Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, take two, a little good and lots bad

Why would I go see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a second time? Cult classics get better over time, a bad movie that’s just been released doesn’t need to be seen again. Let’s be clear, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not a cult classic. However, my extended and immediate family loves the Indiana Jones character, and its 90 degrees outside, so what the heck. A second viewing of the film didn’t change my initial opinion of the film, but it certainly explained a couple of aspects regarding the character’s fandom.

Boyd Holbrook’s character, Klaber is much more enjoyable when looking at Dial of Destiny again. He compliments Mads Mikkelsen’s heel as a violent, wildcard ruthless edge. However, being from the South I also found the fact that the least intelligent, most violent character to have a southern twang an example of lazy writing. It’s a stereotype, and in a movie where some will find themselves rooting for heels, it’s to be expected.

The exchanges between Teddy and Helena Shaw are unbearable. They’ve established a cozy world of crime that they’re trying to escape, but she’s also developing a conscience and pattern of caring toward other people. In the first viewing, Teddy was merely a stand-in for Short Round. In the second viewing, he was a character wearing a cheap Short Round suit. Teddy is as big of a distraction as Bart Simpson being a Chinese spy in the Goo Goo Gai Pan episode, except that was a great example of satire.

That’s also an example of Disney before they owned 20^th Century Fox. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny started out in 2016 when the writing started with a release date in 2019, all under the umbrella of 20^th Century. In 2017, 20^th Century Fox put itself up for sale and the purchase by Disney was complete in 2019.

And before we can blame COVID for the failure of the movie’s performance, let’s go back to the Dial of Destiny. I would posit that it’s entirely Harrison Ford’s fault that the movie didn’t measure up. If anything, the vast majority of the crowd that I saw the film with the second time was there solely because of the nostalgia that he brought to the character. They wanted resolution, a happy ending and were much more tolerant of smaltz than audiences that aren’t invested in the character.

Things are expensive, I completely understand that. However, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny does not look like a film that cost almost 300 million to make. There are continuity issues, sketchy CGI, bad green screen, and wants to offer up so much that it’s put too much on the table.

While the titular character is the same, it’s actually a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull from 2008.  The Indiana Jones franchise has printed money with each installment. The highest-grossing film was Crystal Skull and despite the horrible reviews made just over three times its production and marketing costs. If Disney is just trying to not lose money on the deal then the film needs to net over 400 million, if you’re assuming the low estimates on marketing.

It’s not that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny isn’t entertaining. It is entertaining, but you need to be in the correct mindset. It is entertaining, but it’s not a great movie. If you’re looking for problems in the film you won’t have to look for very long to find many. If you’re watching the film primarily for nostalgia or memories of the first three movies, then you’ll enjoy it. Dial of Destiny is flawed, so very problematic at times, but you’re rooting for it and just wish that everyone involved in the production would’ve made a better product.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is rated PG-13.