Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- By Debbie Emery
- Photo By Walt Disney Pictures
While the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones series marks the first film not to be directed by Steven Spielberg or written by George Lucas (they act as executive producers, however), it still retains all the thrilling qualities of its predecessors — from Harrison Ford’s whip-wielding, wise-cracking hero to a musical score composed by John Williams. Dial of Destiny is in fact directed by James Mangold and released by Disney following the studio’s acquisition of Lucasfilm.
A new, and very welcome, addition to the cast is Fleabag creator Phoebe Whaller-Bridge, as Helena Shaw, Jones’ goddaughter who is described as the catalyst of the film’s plot. The first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released in 1981 and set in 1936. Film no. 5 is a direct sequel to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but set 25 years later in 1969, as Dr. Jones battles the moral dilemma that the U.S. government has recruited former Nazis to help beat the Soviet Union in the space race. He’s also being divorced by wife Marion and being forced into retirement … so when Shaw invites him on a quest to retrieve a mysterious dial known as the Antikythera from an ex-Nazi now working for NASA (played by Mads Mikkelsen), he naturally jumps at the chance.
Opens June 30, 2023, for more, click here.