Story
It’s 1944 and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is fighting the Nazis with his friend and ally Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), a fellow archaeologist. They’ve gone to recover the ‘Lance of Longinus’ which is amongst a collection of stolen ancient artefacts held by the Nazis, and in particular Dr Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). They discover that the lance is a fake but they do find half of ‘Archimedes Dial’. The dial is known as an Antikythera, which can show fissures in time. Both Indy and Shaw are captured by the Nazis, but they eventually manage to escape with the Dial.
Twenty-five years later, in 1969, Indy is visited by his god-daughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), also an archaeologist and daughter of his now deceased friend Basil. She’s very interested in the Dial and persuades Indy to retrieve it from the University archives. Helena wants it for mercenary reasons but it’s also wanted by Voller, who reappears on the scene with a gang of thugs. Voller is living under an assumed identity as a Dr Schmidt, working for NASA on the moon landing project. He wants the Dial to travel back in time to re-write the outcome of WWII. Meanwhile, NASA is assisted by agent Mason (Shaunette Renee Wilson), who tries unsuccessfully to keep a check on Schmidt and his men.
And so the chase is on, not only to obtain the Dial but also to discover the missing half. Indy and Helena eventually join forces to fight Voller and his men. Their perilous journey takes them to Tangier, Greece, Sicily and eventually back in time to ancient Greece in 212 BC, where they meet the famous mathematician himself.
Themes
Action adventure; science fiction; characters in constant peril; WWII; historical characters
Violence
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has a lot of violence. For example:
- War scenes of explosions, gunfire, people being shot, lots of guns and shooting, knives, destruction of buildings, soldiers with rifles, dogs chasing and snapping, streets on fire, planes dropping bombs.
- Many scenes of people being punched (including a woman), having a gun pointed at their head, being pushed out of cars, trains and planes, and other such fighting. Some dead bodies are seen and some blood but no gore.
- Several characters are shot dead.
- Several car chases where people are run into, property is knocked down, cars and motorbikes crash, etc.
- Indy is shown with a noose around his neck and nearly hangs when a soldier kicks the stool from under him.
- Basil is seen with blood around his mouth.
- Indy bangs on a neighbour’s flat with a bat and shouts at them to turn down the music.
- Two characters are shot in the university. Indy finds them and finds that they are in fact dead.
- Indy is captured on several occasions, has a hood put over his head and has his hands and feet tied.
- During a protest march, several shots are fired as the Nazis chase after Indy.
- Rahim, a Moroccan mafia chief, brandishes a scimitar.
- Indy uses his whip on one occasion to stop a brawl, but guns are pulled on him.
- Helena tries to strangle Schmidt on one occasion with an iron bar.
- A young Moroccan lad called Teddy, a friend of Helena’s, is abducted by Schmidt’s thugs. He’s thrown into the back of a van. A very large thug handcuffs himself to Teddy after he tries to escape and, while crossing a bridge, Teddy pulls them both over into the water. Teddy manages to escape but leaves the thug to drown.
- The plane carrying Schmidt back through time is shot down by a spear from an ancient battleground where ships are seen on fire. The plane crashes and characters are shown dead.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some substance use. For example:
- Drinking at various venues, at bars, at an auction, on a ship.
- One of the characters smokes.
Nudity and sexual activity
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Indy is seen in just boxer shorts.
- Indy and his wife kiss tenderly.
Product placement
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some product placement. For example, Coca Cola is displayed or used in this movie.
Coarse language
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has some coarse language. For example, ‘arse’, ‘for God’s sake’, ‘pissed off’, ‘what the hell’, ‘damn’, ‘my God’ and ‘Jesus’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a fast-moving action-adventure/Sci-fi movie with some very intense scenes. There’s lots of violence, with several characters being shot at and killed, and a little blood but no gore. The action is non-stop and the 154 minutes seem to go by quite fast. Nonetheless, the movie is likely to be too long and too intense for young viewers and is therefore not suitable for children under 10 years. Parental guidance is recommended for children aged 10-11 years, but the movie is more suited to older children and adults.
The main messages from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny are that good triumphs over evil, and be true to what you believe in.
Values in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny that you could reinforce with your children are heroism, bravery and courage, teamwork, resourcefulness, and female empowerment.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny could also you the chance to talk with your children about the following:
- Stylised movie violence. You could discuss the fact that a lot of the action in the movie is unrealistic with unrealistic outcomes.
- The use of violence, including by the ‘goodies’. You could discuss other ways the characters could have solved their predicaments.
- Being motivated by money and greed. You could talk about why some people see money as an end in itself.