291. Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny; movie review

 

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Cert 12A

148 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, injury detail

When Raiders of The Lost Ark hit the big screen, it was a turning point in cinema history.

Steven Spielberg created a wonderful character and gave us the most joyous amalgam of scintillating story and special effects we could have imagined.

For me, it was far more exciting than the sci-fi stuff that George Lucas had been turning out.

More than 40 years on, did I need to see Indiana Jones for one final time? 

The obvious answer was no, but there was also something comforting, like curling up on a favourite sofa on a winter's night.

I was very apprehensive about The Dial Of Destiny 3, but Mrs W and I agreed it didn't stain the memory of one of our cinema favourites.

Much has been said and written about the de-ageing of Harrison Ford for James Mangold's film.

For my three penn'uth, I thought it added to the movie rather than distracting us from the plot.

De-ageing is adopted during scenes of Indy and his archaeologist pal (Toby Jones) trying to prevent the Germans from looting a sought-after relic in the last days of the Second World War.

The movie then spins on to 1969 and, as the world celebrates man landing on the moon, Indy is retiring from his job as a professor in New York.

But his mental slumber is disturbed by the sudden appearance of his old friend's daughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and memories of the Nazi treasure hunt are revived.

Simultaneously, an old German foe (Mads Mikkelsen) is on the same trail.

And off we go to exotic locations with good old-fashioned Indiana Jones chases and those claustrophobic underground scenes with nasty creepy crawlies.

And there is a spectacular finale.

Yes, the villains are stereotypical - the marvellous Mikkelsen is a tad wasted - and there is a giant slice of deja vu.

But the movie also has a sense of saying goodbye to a cherished old friend and includes cameos from veteran Indiana Jones actors John Rys Davies and Karen Allen. 

I didn't love The Dial of Destiny, but I didn't loathe it as much as I might have done.

Reasons to watch: Indy nostalgia

Reasons to avoid: Doesn't match the classics

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? The Antikythera mechanism is real and three of its main fragments are on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It has been broken into more than 80 pieces.

The final word. Harrison Ford: "One of the other things about this movie is that this is about family. This is about a family that – there's some bumps in the road here that have the opportunity to be addressed. At the end of one's life, or towards the end of one's life, you consider all of these things. You want to set things right." Games Radar

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