Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

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. (2023-06-28)

The actors and John Williams’ musical motif are pleasing and Harrison Ford’s de-aging is great. The surprise in the climax is more acceptable than the nonsense with the aliens in the last instalment. But the ubiquitous digital, when even a tuk-tuk cruising the narrow Moroccan alleys is not real, is something that I DO NOT WANT in an Indiana Jones movie. Because I still love the films of the original trilogy for their inventive and honest filmmaking. This routine in which filmmakers don’t have to be creative in their craft because the CGI post-production does everything for them is the complete opposite of Spielberg’s original approach. And the potential of every scene suffers because of that. (2023-08-14)

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. (2023-07-08)

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. (2023-07-18)

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. (2023-09-01)