Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Lucasfilm's INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. (Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Perhaps the hardest aspect of life that we have to face when we grow older… is the past. Because there comes a point where we realize…. as Charlie said in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, ‘We seem to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.’ Which of course… prompts us to take inventory and really ponder upon the life we’ve led and that isn’t easy to do. Because it more or less forces us to face… everything. Our mortality for instance, which can be a sobering and scary thought and of course… it forces us to really reflect upon days gone by. Some of which brings up a bevy of emotions and memories that can move us to tears as we find ourselves wax nostalgic and proud of our lives and our accomplishments. But such reflection can also… terrify us and unsettle us to no end.
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Since that also means, our failures and our missteps will be put upon display, and that will put our thoughts into a tailspin. For we may wonder what could have been if we walked a different path or made a different decision on a fateful day. Not to mention, it could put us into a panic. Where we realize that we haven’t done enough to cement a legacy or even live for that matter and that epiphany combined with regret… can push us to do incredible things in our twilight years, in a desperate attempt to find fulfillment and peace before our time on this earth has come to its end. If anything, that more negative aspect of reflecting upon a life is top of mind today, simply because it serves as the central theme of the final chapter in the Indiana Jones saga, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

A feat that this film accomplishes, by taking us to the year 1969, wherein Dr. Henry ‘Indiana’ Jones Junior, is at that reflective point in his life. For his marriage is on the rocks, there’s been tragedy in his family and there seems to be little left in Indy’s life, outside of just thoughts of the good old days when he was trotting the globe and preserving history and saving the day. Much of which, he cannot even discuss because of how fantastical those moments turned out to be. But the return of his goddaughter, Helena, into his life, combined with the return of an old foe… will force Indy out of his musings and back into action. To save the world from a new Nazi threat at the beginning of the technological age. One so dire, that it will prompt Indiana Jones to learn some valuable lessons about life and its meaning, and the true power of the past.

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All of which brings forth… quite the different kind Indiana Jones film. One grounded very much in intimacy regarding Indiana’s journey and the life he’s led and the things he has experienced, and even the villain of this story, Dr. Jürgen Voller, harbors his own unique (albeit them quite evil) thoughts about yesterday and what it means to us as we step into our twilight years and that leads… to some powerful moments in this movie. The kind that really do teach both the heavy and the hero… about how our panic about the past isn’t warranted. For we cannot change what happened and we cannot make amends. We can only live in the moment and control what we can control and use the moment to forge a new path for us, one that will give us the peace we seek. Alongside the dangers that come with not learning that lesson. Which provides us with a supremely philosophical Indiana Jones movie, one that also… doesn’t lose sight of what makes the franchise so great.
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Because in order to prevent Dr. Voller from getting what he wants as a Nazi, Indiana Jones has to travel about the globe. And that allows for the audience to reunite with some old friends along the way and meet some new ones and all the classic hallmarks and iconography, accompany that as well. Since we once again enjoy the wonder of the traveling map, and humor and quips from Indy when he and his friends find themselves in a strange situation… and of course… there’s epic action and adventure to be found here as well. Courtesy of car chases and voyages into the water and perhaps… the most ambitious ending that this franchise has ever put forth, and that’s saying something when one considers what the other films have to offer in their own endings. But since this is the last adventure for Doctor Jones, going out with a bang isn’t exactly a bad thing and what’s amazing is that this film still has so much more to offer.

For it also harbors, some stunning performances from the cast. For instance, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is simply phenomenal as Helena and her performance offers up wondrous depth and Mads Mikkelsen is simply stunning as Jürgen Voller, courtesy of the tortured fury he brings to the role, and it is safe to say… that this is Harrison Ford’s finest work as Indiana Jones. Since Ford brings an incredible honesty to where Indiana Jones is at in his life, and there’s an incredible vulnerability present within Indiana here, and the quality of Ford’s performance just reminds us how much we are going to miss him as this character. But sweet sorrow and parting aside, make no mistake about it… this is a flawless farewell film. One that takes chances as this franchise is wont to do and wows us every step of the way with its depth and scope, and it says goodbye to Dr. Henry ‘Indiana’ Jones Junior in a respectful and powerful manner. One worthy of a hero that has wowed us on the silver screen for decades on end.

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