NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Film critics have dubbed this film as a nostalgic piece of cinematic history that highlights what was while failing to impress with the reality of what this movie is. A box office grab with a star that is far too old to provide the excitement captured in the original trilogy. I watched this film and if you share that opinion, you have an undeniable right to it. I also have the right to tell you to take that opinion and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.
Now is Indiana as action-packed and athletic as he was in the 80s? No. Do you need to have a film filled with action for it to be fun? No. A film can be many things and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had it all. Phenomenal casting, incredible visuals, an excellent story, and a very underrated performance from Joanna Johnston, the film’s costume designer.
Now with this being the first Indiana Jones movie to not have Steven Spielberg as director, it was expected that creative liberties would be taken by new director James Mangold, especially with the fact that he’s working with a script that has been passed around from writer to writer more than a blunt at Woodstock. However, the film maintained many of the essential aspects that make an Indiana Jones film such an enjoyable story. The environments that Jones finds himself in, his constant battle against the Nazis, and the back and forth he has with his associates if I can use that term so lightly. They hit all the pillars of a great Indiana Jones story.
Now this film does have some issues. Spoiler alert. In the opening scenes, we see Jones thrown back into the end of World War Two. Instead of casting a younger version of Jones, the film went with a CGI imprint of Harrison Ford from the original trilogy. Now I am not a fan of this and I have expressed many times that this method should only be used in short spurts, in scenes that have heavy dialog which requires little movement, and should typically be used when an actor or actress has passed.
The film’s entire opening sequence used CGI was action-packed, and obviously, Ford is still with us. Now I liked the use of digital re-aging in The Irishman but that was done in short spurts with scenes that lacked action. In Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we hit points of Uncanny Valley due to the digital re-aging of Harrison Ford and I’ll admit, I felt uncomfortable at times.
There were also a ton of loose ends that won’t ever be tied up as this was confirmed as the last film in the series. How does Jones clear his name from the murders, how did his encounter with Archimedes alter history, how did Archimedes alter history with his travels? What about the U.S. government’s involvement or are we just gonna let that storyline die with Shaunette Renné Wilson’s character?
And then there’s the cold reality of life and show business. People die and a lot of people died in this film. The most notable one is the off-screen death of Jones’ son who we met in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Despite this film being in the hands of Disney, they took no issue in maintaining the severity of the situations that Jones typically finds himself in. No sugarcoating, no attempts to not show evil as evil and that is something I didn’t expect.
However, any good Indiana Jones movie will forever be graded by his relationship with his partners and friends. Whether that be Marion Ravenwood, Willie Scott, Henry Jones Sr., Short Round, Sallah, Henry Jones III, etc. Here comes Phoebe Waller-Bridge with the exciting opportunity to make her mark in the storied franchise and she did exactly that. Now Waller-Bridge is no stranger to making her way, being the creator, head writer, and leading lady of the critically acclaimed and award-winning British Comedy Series, Fleabag. Her character in Indiana Jones, Helena Shaw shares a tremendous portion of the screen, rare for a lady to do in this series without being romantically inclined to Jones. Being his goddaughter, we get to explore Jones’ abilities and shortcomings when it comes to mentorship, something we’ve seen in bits from his other films. Shaw is a complex character and for me, her initial motivations of financial gain remain unknown and somewhat off. Did her father’s pursuits of the Antikythera leave her family destitute? I don’t know but we come to understand that her investment in this journey is to provide the closure to her father’s pursuits that ultimately robbed her of a proper childhood.
Waller-Bridge irritates, she infuriates, she antagonizes and she lays down for no one. Not some weak damsel in distress in need of Jones’ saving, she oftentimes is the one doing the heroic work. However it is clear that neither is able to accomplish their goals without the other, the recipe for a great Indiana Jones film that doesn’t require the boring kiss that the end.
The true antagonist in Jürgen Voller, played by Mads Mikkelsen, proves once again why Mikkelsen is one of the most underrated actors of our generation and a continued example of the melting pot of artistic talent that sits in Europe. Calculated and incorruptible, it’s rare to see a Nazi not aligned with Hitler. Voller who has his quest for power and world domination, understands Hitler is merely an obstacle to that goal. Now whether he wants power for himself or to see a true Aryan-run world, it simply doesn’t matter. Voller’s strength is that he understands a world as complex as the 20th century was. His failure is that his ambition leads him a little too far into the past.
Voller is not all-knowing as he is receptive to input. He may disregard it but he will listen. He is never dismissive of Jones or Shaw, acknowledging their intelligence from time to time. Mikkelsen’s look, especially with glasses strikes the heart of the audience goers and while dressed in Nazi fatigues, you felt the weight of an authentic Indiana Jones villain.
However, the true gem was the evolution of Indiana Jones. Now Harrison Ford is 80 years of age and expecting him to be as athletic as he was in the 1980s would be idiotic. However as Ford’s athleticism falls victim to time, the evolution of film has allowed us to witness Jones do something never before thought of. Heads up, another spoiler alert. Indiana Jones was popular because it dived into the mythology of past civilizations, it spoke of the old world and in instances, we’ve seen glimpses of the old world. However, technology was limited during the trilogy so the storytelling was forced to be curtailed to what could be filmed in real time. In this movie, Jones travels back in time and we get to witness him witnessing the Siege of Syracuse (213-212 BC). Way too expensive to replicate in the 1980s, this film displays the wonder and the reality of traveling back in time. Almost Star Trekian in the sense of civilizations seeing things not meant for their eyes to see, watching a warship launch and get hit with flaming balls of death was truly a breathtaking experience.
Costume design is something that also gave me a breathtaking experience. Helena Shaw’s outfits were both exquisite and iconic with each outfit matching both the scenery of the environment Shaw was in and the chic look we were accustomed to. Despite being briefly seen, the pilot’s outfit was very Pan-Am-like, taking the viewer back to a different time when air travel was a little more classy. We’ve seen Jones’ and the Nazis look time and time again and this was no different. However, the red of the armband popped a little more than usual. I enjoyed the “hippie” elements throughout the film while seeing a world in which Jones is no longer a playboy but an old man trying to exist in a world he no longer recognizes anymore. A fitting tale to the man who has looked upon the majestic and unworldly, only to be defeated by the killer of us all…time.
Overall it was a fun film. Is it the best Indiana Jones film? No. Is it the worst? No. Would it be better if Jones’ main companion was trying to sleep with him? No. I had to listen to so many criticize the film and the franchise for being too woke or too old when in reality, we got to see Indiana as just Henry or Dr. Jones. It was nostalgic, it was revolutionary, it was what I expected it to be and that was a proper close-out of an iconic character. Now are there still a multitude of questions that we will never get an answer to? Yes, but that is the price you pay when you watch a movie instead of reading a book. You will always lose out on the details and with a runtime close to 2.5 hours, it’s a sacrifice you have to live with. If this is truly the end, for you Dr. Jones, I saw au revoir. To you, you potential moviegoer, go get some popcorn and a soda, it’s the best snack for another Indiana Jones wild ride, and trust me, you will enjoy it.
