Directed by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma (2007); Ford v Ferrari (2019); Walk the Line (2005)) and starring Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); The Fugitive (1993); What Lies Beneath (2000); Patriot Game (1992); Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017); The Iron Lady (2011); Fleabag (TV series, 2016-19)), Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt (2012); Riders of Justice (2020); Casino Royale (2006); Hannibal (TV series, 2013-15)), Ethann Isidore (in his first feature film role) and Toby Jones (The Hunger Games (2012); Captain America: The First Avenger (2011); Empire of Light (2022)).
Action adventure; 154 mins; 12+
The fifth instalment of the thrilling Indiana Jones series which dates back more than 40 years to 1981 when a 39-year-old Harrison stepped into the shoes of the most famous archaeologist on the silver screen...
In The Dial of Destiny, the opening sequences take place somewhere in Europe in 1944 when Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), a bumbling English Professor of Archaeology, are searching for a specific dagger within a hoard of stolen Nazi loot which is about to be transported by train. They then come across one half of the Dial of Destiny, the fabled creation of Archimedes, the famous mathematician and inventor from Ancient Greece who lived around 2,100 years ago. They also escape the clutches of Dr Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi psychopath.
Fast forward to 1969 and Indiana Jones is about to retire after ten years of lecturing on archaeology at the same university. The Dial of Destiny pops up again and he becomes drawn into a swashbuckling escapade, along with his god-daughter, and Basil Shaw's daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and her sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore). Their journey starts in the New York subway and culminates in Sicily, with stop-overs along the way in parts of Europe and North Africa (specifically Tangiers in Morocco, racing around in a tuk-tuk) and around (and in) the Mediterranean Sea.
They cross paths with Dr Jurgen Voller, who had been working with NASA, but who also wants to get his hands on the Dial of Destiny as it is rumoured to enable time travel, which could allow him travel back in time and change the course of history, namely that of WWII.
While being an "old relic" himself, the post-production studio did wonders de-ageing Indiana Jones for the 1944-set scenes. But here he is equipped with his trademark whip and fedora. And a number of other actors who shared the same screen in the previous outings have also been included here - a lovely touch.
A tad long, particularly the first half of the film, until they are on the adventure and their foes; however, the second half more than makes up for it and the ending sequences are more than tastefully done, wrapping up a series (and a character) to near perfection, leaving unanswered questions, but only those to which one does not really want to know the answers, e.g. "What if...". No, the audiences are content, we can sit back and watch The Dial of Destiny (and the other four films in the series) time and again, and be entertained each time.
The wonderful John Williams is also back for the soundtrack which, to be fair, does not overdo it in reigniting the familiar beat of the original film, yet builds the tension and releases the exhilaration as and when needed.
Currently being screened in Luxembourg at Kinepolis.
