Indiana Jones makes a comeback with The Dial of Destiny

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Cole Parkinson
Sunny South News

Indiana Jones is making one final appearance on the big screen (until they bring him back with a new actor) and I cannot wait.

The original trilogy is absolutely fantastic with Raiders and Last Crusade being some of the best adventure movies of all time — and I even think Temple of Doom is underrated. Raiders is my all-time favourite movie.

While Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a disappointment, I still don’t think it’s nearly as bad as some think. Is it a clear step down from Raiders, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade? Absolutely, but Harrison Ford was fantastic yet again despite the long layoff. I also think Shia LaBeouf was really good as Mutt Williams. The problem was simply with uninteresting villains and the “Macguffin” of crystal skulls.

So, I understand the reluctance to place any faith in yet another Indy movie after a long layoff, I think this is shaping up to be a return to form for Ford’s last venture with the fedora and bullwhip. Steven Spielberg is no longer behind the camera as James Mangold has taken over as the director. George Lucas is also not returning to write the story as Mangold, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth.

Mangold has already given a huge character a massive send-off with Logan, so I have no doubt he can do it again. Plus, he’s a great director. I loved his last directorial venture with Ford v Ferrari — I think Mangold will hit it out of the park.

LaBeouf is not returning, which is fine, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge is taking over a similar role as Indy’s goddaughter. Mangold has said Mutt’s absence will be addressed in the movie, so I hope it’s not just a quick throwaway line, but I won’t be surprised if it is.

The Nazi’s return in Dial of Destiny and Mads Mikkelsen is the big bad and I love this casting. Mikkelsen is a fantastic actor and I’ve loved everything I’ve seen him in. I particularly love his role in Casino Royale and I can’t wait to see what he brings to Indiana Jones.

And of course, with the return of Harrison Ford, it’s quite exciting to see how thrilled he is to be back. I never got the sense he was all that excited to come back for Star Wars — though he did a remarkable job in The Force Awakens. It’s always been clear Indy has been his favourite role and the fact he’s this excited about this movie makes me even that much more thrilled we get one more movie. Even at 80, I think Ford looks great and let’s hope they do their best to steer clear of the “Old man aged down by CGI” problem that The Irishman had. The de-ageing looks great in the trailer and hopefully, it’s not only the face that looks like a younger Indy.

Speaking of the trailer — I loved it. I think it set great expectations for what’s to come and it felt like a return to the original trilogy. It didn’t give away too much, but it definitely helped reinforce my belief this is going to be a good movie. I really don’t need to see any other trailers now and I want to walk in with as little information as possible. That’s pretty hard in today’s age, but I’ll try my best over the next several months.

The return of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah is another exciting aspect. We haven’t seen him since 1989 with The Last Crusade and I can’t wait to see both Sallah and Indy back on the big screen together.

It feels like another great reunion with some of my favourite characters. Unfortunately, that reunion is still away off as the movie doesn’t hit theatres until June 30. It’s a bit of a wait, but I’ll be there opening night and you can bet I’ll be incredibly excited for one last ride.