Whether you love him or hate him, Indiana Jones has dominated our cultural zeitgeist for over 40 years and if Disney has their way, it will last even longer than that. Recognizing that Harrison Ford is literally an octagenarian and digital re-aging can only do so much, Disney has astutely introduced Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag as Jones’ god-daughter Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and killed off the controversial and problematic Shia LeBeouf as his son. After the extremely poor reception of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Disney refused to allow one of the most historic and venerated franchises under their tent to go out a complete joke, so they brought Ford back for one more round. It was the best thing they could have done for everyone.
If you were expecting some amazing variation to the franchise’s formula, you’re going to be let down hugely. Director James Mangold does a phenomenal job bringing life to Jones in the late 60s and allows his character to ride off into the sunset while potentially setting up a new series or even a new adventure with his god-daughter to take up the series in a new way while honoring the original but going in a new direction. But if they do that, there will be some things they absolutely must address before allowing her to become the central character.
I will not list those items here as they would be major spoilers and would give away central plot points. Instead, we will get straight to our review and the film itself as there is plenty to discuss. As already mentioned, this film begins in the late 60s and Jones is retiring from teaching altogether. Like any self-respecting Indiana Jones film, it begins with an artifact hunt. However, similar to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this one sets the stage for the film.
I’m weird about spoilers, so I won’t even tell you what the Dial of Destiny is except to say it’s a Greek artifact. Danish star Mads Mikkelson plays Jürgen Voller, the film’s antagonist, who also goes by Dr. Schmidt. Mikkelson continues to add to his legacy with this role. He’s so damn good in everything he does and this is no different. He remains a star and he steals the scene in this film just like he does every other film.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the film’s other star. She’s simply fantastic. Not only is she witty and able to keep up with anyone regardless of the scene. She holds her own in combat and clearly trains, so much so that she’s capable of reversing a film’s scene in her favor if she must, something an Indy film has rarely called upon a female to do, but does so with grace and ease. It’s the latter that allows this film to succeed. If Waller-Bridge didn’t have that compatibility to go with Ford, it work but it does because she does.
You may notice that I’ve rarely mentioned Ford outside of a supportive role and that’s because that’s the role he has in this film. Given his status and ownership of the character, it’s clear this was done with his blessing and his assistance. It wouldn’t work without a genuine performance of him recognizing this on the other end. Ford has always been the consummate professional and several stories cropped up this week of him doing just that with younger actors who found themselves struggling to view him in this light.
Professionals like this make it possible for younger actors to step into these roles and deliver memorable performances and that’s exactly what happened here. Waller-Bridge absolutely made a fan out of me, as I had never watched Fleabag before. I’m sure I’ll greatly appreciate his performance in taking over for William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s a one-of-a-kind actor and we’re grateful to have him.
The basic plot of the film seems Mikkelson and Ford on a cat-and-mouse chase for this ancient relic and along the way we learn a little bit about Ford and Waller-Bridge’s broken relationship. It’s two hours and 34 minutes, but it doesn’t feel like that with all the stops and cameos. Not only would I rather have the franchise go out on this end than whatever it was we saw puked out with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but it also makes more sense in terms of a basic storyline. At the end of the day, it’s not up to me to decide, you know, except for the ranking.
BSO Review Rating: 8 out of 10
