There is a theory, I don’t know if it comes from science or economics, called the law of diminishing returns. In the most basic terms possible, it says that the more you make of a product, the less you get back on it in return. This seems to be a rule that Hollywood, either ignores, doesn’t understand, or doesn’t even care about.
Yesterday, I saw Indiana Jones, and the Dial of Destiny. This was another chapter of the Indiana Jones saga. It has been 15 years since the disappointing Indiana Jones, and the Kingdom of the Crystal skull. Well dial of Destiny was a step in the right direction, it still didn’t live up to the feeling of the original three movies. I’ll get to that in a bit though. SPOILERS BELOW:
Harrison Ford dons the famous Fedora, and in what he promises to be the last Indiana Jones movie. This time, he’s in pursuit of Archimedes’ dial – from which the movie gets its name. The dial is a real-life artifact; but in the Indy tradition this McGuffin has supernatural powers; namely, the dial gives its user the ability to travel through time
The movie begins near the end of World War II; presumably, after the Normandy invasion. We see a de-aged Harrison Ford (thanks CGI) in a battle of wits with a Nazi scientist, who is looking for the dial, as the real-life Hitler was pursuing religious artifacts in World War II (see Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade).
Then our story picks back up 1969. America is about to celebrate return of the Apollo 11 astronauts; and Indy is set to retire. He encounters his goddaughter, Helena Shaw, an aspiring archaeologist- turned fortune-hunter herself. Her father, Basil, was a colleague of Indy’s who became obsessed with the Dial.
Indy learns that Dr. Voller – the same Nazi scientist who was pursuing the dial during the war – is now working for NASA – still in pursuit of the Dial. To me, this felt like the Vietnam War “don’t trust the government” cynicism that has dominated our culture for the last 50+ years. Indy reluctantly teams with Helena and her young sidekick, Teddy (a Short Round 2.0 if you will) to combine their knowledge to find the dial before Voller does.
I must admit it at this point the movie started to lose me a little bit. I felt like he was taking a backseat to the two new characters. Months ago, I heard rumors that the proverbial torch would be passed to Helena at the end of the movie. It certainly seem like the story was going in that direction. Thankfully, we get a much more satisfying conclusion to the Indiana Jones Saga. In addition, we see Indy’s old friend Sallah again. Also we get closure with both Indy’s wife, Marion and their son Mutt Williams.
Nostalgia has a way of magnifying greatness sometimes
FINAL TAKE: Between this movie and its predecessor, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I’ve realized that I need to view these movies the same way I view new Star Wars content. Both franchises started when I was a kid; but nostalgia has a way of magnifying greatness sometimes. The same criticisms I have about Dial of Destiny can be applied to any Indy movie. Others have said that the film tackles old age and mortality. While they are both addressed, the viewer is not beat over the head with these themes.
Finally, I must say I was blown away by the “de-aging” effects that were used for Indy during the WWII scenes. Am I the only person who wishes they could have done another movie set in that time?
Certainly worth seeing if you’re a fan of the franchise.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:
- Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
- A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
- The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
- Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
- The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie
AI art created with ChatGPT.
The article “Indiana Jones and the law of diminishing returns” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
Rebuilding Rob 
Leave a comment