Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Anyone who gasped at the flying saucer last time may be caught off guard by the end of the fifth Indy, but for me that was perhaps the most interesting part. The film is certainly not bad, but it noticeably and fundamentally lacks the creative contribution of Steven Spielberg. I'm not saying that an Indiana Jones film can't be made by someone other than him, but it probably can't be made by someone unable make it entertaining. Spielberg's vision, imagination, sense of suspense and humour and ability to think through scenes to the smallest detail, James Mangold can’t do any of that (so well). I felt as if he was trying to evoke a Spielberg-like atmosphere mainly in the excellent opening scene (where the digital Indiana Jones, vintage 1944, looks almost flawless, but speaks in a voice decades older), and then not again, or only occasionally and perhaps accidentally. It’s not unwatchable, but it’s not that good either. And the different approach is also evident in the work with John Williams's excellent score, which is an equal partner in Spielberg's films, whereas here it rather supports it. The whole time I was wondering what this film would look like if Spielberg had directed it. Do you remember that less than five-minute scene from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that starts with a bar fight and turns into a car and motorcycle chase? Well, not a single scene from Dial of Destiny is that good, and that's a shame, because otherwise everything that should be here is here. Harrison Ford still sells every look, every dry line, every emotion, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is charming, Mads Mikkelsen is probably the weakest villain of the series, but the bar was so high. In the end, I think the most important thing is that I want to see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny again. (29/06/2023)

It’s fine that Disney is keeping old dads in mind, even though the mouse lost his shirt on this film. No, it’s not Logan with a whip. Mangold made a safe, old-fashioned movie along familiar lines that is already a bit long in the tooth in the action scenes and, hand on heart, is reminiscent of a conversation with an old man who’s telling you the same old war story for the five hundredth time,  a sure sign of encroaching senility. The pace and gradation fall off after the fine first third and the film thus needs a defibrillator in the form of nostalgia, which fortunately comes so forcefully in the final minutes that the whip regains its crack. And no, I don’t mean that beautiful crisp metaphor of a person who lives from/in the past, but rather that tender scene of two people who are probably hurting all over. I can relate to that! (11/02/2024)

Not great, not terrible. At the start, when we flashback to World War II and a Wehrmacht officer shines a flashlight in the face of a clearly digital Indy, who squints his eyes everywhere but where he's supposed to, it's a bit scary, but thankfully after a few minutes the train (literally) does slowly move forward and we get a few jokes, solid action and imaginative locations. The dogged effort to honor the unique retro-adventure concept of the saga is evident at every turn, but not always entirely necessary or appropriate. Hats off to Ford, who pulls off some incredible stunts for an octogenarian. On the other hand, I believe this film will probably flop in theaters even if Indy stands on its head. Because it's too uninteresting for the young generation, with an uninteresting, generic pulled out of thin air, and the older viewers would rather watch The Last Crusade, which doesn't need try to go back to its roots, because it’s right there. (15/07/2023)

The last quarter of an hour is the only passage where some nostalgia works, and if I were the narrator, I would be much more uncompromising in my completion of Dr. Jones's life's journey. I would have found it much more emotional and logical (connoisseurs know). The rest is inconsistent to say the least. The opening with the train when there's palpable CGI rushing at you from all sides, is not enjoyable, it makes you remember with sadness the train opening of The Last Crusade, where Spielberg didn't need computers (understandably) and it worked much better. The tediously long chase in Tangier again, given the long takes, looks as if the local streets are empty of cars and people and as long as airport runways, I didn't believe it for a second. And that's how it is with everything. It's just such a see-and-forget feel-good movie most of the time, about on the level of the overwrought fourth film. Otherwise, the much-criticized Phoebe Waller-Bridge was fine, she has such a mischievous charisma and is a great counterpoint to the curmudgeonly Harrison Ford, and actually entertained me the most out of the whole film. (01/09/2023)

A nostalgic adventure ride, but Mangold should have gone easier with some the unnecessary CGI and sped up the pace. In any case, Harrison Ford is the driving force and especially in the emotional scenes (the ending) he can grab you by the heart. Again, though, I had the overwhelming feeling that having multiple people writing the script was harmful. The opening chases are formally fine, but they are basically pointless – a shorter one would have been enough. The depression-ridden and aching Indy is so much better. Phoebe Waller-Bridge could pull an entire film or franchise on her own as a more grounded Lara Croft, she’s actually the only one who’s a match for Ford. Mads Mikkelsen is an unremarkable villain, he does know how to play one, but his Nazi scientist is not fully a villain, he’s more of a smart-ass. Completely untarnished, however, is the reputation of John Williams, whose timeless motif and playful themes will hold any true believer to the end credits. (28/06/2023)