What is with Hollywood’s obsession with the second world war and treasures claimed to be associated with Jesus Christ and Romans being looted by the Nazis? I don’t know. But, the latest and the final film in the Indiana Jones franchise, the Dial of Destiny too is based on that. In this one, the protagonist played by the veteran Harrison Ford, goes on to save a device made by Archimedes from being used to change the fate of the second world war. The film felt nostalgic and I loved seeing Mr Ford, but the plot was unimpressive and not offering anything new. It gets a Raw rating from Mangoidiots.
The story happens in 1969, the New York City of that time with the parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts, the hotel rooms of the era, and the subway have been recreated brilliantly. A convincing reproduction. The opening scene where Indy teaches his students about the Siege of Syracuse (212 BC) was a nice touch, and it tied in with the ending, which was actually surprising and satisfying. In fact, the climax was not what I expected and was a fitting way to end the franchise.
Somehow the villain and the evil he is about to unleash didn’t get conveyed enough in the screenplay. Though the audience was rooting for Jones to succeed, a connection to the cause was missing. As with the early films, you have to suspend your disbelief a lot to enjoy this series.
So, bottom line, if you’re a fan of Indiana Jones, you might want to watch this movie in theatres just for old times’ sake. But if you’re not, you can skip it and wait for it to come out on streaming services.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford
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