By: Kimberly Grant
The very first time I saw an Indiana Jones movie, it was The Temple of Doom. It tapped into my fascination with Ancient Egyptian history and my love of action films. What I didn’t like was the creepy temple and the cannibalism. Thankfully, there isn’t much of either of those things in the last Indie film.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now in theaters.
Trip Down Memory Lane
If you are a Millennial or Generation Xer, then you used to watch the Indiana Jones movies as a Blockbuster rental with your parents (or older cousins in my case). The films were full of action and you learned a little bit about history as you were entertained. You got to see a man who was larger than life do literal death-defying stunts while trying to stop a priceless artifact from getting into the wrong hands.
These days, those movies would be considered offensive and cultural appropriation. The portrayal of people of color wasn’t the best. The portrayal of different cultures was pretty offensive, too. But that was the 1980s. This is a different time when inclusion is a major consideration for blockbuster films and strides are being made, film-by-film, to be … less offensive. The filmmakers of Dial of Destiny must have had this top of mind when they decided to make this film.
Dial of Destiny has the look and feel of the first few Indiana Jones films. From the set pieces to the cars to the clothing, this Indiana Jones takes its audience back in time. The only indication that the film is new is the age of its star. Harrison Ford, who plays the titular character, is and looks every bit of his 80 years. Somehow, he manages to stay active in this film, though.
Not Your Childhood Indiana Jones
To be honest, I was afraid of Amrish Puri for most of my childhood after he ripped a man’s heart out of his chest with his bare hands. In hindsight, I was probably too young to watch Temple of Doom. But I digress.
This film was written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp, and James Mangold, who also directed. This script is based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. With the large number of writers on this script, you would think Dial of Destiny would be bad. That’s a lot of hands touching one story. However, this is one of those rare occasions where too many writers didn’t spoil the plot.
In Dial of Destiny, Dr. Henry (Indiana) Jones is chasing his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), around the Mediterranean to locate the missing piece of the Antikythera. The Antikythera, nickname “Dial of Destiny”, was said to have been crafted by the great mathematician Archimedes and possesses the power to allow for time travel. There is a man who is also racing to get his hands on this time travel dial: Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi.
Inclusion
It was a pleasure to see people of color in this film who were not “acting brown or black”. They got to be real characters who added value to the plot. Shaunette Renee Wilson plays CIA Agent Mason and a complete badass. Antonio Banderas plays Renaldo the best deep-sea diver in Spain. Ethann Isidore takes a turn as the requisite young boy tagalong Teddy, who is of Moroccan descent.
The inclusion doesn’t stop there. There is no female objectification in this film, either. Both Wilson and Waller-Bridge are not relegated to be arm candy or a sex symbol. They aren’t playing the damsel in distress, either. And, they get to do some of the saving in this film. In essence, the audience is getting pure archeological fun. And, that’s what an action movie should be. Why should the men get to have all of the covered-up fun?
Action Sequences
Speaking of fun, the film’s crew must have had a great time filming this one. There’s so much action that I found myself practically jumping from my seat in the theater. From a Nazi train fight to an Egyptian car chase to an electric eel attack to creepy crawling things. This Indiana Jones gets to the best parts of what made the franchise a classic; replete with interludes of John Williams’ famous Indiana Jones score.
So when you go see Dial of Destiny – because I know you will – make sure to take the whole family. And, then you can introduce a new generation to great action and a history lesson, like my family did some decades ago.
Love action films? You can read my review of The Flash here.
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