Courtesy Lucasfilm Ltd./Lucasfilm Ltd.
Movies
In the 15 years since Steven Spielberg’s wildly disappointing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters, those charged with caring for the iconic adventuring archaeologist have certainly learned a lot. Well, mostly they’ve learned what audiences want from an Indiana Jones film. The recipe is simple, really: stylized action meshed with a supernatural element steeped ultimately in real-world history. Oh, and the whip, too. Logan director James Mangold more than delivers on these elements and then some with Indy’s newest adventure, the Dial of Destiny, and it’s easily the most fun to have in a theater so far this summer.
Here, the aging Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford, duh) lives a lonely life in New York City some decades after he and his colleague Dr. Shaw (Toby Jones) stole an artifact designed by Archimedes from the clutches of the Nazi Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). The astrolabe-like device promises alarmingly powerful possibilities, which drove Shaw mad in the years that followed, but Indy kept the thing hidden away after his colleague’s death.
The fun begins when Indy’s goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up to remind him how they might be able to crack the dial’s mysteries at long last. Voller, however, has come to America as well (to work on the moon landing, which not only nods to the Nazi scientists working in America post-WWII, but does the heavy expositional lifting quite nicely) and still wants the object, too—cue globe-trotting action.
Mangold’s Indy wows in its smaller moments, which read like little love notes to premises from previous films and the radio dramas that inspired them. It also boasts top-tier car chases, train chases and explosions. More importantly, Mangold understands his audience spans generations, from the kids looking for something fun and the middle-agers who grew up shrieking with glee anytime Last Crusade was on the table, to the older folks who long for the feel of old Bogart films or have followed Dr. Jones since the start.
The emotional beats feel relatable and true, whether in the painful reminders that time moves all too quickly or that we miss our lost loved ones—or that our most thrilling days might be behind us. Still, the film posits: It’s never too late to do something big, or to try our best to correct or accept the actions we’ve taken along the way. Indy is still sexy and powerful, but he’s wiser now and more considerate in how he acts. Thus, when the final big set pieces hit the screen and the John Williams music swells with its all-too-memorable notes, it feels so right to cap off his decades and escapades on a high note. Let’s hope this is the final chapter, because it’s literally everything you could want from an Indiana Jones movie.
9
+Understands Indiana Jones; Ford still rules
-Antonio Banderas only onscreen for, like, two minutes
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Directed by Mangold
With Ford, Waller-Bridge, Mikkelsen, Jones and Banderas
Violet Crown, Regal. PG-13, 154 min.
