2 hours and 34 minutes. It has to be highlighted. It is what ‘Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny’ (James Mangold, 2023) lasts, and the truth is that so many minutes weigh. In fact, they are the great ballast of a more than remarkable return, which puts a very worthy end to the adventures of the archaeologist and makes us forget that fiasco that was ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (Steven Spielberg , 2008), a failed feature film from which only its spectacular introduction was saved.
Mangold, the director behind ‘Logan’, the stupendous and twilight film about Wolverine, takes his example and sends himself at ease with another introduction full of strength, nerve and humor that places the viewer at the end of World War II and lays the foundations of the tape. The Germans are in retreat and take a good part of the looted relics. One of them is the one that a young Jones is looking for, captured along with his friend Basil Shaw, as soon as the show starts.
The rejuvenated Jones by the work and magic of the digital effects – there will only be another sequence like this in the rest of the film – gives the hit and the result is impressive enough to forget that the character we see on the screen is not entirely real. On the other hand, when the action becomes more complex, the sensation of reality fades a bit and the image enters the so-called uncanny valley, that limit in which the synthetic image generates some rejection for the viewer.
Despite everything, as a whole, the introduction shines brightly and provides the viewer with the right dose of tension and fun, with Jones coming out of a noose around his neck, a bomb, acting as a driver for a German colonel and getting on a moving train full of Nazis, in an entertaining roller coaster that already presents who will be the villain of the film, Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) and the coveted object that Jones will pursue throughout the adventure, the Antikythera mechanism, whose half -the other is missing- in this outburst Jones manages to snatch Voller.
The action then moves to August 1969, on the last day as a teacher for a Jones, who lives alone in a ramshackle apartment and is no longer looking for adventure. The alcohol with which he drinks his morning coffee makes it clear that he is not having a good time. However, the appearance of Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the daughter of her friend Basil and her goddaughter, change things. Apparently, she is interested in the Antikythera mechanism. It will not be the only one, since Dr. Voller, who now works at NASA, reappears on the scene to try to get hold of the object that can change the course of history. At the last moment Helena escapes with the artifact and from there begins a ‘tour de force’ for Jones who will visit cities like Tangier, Athens or Sicily to try to recover it, while the motivations of the rest of the characters are discovered.
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate’ doesn’t have the most elaborate plot in the world, but it doesn’t need it either, and it does do a lot of things right. To begin with, he exemplarily describes a Jones tired of so much hustle and bustle -he makes it explicit on occasion-, unable to find his place in the world, now that many relatives and friends have left. He also does not miss the opportunity to draw an intelligent cheek in Helena -be careful, it would not be at all strange if the character gave rise to other films-, perfect to give the reply to Dr. Jones. And finally, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp, co-writers with Mangold, have managed to capture the saga’s characteristic sense of humor. And yes, there are nods to other films in the franchise, but, unlike what happened in the previous installment, they do not hinder the development of the film and flow naturally.
It’s not the only smart decision in the script. Putting the Antikythera mechanism in the center of the plot, a real artifact that has always aroused great interest among archaeologists as it is considered an Oopart, which is what objects of historical, archaeological or paleontological interest found in are called in English. in a highly unusual or seemingly impossible context that could defy conventional story chronology, it is brilliant because it introduces into the story the layer of mystery that has always plagued the archaeologist’s tapes and holds the viewer’s interest.
It is clear that Ford can no longer run like before -he wears 80-year-old shoes-, but the new installment has stupendous action sequences that range from intense chases aboard tuk tuk, to impossible flights into the unknown -the daring and imaginative ending will give to talk about – going through dives in the depths of the ocean or dangerous caves. There are also terrible ones, like the horse chase during the Apollo XI astronaut parade through New York, already seen in the trailer, where the CGI is pitiful. Despite this failure, visually it is very competent.
Thus, the final result is relatively balanced and allows the film, between jumps, chases and shots, to reflect on the passage of time, age or mourning and play with the idea that the Nazis are still among us, in a unexpected nod to the present. With some very remarkable performances -Ford, Waller-Bridge and Mikkelsen are magnificent, but Ethann Isidore, as Teddy, a kind of Stopper without that hateful attitude, is perfect-, it’s a pity that there hasn’t been a greater demand in the editing room because by carefully trimming the action sequences or the occasional transition scene that is not so necessary, the film would be much more rounded, tense and direct to the jugular, which is what should be required of an action film and adventure. Not even with those would it be equal to the original trilogy -and here I suppose that nostalgia comes into play-, but it would be even closer.
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