Well, I tried to tell you: Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood for one last time in “Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny.”
I ran into Allen last November at the New York premiere of “The Fabelmans.” She lives in Western Massachusetts and rarely comes into New York. But there she was, and we talked about it. She basically said, “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” But that was enough. She indicated she was back, but couldn’t talk about it.
I wrote about it. Were you paying attention?
At the Oscars I told Harrison Ford about this and joked about the secret. “Is she in it? Of course, she’s in it!” he said. I kept the secret anyway.
In Cannes, Allen did not make an appearance on the big opening night or on the red carpet. So I figured, they’re still keeping this secret.
But now it seems she’s giving interviews, there are stories galore, and so on. So I can tell you, she’s back to wrap up the story.
Only it doesn’t quite make sense. After “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Indy got caught up with Kate Capshaw in the 2nd film. Then in the 1989 “Last Crusade,” he flirted with Elsa, played by Alison Doody, who we never saw again on any movie screen.
In 2008, Allen returned in “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” This time she might have been the mother of Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. It’s now 1957, so he’s 19. She’s never told Indy they had a kid, Apparently, off screen, Indy and Marion got back together. But then in real life, La Beouf got into lots of trouble so he was written out. SPOILER: When “Dial of Destiny” kicks off, it’s revealed that Mutt has died in Vietnam (pre 1969), which has sent Marion into a tailspin and wrecked her relationship with Indy.
It’s all a stretch, but there’s a happy ending. And the best part is Karen Allen, who was needed to close this circle. Hopefully Marion and Indy go live in a commune, where nice young people take care of them and are regaled with stories of their adventures.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” starts tomorrow in previews, opens on Friday. I had mixed feelings about it in Cannes, but it’s total fun and ties a nice bow on the whole story. We will never able to recapture the excitement of the first three movies, but there’s nothing wrong with this one.
