The 6 Best And 4 Worst Moments In Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

The following post contains spoilers for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny."

Few characters are more instantly recognizable than the whip-cracking, treasure-hunting, Nazi-punching professor of archeology known as Indiana Jones, played to perfection by Harrison Ford. While the franchise has had ups and downs over its 42-year history, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" still ranks number 10 on AFI's list of the "100 Most Thrilling American Films" and is considered one of the best adventure films ever made. Its sequel, "Temple of Doom," was deemed a bit too dark upon release, but it has gained a broader appreciation in the decades since. "The Last Crusade" remains a rip-roaring crowd-pleaser thanks to Sean Connery and Ford's brilliant father-son chemistry. Given that "Kingdom of Crystal Skull" was not a fan favorite, everyone hoped that the fifth and (supposedly) final entry in the series would give Indiana a proper send-off. 

While "Dial of Destiny" may not reach the cinematic heights of the original trilogy, it's leagues better than "Crystal Skull." It takes big swings in the final act, making it a bigger and wilder adventure than anything Dr. Jones has previously experienced. Setting the film in the aftermath of the Apollo 11 Moon landing creates the perfect environment for Indy to reflect on a changing world, and to question whether or not it still has a place for aging adventurers like himself. While several jokes target Indy's age, the script also includes poignant moments during which our hero reflects on his big regrets and losses, and we never doubt that Harrison Ford has still got it. Even after all these years away, the character still fits as well as Indy's trusty fedora.

Mads Mikkelsen's Voller has an intriguing reason to want this film's MacGuffin, Archimedes' dial: He intends to use the dial's time travel capabilities not to help Hitler, but to kill Hitler and replace him as leader of the Nazi party. It's a sneaky subversion of an age-old trope. Sadly, his henchmen seem to be along for the ride for ... reasons? Boyd Holbrook plays Klaber, Voller's right-hand goon who's quick to do his boss' bidding and kill any random civilian who gets in the way. Klaber participates in a thrilling chase through an Apollo 11 parade, but aside from a propensity for solid action beats and general bad-guy vibes, we don't learn anything else about him.

Klaber is cold and ruthless, and his propensity for casual violence is shocking, especially when he brutally guns down two of Indy's co-workers, framing Indy for their murders (a superfluous subplot that receives zero resolution). We get vague hints that Klaber is a racist and a misogynist in the way he talks to Mason (Shaunette Renée Wilson). But why is Klaber helping Voller? What is his stake in this potentially world-altering plot? We don't know because the script never bothers to tell us. Holbrook plays Klaber with an appropriate amount of menace. We just wish his character wasn't paper-thin.

Indy and Helena's escapades take them to the Aegean Sea, where they need to explore a shipwreck in order to find an ancient tablet with instructions on how to use the dial. Diving isn't a skill listed on Indy's resume; luckily, his old friend Renaldo (Antonio Banderas) is just the man for the job. Indiana and Renaldo enjoy a brief mini-reunion before they immediately hop on the latter's boat. During the dive, there's a fun callback to Indy's fear of snakes when dozens of eels pop out of the shipwreck and surround him. It's only a moment of peril, though, since he's swiftly brought back aboard the ship, where he finds Voller surrounded by Renaldo's dead shipmates. Sadly, Renaldo joins them in the afterlife minutes later.

As Banderas told Collider, while his appearance is "almost a cameo," he was "very happy to be part of a saga that is of the history of motion pictures, obviously." That said, when you cast an actor like Antonio Banderas, you create certain expectations. We're not asking for an entire flashback featuring Renaldo and Indy. A brief dialogue scene in which the two reminisce about their old adventures would have sufficed — any glimpse into their friendship, really, to make us care when Voller unceremoniously kills Renaldo. As it is, however, there's no emotional payoff, even though we assume there's supposed to be. Renaldo's non-existent backstory and quick demise make this diving side quest feel half-baked.

Helena, played with snarky delight by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, proves more than capable of taking care of herself throughout "Dial of Destiny." However, one of her daring feats comes across as a little silly. Voller, his crew, and a wounded Indy barrel down the runway in a WWII aircraft while Helena races alongside in the rain on a stolen motorcycle. She manages to get close enough to the plane's landing gear to leap onto it, and somehow holds on to the rain-soaked bearings as the plane takes off into the sky.

While some corners of the internet disliked Helena even before the film's release, we agree with /Film's Lex Briscuso, who calls Waller-Bridge a "worthy companion with grit, brawn, and brains." Helena goes toe-to-toe with Indy repeatedly, and they have a fun antagonistic chemistry that leads to an emotionally satisfying understanding and mutual respect. This scene, however, is not Helena's finest, mainly because the effects are murky. It's not a terribly original stowaway plan, either. We hesitate to say that it's far-fetched given that the Indiana Jones franchise is loaded with similarly unbelievable moments. It's just that the sheer impossibility of the stunt, the lackluster CGI, and the been-there-done-that vibes make the end result feel more shrug-worthy than anything else.

If you thought Helena's stowaway bit was silly, get ready for Teddy's first flight. As far as we can tell, Teddy has never flown a plane before; we doubt he's even been in a cockpit. That doesn't stop him from hopping into the nearest propeller plane and flying after Indy and Helena into a fissure in time that transports them all back to 214 B.C. That's already a little too convenient, and that's before we account for the pilot of Teddy's stolen plane sleeping through the extremely rocky take-off, only waking up once they've time-traveled.

Yes, this franchise is known for outlandish escapes, but something about Teddy's is simply too much. One line about his dreams of becoming a pilot, or a reference to a stolen plane or two during his previous adventures with Helena, or any small detail like that, is really all we need. But Teddy ends up in the past and dodges ancient projectiles with little help from the narcoleptic pilot and no explanation from the film. The contrived plot beat almost feels like a placeholder until the writers could figure out a better way to get Indy and Helena back through the fissure. Unfortunately, it made the final cut. It's not the worst thing to ever happen to the Indiana Jones series, but it'll elicit a few eye rolls.

In the climax of "Dial of Destiny," Voller and Teddy's planes head towards a massive cloud that Voller believes to be a window to the past. Instead of flying back to 1939, though, they end up at the Siege of Syracuse in 212 B.C. The Romans believe the aircraft are dragons and launch every manner of ancient projectile they have in response. Eventually, Indy and Helena parachute to safety. Indy meets Archimedes, and we realize that the watch in his tomb belonged to Voller. It has always been Indy's destiny to travel to this moment. There's a tear-jerking scene in which a wounded and emotionally broken Indiana pleads to stay in the past, but don't worry; his journey doesn't end in ancient Sicily.

The third act of an Indiana Jones movie reveals the primary artifact's mystical powers: the face-melting Ark of the Covenant in "Raiders," the immortality-granting Holy Grail in "Last Crusade," and so on. These supernatural twists force a skeptical Indiana Jones to question his beliefs, and allow the audience to watch in wonder at unfolding movie magic. "Dial of Destiny" takes the franchise's biggest swing yet, and whether it works or not is going to vary from viewer to viewer. Wherever your opinion falls, though, it's quite fitting that a man who's obsessed with history gets to see it unfold with his own eyes. James Mangold fills the sequence with stunning visuals, bringing back the same sense of awe we felt when we saw ghosts melt a Nazi's face 42 years ago.