Indiana Jones And The Wheel Of Fate most likely the last time the audience will see Harrison Ford put on a felt hat, wield a whip and go on exciting adventures in search of magical artifacts. The film is set in 1969, when the US successfully launched the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the Moon. At this time, Professor Indiana Jones had retired and wanted to spend the little time he had left, away from unnecessary noise.
Harrison Ford wearing a felt hat, wielding a whip plays Indiana Jones at the age of 80.
One day, Helena Shaw (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) – who is Indiana’s goddaughter suddenly appeared and asked her professor to help find the Wheel of Fate – an artifact once owned by her biological father. Not yet happy to see old acquaintances again, our main character is dragged into a half-baked mission when a group of remnants of the fascists are also wanting to own this magically powerful treasure.
An Indiana Jones-style movie
Returning 15 years after the last installment, the Indiana Jones producers took the safe route and delivered a story that is extremely familiar to fans of the franchise. Harrison Ford still appears with his felt hat, whip and reckless personality, undaunted by familiar danger.
The film opens with an action sequence, a long chase in the style of the Indiana Jones franchise. In 1944, an antiquities professor and his friend Basil Shaw (played by Toby Jones) took advantage of the Nazis’ loss of World War II to infiltrate their ranks to steal Longinus’ spear. However, the two later discovered that the artifact the German army was holding was a fake.
The Indiana Jones version is rejuvenated thanks to the effects.
The journey seems meaningless, but accidentally helps Indiana Jones to fall in love with something even more precious – the Wheel of Destiny invented by the ancient mathematician Archimedes to travel in time. The Nazis at that time did not know the power of the item, except for the physicist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). However, his words at that time were not strong enough to convince the soldiers to try to protect this item. In the end, Indiana Jones succeeded in stealing the bracelet and returned safely to his friend.
This opening is like a movie synopsis of the works of the Indiana Jones franchise. Certainly, many fans can’t help but feel excited when they see Harrison Ford with a rejuvenated face thanks to technology, continuing to perform thrilling antiquities theft missions. The segment fully converges what makes the film franchise successful, with reasonably choreographed action scenes, fast paced and humorous situations.
However, neither Harrison Ford nor the character Indiana Jones could win the Wheel of Fate named time. Even in the scenes using techniques to have a younger face, the legendary actor also showed signs of age with slow, inflexible action scenes. Of course, the audience could hardly ask for more from an 80-year-old actor like Harrison Ford.
As Harrison Ford’s last film with the franchise, the team certainly didn’t pass up the opportunity to recreate the actor’s iconic moments as an antiquities professor. One of the most memorable and emotional scenes in the film is the scene where Indiana Jones meets Marion Ravenwood again, when the two reenact the love scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The tuk tuk chase action in Morocco is also reminiscent of the movie Temple of Doom.
However, the age of the male lead is not the main reason for the old feeling of this nearly $300 million blockbuster. The Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Fate scenario is really built too safe and somewhat messy. Creative details in the film such as the new life of a retired archeology professor or the appearance of an unruly goddaughter do not bring much novelty and appeal to the film.
The script Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Fate is quite safe and lacks the drama and appeal of the previous films. The relationship between Indiana Jones and Helena is built quite superficially, not creating emotions for viewers. Many details in the film are quite illogical. At the same time, the duration of 154 minutes is too long for a comedy-action work without too many breakthroughs in terms of script as well as visuals.
A female version of Indiana Jones is more annoying than endearing
For most of the time, audiences sometimes feel that Harrison Ford is just a supporting actor in his own film. The Indiana Jones character is overshadowed by a younger, ambitious, and feminist version played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. We no longer see a brilliant and reckless professor. Instead, he kept repeating over and over that those precious antiques needed to be brought back to the museum. Meanwhile, the goddaughter Helena is ready to use all the tricks and tricks to take them and sell them for money.
If Indiana Jones has repeatedly caused controversy over its toxic masculinity image, building a feminist version with a personality quite similar to this character in her youth is really a confusing direction for the team. In the film, Helena did not create sympathy with the audience. Although she is the main hero of the story, she only leaves an annoyance with her cunning, spoiled personality and always pushes Indiana Jones into dangerous situations.
Throughout the film, the professor of antiquities becomes a reluctant father chasing to solve the problems caused by this adopted daughter who has not seen for decades. Audiences also find it difficult to feel the harmony between Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge on screen. From the action scenes to the dialogue, they always have a beat.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge transforms into a female adventurer with many of the same personalities as young Indiana Jones.
If Harrison Ford hangs up his hat and retires from the role of Indiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena will likely be tasked with taking over the brand if the producers continue to be interested in investing. The British star possesses a sharp look and diverse acting ability, which is very suitable for intelligent and tough female roles. However, the transmission between the two generations of characters in the Wheel of Fate partly did not create the desired effect as the studio wanted.
Scoring: 2.5/5
Anyway, with the Wheel of Fate, Indiana Jones fans can still enjoy Harrison Ford’s final moments in this legendary role. The film still fully converges the interesting things of the famous movie franchise, although it is no longer as attractive as the first parts.
