Movie Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’

While better than 'Crystal Skull,' 'Dial of Destiny' is a convoluted conclusion to Indiana Jones' story but features a strong performance from Harrison Ford.

Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm's 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.'

Opening in theaters on June 30th is the long-awaited fifth and final chapter of the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise entitled ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,’ which was directed by James Mangold (‘Logan’).

What is the plot of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’?

In 1944, American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) helps colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) against Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi, from obtaining a mysterious dial known as the Antikythera. Twenty-five years later, Jones is uneasy over the fact that the U.S. government has recruited former Nazis to help beat the Soviet Union in the competition to make it to space. He is about to be forced into retirement when, surprisingly, his goddaughter, Basil's daughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), accompanies him on his journey for the Dial. Meanwhile, Voller, now a NASA member and ex-Nazi involved with the Apollo Moon-landing program, is also after the dial, and wishes to use it to make the world into a better place as he sees fit.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

"His final adventure will be his greatest."

PG-132 hr 35 minJun 30th, 2023

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Online

Who is in the cast of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?’

Harrison Ford (‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’) as Indiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’) as Helena Shaw, Mads Mikkelsen (‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’) as Jürgen Voller, Antonio Banderas (‘The Mask of Zorro’) as Renaldo, John Rhys-Davies (‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’) as Sallah, Toby Jones (‘Captain America: The First Avenger’) as Basil Shaw, Boyd Holbrook (‘The Predator’) as Klaber, Ethann Isidore (‘Mortel’) as Teddy Kumar, Shaunette Renée Wilson (‘Black Panther’) as Mason, Thomas Kretschmann (‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’) as Colonel Weber, and Karen Allen (‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’) as Marion Ravenwood.

Initial Thoughts

‘Dial of Destiny’ is an improvement from ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,’ but still not a great ending for Indiana Jones’ story. The screenplay is confusing and convoluted, while the pacing is slow at times. Director James Mangold does an efficient job but the “Indiana Jones” magic is still missing from this installment. Harrison Ford gives a strong and emotional performance, while Phoebe Waller-Bridge breathes some fresh air into the franchise, but ultimately the film feels like an epilogue rather than a definitive final chapter.

Story and Direction

Mads Mikkelsen and James Mangold on the set of Lucasfilm's 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.'

The movie begins in 1944 at the end of World War II with an excellent sequence that takes place on a moving train. Ford is de-aged for the scenes, and while the VFX don’t entirely work, Mangold shoots the actor as sparingly as possible, as a little bit goes a long way. The sequence is classic Indiana Jones and one of the best set pieces in the film. But once the story cuts to present day, it drags to the next action sequence. Many of the characters’ motivations are unclear, as is the true power of the dial, this film’s McGuffin. And without giving away the ending, that seemed to come out of nowhere, like Indy meeting aliens in the last movie.

James Mangold is a very accomplished director, having made such films as ‘3:10 to Yuma,’ ‘Logan,’ and ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ and does a good job with the action sequences and the drama, but the pacing and the tone never seems quite right. This is the first film in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg, and while I certainly did not like ‘Crystal Skull,’ I have to wonder if the “magic” missing from this movie isn’t him? Mangold leans heavy on the nostalgia, which serves the film well with several cameos and callbacks. The director stages some impressive action scenes including the opening, a parade chase through the streets of New York, and a final mind-bending sequence.

Overall, the movie feels more dramatic than necessary and lacks the fun of the first three films. The 1969 setting of the movie is refreshing and contrasts Ford’s age and the flashback sequences well. Using the idea of Nazis working with NASA on the space race was a clever idea, but not really explored enough. Nor is the true power of the dial, which is problematic because they’ve been chasing after it for the entire movie and we don’t really understand what it is capable of until the end.

Harrison Ford Returns as Indiana Jones!

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm's 'IJ5.'

Harrison Ford will always be Indiana Jones! The actor returns to the role a little more gruff, but it suits the character well. Ford gives a great performance, but it is more dramatic than I expected. As an actor, Ford is excellent, but I question taking the character in this direction, as it sucks some of the fun out of the movie. Indiana lost his son Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) in Vietnam, his wife Marion (Karen Allen) has since left him, he is being forced into retirement, and he seems to have a drinking problem. It’s a different way of looking at Indy, and while it’s not my idea of a fun time, Ford brings a lot of sincere emotion to his beloved role. And it is nice to see him wear the Fedora and crack the whip one more time.

Supporting Cast

Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in Lucasfilm's 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.'

Phoebe Waller-Bridge gives a wonderful and cheeky performance as Indy’s goddaughter Helena. It’s a fun character and Waller-Bridge breathes fresh life into the film with her role. However, I do question the way the character was written, as her motivations are unclear at times and seem to change on a whim. That said, she is a good foil for Indy, and has lovely chemistry with Ford.

Several new characters are introduced, but most of them have limited roles. Toby Jones plays Helena’s father and Indy’s friend Basil Shaw. He’s only seen in flashbacks, but is good in his scenes with Ford, especially in the beginning. Antonio Banderas is introduced as an old friend of Indy’s, and while his presence was more than welcomed, we don’t spend enough time with the character to really get to know him. But the most confusing addition was Ethann Isidore as Teddy, an ally of Helena. No offense to the young actor, who was fine in the role, but the character seemed unnecessary and his relationship to Helena was vague and never really explained.

Familiar Faces

Renaldo (Antonio Banderas) in Lucasfilm's 'IJ5.'

Again, in a far too limited role, John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah, who first appeared in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and last in ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.’ He has only a few scenes but they are all with Ford, and it's great seeing the two together again. Davies also has one of the best lines in the movie, but I wish the character could have been more involved with Indy’s journey.

Is Marion Ravenwood in Dial of Destiny?

Yes. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, but like Davies, she really only has a cameo. However, the character plays a pivotal role in the film and is the reason for most of Indy’s actions and motivations.

Villains

Doctor Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) in Lucasfilm's 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.'

Mads Mikkelsen plays a strong Indiana Jones villain with his performance as Nazi turned NASA scientist Jurgen Voller. The actor plays the role surprisingly differently than you might expect, and is a worthy adversary for our hero. While the actor never hides the characters motivations or true intentions, the story fails him at times when it becomes too convoluted. Voller’s role with the CIA is also confusing, working with agent Mason (Shaunette Renee Wilson), who seems unclear on why she’s helping him. And Boyd Holbrook basically plays the same role he did in Mangold’s ‘Logan,’ as Voller’s lead henchman.

A Conclusion to Indy’s Story

Without giving away the end of the movie, we eventually learn that the Dial’s power has to do with time. This leads to an absolutely preposterous ending, that again, I won’t spoil. But it feels like something someone would write in fan-fiction and not a proper ending to Indiana Jones’ journey. In fact, the ending is so ridiculous its laughable and took me out of the film completely. That being said, it’s not as bad as Indy meeting aliens, but I do wonder if the franchise wouldn’t have been better off ending with ‘The Last Crusade,’ which was pretty much a perfect movie and the best in the franchise next to ‘Raiders.’ Still, it is fun seeing Ford as Indy one more time, and I do appreciate his thoughtful and emotional performance.

Final Thoughts

In the end, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ just didn’t work for me. Mangold fills the movie with great action, and lots of nostalgia and dramatic emotion, but the story is all over the place, along with the tone and pacing. The returning characters that you want to see more of are limited, and too much time is spent on ancillary characters. Both Waller-Bridge and Mikkelsen give fresh and fun performances, but just like Indy, Harrison Ford swoops in and saves the movie. If for nothing else, the film is worth seeing just to get a glimpse of Ford as his signature character one more time.

‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars