Warning: Major SPOILERS below for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny!Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens with an extended flashback sequence that features a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford, but the CGI effects aren't totally seamless. De-aging has become more prevalent in Hollywood blockbusters, but the results so far have been decidedly mixed. Tron: Legacy from 2010 was one of the first major movies to try it with Jeff Bridges' character, but even for the time, the effects left a lot to be desired. In the years that followed, the likes of Will Smith's Gemini Man and Captain America: Civil War would feature de-aged actors, again with mixed results.
Perhaps one of the most successful examples to date is Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in Captain Marvel, which lacks many of the telltale signs of digital de-aging. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny features some of the most ambitious use of the tech thus far, with an extended opening that features Ford's Indy in his prime as he battles Nazi soldiers on a train. This sequence has been much hyped by the filmmakers and heavily used in marketing, but while Indiana Jones 5's de-aging effects get a lot right, the tech still isn't at the point where it's completely convincing.
Indiana Jones 5's CGI De-Aging Is Some Of The Best We've Ever Seen
Whatever faults the CGI de-aging process has, it can still be an incredible tool, and it only continues to improve. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's trailer caused shock for how incredible the de-aged Ford looked, and there are many shots in the movie that it truly stands up to scrutiny. From the first time he's unmasked by the Nazis to sheepishly making his way through a carriage of soldiers while in disguise, it truly feels like audiences are watching a 40-something Harrison Ford playing Indy once more.
The true aim of any de-aging scene should be to make audiences forget about the effect entirely. To the credit of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold, there reaches a point where viewers just get swept up in the action of the introduction itself, and become less focused on how successful the VFX on Ford looks at any given moment.
Young Harrison Ford Doesn't Have Awkward Movements That Hurt The Irishman
Martin Scorcese's The Irishman is arguably the film that's pushed CGI de-aging the most, with the Netflix gangster epic shaving decades off stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Great as The Irishman is, the overuse of the tech proved distracting in many scenes, where the actors appeared to resemble video game characters. Perhaps the single biggest element that hurt the effects was that while the main trio of actors were made to look decades younger, their physicality revealed their true age.
This was especially noticeable in an Irishman scene where De Niro's character beats up a shopkeeper who shoved his daughter. The body language and movements of De Niro in this scene were clearly those of a man in his 70s, which robbed the scene of impact. Thankfully, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's opening avoids that problem entirely, with Ford still appearing utterly convincing as a much younger version of the archeologist. Perhaps body doubles were used for the more intensive action beats, but the movie definitely avoids the complaints that befell The Irishman.
Indiana Jones 5 De-Ages Harrison Ford's Face, But Not His Voice
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may have avoided the issues with physicality that impacted The Irishman, but there's still one way it betrays Ford's true age. Ford was 78 years old when production on the new Indiana Jones movie began, and while the character isn't overly chatty in the opening setpiece, he still sounds his age whenever the character speaks. This may have been overcome with the aid of some post-production work, but in truth, Ford should deliver the performance honestly than worrying about those viewers who might get distracted that Indy sounds gruffer than he should.
Young Harrison Ford's De-Aging Still Has Some Wonky CGI
Good as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's de-aging effects are, it still falls victim to the same issues that plagued the likes of Gemini Man. There are many instances - especially during hectic action beats - where Indy's face either looks too cartoonish or video gamey. In particular, a scene where Indy is hanging from the neck as a building collapses around him suffers from many uncanny valley moments. A lot of work was clearly poured into the sequence, but it still proves that no matter how much filmmakers might tout de-aging technology, it's still in need of refinement to render it invisible to the naked eye.
Indiana Jones 5's CGI Harrison Ford Scene Is A Bit Pointless
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's opening scene sets the story in motion, introducing Mads Mikkelsen's antagonist Voller and the titular Archimedes Dial, which has the power to detect fissures in time. In truth, the real purpose of this scene was James Mangold paying homage to the original Indiana Jones movies, and giving audiences a throwback sequence to Indy's heyday. While that intention is noble and it's a fun action sequence in itself, at over 150 minutes in runtime, there's a question of whether the sequel needs the scene at all.
Harsh as it may sound, if Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's entire opening 20 minutes were cut, the story would still work fine. All the information audiences need to know can be found in the main 1969 timeline, including more context on what the Dial of Destiny itself does and a reintroduction to an older Voller. On its own, the first chunk of the movie is perfectly fine and a technically impressive showcase for how far CG de-aging has come since the likes of Tron: Legacy or even The Irishman, but storywise, it doesn't add all that much.
If The Dial of Destiny had tightened this opening to around ten minutes, it would have been to the movie's benefit. Still, there's a retro charm to the scene, right down to the title font resembling the one used in Raiders of the Lost Ark back in 1981. Ultimately, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny introduction isn't the showstopping, VFX bravura it was billed as but for Indy fans who wanted one final scene of the character in his heyday, it works a treat.
