Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Archeologist and Professor, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is on the precipice of retirement when his god daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), decides to re-enter his life whilst on her own archeological quest; more specifically, a mission to find the Antikythera of Archimedes, a device believed to be able to predict the sun and the stars’ movements. As legend would have it, the Antikythera also contains the ability to see and travel through time. It’s this later possibility that catches the attention of former Nazi scientist Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). Now, it’s a race against time to gather up the Antikythera to keep the world in order.
Written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, and James Mangold and Directed by Mangold this fifth instalment in the Indiana Jones Franchise plays nicely to pay homage and re-visit a number of favorite characters, themes, and getaways from the last forty-ish years. Running strong with action set piece after set piece in Acts I and II, the film isn’t overly complex or inventive with fresh material, rather, we’re subjected to nostalgia at almost every turn, which eventually runs a bit dry, and, by Act III our fevered pitch sputters instead of detonates. Also noticeably absent, the Indy humor component, rather we’re hit with the similar tones of “I’m old” over and over. The sum total of this CGI heavy two hours and thirty four minutes leaves us a little underwhelmed, certainly not the worst of the catalog, but far from the best. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is rated PG-13.