Ever since the full trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released, people have been talking about a de-aged Harrison Ford, who is prominently featured during the opening moments of the film. While the digital de-aging process itself proves to be somewhat controversial, as there will always be folks who just aren’t buying it, director James Mangold has shared the big benefit that comes with it. Now he’s further extrapolated to CinemaBlend as to why it was necessary, as he believes opening with a huge flashback was paramount to getting fans on board with a modern Indy film.
I recently spoke to James Mangold in anticipation of the film’s release, who said this about that big, bold opening flashback:
It was one of the main reasons I was really hell bent to open with a very large sequence taking place in the ‘40s because I felt like before we confront our audience with where Indy was in 1969, I felt like I wanted to offer you an appetizer that made you aware we can do this. We're going to do this, but it's going to be a journey until you're back to this kind of heroism again, you know, in the third act. But we wanted to whet everyone's appetite, give them a chance to kind of partake of the thing we all love about these films, which is the kind of intricate filmmaking style, golden age filmmaking style, the score, the look, the Nazis, World War II, the whole the whole nine yards.
This makes perfect sense. While Harrison Ford has emerged back into the role of Indiana Jones rather confidently at the age of 80 despite rumors of retirement, the times have changed. We no longer have the moral certainty of World War II, and a classic adventurer like Indiana Jones just doesn’t fit into the film’s era of the ‘60s as seamlessly as he once did. Before showing us the reality of an aging, retired Indiana Jones, James Mangold wanted to offer an “appetizer,” starting us off with the romantic elements everyone loves about the Indiana Jones franchise.
Aside from Mangold being focused on providing us with a nostalgic last ride in The Dial of Destiny, the opening sequence was more than necessary to set up the events of the rest of the film. It’s where we’re introduced to the titular dial, the film’s main villain, Mads Mikkelsen's Dr. Voller, and Toby Jones' basil Shaw, the father of newcomer Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw. The Dial of Destiny has a pretty bonkers, yet momentous ending, and it simply would not have hit in the same way without that intense flashback of an opening scene.
You can see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in theaters right now, and if you’re a fan of the franchise, I highly recommend you do. Thankfully the rest of the Indiana Jones films are available streaming, and given the fact that James Mangold provides us with plenty of franchise references and fan-favorite characters returning, a nice reminder of the events that took place in the first four films isn’t such a bad idea. This blockbuster is another worthy addition to 2023’s summer movie schedule, with plenty more coming down the pipeline.
