This starts brilliantly - the way they de-age the 79-year old Harrison Ford and other characters is amazing really. The great Mads Mikkelsen is much younger of course.
This is a return to form for the final film after the dreadful Crystal Skull. The only one with no direct Spielberg involvement though the first script was written by David Koepp who adapted Jurassic Park for the screen in 1993, then British Butterworths and the US director reviewed/rewrote it. And it is well-written - with some great gags.
Some class British actors here, Toby Jones and John Rhys-David - Welsh-born English-raised Brit who plays an Egyptian as in the first Indian films - so glad they ignored the usual woke squealing demands for 'authentic casting. Glad they TRIED ACTING instead. These Indians films are full of British talent always. Alexei Sayle is in The LAst Crusade as is Mr Bronson from 1980s TV kids show Grange Hill, as Adolf Hitler (Michael Sheard).
The weak point is Phoebe WB whose face and manner just makes me cringe always - thanks to a very posh privileged background and no doubt top connections, she's managed to use a mediocre sitcom (i watched 10 minutes then switched off) into a launching pad to cowrite the last (dreadful) Bond movie and now a starring role in this. Metoo has a lot to answer for...
It is all exciting, fast-paced - sometimes too much, I had to rewind and watch again to catch dialogue (even with subtitles on).
And to be honest, I yearn for the pre-CGI days when movies were made with REAL things, not in digital - some scenes here are pure computer game, which is shame, BUT at least they do film on location, with Glasgow standing in for New York...
The story if riddled with of plot holes and unlikely coincidences BUT so was The Third Man - and so what? It is utter hokum and knows it!
The Archimedes thing is pure fiction too BUT now the artefact - one was found in a shipwreck around 1901 off Greece. "The Antikythera mechanism is an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery (model of the Solar System), described as the oldest known example of an analogue computer[1][2][3] used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance." HOWEVER, in real life it does not offer a time slip feature...
I enjoyed this and sort of wish I'd seen in in the cinema on a big screen - it is that kind of ride. And I loved the nasty Nazis!
SO 4 stars, despite the down sides - better than I thought after seeing some negative sniffy reviews, and Harrison Ford does FINE even at almost 80!
The fifth film in this popular series is one of those that you can sit back in your seat and be entertained by seeing something familiar and yet once you've left the cinema you realise it's all rather forgettable and lightweight. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is back fighting the Nazis, firstly in a lengthy prologue where Ford is de-aged (rather well I thought) as he attempts to grab the film's 'macguffin', a clockwork thingamajig that was made by the ancient philosopher Archimedes and can predict time portals or something or other! Anyway there's the big baddie played with menace by Mads Mikkelsen who wants it for his own nefarious purposes. After some extended action sequences that go on just a tad too long we jump to 1969 and Jones is now a grumpy 80 year old who is forced by his goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to go hunting for the other half of this device before the baddie gets it. This cues some globe trotting, fist fights, chases and eventually we get some dark mysterious cave adventures that is true 'Raiders', you know with creepy crawlies and signs made by ancients that only Indy can read etc etc, and what we've all been waiting for but it's too little too late. The ending is way over the top and, if you're like me, you'll will probably mutter OFFS or similar, because it's utter nonsense. Overall, it's a big, fast paced adventure film certainly better than the previous one but nowhere near the first or the third and Ford, who carries the film, does a good job. It was particularly lovely to see Karen Allen make a short comeback too. Not the best Indy film and certainly not the worst but an OK one.
FILM & REWATCH Really enjoyed this in the cinema but since then it seems to have fallen out of favour. Although it made several hundred million dollars it cost so much plus all the marketing meant Disney took a $100m loss - and a lot of the reviews were quite sniffy. But watching it again I still really enjoyed it. Loved the opening sequence where Mangold takes you straight into the action and the de?-aging is much better than other examples. Liked the jump to July 1969 with Ford as the embittered retired prof with nothing to live for and energised by PWB as Helena with her more grafting take on events . Sure Ford is way too old for the part but he brings a quiet dignity to role and does acknowledge all the aches and pains. The central two are very good together with PWB bringing a freshness to the franchise. It’s got more than enough thrills’n’spills and globe trotting to keep it rattling along and Mads avoids too much scenery chewing as the obligatory mad Nazi. Ok the film does flag a bit towards the end and the whole Archimedes bit is the films weakest element but as the final entry it’s loads better than the awful Crystal Skull and does give Indy a final rousing send off - 4/5
Dial of Destiny arrives as the Indiana Jones movie that showcases how the franchise is out of gas. It lacks the spark of adventure and seems to have forgotten the cool stuff that makes this saga so notable. It’s not about the destination but the journey. While the Ark of the Covenant does lead to a cool sequence, the real thrill is the excitement of the chase, the danger of the snakes, the absurdity of favoring a gun over a whip, and the characters' charm. They also feature some wicked death scenes. This is the lesser sequel because the most shocking dose of violence in this entry is someone getting harpooned.
Per the continuation of the timeline, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) now exists as an older man living in 1969. Having lost his wife to divorce and his son to the war, he’s now a bitter old man who has hung up his fedora and whip. Well, until he’s again thrown back into danger when secret Nazis come knocking for an ancient artifact.
Indy is paired up this time around with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the goddaughter of Indy who took all her dad’s knowledge of ancient civilizations to become a thief. She’s hot on the trail of the Archimedes' Dial, a device that may or may not be able to traverse time. Being more of an eccentric pilferer who jumps into danger, she seems like a good addition. The problem is that we rarely get a chance to enjoy her splendor as she’s all business. She hardly has a moment to work her charm on Indy when she tracks him to a bar. They immediately start talking about Archimedes' Dial and where to find it.
This is the biggest hindrance to the film. It has the look and feel of a film diced up in editing to fit into 2.5 hours. There’s rarely a moment to feel that adventurous sting the saga was known for. Even the opening scene, which offers a retro dose of Indy excitement amid the end of World War II, still feels off (and, no, it’s not just that the sequence features de-aged Indy). Maybe the good-but-not-great shots don’t pop as much as previous adventures. Maybe it’s the lack of wild deaths for the Nazis, where a wayward turret and a Nazi getting knocked off a train feel more par for the course than Indiana Jones at full power.
Sadly, I can’t quite feel the same thrills considering the expert casting of Mads Mikkelsen as the antagonist Nazi Jürgen Voller. That’s a good choice, but it’s almost too good. Mikkelsen plays this role so straight that it’s enough to make one wonder if he was told this would be an Indiana Jones movie. He brings his A-game to a B-movie masquerading as a postmodern epilogue for the character. The result is a villain who is a threat and is great to watch but always feels a hair off as the bitter villain who gets his just demise.
In some regard, I can respect director James Mangold for wanting to make an Indy bound by grief and regret to seek a happy conclusion for his twilight years. But in the film’s attempt to be a different sort of adventure, it never finds its groove. It’s still going back in time to whip up more fantastical Nazi-fighting thrills but never delivers the full spirit amid its retro set pieces. It wants to embody the 1960s vibe but doesn’t find much to evoke during a time ripe with conspiracy. And though the film does contain a fantastical twist, it arrives with a shrug despite being so vibrant and totally in line with the saga.
The Dial of the Destiny is easily the worst Indiana Jones film but with a bitter realization for how close it comes to nearly working. It strives to recapture the old magic while making some of its own but can only muster a ho-hum adventure that feels more like a pale Indy copycat. When the film doesn’t even have time to make Antonio Banderas a memorable Jones associate, the spark just isn’t there. Not a bad adventure film considering its elements, but certainly a bad Indiana Jones film given its legacy.