The following contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, in theaters now.
As Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny progresses, Harrison Ford's last hurrah as Indy is quite action-packed. The movie homages the nostalgic days of Indy treasure-hunting. While also pitting him against Nazis in 1969, taking the character back to his roots.
However, there's a modern spin with Helena as Indy's goddaughter helping out, as well as Teddy, the new Short Round. In this case, they're aiding in a simple narrative: stop the Nazis from getting the Archimedes Dial and going back to replace Hitler. Sadly, despite the story being simple enough, there are many plot holes and burning mysteries that take away the momentum as Indy seeks to retire.
8 How Is Indiana Jones Able to Fly?
Near the beginning of Indiana Jones 5, Voller and the Nazis raid Indy's college, killing many of his colleagues when they try to find the Dial. Indy flees, but he's framed for the crimes. With his face plastered all over the news, Indy is rescued by his old buddy, Sallah.
However, there's a problem with Sallah taking Indy to the airport so he can fly to Morocco and retrieve the Dial. The CIA has labeled Indy a fugitive, so there's no way a wanted man should be flying internationally. This goes against governmental operations, especially with the CIA involved. New director James Mangold could have simply had Sallah find Indy a black-ops plane, which would have fit the old films, and even later on, when Indy works with his smuggler buddies.
7 Why Doesn't Helena Initially Care About Indiana?
Helena steals the Dial from the Nazis and Indy, intent on selling it to illegal dealers in Morocco. However, while she isn't on the same page professionally in terms of protecting culture and traditions, there's no reason for her to hate Indy. She leaves her godfather a wanted man when she could have helped clear his name.
This is totally forgotten later in Indiana Jones 5, as they patch things and try to get the Dial back when Voller seizes it. Sure, Helena becomes a hero, but she condemns Indy to a dark fate. It's all plot convenience to add drama to Indy's life, but it doesn't really endear Helena -- it makes her more selfish and less considerate, especially toward a man who cared for her.
6 How Doesn't Helena Know About Mutt?
In Indiana Jones 5, Indy tells Helena he's nursing a broken heart. His son, Mutt, died in the Vietnam War, leading to Indy and Marion getting divorced. He just couldn't grieve with her.
The issue is that Helena knows a lot about Indy's life, especially because Basil (her dad) kept tabs on Indy, and vice versa. So she should have at least known some of the big developments in her godfather's life. The film uses this conversation just to increase the sympathy factor and give her a big emotional moment when Indy leaks the truth.
5 Why Doesn't the Dynamite Kill People or Sink Renaldo's Boat?
When Helena and Indy get another relic to help their chase, Voller's men attack their boat. Helena uses a stick of dynamite, though, with Indy lighting it for her. Firstly, it's ridiculous to think that with so many goons around, Helena could hide Indy behind her back to do this.
More importantly, when she throws the stick down, it explodes, but no one's dead or noticeably injured. The boat doesn't even spring a leak or sink. It's a weird moment that not even Indy questions, which is odd as he's a man of science.
4 Why Doesn't Voller Use Other Resources to Track Team Indy?
When Indy, Helena and Teddy leave Renaldo's boat in another boat, they head to Syracuse for the Dial. Voller simply uses binoculars and tracks them, though. But it begs: why doesn't he use another asset to protect his boat and men?
Voller has enormous resources, influence and money. Another boat to keep watch or track escapees would have prevented Team Indy from leaving. Plus, he even has secret planes in Indiana Jones 5's finale, which help him use the Dial and go through a portal. He could have used them over the ocean to surveil and ensure Indy's crew never leaves by firing at them and blocking them in. For a Nazi war leader, his strategy and tactics are lacking.
3 Why Doesn't Indy Believe in Supernatural Things?
In all the Indiana Jones movies, Indy has dealt with relics that grant users godlike power. The Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail and the Sankara Stones are mystical objects, while the crystal skull offers a look into alien life. Yet, in Indiana Jones 5, Indy makes it clear he doesn't believe in magic and weird stuff happening.
As such, his cynicism of the supernatural doesn't add up. It's just counterintuitive to all his life experiences and journeys prior. Had he tried to explain these adventures using science, it'd have tracked. But Indy being a doubter and a skeptic doesn't match continuity and the uniform essence Mangold tries to achieve for the swashbuckling lecturer.
2 How Does Indy Clear His Name?
In the end, the Nazis die when everyone visits Archimedes' time and the Siege of Syracuse in 214 BC. But when Indy, Helena and Teddy return, they don't really have anything to clear his name. There's no evidence suggesting Indy's a hero and was framed by the Nazis.
Indiana Jones 5's ending just wraps things up quickly and has Indy reuniting with Marion. Taking a Nazi back, like Voller, would have helped clear the air. This would have further shined a light on the US government, which was using villains who never gave up the Third Reich to boost its space program. In fact, Indy never brings up the NASA infiltration again, despite it being prominent early on.
1 How Did Archimedes' Portal Plan Work?
When Indy's team finds Archimedes, he sees the future Dial, which inspires him to finish his Dial. It's a closed time loop, and as this bootstrap paradox occurs, the inventor admits he made the Dial so someone from the future would come back to help during the Roman siege and invasion of his territory.
The question is: why would Archimedes assume someone would find that specific portal? In fact, he couldn't have predicted that if heroes found the relic, they'd know to visit him. Had the Dial had some message inscribed to guide them to his coordinates and that associated rift, it'd have made sense. Instead, it's pure luck and chance, with the Nazis messing up the time jump to Hitler and not calculating the "time fissure" correctly.