Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

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. (07/15/2023)

A worthy farewell. Maybe even a notch better than the fourth film. But definitely a movie that every fan of the genre should see in theaters. Indiana Jones is a legend, just like Harrison Ford. Filming a blockbuster like this at eighty deserves ultimate respect from all of us. Let's be honest, how many of us will even make it to that age and still be able to move around with such dignity? Here, Indy jumps from one action scene to another, each one exciting and engaging. The plot is captivating, with a simple yet thrilling adventure story. The action is digital-heavy and over-the-top, but it's exactly what you expect from this genre. My only worry is that with the end of this archaeological legend, the genre itself might fade away, especially considering how the fifth Indy is performing at the box office. But hey, I had a great time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. This is exactly the kind of blockbuster I love. (07/08/2023)

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. (09/01/2023)

When I think back over the last three months of movies I've seen in the cinema, Indiana Jones comes out as the weakest. Objectively, it might have been worth 3 stars, but I struggled for the first time in a long time and the film failed to engage or captivate me at all. If I look at my watch at least five times in the cinema during a film, I can't give it more than 2 stars. Indiana Jones is not my favorite franchise even though I grew up on it, but I wasn't too pleased with Mangold. The acting is not bad, though Mads Mikkelsen is terribly bland when he's supposed to play the bad guy. Harrison Ford is likeable but didn't entertain me, and I liked Boyd Holbrook but he didn't have much to play here. I didn't enjoy the action scenes, they were digital and lacked pizzazz (the car chase was good though), and when it came to the adventure rides it was one of the highlights (the eel scene was probably the best), but there were only two such scenes in total. The humour was completely absent and I found the plot also quite uninteresting and not very engaging. At home I would probably have turned it off, for me it was an exhausting movie. 4/10. (07/08/2023)

The body of Jones immersed in the finale is buoyed by a force of nostalgia equivalent to the weight of John Williams' tones associated with the submerged body. Objectively, there would be shortcomings, but this is about subjective facts of the modified Archimedes’ principle, not the truth (the Syracuse finale is breathtaking, with complete The Final Countdown vibes). I think retired Indy will be pleased. No one can call him Junior anymore. James Mangold is beginning to become an expert in endings for icons. (07/18/2023)