seems to this reviewer that when a movie needs to create a more conventional reality to contain its one fantastical idea, like Dial of Destiny, the strings become obvious and the magic fails.
But even with that in mind, the film manages to produce a number of great sequences — barring the chases, sadly, which are all just too long — and a few emotional resolutions as Indy is given a chance to avoid the retirement awaiting him. And that may be enough to overcome the visual problem. It also has a number of call backs to previous adventures that, on the whole, honor the series’ past. Although, we totally understand if some see Sala’s (John Rhys-Davies) first scene as a cheaper moment of “hey, remember this?” nostalgia.
So while Dial of Destiny cannot reach the heights of the better Indy films, it neither falls into the traps or valleys of Crystal Skull‘s overall poor quality or the problematic elements seen in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And, when the final reel spools, it will leave you with the general sense that Indy got the ending he deserved.
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