While it is technically impressive, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a muddled middling effort that's best enjoyed as Harrison Ford's final bow in his most iconic role and less as a great adventure movie.
Director James Mangold does a great job balancing all the genre elements, returning to the franchise's roots post-Crystal Skull. He stays within Steven Spielberg and George Luca's established franchise parameters and brings his style, delivering a polarizing climax.
Walking in with low expectations, I wasn't expecting Dial of Destiny to top Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade (my favorite of the series). My only hope was that Destiny would be better than Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And it was. It fits rightfully in third place.
On first viewing, it's decently entertaining. The opening segment featuring a de-aged Harrison Ford works seamlessly and flows naturally with the series. The action set pieces are fun even though the CGI action lacks the sense of jeopardy compared to the real stunts in previous films.
The film builds towards an insane climax that will likely divide audiences. It genuinely surprised me and I went along with it, appreciating its boldness and how rare it is to pull off shock in blockbusters these days.
However, upon reflecting on the details afterward, Dial of Destiny falls apart from the message-heavy political scriptwriting that's pervaded recent Disney productions.
As a big fan of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's talents are better served by writing and acting in her material. Her presence in tentpole blockbusters as a female voice is a forced endeavor. Her character Helena's sole purpose is to disrespect and tear down the shrine of the franchise character. It's incomprehensible how this props her up as a strong female lead and why that is appealing to movie audiences.
The dynamic rang false. Why does Indiana Jones care for Helena so much when she's so awful to him? What's worse is Helena drives the action in the entire story. It's supposed to be an Indiana Jones movie. There were so much better things to do with the screen time.
I couldn't help imagining if Ke Huy Quan had won his Oscar two years earlier, Short Round could have returned as the sidekick instead. That would have had emotional resonance.
Harrison Ford keeps the film engaging and believable with effortless charm. There's a twinkle in his eyes whenever he's playing Indiana Jones, more so than in his other roles and it is infectious. Although the film addresses Ford's age, the magic is still there. It still feels like Indiana Jones can go anywhere and do anything.
It's too bad the film doesn't seem to think so.
Director James Mangold does a great job balancing all the genre elements, returning to the franchise's roots post-Crystal Skull. He stays within Steven Spielberg and George Luca's established franchise parameters and brings his style, delivering a polarizing climax.
Walking in with low expectations, I wasn't expecting Dial of Destiny to top Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade (my favorite of the series). My only hope was that Destiny would be better than Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And it was. It fits rightfully in third place.
On first viewing, it's decently entertaining. The opening segment featuring a de-aged Harrison Ford works seamlessly and flows naturally with the series. The action set pieces are fun even though the CGI action lacks the sense of jeopardy compared to the real stunts in previous films.
The film builds towards an insane climax that will likely divide audiences. It genuinely surprised me and I went along with it, appreciating its boldness and how rare it is to pull off shock in blockbusters these days.
However, upon reflecting on the details afterward, Dial of Destiny falls apart from the message-heavy political scriptwriting that's pervaded recent Disney productions.
As a big fan of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's talents are better served by writing and acting in her material. Her presence in tentpole blockbusters as a female voice is a forced endeavor. Her character Helena's sole purpose is to disrespect and tear down the shrine of the franchise character. It's incomprehensible how this props her up as a strong female lead and why that is appealing to movie audiences.
The dynamic rang false. Why does Indiana Jones care for Helena so much when she's so awful to him? What's worse is Helena drives the action in the entire story. It's supposed to be an Indiana Jones movie. There were so much better things to do with the screen time.
I couldn't help imagining if Ke Huy Quan had won his Oscar two years earlier, Short Round could have returned as the sidekick instead. That would have had emotional resonance.
Harrison Ford keeps the film engaging and believable with effortless charm. There's a twinkle in his eyes whenever he's playing Indiana Jones, more so than in his other roles and it is infectious. Although the film addresses Ford's age, the magic is still there. It still feels like Indiana Jones can go anywhere and do anything.
It's too bad the film doesn't seem to think so.