James Mangold responds to Dial of Destiny reception

James Mangold also said he tried to channel franchise director Steven Spielberg whenever he could while filming Dial of Destiny.

Indiana Jones has come a long way since outrunning a boulder boobytrap in 1981…but it’s not all that great. Since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has been met with middle of the road reception, something director James Mangold has had to confront.

In a new Variety piece, James Mangold acknowledged that he was well aware that Dial of Destiny would be compared to its predecessors. “When you’re in franchise land, it’s very hard for critical thinkers…to overlook what I’m sure their editors want, which is this business prism of how does it rate to the other ones?…I always thought if I were second or third best to one of the greatest films of all time, I’d be good. I mean, it all vaporizes later. Either the movie will live or it won’t.” Here’s where the numbers come in: Dial of Destiny ranks dead last, at least on Rotten Tomatoes, where it holds a 59%, compared with the next-lowest, Temple of Doom’s 76%. (Our own Chris Bumbray gave it a 5/10). To put it in Mangold’s terms, he’s third to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (77%), not Raiders.

Mangold also knew that viewers couldn’t help but stack him up against Steven Spielberg, who he was replacing after the Oscar winner dropped out for reasons he never gave Mangold. “You don’t want me doing a knockoff Steven, but I want to be playing from the same hymnal, using the same tools…I mean, I’m pinch-hitting for Babe Ruth. I at least have to use my own swing some of the time. But the reality is, every day I’m thinking of what he would do, how he would do it. In any way I could, I wanted to do the movie in his style. It didn’t feel threatening to me at all.” And that’s another fraction of the problems with Dial of Destiny – that James Mangold is trying too hard to piggyback off of Spielberg’s success: all of the pieces are in place, but what is he really bringing and what’s he doing to make Indy 5 more than just another entry? As the director also put it, “I wasn’t looking to make the movie my own…I would say I was looking to have a voice.”

Mangold’s voice will be heard wider when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30th.

Now that the critical consensus has been set, have your expectations of Dial of Destiny changed? Will you still catch it later this month? Let us know!