Returning to his most celebrated role, Harrison Ford dons the fedora and picks up his bull whip one last time for this 5th and final instalment in the Indiana Jones series.
After directing all four previous films, Steven Spielberg steps aside this time, passing the baton on to Walk the Line and Logan director James Mangold.
Beginning with a flashback, a de-aged Ford teams with Toby Jones and battles Nazi’s to recover an ancient artefact. It’s basic Indy fare, but fun nonetheless.
The de-aging is mostly well done but not completely perfect, and for every slightly shonky shot, it takes a moment or two to re-engage with the scene.
When the story jumps to the present day, the film settles into its groove.
We find an aging Indy preparing to retire from his post as a university lecturer, when he’s approached by his god daughter Helena (Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge) who wants his help to recover the Antikyhera, (the Dial of Destiny from the film’s title) an ancient analogue device invented by Greek scientist Archimedes.
Soon enough, Indy is on the run from Nazi’s once again, commandeering a horse and galloping through a ticker tape parade as the iconic John Williams theme plays over the action.
Ford seems to relish the chance to reprise such a popular role, flexing his movie star chops with a typically charismatic performance.
He’s complimented by a strong supporting cast. Mads Mikkelsen’s Nazi turned NASA scientist Doctor Voller is a worthy villain and Waller-Bridge is perfectly cast as the complex Helena.
With chaotic chase sequences and journeys into ancient cave systems, the film does feel a little derivative, resembling an Indiana Jones greatest hits compilation at times, but it’s always entertaining viewing and never drags despite its lengthy run-time (2h 34m). Sibling writers Jez & John-Henry Butterworth manage to capture the spirit of the original trilogy well, and experienced director James Mangold feels ideally suited to shepard a project with such high expectations.
As the films conclusion approaches, it takes on a distinctly melancholy tone that will have the more nostalgic viewer welling up, whilst the films high fantasy finale works a lot better than the much derided Aliens ending of 2018’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The Dial of Destiny probably won’t be mentioned in the same breath as the original trilogy, but it feels like a fitting send off for one of pop culture’s all time icons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@grittster
10/07/23