Spoiler alert: Haven’t seen “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny” yet and want to experience Indy’s return as “blind” and unbiased as possible? Then it’s best to stop reading now and come back when you’ve seen the film in the cinema. This article is all about the blockbuster grand finale. FILMSTARTS lead critic Christoph Petersen predicted in our 3.5 star review after the world premiere in Cannes that this would “divide” the audience. And he was right.
In any case, the author of this article was surprised at the press screening when the last act of the film began – and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) are not catapulted back to the time of World War, but to the year 212 B.C. to travel. And that provoked a wide variety of reactions from the public: A few hands were thrown over their heads, elsewhere mouths fell open and eyes started to shine, others were simply perplexed – but the finale of “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny” left almost no one indifferent. And that is good!
FILMSTARTS editor Daniel Fabian is one of those groups who have been jubilant about the time travel, teased in the first few seconds of the film with a ticking clock reminiscent of “Back to the Future”. What’s more, for him, that script decision is one of the bravest and best in the movie. And not only he sees it that way, the cast also joined him in the interview:
A perfect ending for Indy
When asked which director James Mangold could add to the franchise as Steven Spielberg’s successor Harrison Ford especially the “fantastic screenplay” – looking at the whole movie, but especially the ending: “We had the chance to tell a story where you can see how age affects Indiana Jones – and so finish the Indiana Jones story perfectly.”
“I thought it was a perfect ending”, true Thomas Kretschman and remembers the first reactions in the cinema when he saw the film for the first time: “If you know and love the franchise … well, in our cinema everyone cried.”
Mad Mikkelsen even goes one step further: “It’s just perfect. I can’t imagine any other ending.”the actor Jürgen Voller explains to us in an interview – and always sees something positive in the distribution of the audience: “That’s a good thing. Great even!”
On the other hand, the actor himself reacts with surprise to bewildered reactions to the journey through time: “Wasn’t it also strange if it was about a cup of eternal life? I don’t understand that”, because part 5, for example, is much closer to the science and theories of Einstein. “If you have a problem with realism, watch the other films [der Reihe] bee!”
Brave – and that alone is worth a lot
Even though opinions differ outwardly at the finale, the author of this article is okay with where the movie goes at the end – and not just because it surprised him. Of course, director James Mangold and his team of authors could have played it safe, delivered what viewers somehow expect. But simply giving audiences what they expect from it wouldn’t ultimately do justice to an Indiana Jones movie.
So you always threaten to offend some people, but to inspire others all the more. And if that eventually leads to passionate discussions where emotions run high, then that is exactly what cinema is all about. Better than yet another blockbuster that spends hundreds of millions of dollars without offering a shred of originality…