Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.
Director James Mangold had some very big shoes to fill, Steven Spielberg has brought us every Indiana film previous to this one and sadly, it shows. Although the new film allows a new perspective and a new generation to indulge in the character and story, a core part of the integrity behind these films, is Spielberg himself. Dial of Destiny is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg nor conceived by George Lucas, with both serving as executive producers instead. The film lacked any true nostalgia, considering this is Ford’s final film I wanted more emotion and satisfaction by the end; I didn’t feel content with the final resolution.
The film relied far too much on CGI which is a reason I struggled to dive into the action originally, these films pride themselves on using practical effects and I missed that element throughout but I can acknowledge that the de-ageing process of Harrison Ford was pretty flawless for the majority of the opening scene. With cinema changing CGI is a natural progression for this franchise, the use of it didn’t ruin the film it simply overshadowed and over stimulated the screen at times. The film was a success overall though, despite my very high exceptions which were not exceeded I still enjoyed the movie and thought it had some great and memorable moments.
Phoebe Waller Bridge was a great addition to the cast, she brought her own original sense of humour which lightened the film throughout and she had great on-screen chemistry with Harrison Ford.
The story was similar to previous Indiana movies, similar threats and a typical villain. Although Mads Mikkelsen was an incredible presence and played the role very well, the movie lacked any originality. It felt too similar to previous movies but lacking the true essence of nostalgia.
I enjoyed the cameos and although some may find them forced I would have loved to see more, I felt like the movie could have truly marketed on the nostalgia rather than trying to reinvent the franchise.
Overall, Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny (2023) didn’t quite exceed my expectations. It left me feeling a little hallow having watched a movie with very little satisfaction or emotion, i was expecting more concentration on Indie’s last adventure but instead this movie felt like the set up of a new character to replace him. Harrison Ford is a marvel on screen, I adore watching him bring this character to life once again for us, I cherish this franchise and went into the film expecting a lot, although I was disappointed I did thoroughly enjoy the experience on the big screen.
I would highly recommend this film to an Indiana Jones fan or not, the film felt like a stand alone rather than an addition to the franchise. Although we saw a few cameos and references to Indie’s past nothing was too intricate to the narrative. I missed the comedy, the only comic relief in this film was Waller-Bridge’s character but I felt as though a lot of funny moments were missed or brushed over. I expected more from this movie but nonetheless, I did have a good time watching.
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