James Mangold (Copland, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, Logan, Ford v Ferrari) directs this fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise starring Harrison Ford as the intrepid archeologist who this time must retrieve an artifact with the power to change the course of history. (154 min.)
Glen: In 1981, I was 19 years old, it was summer, I had the afternoon off, and I decided to go see a matinee by myself. I didn’t know anything about Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I went to the Fremont Theater and watched it. I was floored. It was the most amazing experience—this incredible adventure tale with a lead I loved from Star Wars. That’s the kind of cinema experience you can’t re-create, but you always keep trying. I mention this because it wholly informs the outsized expectations I had for this new—and probably last, at least with Harrison Ford—installation in this franchise. I enjoyed it, but The Dial of Destiny is not Raiders, though it sure tries to be, adding in many of the campy bits that made the original so revelatory (Snakes, bugs, tombs, Nazis!) but sadly making Dial feel very derivative. Is it worth seeing in the theater? Absolutely! Just tamp down your expectations.
Anna: It was 1981, and I was but a glimmer in my mother’s eye—nowhere near a theater nor aware of Harrison Ford. I did, however, have a young son in the mid 2000s who thought Indiana Jones was super cool—so I saw all of the films over and over again, and I have to agree, Dial doesn’t have quite the same magic, but it does prove to be entertaining. I love Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and she was great as opportunist and scoundrel Helena, Jones’ long lost goddaughter. She is more interested in making a quick buck than any sort of loyalty, at least for the first bit of the film. The two are thrown together, come hell or high water, in a way that bonds them. There’s also Teddy (Ethann Isidore), Helena’s young partner in crime who proves to be a crucial character when all is said and done. There’s time travel and relics, quick quips, and endless callbacks to movies past. It’s fun, and a great reason to see Ford reprise his role, but it doesn’t deliver a whole new movie—it’s more just a love letter to Raiders.
Glen: Ford doesn’t disappoint. Seeing him embody this character again is nostalgic and poignant. He’s gruff, world weary, and resigned to sliding into old age … until his past calls him back. He’s also got regrets. He’s certainly never gotten over Marion (Karen Allen), the great love of his life. The emotional paydirt of their relationship is finally unearthed in this film. Perhaps the film’s missing oomph is Steven Spielberg as director. He’s an executive producer here along with George Lucas, but he’s handed the reins to Mangold, who’s made some great films, but this isn’t his franchise, it’s Spielberg’s. Makes me wonder if it could have been less a slavish homage if he’d directed it himself. I guess we’ll never know.
Anna: It would have been fun to see Spielberg take this on. It’s missing a bit of his movie magic. While this may not rank as my top Indiana Jones film, it does feel like a fond farewell to Ford. He’s held the reins for a long time and giving him one last go round as the character only seems right. I’m not going to say I got totally invested in the story, but I can say I got invested in the characters, and that’s really the key for me in any movie. There’s shooting and moments that may not be suitable for younger ones, but this is just perfect to continue the Indiana Jones legacy for kids and adults alike.
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey from New Times and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Santa Barbara County Fair Guide 2023.