Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Film Review

Director – James Mangold
Writers – Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp
Stars – Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Mads Mikkelsen

The film starts during the Second World War, where an extremely young-looking Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is doing what he does best; fighting Nazis! His friend and colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) is alongside him on a caper that has them travelling in cars, motorcycles and trains in search of an ancient item! They manage to escape and bring the artefact with them, much to the annoyance of Dr Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). The film then cuts to many years later, where Indy meets Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the daughter of his friend Basil. She manages to bring Indy out of retirement for one final caper!

Yes, it’s good to have Indiana back! We’d almost forgive him for the mess that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), which was originally meant to finish the series. That film was directed by Steven Spielberg, but it would be fair to say it wasn’t his finest hour. This time, Spielberg handed the mantle to James Mangold, who previously worked on Logan (2017), Walk the Line (2005) and Girl Interrupted (99) to name but a few! He’s a director on the cusp of being a big name, but judging by his back catalogue, he should be there long since.

The real addition to this film is Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is very much front and centre, along with her sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore). She plays the role of the feisty adventurer Helena (Wombat) Shaw much better than you would expect. In her previous incarnation as Fleabag, you would have expected her to be worried about breaking a nail, but in this, she matches and at times surpasses the ageing adventurer Indy.

There are moments when it feels like a Fleabag/ Indiana Jones crossover, but it is difficult to complain about Waller-Bridge, as her performance is one of the highlights. The film starts extremely well and is a non-stop rollercoaster ride for over an hour. Sadly, it does come off the rails later in the movie, with a final act that is a struggle to accept. The filmmakers have made the same mistake as the previous film, by bringing in elements that should be left in science fiction! It would be a pity to leave the Indiana Jones saga on the bitter note that was the Crystal Skull. While this film is not perfect, it’s considerably better than what went before and the final scene will leave your eyes moistening! If it does end up being the final film, it’s great Indiana gets a happy ending.