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Have fun! I'm sure you will.
Though I'm a little softer then her on DOD (and KOCS) and harder on LC
I agree with your thoughts. Just saw it, with a big box of salted popcorn, and really enjoyed it more and more as it went on. The surprising last act was great fun, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was great and also had her „eek“ moment, which was fun.
I'm glad you two share my feelings about the film in general and also my observations of what could have been improved. Just for good measure, I watched TOD again tonight after having seen the other three at home before getting to the cinema for DOD yesterday. And I do think that TOD (like the others of the first three) was far more concise than the new one. It is certainly not objective in any way, but the initial 1945 (or so) sequence dragged quite a bit, and the same goes for the extended chases later on. I think less of all of those would have been more. Other than that, I also do think that PWB was brilliant (as was Harrison Ford, of course), and anyone who was not moved by the ending has no emotional affection for the IJ series. A worthy and dignified ending, and let's hope Disney is not going to have second thoughts about this.
Oh yes, and the additional music that the greatest movie composer ever, John Williams (I'm not saying this lightly, being also a huge admirer of Ennio Morricone, and there is also John Barry and others), wrote for this movie is magnificent. I insisted (as some of a few in the audience at the cinema) to watch the closing credits until the last note was played (in glorious Dolby Surround 7.1). What I noticed was that this was (IIRC) the first closing credits music in the series that did not in the end return to the Raiders' March, which used to be sort of the equivalent of showing the announcement "James Bond will return". Also a way of making it clear that this was the last Indiana Jones movie. At least he wasn't blown to smithereens unlike the other guy.
PS: I can't say that I really noticed the tune in the movie, but watch this on YouTube, with Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the violin:
https://theguardian.com/film/2023/may/18/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-review-harrison-ford-cracks-the-whip-in-taut-sequel
-you can feel the age of Indy, and sometimes the movie goes a bit slow and his travels this times aren't that exciting(a touristic Greek cave isnt as exciting as a temple in India or Egypt) because of that age sadly…
Don’t understand the hate towards PWB….
Thought the first act was a lot of cgi….overal it contained a lot of nostalgia, but its hard to see your heroes so old and ‘broken.’
I love the Nazi’s as villain…but one deranged Nazi isn’t as exciting as a whole army…you just don’t feel the danger like in the earlier movies…
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the first Indiana Jones film not directed by Steven Spielberg, and whose story is not written by George Lucas. Despite this, it's a solid movie, and a fine send-off to the character as played by Harrison Ford. It is, on the one hand, a quintessential Indy picture, with all the requisite qualities —an archaeological mystery, a race against time, elaborate action scenes— and on the other, it is a wistful exploration of a character at the twilight of his life. It's a logical and interesting approach that makes the film feel fresh in the context of the series.
The opening segment of the film is quite exciting, in how it sets an otherwise fairly traditional Indiana Jones action scene in the thick of WW2. The premise of the Germans transporting priceless antiques by train, a concept that's already interesting by itself (and evocative of the 1964 film, The Train), is made even more involving because of the urgency of the situation, with the Germans hurriedly evacuating a castle at the threat of the Allied planes flying over the sky. It's great fun to see the Allied bombings change the course of the action, sometimes helping Indy, sometimes placing him in danger, and often doing both at the same time. Indy's disguise as a German soldier also provides the basis for a bunch of clever and comical situations that are fairly Spielbergian, such as Indy inadvertently becoming the chauffeur of a German officer, or the reveal of the gunshot wound on the back of Indy's stolen uniform, which tips off the German soldiers that he's not who he appears to be. Even with all the action, there is still room for interesting character beats, especially in the somewhat tense relationship between Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) and Colonel Weber (Thomas Kretschmann). Kretschmann's role, albeit brief, is satisfying in its straightforward, no-nonsense type of villainy. On the negative side of this opening part, the CGI de-aging appears to reduce some of Harrison Ford's facial expressiveness, but the effect is still very convincing, certainly miles beyond something like The Irishman. It's also interesting to observe how the music has many callbacks to previous scores, as if meaning to underline the quintessential flair of this part of the movie, compared to the rest of it.
Indeed, after this entertaining section, the film does a 180 degree turn. In flashing forward to 1969, Dial of Destiny takes on a melancholy tone that lasts, to some degree, until the very end. Seeing Indy lonely and morose, facing old age in the midst of a changing world, divorced from Marion (Karen Allen) and with son Mutt having passed away, is fairly affecting, and this wistfulness is easily the most significant break from tradition in all of the five films. Not even the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which also dealt with old age, aimed for this relatively somber feel. The story gets going with a lot of intrigue, as we find out Voller, under a false identity, has spent his time after the war working with the Americans to develop their rockets, and in turn, now asks for their cooperation in locating the title artifact, the dial made by Archimedes that will presumably grant its user the ability to travel in time. Voller's aloof and calculated presence makes him an intriguing character, and Mads Mikkelsen is particularly effective at playing this kind of role. When Indy meets goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and is pulled into Voller's plot, the film slightly takes on the feel of a thriller for a few minutes, as Voller's trigger-happy henchmen murder some of Indy's colleagues at the college where he teaches. Still, a few minutes later, a more adventuresque feel returns as Indy escapes Voller's people on horseback through a parade celebrating the moon landing, and through the NY subway.
As the action moves to Morocco, we get some more Spielbergian comic action touches, in the auction scene and the frantic rickshaw chase, with its multiple twists and turns involving three different groups of people. To some extent, however, one can sense that Spielberg isn't behind the camera, as the action beats in the latter scene are a little too fast, and some of the camera shots a little too tight, and not as sweeping as Spielberg would make them. Still, it's good fun. For a while, the character of Helena, resourceful and adventurous, threatens to be a little too competent, to the point of overshadowing Indy, who, despite holding his own against her, remains melancholic and is less physical than he used to be. However, the film balances this by making good use of Helena's negative traits. Her duplicitous and mercenary nature is both a source of tension (on a boat in the Aegean Sea, she momentarily appears to side with the villains after being caught by them along with Indy) as well as character development (she claims to be all about the money, but her affectionate relationship with young sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore), as well as her growing affection for Indy, say otherwise).
As mentioned, Indy and Helena head for the Aegean Sea by boat, and here we meet Antonio Banderas' character, Renaldo, an old friend of Indy. He brings such a joyful, charismatic energy to the film that one wishes his role was a little longer, or that, at least, they had provided him with a closeup for his death scene. But when he is murdered along with the crew of his boat, the somber undertones of the film are reinforced, and later underlined by Indy himself, as he berates Helena for being so excited at escaping from the villains, considering Indy's friend has just died. Indeed, everything is just a little more serious in this film, a little sadder. Not only does the film offer an old and disillusioned Indy, with all that entails— it is also infused with some of the gritty, more suspenseful flavor of Raiders of the Lost Ark, not unlike what Mads Mikkelsen stated in an interview before the release of the movie.
The next part of the film, set in Sicily, offers the requisite ancient ruins that we haven't seen so far. Though it can be hard to keep up with the minutiae of Indy and Helena's logical deductions (especially those that lead them to Sicily in the first place), they appear to be suitably ingenious. The scenes set in the caves that lead to Archimedes' grave are quite atmospheric and engrossing, despite the fact the sense of danger isn't all it could be. The gunfight action at the grave is fun, if brief, and there is an amusing subversion of convention, in that it is a resourceful Teddy, now captured by the villains, who causes the death of hulking henchman Hauk (Olivier Richters), rather than Indy in an elaborate fisticuff sequence. While one would expect Indy to show an intense, giddy sense of curiosity at the discovery of Archimedes' grave (and mysteriously wearing a modern wristwatch, to boot), he remains a bit serious, a bit withdrawn, as if his mind was more on the danger of the situation than the archeological discovery in front of him.
After Indy is shot and kidnapped by Voller, with Helena and Teddy in pursuit, we reach the final stretch of the film. Voller and his people hop on a plane, using the dial, which is now in their power, as a guide to reach a "time fissure", so that he and his people can go back to 1939. Quite appropriately, Voller's fiendish plan involves saving the Third Reich not by helping Hitler with his knowledge of the future, but by killing him so that someone else (Voller himself?) can take his place. However, a key miscalculation threatens to send him to a different time altogether. Indy's portentous words —to paraphrase him, "I don't know where the hell we are going, but it sure as hell ain't 1939"— serve as the perfect "fasten your seatbelts" line. In the middle of this sequence, there is a brief but mesmerizing shot, in which the plane is shown at a distance, small as a toy, flying towards this glowing cloud formation, this ominous portal that will not lead to 1939, but to who knows when.
What happens next, it seems, doesn't sit right with some people, but it is a natural and logical progression of the plot. It also goes a long way toward distinguishing this film from its predecessors, while offering the requisite sense of mystery and wonder. Yes, a plane going back in time and flying over the Siege of Syracuse is a crazy sight, but it's also a highly memorable and cinematic one. Crucially, it couldn't be faulted for being unlikely in the same way that, say, Indy's refrigerator escape was in the previous film, as that event was taking place in something akin to the real world, whereas the time travel in Dial of Destiny is of a fundamentally fantastical or sci-fi nature. Furthermore, seeing Indy personally get to visit a civilization he has long studied also carries with it a sense of monumental, almost unsurpassable achievement. It's very fitting for this Indy film, presumably the final one to star Harrison Ford. The movie creates a sense of giddy mayhem as the plane tries to avoid the attacks from the Romans, and Voller's plan slowly slips away from him, with hateful henchman Klaber (Boyd Holbrook) also being overwhelmed by the situation. The way Helena dispatches most of the bad guys of the plane is delightful, though one wishes she hadn't shot Voller as well, as Indy feels slightly like a second banana in this climactic moment, even though he provides the parachute which leads Helena and him to safety. One last effective detail to mention in this scene: the slightly gory demise of Voller, which is in line with the previous films.
This last section of Dial of Destiny brings the melancholy to the forefront, when Indy, after meeting Archimedes himself (played effectively by Nasser Memarzia), decides to stay in the past. This is a truly touching moment, as we get the strongest sense so far of Indy as someone who feels out of step with the world, who feels it has nothing to offer him, and he has nothing to offer to it. As the film is presumably designed to be the last one with Harrison Ford, this moment also carries with it a legitimate sense of unpredictability, because, being the last film with Ford, the ending could go in a narratively radical direction without having to worry about a potential sixth movie.
But Helena just punches him out and takes him back to the present. What is this about staying in the past? Marion is there in 1969! And Indy and her are meant for each other, despite their problems. Admittedly, this denouement feels like it comes about a bit too easily, but one wouldn't really want the Indiana Jones film series to end with Indy and Marion separated, and this film gives us what we expect.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a good movie. It's not the best of the series, but it earns its place among the other films. It especially invites comparison with the fourth entry, since both were made long after the original trilogy, and both deal with an older Indy. Dial of Destiny has a better, more carefully handled script than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but it's not as fun, especially since, as mentioned, Indy is more serious and wistful this time around. One wishes he would have displayed more joy and audacity towards the end of the movie, particularly after discovering Archimedes' grave. This is decidedly an old Indy, in a way that even the Indy of Crystal Skull wasn't (one can't imagine 1969 Indy saying "Hi, Mac" and punching Ray Winstone's character, the way 1957 Indy did). Is the tone of the film, to some extent, a result of the absence of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in their typical capacities? Perhaps. But this remains a solid film and a fun time. Nice seeing you again, Dr. Jones.
Perfect summary. I couldn't have done as much in-depth like that after my first viewing yesterday, but I couldn't agree more.
I must say I only noticed PWB's birthmark relatively late in the movie. And once I decided it was a birthmark, I quit worrying about it. It should have been up to the movie crew to cover it up if they thought it was necessary. That being said, I don't even know that it was natural or maybe part of the makeup.
Why should anyone cover their birthmark up? It’s part of them. Should Ford have had his scar removed?
The first act had a bit too much CGI for my taste but there was enough tension to have me involved and one good laugh when the hole in his jacket was detected by the soldiers.
The bit with the horse was very entertaining and also the Tuk- Tuk chase was much better than expected.
I had no problem with the science-fiction bit in the last act (definitely prefer it to aliens). Overall my main issue was the CGI in the darker action scenes, i.e. when Indy is running on the train for the first time, it doesn't look real at all.
However, this issue was only destracting for a few moments and I'm happy with the movie we got.
The end didn't touch me as much as others (it was fine, though) but the scene on the boat when they talk about Indy's family was surprisingly touching and well done.
+++ Ford is still great
+++ Sallah was extremly likeable.
+++ Horse action
++ Tuk Tuk
+ Voller
+ emotional aspects
Solid, but not really a plus: PWB and Teddy
- not enough Banderas
- not enough jokes
- not enough deadly traps
- - CGI in the action at night
Overall: definitely worth the ticket 😀
And great summery /review @mattjoes
Thanks. It wasn't very funny but definitely entertaining. A nice evening with popcorn.
I've noticed more and more lately the employment of heavier CGI at night/in darkness to help mask the weaker quality of it. It happens a couple of times in this one (the opening, the shipwreck, PWB pursuing the plane).
+1. Today, it seems to be a hobby to rant against something. Negativity seems to have more power (and gains more interest) than positive news. This is why I love (most of) this community. Share something we love is wonderful.
...and Indy 5 is something more to celebrate.
Ford was fantastic, it's hard to believe the guy is 80!
A very fitting send off to one of the most beloved characters in the movies.
I honestly don't know what all the naysayers were watching. It's not a perfect film, but certainly doesn't warrant all negativity. A little over long, but still a whole heap of fun. Just what you want from an Indy adventure.
I expected nothing less and yet was still blown away by how fantastic Ford was here. It's an emotional performance and you can see on screen just how much it meant to him to get to return for one last ride as Indy.
That was something I really noticed, how much Ford injected so much emotion into the character. Obviously he knows the character inside out, but it's nice too see him give one of his most famous roles a send off he so deserves after the very hit and miss previous entry.
Something my son and I noticed when we came out of the cinema, was how it almost completely acknowledged KOTCS, though there were a few nods here and there to the other films.
https://deadline.com/2023/07/box-office-indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-1235427644/
Is this good enough?
The article suggests it's not good, as their numbers are around a $329 million budget and this is way under the opening weekend for KOTCS, adjusted for inflation.