The case for and against Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s bonkers ending
Like every Indiana Jones movie after 1984’s Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is here to remind you of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It has all the hits: world-hopping archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) reluctantly facing snakes and dutifully facing Nazis. Plus: John Rhys-Davies playing an Egyptian! The film is so dead-set on nostalgic thrills, it’s easy to forget that director James Mangold, alongside writers David Koepp and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, are very consciously telling a story about an Indiana Jones at the end of his career, and have a genuine interest in taking him somewhere new for what’s intended as his final bow.
This means Dial of Destiny’s last act might come as a complete surprise for viewers, even though the film teases it as a possibility throughout. It’s perhaps the most jarring Indiana Jones moment since — well, the ending of the previous Indiana Jones film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If nothing else, it carries forward a rich tradition of unforgettable endings to Indy’s adventures. It also feels like it’s contrary to the spirit of every Indiana Jones movie before it. Let’s talk about it.
[Ed. note: Spoilers for the entirety of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follow.]
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny follows Indy and many other less savory folks as they race to find the Antikythera, the Greek name for the film’s eponymous Dial of Destiny. Also called the Archimedes Dial after its inventor, the Greek mathematician Archimedes, the Dial is allegedly a compass of sorts, one that points to anomalies in space and time.
Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), the film’s villain, is a former Nazi scientist who got into the U.S. government’s good graces by helping with
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