Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the swan song to the legendary archaeologist, hit theaters with a bang last week. Audiences largely disliked it, and critics were unkind. The online debate has centered around whether the fifth film in the popular Indiana Jones saga tops Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – but is it worth the debate?
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the swan song to the legendary archaeologist, hit theaters with a bang last week. Audiences largely disliked it, and critics were unkind. The online debate has centered around whether the fifth film in the popular Indiana Jones saga tops Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – but is it worth the debate?
What tripped up this latest release from LucasFilm? Just a year ago, another long-dormant franchise, Top Gun: Maverick, was hitting incredible gross, and Indy seemed poised to follow suit. Competent director? Check over. Harrison Ford? Check over. Action? Check over. John Williams’ score? Check over.
Then came the movie and it was disappointing.
The first half is good, with some reasonably well-executed action scenes and an aging Indy navigating a world that no longer cares for him. Here was an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary and delve into the psyche of a man who has seen it all. Who else can claim to have held the Holy Grail and survived to tell the tale?
But that’s the problem – Dial of Destiny isn’t terrible. It’s just fine. Mangold and his writing team make some bold twists in the third act, but mostly stick to the tried-and-true Indy formula. However, after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones was no longer formulaic. Dial of Destiny required a more ambitious hook to convince audiences to spend their hard-earned cash on another adventure starring the worn-out hero.
Indiana Jones 5 needed a short round.
Imagine the trailer: we catch a glimpse of a hat-wearing silhouette. He fights like Indy, looks like Indy, but then comes the big revelation: It’s not Indy. It is an older short round, portrayed by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan. Shorty’s latest adventure spirals out of control as he hunts for a rare artifact, desperate to turn it over to a ruthless crime lord and pay off his debts. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Indiana Jones, who reluctantly puts on his hat and jacket one last time to help his former pal.
The film could explore their strained relationship while also delving into Short Round’s experiences during World War II. He still adores Indy, but begins to realize that he must forge his own path and set the stage for his own thrilling adventures. In addition, they discover that the object is more dangerous than they thought and go on a quest to prevent the villains from getting to the object.
Admittedly it’s still a work in progress, but you get the point.
Despite Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s talent, Helena Shaw failed to captivate audiences. While the actress gave a solid performance, her character was essentially a derivative of Indiana Jones with a slightly seedy twist. Anyone but Kathleen Kennedy want to see more of her?
The plot was also surprisingly boring, as Dr. Voller wanted to travel back in time from Mads Mikkelsen to prevent Adolf Hitler from losing World War II. Except he’s not really in a hurry and only shows up when an action scene is needed to move things along.
Though Ford remains endearing as Indiana Jones, his grumpy old man has grown tiresome. Indiana Jones 5 doesn’t leave him much to do other than keep Bark’s performance dry and never fully justifies his role in the story. He stumbles along, gets his ass kicked, and then nearly destroys the space-time continuum by wanting to stay in ancient Rome at random. Essentially, the film robs him of the happy ending he enjoyed at the end of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, throws him on a different journey and… takes him back to where we left him at the end of Crystal Skull, minus a mutt.
Sure, the ending is cute, but “Top Gun: Maverick” didn’t make $1.5 billion at the box office because of its cuteness. While this film stayed true to the formula of its predecessor, Cruise still wowed audiences with breathtaking action, a gripping tone, and a colorful cast of unforgettable characters. In other words, it was fun, energetic, and exciting—and it cost half the price of Dial of Destiny to produce!
All in all, Indy’s latest adventure needed a stronger hook if it was going to hit the box office. The combination of Indy and short round would have been an easy slam dunk. Who wouldn’t rush to the cinema to see something The Movie on opening day? Damn, who wouldn’t want to see that more Adventures with Shorty in the future?
The adventures of the short round? Bring it on.
Of course, few could have predicted the fame actor Ke Huy Quan would attain over the past year. Thanks to his incredible performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, he’s not just the boy from Temple of Doom and The Goonies anymore. He’s a real star now who deserves bigger. Perhaps he would have turned down a chance to reprise a role he had recently retired from, or perhaps he would have jumped at the opportunity to star alongside Harrison Ford – a man he clearly admires. Who knows?
Without a doubt, “Short Round” would have breathed new life into Indy and potentially led to another classic in the popular series. At the very least, his presence alone would have made for a stronger opening weekend and gave fans a new hero to root for.