Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

He is back for one last adventure. On July 8th, 2023, I watched the action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Directed by James Mangold, it was released on June 30, 2023. Starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen, it takes place in several different locations during 1944 and 1969 and is rated PG-13.

A much more elderly Indiana Jones is approaching his retirement when he meets up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw. They end up on an adventure to find the other half of a dial called the Antikythera. They are in a race with an old Nazi enemy of Jones named Jürgen Voller who wants to harness the power of the dial for nefarious reasons. Can Indiana Jones pull off one last adventure and live to enjoy retirement?

As someone who grew up on the first four Indiana Jones movies and enjoy all of them, I was excited to see how the latest movie would be. For one thing, the action is still amazing. Watching the adventurous archaeologist face off against bad guys with either his whip or fists has remained a constant even after all these years. No matter how old Harrison Ford gets, he is still awesome. As with all the previous movies, we get to see our hero travel to foreign countries, find new adventures, and dark places with creepy, crawly things. All in all, this is a cool movie.

The performances are also top-notch. I already talked about how Harrison Ford is still awesome, but his performance has more complexity than just that. He plays a broken man, having lost almost everything important in his life and being filled with grief about it. We want to root for better things to come for him. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is phenomenal as Helena. She represents the youthful spirit Jones can only remember and she plays off him nicely. It is also refreshing to have a movie with him interacting with a woman who is not a love interest, instead being his goddaughter. Mads Mikkelsen is a talented actor, as I saw from Doctor Strange, while I have also seen him in roles cast wrong, like from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Here, he pulled it off perfectly. Possessing both natural creepiness and an ability to convey his lines convincingly, he was able to become one of the best Indiana Jones villains ever as Voller. The movie truly has a strong cast.

The final thing I want to talk about is the story. While both the third and fourth movies had intended to be the last ones at the time they were released, this time it is confirmed to be the final installment. As a result, they went all out for a finale, with a brilliantly told story being an important component. The age on both Indy and Voller shows how far both men have come from their initial encounter for such a dangerous artifact. Indy’s inner struggles provide some effective emotion for the movie, with Helena there to expand the history of this universe further. Add in some cameos from beloved past characters, and the audience is left with an experience.

Overall, I was impressed with this movie. The action sequences are non-stop thrills, the story is interesting and the nostalgia included for fans all adds up to a fun movie. While I cannot call it the best Indiana Jones movie, this felt like a proper ending. I can understand the people who did not like this movie, but as for me, one of my favorite childhood heroes finally has closure. What a way to go out.