Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny limps into the sunset as Harrison Ford's swan song for the heroic archaeologist. The fifth and supposedly final installment of the franchise feels like a bloated greatest hits spectacle. We get the requisite Nazi antagonist and his villainous goons chasing after another ancient artifact with extraordinary powers. They seek a time travel device that can restore the Third Reich to supremacist glory. Classic sidekicks make an appearance but play second fiddle to a wild goddaughter and her pint-sized accomplice. There's no originality to a rote narrative with a particularly egregious flaw. The de-aging technology used sparingly in other films is unfortunately front and center here.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens in 1944 Germany at the end of World War II. Indy (Ford) and British professor Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) infiltrate a castle to stop Nazis from plundering stolen art. SS Colonel Weber (Thomas Kretschmann) barks orders while ignoring pleas from scientist and mathematician Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). The treasures collected for Hitler are useless trinkets. Somewhere in their larder lies a prize that can change the course of history. They must find the Antikythera. Needless to say, the Nazis are rudely interrupted.
25 years later, America basks in the glory of the lunar landing. Crowds gather in New York City for a parade celebrating the Apollo 11 astronauts. A gruff Indy couldn't care less. He's got classes to teach as a professor at Hunter College. An unfamiliar student chirps answers as others stare blankly during his lecture. Indy skips out on his own anniversary party thrown by caring colleagues. He'd rather drown his sorrows at a local watering hole.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw
A student plops down beside him at the bar. Indy doesn't recognize his goddaughter. He hasn't seen Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) since dear Basil's passing. Her father became obsessed with finding the Antikythera, which was split in two by its famed creator. Indy can't believe Helena has fallen under the spell that drove her father mad.
Meanwhile, at a nearby hotel, CIA handlers watch the man secretly responsible for America's lunar conquest. Voller has become an indispensable part of NASA's rocket program. But he's not there to participate in his hated adversary's accomplishment. Voller's men have been following Helena. He believes she has the key to finding the two halves of the Antikythera. Hitler lit a "fire that could have burned for thousands of years." He'll go back in time to make sure those embers aren't snuffed out.
Ford looks sprightly at 80 years old. You believe he's got fuel in the tank for fedora-wearing, whip-lashing adventures with a firebrand Helena. What's completely unrealistic is the CGI Indy that stars in the WWII opening act. De-aging technology creates the younger Indy as he pummels Nazis in the castle and on a train. CGI Indy pushes suspension of disbelief over a cliff. He doesn't look real interacting with the other characters. In comparison, consider the portrayal of Moff Tarkin in Rogue One. Peter Cushing died in 1994, but his CGI doppelganger worked because he didn't fight or have a physical confrontation. The de-aged, CGI Indy carries the blockbuster action to a fault. It's like watching a cut scene from the Uncharted video game series.
Mads Mikkelsen as Nazi Jürgen Voller
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the first in the franchise without Steven Spielberg at the helm and a story from George Lucas. This script could have been written by an AI like ChatGPT. Gobble up the previous films and crank out a fan service finale. Let me tread carefully because I respect and value James Mangold (Walk the Line, Logan) as a filmmaker. Mangold, who directs and co-writes, goes through the expected motions. There isn't a second of surprise in a long runtime. The characters pursue each other back and forth like a game of tag. The fun factor fades as the nonstop chases becomes dull.
A cast of talented supporting actors underwhelms. Waller-Bridge, absolutely brilliant in the hit Fleabag, isn't a damsel in distress. Helena's arguably the toughest, most conniving character in the entire film. But you don't root for her. She's sort of unlikable. The same goes for her thieving young partner. Teddy (Ethann Isidore), her Short Round wannabe, doesn't have the same infectious personality as Ke Huy Quan from the Temple of Doom. Mikkelsen, another tremendous actor, isn't threatening as Voller. He needed Ronald Lacey's snarling Nazi menace as Arnold Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's also a major plot hole regarding Voller that's never explained. The heroine, sidekick, and Nazi just aren't as good as previous iterations.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ranks last in the franchise for another glaring reason. The older Indy reminded me of Luke Skywalker from The Last Jedi. The badass that many of us adored as a child has transformed into a grumpy, forlorn geezer. That's lame and disheartening. Would it have been so bad to keep his awesome mojo intact? It's okay to leave heroes on their pedestal. They don't have to be knocked down.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a production of Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures. It will have a theatrical release on June 30th from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
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