Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The last farewell to a man for whom no desert was too hot, no jungle too deep, and no tomb impenetrable. A critical and financial failure means that the memories of old times are now carried in a completely different form than before, and endless nostalgia cannot work. But on me, it does, because every reference to previous installments resonated in the right place within me, and the truly serious moments that allow Harrison Ford to give performances minimalist yet almost burdensome in their perfection, encapsulated story arcs and audience arcs that have lasted for decades. I'm not saying it's a flawless installment given that after the brilliant introduction the story drags and doesn't let up on the brakes until the final act. However, there we are given so many surprises combined with classic Hollywood spectacle that I don't even want to look back on any complaints I had with the minutes that came before. The feeling of saying goodbye to the most primal form of Indiana Jones is so bitter because suddenly I feel that five adventures are not enough, and the knowledge that it is an intentional ending doesn't help me much. The gates remain closed, and there are not many high-quality adventure films left in such an honest form. (07/07/2023)

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)

To a certain extent, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a safe and modern film stripped of all the appeal, originality, physicality and creative prowess that we loved about the first three installments, and it has also lost much of the magic of adventure. The credits list four screenwriters and the disparity is evident in the result, which feels like it was actually written by an artificial intelligence, it has seemingly all the elements and Indiana Jones film should have, yet it feels more a knockoff than the proper thing. Is it worse or better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Hard to say. In some things is better, in others it’s worse. In any case, the qualities of the original trilogy can’t be seen even from the digital train. (27/06/2023)

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)

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. (14/08/2023)