In much of the movie Indiana Jones and the dial of fate, by James Mangold, the explorer played by Harrison Ford meditates on death. A surprising nuance that demonstrates the evolution of the character. The archaeologist showed in previous installments that he was very little concerned about mortality, the transience of life and its transcendence. Topics that the new film faces, with less or greater success, in what seems to be the culmination of the path of the iconic figure.
James Mangold brings a sober and slightly bitter tone to the great adventures of the hero. Despite the fact that he tries to preserve the characteristic dynamic tone of the saga. But either because Indiana is an old man or because the director doesn’t have Steven Spielberg’s skill, Indiana Jones and the dial of fate lacks vitality.
An obvious point from the beginning and that shakes the plot in its most important elements. From the questionable decision to rejuvenate the archaeologist’s face in the long prologue, to its very strange final stretch. Every nod in the feature film is an obvious homage, though he tries not to seem so. However, there is no doubt that nostalgia seeks to unite all the loose parts of a messy story.
Indiana Jones and the dial of fate
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate, by James Mangold, is a symbolic farewell to all that the saga meant to adventure movies. But, whether because the director lacks the skill of Steven Spielberg or because the script puts an emphasis on old age, the movie is more sad than funny. Which causes a good part of the feature film to focus on Indiana Jones’s farewell rather than on telling his amazing story. With more plot risks than any other, James Mangold wastes a shocking final scene in favor of a sober tone that is at odds with the franchise, let alone his central figure.
The contradictions of Indiana Jones and the dial of fate
If before the chaos and the frenetic action were the most relevant of the saga, in Indiana Jones and the dial of fate They cause the feeling that the plot is rushing. Not in its key turns —which, in fact, come late and badly—, but in its interest to explore in its central figure.
But the retired Indiana, estranged from all his relatives, bitter and grumpy, bears little resemblance to the traditional version. The script by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold is ineffective to the extent that it makes it unrecognizable. Turning what should have been the description of his last age in the cinema into a tour of his weaknesses.
Nothing remains of the impulsive explorer, full of energy and intelligence. In Indiana Jones and the dial of fate, it seems that the archaeologist returns to the screen tired. The plot overemphasizes all of his ailments and problems, instead of focusing on his path to overcome them.
What should be, of course, the joy of adventure or the hope of a grand finale to his exciting life outside the classroom. But none of that happens. In its first half hour, it becomes clear that James Mangold’s film is dedicated to imitating, as best it can, the great glories of the franchise.
In search of redemption, without achieving it
The first sequences of Indiana Jones and the dial of fate they suggest that the mystery to be solved comes from a known enemy. in a long flashback towards the end of World War II, the plot shows Indiana together with Basil (Toby Jones). Again, both confront the Third Reich to prevent it from using objects of enormous archaeological value -and mystical importance- for their own benefit.
Which includes a unique artifact created by Archimedes. According to the Gestapo, its usefulness is not only to do mathematical calculations or predict earthquakes. In reality, the mechanism is also capable of finding cracks in time. That they are nothing more than temporary intervals that break the normal chronological line.
Of course, the hero duo know what it means for such a tool to fall into the hands of the Nazis. In particular, from Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a physicist with very clear —and certainly sinister— ideas of what to do with something like that. In the end, the object ends up being split into two halves, definitively avoiding —or so it seems— its fraudulent use.
The new and the old in Indiana Jones and the dial of fate
Then, the plot advances to 1969 to find the archaeologist in full transit to retirement. In Logan, James Mangold managed to link the idea of old age with the perspective of rebuilding what was lost. But in Indiana Jones and the dial of fate, the plot revolves around disappointment and frustration, with a tone of boredom that is irritating. There is a sense of lost purpose that gives the character an outdated air. Especially when, around him, history seems to be moving faster than his own ability to comprehend it.
The director misses the opportunity to delve into the celebrated figure as part of his story. Instead, he includes all kinds of superficial and incomplete nods to the saga. Each reference seems to be added just to win over fans of the original story and not to complete the story. Something that is repeated over and over again throughout the narrative.
Saving the world with a few ailments
Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is finally the starting point for the second leg of Indiana Jones and the dial of fate, more similar to the usual tone of the franchise. Basil’s daughter, and goddaughter of the explorer, will be in charge of bringing the dial of fate to the plot.
The actress manages to create another of the franchise’s great women, despite the fact that the character lacks any real substance. Her job—barely concealed by the plot—is to carry Indiana on her shoulders. Even when she hints that her intentions are not entirely noble, the interpreter provides ambiguity, which makes her an interesting figure.
The same cannot be said of Mikkelsen’s Voller, who returns in search of the object. After the end of the war, he was transferred to the US and now works for the government. But, beyond his false attempt to make amends, he finds himself a sinister attempt to restore Nazism.
One that has the mysterious object as its center. Although the Dane delivers another of his solid performances, the villainous role of him is almost cartoonish. Everything that surrounds the character is just an excuse to demonstrate Helena’s gifts as an intellectual and the vast knowledge of the archaeologist.
In fact, the best parts of Indiana Jones and the dial of fate they occur when Indiana and Helena work together. There is a powerful chemistry between the two and the adventurer is the father figure of a unique character. But the script is so clumsily written and so focused on disaster and death that even that virtue fades.
In the end, timing is everything
In his last scenes, and after the most astonishing and unexpected script twist – which includes an exciting cameo -, Indiana Jones and the dial of fate Make your goal clear. Farewell or not, the really important thing is to celebrate Indiana Jones as a legacy of popular culture.
We don’t know for sure if he succeeds. Actually, the big question should be whether a tribute that remembers everything lost was necessary, something that the film fails to properly bring to the table. Without a doubt, his most uncomfortable problem to analyze.