Indiana Jones 5 Needs Less Sci

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introduced aliens and sci-fi to Indiana Jones, but the Dial of Destiny should return the focus to mystic archaeology.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny must not make the same mistake as the last movie in the adventure franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which can be avoided with the Indiana Jones 5 plot. As Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones once again on June 30th, 2023, the series must avoid the simplest pitfall that Crystal Skull fell into by following one simple rule. The fourth entry into the Indiana Jones franchise, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, saw Jones reunite with Marion Ravenwood and meet his son, Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf). The trio, along with Jones' old friend Harold "Ox" Oxley, uncovers the truth about the legendary crystal skulls: that they are actually of extraterrestrial origin, bringing about the controversial Indiana Jones aliens issue and forgoing the realism that the franchise is known for.

Previous Indiana Jones movies dealt with the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, Sankara Stones — all mystical, but the fantasy didn't take the central thematic stage. The Indiana Jones 5 plot details are scarce, but its cast will include Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter Helena, Mads Mikkelsen as Voller, Toby Jones as Basil, and Antonio Banderas. Crystal Skull makes the mistake of expanding the Indiana Jones series into science fiction territory, which Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny must avoid. An unwritten rule of Indiana Jones is that it's based on real-world, yet legendary, archeological artifacts. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade all focus on stories stemming from real-world religions and beliefs. Though crystal skulls are real and some believe them to be of alien origin, the introduction of Indiana Jones aliens at the end of the fourth movie feels very jarring and wrong for the Indiana Jones series. The Dial of Destiny, aka Indiana Jones 5, has to do a better job of balancing fantasy with realism.

Related: Harrison Ford Already Proved He's Not Too Old For Indiana Jones 5

Though Crystal Skull still involved a good deal of archeology, as Indy, Marion, and Mutt figure out where the crystal skulls come from, the ultimate reveal of the Indiana Jones aliens is surprising in the worst way possible. Many viewers remember the aliens above all else in Crystal Skull (alongside the CGI monkey swinging scene and Indy surviving a nuclear bomb in a fridge), and it is clear that its sci-fi twist makes it stand out as the outlier of the series. Though some defend Indiana Jones meeting aliens as simply a different kind of religion (as Indy even says "depends on who your God is" in the film), the inclusion of extraterrestrials was called out as a negative point in many reviews of the movie.

The Indiana Jones 5 plot must follow the original trilogy's unwritten rule and steer clear of any kind of science fiction element, keeping the Indiana Jones realism the series is known for intact. Mangold's take on Indiana Jones should instead focus on what made the original trilogy so great — exciting adventures based on finding a religious artifact, with a dash of the fantastical thrown in at the climax. Archeology and mythology built on real-world legends are at the core of the franchise, which is why Crystal Skull felt so different. Mangold must learn from Spielberg's mistake and have Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones take on a new supernatural threat that comes from the sand, not the sky in Indiana Jones 5.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny trailer arrived, featuring a de-aged Harrison Ford in certain scenes — suggesting that Indiana Jones 5 could involve time travel. De-aging technology is relatively new to the CGI world, and was most famously featured in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett to make Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker 28 years old again. Indiana Jones 5 shows a de-aged Indy performing all kinds of exciting stunts. If the Indiana Jones series were to continue its journey into sci-fi territory, then the younger Ford would most certainly point to time travel being a factor in the new movie.

The "dial of destiny" could be referring to an ancient device, possibly inspired by the real-life Antikythera mechanism, that has the ability to turn back time. In addition, Mikkelsen is a Nazi villain named Voller who wants to correct some of his mistakes in the past. Set photos have also included pictures of ancient Roman soldiers. However, it's wholly possible that the film could just be including flashbacks into Indy's life as an adventurer, bringing new lore into the canon. Hopefully, what's going on with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is simply the latter, as The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull proved that anything otherworldly or supernatural does better in the periphery of Indy's adventures.

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Nathanial is a film and tv nut from the UK, living in London. He's currently studying for a Master's Degree in Film Studies and has written for sites like the UK Film Review, Inside the Magic, and Coastal House Media. He's a Hufflepuff and a Daredevil stan.