INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023)

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023)

Tagline: A legend will face his destiny.

(Action, Adventure, Eels Will Jack You Up) [PG-13]

I miss the desert. I miss the sea. I miss waking up every morning wondering what wonderful adventure the new day will bring to us.

In this one, we are taken to 1969 where Dr. Jones is getting ready to retire when his goddaughter Helena shows up to try and talk him into searching for an artifact created by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes. As it turns out former Nazis are also after the artifact for its potential power to change the course of history. Now Indiana Jones must embark on a brand new adventure to recover a portion of the artifact before they can get their hands on it. 

The opening sequence is not on par with the first 3 films, but it’s certainly a vast improvement over KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and it feels authentically “Indy”. I am not going to say it’s perfect by any means, but I really enjoyed it. There are some moments that crawl in this thing which is bound to happen with a 2 hour and 34 minute run time. By the way, that also makes this the longest-running film in the franchise. As a result, the pacing is just slightly off. Story-wise there are a few characters they bring into the film that it seems like they wanted to expand on but don’t. In contrast, they do have a few characters in this that were clearly meant to mirror those we’ve seen from the other films so in that regard it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I do like the idea of this artifact and the story we got. It doesn’t feel convoluted or like something we wouldn’t see in the Indiana Jones universe. 

One thing I found satisfying in the final result was that as much as I couldn’t stand Phoebe Waller-Bridge as an actress in this role as Helena, at least they gave her some character growth. To me, she was definitely the second most annoying character in the Indiana Jones franchise second only to Mutt Williams in the last installment. Having said that, there is just a ton to enjoy about this movie. James Mangold (THE WOLVERINE) is a solid director and he handles so much of this film with respect to the source material that I was very impressed. If anything Indy is more heart now, than "fortune and glory", but you fully expect that after THE LAST CRUSADE. 

Getting to how this impacted me, back in 2006 I contracted Valley Fever and walking pneumonia at the same time. I ended up having to get an ambulance and landed in the hospital for 3 days. During that time, my wife was still with me, my son was thriving, the Carolina Hurricanes were winning the Stanley Cup, and most importantly my walk with God was solid and I kind of felt it would have been a good time to just let go and pass away to be with Jesus Christ. Only God had other plans and I recovered. There is a sequence in this film where I could really relate to what Indiana Jones might have been feeling, strictly because of that experience. I am not going to give it away, but because I have been in the mindset he was in, I was emotionally drawn into this movie a lot more than I expected it to be. There was definitely the nostalgia of seeing Indy back in action that also helped, but they did a great job of not relying on that so much that it became obvious they were just throwing things into the film for the heck of it. 

Acting-wise, Harrison Ford crushes this thing, it’s always cool seeing Antonio Banderas playing a good guy. John Rhys-Davies (GRIZZLY II: REVENGE) as Sallah, probably isn’t in this enough, but the dude is a legend with 11 projects on the way as of the writing of this review. I am not really down with how Shaunette Renée Wilson’s (BLACK PANTHER) character Mason was handled, but she’s solid in the scenes she gets. I am kind of done with Mads Mikkelsen (DOCTOR STRANGE) who plays Dr. Voller. To be honest, if I never see that dude in another role, I won’t even flinch. I do think there is such a thing as overkill. Like back in the 90s when Tommy Lee Jones was in everything. Ethann Isidore plays Teddy in this and I could have done without him also. If you are not giving us Short Round, just skip the kids altogether. 

The score is near perfection and the cinematography and effects are top-notch. Even Harrison Ford was impressed with the de-aging technology they used. 

There is NO POINT in this film where I felt Indiana Jones or Harrison Ford were dumbed down or made to look inadequate or stupid. Indy is portrayed as a freakin master of archeology and knowledge and contrary to what some might think, Indiana Jones drives this film. I am not going to cram some weird hatred toward this film that simply isn’t there. No one is a Mary Sue, no one is trying to steal any legacy and if Adventure has a name it’s still Indiana Jones. 

This movie is a remarkable achievement so many years after the last installment and I for one was pretty impressed, I think a lot of critics are just really reaching when it comes to the crybaby complaints, I honestly don't get it. I give this one a 6 out of 7. Had they not at least made Helena slightly less annoying near the end, we’d be talking about a 5.

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