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One Stormy Summer, Part II: July - Indy's Return
Ever since I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Indiana Jones meant something to me. I’ve seen each of the original trilogy more times than I can count. In 1998, I wrote a paper on the prologues of the trilogy for a film class. In one of my first Adam’s Rib columns, I celebrated Raiders 20th anniversary. When I met my then-girlfriend, she grew to share that enthusiasm. and we both walked down the wedding aisle to John Williams’s iconic Indiana Jones theme. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ended the original trilogy so perfectly that I had mixed feelings 16 years ago when I learned that Indy was coming back for a fourth film. Would the magic endure after almost two decades? Would Harrison Ford, then in his sixties, still be able to inhabit his signature role? Still, it was a chance to see a new Indiana Jones adventure, something I thought I would never have again. So, misgivings aside, my wife and I were there the opening weekend. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull proved entertaining enough. No one can stage action scenes like Steven Spielberg. Ford was up to the challenge, aging Indy but with enough of the rugged charm and relatability to remind me why I loved him in the first place. Bringing back Karen Allen worked on every level, as Marion was always the woman fans wanted for Indy. Many other aspects of Crystal Skull felt disappointing. The Russians as the villains made sense historically, but they lacked the menace and danger of the Nazis. Alien artifacts as the prize always seemed a little off, for an archeologist an ill fit compared to historical treasures like the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail. Shia LeBoeuf’s bland, disinterested performance as Indy and Marion’s son weighed down the film. The less said about “nuking the fridge” the better. Faced with such a lackluster film ending the franchise, learning that a fifth movie was coming gave me some hope. Even though I knew my wife and I would be overseas when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hit theaters, I insisted on seeing it right away. My understanding and loving wife agreed. Once again, my wife and I were there opening weekend, although this time it was a warm clear night in Cluj, Romania. Everything Crystal Skull got wrong Dial of Destiny got right. The Nazis are back as the villains, but in a way that makes sense by drawing on their involvement in the U.S. space program. Indy goes after a historical artifact again. Pheobe Waller-Bridge brings her perfect comic timing and delivery to Helena Shaw. For the first time in the series the female serves not as a sidekick or romantic interest, but as Indy’s equal. Harrison Ford was near 80 during filming but is in better shape than men a third his age. The film acknowledges his age in poignant ways without it ever becoming a joke. In many ways Indiana Jones was always a man out of his time, more comfortable with history than with his present day. Dial of Destiny builds on that displacement, as the older Indy grows more detached from a world that doesn’t seem to have much use for him anymore. The villain literally wants to go back in time, but so does Indy in his own way. SPOILER ALERT: The last two scenes wrap up the movie and the franchise so perfectly by giving Indy such a stark choice between the past and the present. When Ford and Allen tenderly and movingly evoke a key moment in Raiders while reaffirming Indy and Marion’s love, it was just the right note. As I left that theater in Romania, I felt elated. The elation faded when I read about the film’s box office. Though it opened #1 it was with a $60 million total, considered lackluster for a film with a $300 million budget. Media outlet after media outlet quickly labeled Dial of Destiny a flop. Even before the film opened box office forecasters predicted it would disappoint financially. It did fall short, but how much of that was a self-fulfilling prophecy? Media coverage focused on the negative reviews, but its Rotten Tomatoes score reads 69%. Its audience score was a strong 88%. We have nearly 7 in 10 critics and 9 out of 10 audience members liking the film, but it’s still regarded as a bomb. After the opening weekend, the rush to pile dirt on the film may have discouraged moviegoers from giving it a chance. This is nothing new, as the opening weekend’s outsized importance seems to grow each year. In the end the rush to judgement does no one any favors. I hoped that positive word-of-mouth would help revive Dial of Destiny’s box office fortunes, but that didn’t happen. No one, including me, sheds any tears for Lucasfilm, but this disappointment stings a little. I grew up with Indiana Jones. I loved him for 42 years as he escaped danger and beat the Nazis. He was a brave, resourceful, flawed, but most of all endearingly human action hero. I so wanted Dial of Destiny to stick the landing, and the sad part is that it did, but not enough people noticed. Adam Spector September 1, 2023 Contact us: |
