The Breaking of an Adventurer (Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny - spoiler-free review)

A love child project between iconic filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas would be a dream back then but Raiders of the Lost Ark was made and introduced the adventurer that will become a household name of his own franchise, Indiana Jones. In this all-new installment and supposed final entry of the titular character, Indy returns on an adventure to find the Dial of Destiny alongside his goddaughter played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. 

In this film, we see a broken-down, old Indy. He doesn’t have the energy he once did and does not gain the respect he once had as he lives in a lonely apartment, not looking forward to his retirement. When his goddaughter, Helena resurfaces curious about the Dial of Destiny, Indy once again sweeps into his old habits against Nazi's racing to get the allusive device. Unlike previous movies, it is pretty clear that they are playing with a new era of Indy's life. Like Harrison Ford, Indy is at an age where everything around him doesn’t seem familiar. The world exponentially changing and opinions are evolving. With that, his adventurer days are coming to an end and his wits aren’t precisely reliable anymore. Like most heroes these days, writer and director shakes Mangold breaks down the iconic character to his brink. It may be hard to see this beloved character at such odds but this is common if Indy continues to go around running into younger and fresher perspectives. 

When Indy is sharing the screen with Waller-Bridge and Ethann Isadore’s Teddy, there is a sense of balance between them knowing better and occasionally vice versa showing that Indy is no longer the most capable. Another trait that portrays here is Indy vulnerabilities are put front and center. This is something the character has lacked for the better part of this franchise as he was used as the 'hail mary' for anything that went wrong. Having savior-like characters like Optimus Prime and Logan be easily defeated has always been risky as audiences feel like writers are depowering these characters. However, Indy has always been only human with a bit of luck on his side. Watching Indy question his place in the world this time around is definitely a fresh take on his perspective for we are so used to seeing him optimistic and overconfident. Here, he is pessimistic and worn from not only his hard-hitting adventures but also everything he lost along the way. 

Waller-Bridge basically is a replacement for Shia Labeouf as yet another successor to Indy's name that is hard to live up to. However, unlike Indy's son, Helena dabbles more in mischief and is a character none should trust from the start. Eventually, she warms up to the adventurer as they both bond over their shared interest in archeology and their connection through Toby Jones's character. Helena is overconfident and at times a bit much but Waller-Bridge does play this role well to have audiences guessing about her loyalty. Her work her e is nothing compared to what she did Fleaag. In fact, it might be a step down considering how cliche her character development progresses but it is still entertaining to see someone challenge Indy rather than want to be like him. 

Other cast members include the inclusion of Toby Jones and the typecasted Mads Mikkelsen. Toby Jones is barely in the film which is unfortunate and is hard not to expect for there isn't any film that ever utilizes his acting chops properly. If the MCU passed on using him well, who to say anyone else will. The same can be said for Mads Mikkelsen. Since his underrated performance as the man-eating murderer, Mikkelsen has only been hired to play menacing characters. None have been anything but underwhelming since the short-lived reboot show of Hannibal. He might have been a semi-parental figure in a Star Wars spin-off but there was nothing to salvage either. The same can be said here as he portrays the current Nazi villain with no clear motivation as to why his mission to get the Dial of Destiny could affect his life rather than the greater good. 

There's nothing much to say about this film other than it's references to Greek Mythology within the main plots escapade, which is what made this 2-and-a-half-hour movie interesting for its second half but audiences will be fatigued by the time it rolls around the end of nobody will see coming. On a personal note, I thought Indiana Jones and the Dial Destiny would pique the interest of longtime fans and anyone who is willing to pay attention to details and the teases of the events that will transpire earlier in the film. Many may not be happy with the abundance of choices made for the characters and plot but all in all, this end to a franchise done sombrely mind-boggling that it could get younger audiences something to think about for the rest of the night. Hopefully the same can be said for their parents who grew up watching this character being constantly perceived as a hero in the end.