Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking.
Reviewed by: Raphael Vera
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
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| Primary Audience: | • Teens • Young-Adults • Adults |
| Genre: | Action Adventure Sequel IMAX |
| Length: | 2 hr. 34 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2023 |
| USA Release: |
June 30, 2023 (wide release) DVD: December 5, 2023 |
Harrison Ford’s final portrayal of fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones and the end of the Indiana Jones franchise
Ford was digitally de-aged for the film’s 1944 opening sequence to depict his appearance during the first three Indiana Jones films.
“Dial of Destiny” is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg nor written by George Lucas.
It is also the only film in the series not to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm that transferred film rights for future sequels.
The film's MacGuffin, the fictional Archimedes Dial, was inspired by research that director Mangold conducted into the Antikythera mechanism. Artistic liberty was taken with the film’s dial to suit the story. The dial is named after Greek inventor Archimedes, who is believed to have played a role in the creation of the real Antikythera.
Evil Nazi plan to replay history to win WWII
| Featuring |
Harrison Ford … Henry Jones Jr. / Indiana Jones Karen Allen … Marion Ravenwood Phoebe Waller-Bridge … Helena Shaw Mads Mikkelsen … Dr. Jürgen Voller Boyd Holbrook … Klaber Antonio Banderas … Renaldo John Rhys-Davies … Sallah Toby Jones … Basil Shaw Billy Postlethwaite … Prof. Donner Thomas Kretschmann … Colonel Weber See all » |
| Director |
James Mangold |
| Producer |
Lucasfilm Walt Disney Pictures See all » |
| Distributor |
In the final days of World War II, Nazi’s are scrambling to escape with as much of their stolen treasures as they can. Indiana Jones and his partner, archeologist Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), are after one of those treasures and end up with a part of the fabled ‘Archimedes Dial’. An artifact that Schmidt, a Nazi physicist, believes may unlock passages through time and make the owner god.
Fast forward to 1969, and the United States is celebrating the return of the Apollo 11 astronauts from the moon. But for Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) it’s just another day of teaching a room full of disinterested college students. After class, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) the daughter of his old friend enters his life after not seeing him for almost 18-years. She is on a quest to find the Archimedes Dial, but so are a group of heavily armed Germans working for Dr. Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen).
“…Dial of Destiny” thrusts a retiring Indiana Jones back into an adventure that will take him to Tangiers and beyond in search of the lost treasure. Indy’s goal is mainly to keep it from being sold on the black market and put it where it belongs, namely in a museum. However, his god-daughter is not exactly as she appears and has very different plans, as does the decorated German physicist Voller (aka Schmidt) who uses the men at his command to kill anyone that stands in the way of his destiny.
Objectionable Content
VIOLENCE: Heavy. The death toll is heavy and varied including people being shot, crushed, impaled, burned, thrown from moving cars, crashing, exploding, and there is an attempted hanging. Schmidt’s henchmen are as cold blooded as the Nazis they revere and are shown heartlessly shooting bystanders and even comrades at point blank range. A young boy is shown killing one of the Nazis by drowning.
LANGUAGE: Moderate. The Lord’s name is taken in vain in the form of J*sus (1), G*d (3), G*d-d**n (1), d**n (2), p*ss (1), and h*ll is exclaimed the most throughout the film (9 times), several times comically as during an anti-war protest when it is chanted, “H*ll no we won’t go!”. Admittedly the film has a lower than average number of curses when compared to most PG-13 rated films. Helena refers lasciviously to a shirtless man as “promising”.
SEX/NUDITY: Mild. There is no sex or nudity shown and only one instance of gentle kissing. Helena is shown twice ogling men in unnecessary, throw away scenes. Indy is shirtless when he first wakes up and one of the divers is shown shirtless as he is getting into his wet suit.
WOKENESS: Moderate. In one scene they are arguing over who the Archimedes Dial belongs to, and Helena sums it up by saying everyone steals from everyone, “That’s capitalism!”. Helena is the epitome of the strong empowered feminist who can duke it out, gamble and drink with the best of them and dates gangsters. Several times Helena is shown doing stunts that border on so improbable that even a younger Indiana Jones would be hard pressed to get away with them. The concept of “my truth” is subtly touched upon by our hero, but more on that later.
Lessons
There are several themes that are woven throughout the film that bear spiritual significance including that of idolatry, faith and marriage.
IDOLATRY. At its core almost everyone in the film idolizes something. Helena and her teenage sidekick, Teddy (Ethann Isidore), idolize money. Archimedes, as he is presented here, held mathematics in such high regard that he believed he could predict and even use nature itself. Schmidt worships power and hopes the artifact can literally make him a god as he would have mastery over time and in turn the world.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.’ —Colossians 3:5
There is an unexpected side affect of having such a passion for the temporal things of this world:
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.’ —Jonah 2:8
FAITH. As Indiana Jones says to Helena, “I’ve come to believe it’s not so much what you believe, but how hard you believe it.” Indy is suggesting here that the subject of your belief (faith) is irrelevant, that what matters more is the strength of your conviction. Following this ‘logic’ your ‘belief’ can and will create or manifest the results or reality that you desire.
Believing that you can alter your personal reality and that truth is not absolute and can be determined by your whims, is fundamental to the “my truth” mindset that many have been lied to by the world’s media and academia.
Bottom line, if you are seeking truth there is only one answer that will give you the peace, in this life, and the joy in the hereafter with God our Father in Heaven.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ —John 14:6
The benefit of knowing the truth was also known by Dr. Martin Luther King when he quoted John 8:32, in saying,
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Scripture further explains that,
“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.’ —1 John 4:6
MARRIAGE. During a low moment in Indiana’s life, he realizes that if he is alone, who does he have to live for? From the very beginning God did not create us to be alone.
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” —Genesis 2:18
In fact, God created marriage for our happiness, as well as holiness, but that is a longer discussion for another time.
“For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.’ —Isaiah 62:5
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” sees Harrison Ford’s long-overdue return to his iconic role 15-years after his last turn in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Today’s question is, are his adventures still worth the price of admission?
On the plus side, the character of Indiana Jones is easily the most developed and consistent character of the film, due in no small measure to Harrison Ford’s on-screen presence and charisma. The same cannot be said of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena, whose transition from very unlikeable foe to dependable ally is unconvincing. Vital lines of exposition and heartfelt moments could have been used to explain her change of heart, but without those scenes the character comes off as conflicted and the tonal shifts sometimes jarring. As a character we are meant to like, Teddy (Ethann Isidore) should have been better developed.
John Williams returns to masterfully score Indiana Jones, and it is difficult to imagine an Indy film without him or Harrison Ford, although no new themes stood out or were noticed by this reviewer. What was noticeable was the poor CGI at times, such as when Indy is running atop the train.
Fantasy and adventure films often ask for some ‘suspension of disbelief’ to make occasional plot contrivances work, but done too often, as it happens here, pulls the audience away from immersing in the story. One cannot learn how to fly a plane after hearing someone describe all the steps needed, no more than you can play a flight simulator program and successfully take off on your own. “Dial of Destiny” needed some judicious script doctoring before actual production. Let us hope there is a ‘Directors Cut’ in the future that addresses the film’s issues.
Closing Thoughts
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” has a touching emotional payout at the end for Indy that should please many fans, but may be brought low by comparisons to the earlier films featuring a younger, naturally more robust action hero. The movie is hampered by its narrative and woke elements, but manages to bring a satisfying final chapter to the Indiana Jones franchise.
- Violence: Heavy
- Wokeism: Moderate
- Profane language: Mild
- Vulgar/Crude language: Mild
- Nudity: Minor
- Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
- Sex: None
- Occult: None
In this case, many fans are complaining that she has emasculateed “another beloved hero in the name of woke female empowerment” (one of Hollywood’s current mandates), and that “Waller-Bridge’s character [Helena] dominates the action at Indy’s expense”—turning Indiana Jones “into a ‘Damsel in Distress’ waiting for Helena to rescue him.” “Helena scoffs at the idea of being rescued by a man.” And she even knocks Indiana out cold with just a single punch.
John Nolte of Breitbart magazine expressed what he believes is happening, “Disney’s Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy has spent the last decade destroying everything she touches and has done so deliberately. She obviously hates what made Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Willow so iconic, and so, she used her shallow, divisive reactionary politics to express that hatred by defiling all three into something unrecognizable. …Our cherished hero [Indiana Jones] is reduced to a bitter incompetent while Phoebe Fleabag Waller-Not-Cates is allowed to Mary Sue all over the place. Kennedy took the formula that killed Star Wars and murdered Indiana Jones. …And how did Kennedy kill Willow? She took a fantasy property aimed directly at your children and turned it into a grooming property filled with adult sexuality, including homosexuality, queerness, and transsexuals.”
In regards to recent Star Wars films, award-winning film critic Christian Toto has said, “Star Wars fans blame the saga’s woke mindset for its descent, and they have a point. ‘The Last Jedi’ featured two Mary Sue characters — Rey and Rose Tico — a pointless, anti-wealth screed and a female leader dressing down the saga’s new Han Solo-esque character, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). ‘Solo’ introduced a woke robot, L3-37, and made Lando Calrissian pansexual. The big irony? Team Disney fired Gina Carano, the popular, empowered heroine from ‘The Mandalorian’ for being too contrarian on social media.” Reviewer James Carrick noted this irony, “Indiana Jones has witnessed the wrath and healing powers of God first-hand. Yet in this movie, he utters the meaningless Leftist platitude, ‘It’s not what you believe but how hard you believe.’”
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
For a PG-13 movie the language was minimal and to be honest with all the noise from the action it’s very hard to hear when it does occur. I saw nothing sexual in this movie except for two small comments that were very mild.
I didn’t feel that I was getting fed a woke agenda. It may be that I don’t look for that typically so it would really have to stand out for me to notice.
I do believe it’s worth seeing on the big screen.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Indy is old. He knows it, and it limits his abilities. But there are flashback sequences that show him in his heyday. And for an old man he does quite well (a lot better than I would, anyway!). So it’s not quite so jarring that this vigorous young woman would outperform him physically.
Other than that the film is quite well done. Fun, exciting, humorous, and with a very touching ending for Indy. Not for small children, but well-grounded teens and above might enjoy it.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Even the Ending Credits music was excellent and entertaining. This movie was worth the wait, and makes me personally wish for a 6th installment in the Indiana Jones franchise.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
This was the second time I saw an Indiana Jones photoplay in the cinema. My first time was when “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was re-released just afore “Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was released, and it was a dream come true watching this action adventure in theatres. I had seen it multiple times on videocassette and then on DVD. But viewing it for the first time in widescreen was amazing. And I stayed through the end credits to hear the music written by John Williams. I did the same thing when the credits began for this fifth (and sadly final) adventure. But the franchise ended on a high note, even though I would have loved to see Steven Spielberg’s original vision when he waa still going to direct it. I wonder what Renee Wilson found so “offensive” about her final scene that she asked James Mangold to change it. I wish the lines in the second trailer which were not in the final cut had been kept in. However, I loved this installment.
Biblically speaking, there is one barely audible instance of blasphemy, mild profanity, intense sequences of violence which are mostly bloodless, and smoking.
See Indiana Jones” last ride in cinemas.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
But you probably are looking to see this movie because Indiana Jones movies are exciting and fun to watch—and “Dial of Destiny’ is both of these things. 2008’s “Crystal Skull’ was neither exciting nor fun; it was also really weird, with a lousy script, uninteresting new characters, and uninspired direction. “Dial of Destiny,’ by contrast, has a great script, with real ideas, sharp dialogue, a great new character in Helena (who, thankfully, remains fully clothed the entire film, even for the diving sequence—no immodest bathing suit), a superb Nazi villain in the form of Voller, and great action sequences, and it is sensationally directed by James Mangold—better than Spielberg did with the last one! What can beat having Nazis as the villains? And the opening feels right out of the original trilogy. This movie is now the third-best Indiana Jones film, after Raiders and Last Crusade. Do yourself a favor and see it on a big screen while you still can!
Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
In this movie both of the main character, Indy and Helena, are super hotheaded. They both tend to not think before they act. Helena especially never thinks first and doesn’t realize or ever consider the consequences of her until the consequences happen. More than that she lacks prudence and only acts in her own self-interest.See all »
Moral rating: / Moviemaking quality:
“Dial of Destiny” has no plot worth mentioning, no villain worth remembering and no quality dialogue which roils around your brain every time you remember a better film like The Last Crusade. I understand Harrison Ford is cashing in immensely, but even he should have been disappointed with the convoluted plot and contrived dialogue that only emasculates and humiliates one of the most iconic of fantasy characters in modern cinema.
There are moral issues about showing a young boy participate in the thefts and crimes of the main female character, Helena Shaw. A character whose dubious moral decisions and betrayal of Indy serve no purpose other than to make Indy want to try and reform her or “save her soul’ and there appears to be little of that to bother about. Her eventual reform and astonishing transformation into a better human being, keep in mind Acts 3:19, that we should “Therefore repent and return, so that our sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.’ is not convincing. Perhaps this is because Shaw is not a believer at all. A person totally unconvinced that “Money is the root of all evil.”
Inane chases in the opening moments of the film only seem to steal scenes from other movies like Disney’s Jungle Cruise. My favourite is the mentioning of dangerous eels with a legendary evil reputation; it may as well be a plagiarized take on The Princess Bride’s the Shrieking Eels the Fezig character amusingly describes. The eel scene in the ocean is utterly farcical.See all »
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 2½
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.
“Violence: Heavy, Drugs/Alcohol: Heavy, Profane language: Moderate, Vulgar/Crude language: Moderate”
Just because a film might have dialogue and themes that may appear to be God-centric and Christianity related, doesn’t make it good. I often avoid violent films with bad language, increasingly so and I’m 55. There are certain films I liked when younger and may be in my DVD collection but I haven’t watched for years, given the violent content, which I find more offputting than ever and I don’t like bad language and blasphemy in general.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: no opinion
Arriving in theaters 15 years after the much-maligned ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,’ ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ will dig up an estimated $60 million in its domestic box office weekend debut, a concerning launch for the fifth and last installment in the famed adventure-action series, according to Variety.
With a staggering $295 million budget that does not include marketing costs, Disney and Lucasfilm’s long-delayed film received a B+ CinemaScore, but garnered tepid reviews (68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 77 percent for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”). On the bright side, the movie drew an 88 percent positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Critics have been vicious in their reviews, but don’t believe their anti-hype. The movie is a fun, nostalgic, action-packed romp with plenty of callbacks to the iconic series that’s a perfect sendoff for Ford’s final turn as the legendary, hero archaeologist.
Sure it’s no “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (the most Christian-based entry in the series), but “Dial of Destiny” is definitely better than “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
Although not entirely family-friendly, the PG-13 rated “Dial of Destiny” features strong moral worldview and redemptive content, including three references to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
The movie espouses the importance of family, bravery, teamwork, doing the right thing and opposing evil and dictatorial plans. On the negative, the film is tainted by some foul language and several disturbing murder scenes, including some bloody content.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½