Hey, Dr. Jones! No time for love!
I was told about an event celebrating Harrison Ford, where there was a Q&A rule than fans couldn’t ask any “Star Wars” questions. But there was this idiot, who asked him: What would Indiana Jones do he met Han Solo? Ford left as a result and the show was ruined. He’s not a fan of the “Star Wars” character, because he felt the character was “relatively thin.” He seems to care more about Indy than he does on Han Solo, and he’s willing to push him until he reaches his 80s, which is basically why “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is said to be the last film.
I loved the “Indiana Jones” trilogy (“Raider of the Lost Ark” “The Temple of Doom,” and “The last Crusade”), and even I think “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a guilty pleasure. But I think we can agree “The Dial of Destiny” is just an unnecessary conclusion. That is if it really is a conclusion.
Yes, we’re excited to see Indy’s reunion with his old friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and wife Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and Ford using the whip, and we’re also happy to hear John Williams’ iconic score. But we also grow weary of his new team, which happen to be Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller Bridge) and her thieving, young sidekick Teddy (Ethan Isidore), who are both inferior to Willie Scott and Short Round from “The Temple of Doom.”
And the plot is basically recycling a little of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” as Indy deals with more Nazis in 1944 and later in 1969, with Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Jurgen Voller, Boyd Holbrook as his right hand man Klaber, and Olivier Richters as their giant muscle Hauke. They covet an ancient dial, which they plan to use to rule the world. That’s when Indy, Helena, and Teddy must put aside their differences to keep it out of Voller’s hands.
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are both credited as executive producers, while the new director is James Mangold (in his first film since “Ford v Ferrari”). He’s made some excellent films in the past, but he doesn’t show us the roots that made “Indiana Jones” one of the best movie franchises of all time. The budget is set at $300 million dollars, and he assembles the right team to make the sets reminiscent of the best adventure scenes in the franchise. I love looking at raggedy bridges over rivers in a cave, while I felt a certain slide was the equivalent of riding on a kiddie roller coaster that doesn’t amount to much.
There are good reasons why I can’t stop you from seeing “The Dial of Destiny.” Because we all love the hero and his adventures, and we love the summer movie going experience. But I, at least, there are those who believe Indy deserves better than what the 2020s can provide (especially since “Jurassic World: Dominion” went out with a whimper, critically speaking). In regards to Ford sequels that are decades old, I loved “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and even more so (if it’s any consolation to the actor) “Blade Runner: 2049.” Those sequels are filled the right kind of ambition to remind us of the good old days when blockbusters were truly blockbusters.
“The Dial of Destiny” has the right hero, but the wrong script and sidekicks to close out the franchise. This better be the last film, because the trilogy had “fortune and glory,” whereas this one lacks those qualities. And Ford did say he would retire as the character, not the actor. And even in his early 80s, he still has a lot more to offer.
Leave a Reply