Disney dragging out 80-year-old Harrison Ford for another Indiana Jones movie is quite an appropriate metaphor for the current state of Hollywood cinema, and we’d be pooh-poohing the living daylights out of it… if it weren’t for the fact the first trailer for Indiana Jones 5 (official title: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) has genuinely piqued our nostalgia-vulnerable interest.
Directed by the extremely talented James Mangold (Walk The Line, Logan, Ford v Ferrari), this fifth and final instalment of the main franchise – “main franchise” because Disney will certainly find a way to shoehorn a spin-off – takes place 12 years after the wildly uneven Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull featuring Shia LaBeouf, which was certainly one to forget.
RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel Starring Harrison Ford Has An Epic Teaser Trailer
According to the plot synopsis, here’s what we’re in for:
In 1969, American archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) lives against the backdrop of the Space Race. Jones has started to feel doubts when the U.S. Government recruited former World War II enemies in their desperation to beat the Soviet Union out in the competition to make it to space. His goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), accompanies him on his journey. Meanwhile, Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) – a NASA member and ex-Nazi involved with the moon-landing program – wishes to make the world into a better place as he sees fit.
“I miss the sea,” John Rhys-Davies, who reprises his role as excavator and Indie’s dear friend Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir, can be heard saying in the first Indiana Jones 5 trailer.
“And I miss waking up every morning wondering what wonderful adventure the new day will bring to us.”
“Those days have come and gone,” replies a world-weary Indiana Jones.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not,” says Sallah.
What follows perfectly aligns with Sallah’s perspective, as we’re treated to footage of Harrison Ford putting his Yellowstone prequel stunt training to good use by riding heroically on a stallion, avoiding boulders, jumping across a cliffside on motorcycle, dusting off the trusty whip, and of course, decking the odd Nazi (he hates Nazis). You know — all the classic ingredients we know and love.
Ford, Rhys-Davies, Waller-Bridge, and Mikkelsen are joined onscreen by the likes of Boyd Holbrook as the obligatory crazed henchman Klaber, Toby Jones as Basil, Shaunette Renee Wilson as a government agent named Mason, along with appearances from Thomas Kretschmann, Olivier Richters, and Antonio Banderas; the latter of whom has revealed his role is “very small… almost a cameo.”
The screenplay has been accomplished by brothers John-Henry & Jeremy “Jez” Butterworth and James Mangold himself. For context, the Butterworths have had a hand in A-list projects such as Edge of Tomorrow, Black Mass, 007: Spectre, plus Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari. So fear not, the Indiana Jones lore are in safe and very capable hands.
Mangold has also reunited with cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, who worked on the Matt Damon and Christian Bale-led sports drama, in addition to a handful of his other most notable works:
- Identity
- Walk The Line
- 3:10 To Yuma
- Knight & Day
Indiana Jones 5 – otherwise known as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – currently has a scheduled release date of June 29th, 2023 (check out the first trailer above).
Side note: we were concerned about the potentially honky de-aging technology for the flashback sequences, but at a glance, it looks like they’ve done a passable job with old Harrison Ford.
