Tonight Los Angeles was blessed with the premiere of Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, at the Dolby Cinema, where guests saw the last Indy adventure on the big screen. In attendance were the legend himself, Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Olivier Richtersand Ethann Isidore; Director/Writer James Mangold; Producers Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel; Executive Producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas; and Composer John Williams, who gave guests a surprise performance orchestra.
Longtime Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg introduced Williams whom he has been working with over the years, and the curtains rose to reveal a full orchestra that played the best of Indiana Jones’ hits before screening the film to excited spectators.
“The person who is the glue to all five of these films, who gave us all of our rhythm and all of our melody, the great maestro, John Williams,” Spielberg said of his friend.
An iconic ending to a legendary character
Fans will be ecstatic to see the legendary Harrison Ford reprise his role as Indiana Jones one last time in the Dial Of Destiny. This time around Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for THIS final adventure of a lifetime.
Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Shaunette Renée Wilson (“Black Panther”), Thomas Kretschmann (“Das Boot”), Toby Jones (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”), Olivier Richters (“Black Widow”), Ethann Isidore (“Mortel”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round”). Directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Logan”) and written by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp and James Mangold, based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, created another iconic musical score.
James Mangold was given the directing reigns this time around by Steven Spielberg and he did an astounding job as cinematically Dial of Destiny has all the elements of an Indy film and aesthetically looks just like the first three Indiana Jones movies. This time around Mangold takes us to two timelines. At first back to World War 2 era, in 1944, when Indy is facing the Nazis again, who come back to haunt him over two decades later in 1969 in the form of a lunatic doctor who wants nothing more than to turn the hands of time and change the course of the second world war, amidst the historical space race.
In the earlier timeline, de-aging software is cleverly used to show Indy some 30 years ago by using stock footage of Ford and making him look as he did for The Last Crusade, which then comes into the 1969 timeline where Ford wakes up older and retired but still giving us that classic Indiana Jones demeanor. Not to mention, in one of the second scenes, we are reminded that he still got it! Abs and all.
The nostalgia, music, and action are all perfectly combined to give us the excitement and thrill as though we are experiencing it as a live-action ride at Disneyland. There is even a horse riding through the subway, with heart-pounding near misses that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Fans who have questions about Indy’s family and loved ones will see a lot of that resolved this time around and the story shares what happened to his immediate relatives. We are also reunited with some classic characters as well as being introduced to a new female heroic character in his goddaughter Helena, who does not back down and leads Indy on a wild goose chase at first before finding her resolve.
Dial Of Destiny is a thrill ride and homage to the character we know and love and gives fans one last whirlwind ride around the world with our beloved Indy.
The film opens in theatres on June 30!
Getty Images for Walt Disney