Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30th, 2023)

[jye4ever]

Fast and dirty:

I really liked it. Much more than I thought I would. I can't believe it.

Mangold really delivered on an impossible task. The first 20 mins were great -- how I wish they made a few more adventures in the 80's. I wish they did a little more on the train -- I was hoping for a really great train fight sequence (like the one in Mission Impossible's trailer right before) -- but it never really panned out. And after that, even more impressive, the rest of the movie worked for me. As I was watching, just as I started getting impatient, they threw up an action sequence. So it was structured very well for the most part. The violence was pretty hard core for an Indy movie -- I loved it. And because of that, it did have a much more "grounded" feel (at least until the end). Mads was great as hoped. I love that he was this dark parallel to Indy, also wearing a satchel and even using Indy's original name, "Dr. Smith". I also love that Mads got to represent every previous villain -- sometimes wearing a black trenchcoat (Toht), wearing gray (Donovan), a white jacket and hat (Belloq), or Nazi uniform (Vogel). And yes, I even liked Fleabag for the most part. I really liked that she was treacherous in the beginning -- she was closer to Belloq then Indy.

The stuff that didn't work for me:
1) what the hell was all that CIA nonsense about?...
2) that crazy ending that went on way too long for a literal "punch" line...
4) the McGuffin. Just dumb. And uninteresting.
3) Sadly, old man Indy. I went with it, but as much as I enjoy Ford, he's just way too old to be "doing it again". I still hate that he made this film, despite that Mangold saves his ass in doing it. I think there's mention somewhere in the movie about "time" and "knowing when to quit"... but clearly that golden advice was not headed where it was needed the most.

There's a lot of ticky tacky stuff that wasn't great, but all in all, I liked it a lot better than Crystal Skull, and to be honest I really can't tell if I prefer this or Last Crusade at this point. I need to see this again to really know how it settles... but even 'maybe' considering it for #3 is HUGE!!!

I guess the government agent stuff was meant to show the Nazi infiltration post war back then, some unintentional…and some very intentional

I liked it.

 

[jye4ever]

 

[xipotec]

Nice to see your review Wor....

Nice to see lots of reviews that are being written without Mary Sue, Kk, Woke...needing to be written over and over.

Will not be able to see it till the end of the week.

But as much as I despise KOTCS, It pretty clear I will probably at least enjoy the show. But then again, I never see a film expecting a classic these days. Hollywood has just changed too much.

KOTCS is just SO BAD, I tried to watch it again the other day and just couldnt beiieve how stupid it was. As much as the fridge get attention, there are WAY worse things in it. That rope snake, the ants , and my god swinging Mutt and Monkies....its just laughable

 

[The Jerker]

Fast and dirty:

I really liked it. Much more than I thought I would. I can't believe it.


There's a lot of ticky tacky stuff that wasn't great, but all in all, I liked it a lot better than Crystal Skull, and to be honest I really can't tell if I prefer this or Last Crusade at this point. I need to see this again to really know how it settles... but even 'maybe' considering it for #3 is HUGE!!!

That was my take away. Despite its issues I still really enjoyed it. Perhaps I set the bar so low that it was inevitable that I was going to leave the theater happy. I said the same thing to my friend when it was over... I think I liked it more that Crusade. Crusade, even though I like it, was always the cartoon Indy movie to me. Like how Doom was so different to Raiders, DOD is different to the whole series, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

 

[The Jerker]

Considering Mike's positive thoughts on Doom, I thought he would have enjoyed this. They all hated it, lol.

 

[ZE_501]

Fast and dirty

That's what sh -- never mind.

There's a lot of ticky tacky stuff that wasn't great, but all in all, I liked it a lot better than Crystal Skull, and to be honest I really can't tell if I prefer this or Last Crusade at this point. I need to see this again to really know how it settles... but even 'maybe' considering it for #3 is HUGE!!!

Huh. Weird. So here's the thing: I barely remember Last Crusade and Crystal Skull. Like ... maybe a couple of scenes if I wrack my brain, if that. I recall Indy walking across the 'invisible' bridge, a knight ... Connery wearing tweed ... and I recall some glowing skulls or something. That's how much of an impression those films left, and I likely saw them a year or three at most before COVID struck ... not all that long ago.

I've seen Raiders and Temple multiple times and remember much more of them. So it's certainly possible from the sounds of it that this film could come in at number 3, but without having seen it, I'm likely to be of the same mind regarding Ford's age.

 

[jye4ever]

Considering Mike's positive thoughts on Doom, I thought he would have enjoyed this. They all hated it, lol.

Well..

Rick liked it more than the other 2.

All 3 loved the 3rd act because it was bonkers.

 

[Bleah]

Fast and dirty:

I really liked it. Much more than I thought I would. I can't believe it.

Mangold really delivered on an impossible task. The first 20 mins were great -- how I wish they made a few more adventures in the 80's. I wish they did a little more on the train -- I was hoping for a really great train fight sequence (like the one in Mission Impossible's trailer right before) -- but it never really panned out. And after that, even more impressive, the rest of the movie worked for me. As I was watching, just as I started getting impatient, they threw up an action sequence. So it was structured very well for the most part. The violence was pretty hard core for an Indy movie -- I loved it. And because of that, it did have a much more "grounded" feel (at least until the end). Mads was great as hoped. I love that he was this dark parallel to Indy, also wearing a satchel and even using Indy's original name, "Dr. Smith". I also love that Mads got to represent every previous villain -- sometimes wearing a black trenchcoat (Toht), wearing gray (Donovan), a white jacket and hat (Belloq), or Nazi uniform (Vogel). And yes, I even liked Fleabag for the most part. I really liked that she was treacherous in the beginning -- she was closer to Belloq then Indy.

The stuff that didn't work for me:
1) what the hell was all that CIA nonsense about?...
2) that crazy ending that went on way too long for a literal "punch" line...
4) the McGuffin. Just dumb. And uninteresting.
3) Sadly, old man Indy. I went with it, but as much as I enjoy Ford, he's just way too old to be "doing it again". I still hate that he made this film, despite that Mangold saves his ass in doing it. I think there's mention somewhere in the movie about "time" and "knowing when to quit"... but clearly that golden advice was not headed where it was needed the most.

There's a lot of ticky tacky stuff that wasn't great, but all in all, I liked it a lot better than Crystal Skull, and to be honest I really can't tell if I prefer this or Last Crusade at this point. I need to see this again to really know how it settles... but even 'maybe' considering it for #3 is HUGE!!!

/thread closed





.

 

[jye4ever]

 

[The Jerker]

Well..

Rick liked it more than the other 2.

All 3 loved the 3rd act because it was bonkers.

Rich did seem to go to bat for it a little more than the rest of them. They seemed to love the 3rd act but make it known that it's only due to the rest of the movie being so lackluster and recommended not to see it in the theater. It's funny that I typically hate everything Star Wars/Disney/KK etc. yet I really liked DOD while everyone is taking a dump on it, lol. Oh well.....

 

[jye4ever]

Rich did seem to go to bat for it a little more than the rest of them. They seemed to love the 3rd act but make it known that it's only due to the rest of the movie being so lackluster and recommended not to see it in the theater. It's funny that I typically hate everything Star Wars/Disney/KK etc. yet I really liked DOD while everyone is taking a dump on it, lol. Oh well.....

Well it does hold an 88% audience score and Wor-Gar liked it so there’s that.

 

[Mondragon]

Ok we've gotten into the inanity of reviewing the reviewers, which has become totally uninteresting.
More fascinating was the surprise they referenced Marion and Indy's kid, and how broken up Jones was about his death. I thought for sure he was over it in Lost Ark, yet obviously it still haunted him and their relationship , and she never forgave him for it.
That reference cut deep, ....

It was so sad when he died^, and the emotional callback shows the creators really cared about the source material.
What, ....they were talking about the monkey right?

 

[jye4ever]

21 years married, seeking antikythera, hell i’ll take any dial.

 

[Mondragon]

21 years married, seeking antikythera, hell i’ll take any dial.

Even ...?

 

[jye4ever]

I absolutely loved the

Spoiler

recreation of their kissing scene

that really was very special and pretty mind blowing that both are still around for it.

 

[Mondragon]

.

I absolutely loved the

Spoiler

recreation of their kissing scene

that really was very special and pretty mind blowing that both are still around for it.

Yeah, that was charming, and made it a satisfying way to close out the series.

 

[Khev]

Never in a million years did I ever think I'd pass on seeing Keaton return as Batman on the big screen. Then with all bad press that DOD was getting before release and Ford's age I thought well I guess I'm good at skipping Indy too. Now I feel like I was like Indy himself just being

Spoiler

content to be left in the past

until my own son said he thought it looked cool and wanted to go and so I begrudgingly took him. Now here I am with jye and Wor-Gar(!) and quite a few others having gotten to really enjoy one last adventure from such a beloved character that ended in satisfying fashion. Thank God I didn't miss out!

 

[DiFabio]

You old timers are unbelievable.

Between Dial of Destiny and Flash, I just feel like all these blockbusters are complete mind rot and soulless. I’m glad they’re doing poorly.

“It’s better than Crystal Skull!”

Yeah, that’s not saying much.

 

[Indiana Fett]

Fast and dirty:

I really liked it. Much more than I thought I would. I can't believe it.

Mangold really delivered on an impossible task. The first 20 mins were great -- how I wish they made a few more adventures in the 80's. I wish they did a little more on the train -- I was hoping for a really great train fight sequence (like the one in Mission Impossible's trailer right before) -- but it never really panned out. And after that, even more impressive, the rest of the movie worked for me. As I was watching, just as I started getting impatient, they threw up an action sequence. So it was structured very well for the most part. The violence was pretty hard core for an Indy movie -- I loved it. And because of that, it did have a much more "grounded" feel (at least until the end). Mads was great as hoped. I love that he was this dark parallel to Indy, also wearing a satchel and even using Indy's original name, "Dr. Smith". I also love that Mads got to represent every previous villain -- sometimes wearing a black trenchcoat (Toht), wearing gray (Donovan), a white jacket and hat (Belloq), or Nazi uniform (Vogel). And yes, I even liked Fleabag for the most part. I really liked that she was treacherous in the beginning -- she was closer to Belloq then Indy.

The stuff that didn't work for me:
1) what the hell was all that CIA nonsense about?...
2) that crazy ending that went on way too long for a literal "punch" line...
4) the McGuffin. Just dumb. And uninteresting.
3) Sadly, old man Indy. I went with it, but as much as I enjoy Ford, he's just way too old to be "doing it again". I still hate that he made this film, despite that Mangold saves his ass in doing it. I think there's mention somewhere in the movie about "time" and "knowing when to quit"... but clearly that golden advice was not headed where it was needed the most.

There's a lot of ticky tacky stuff that wasn't great, but all in all, I liked it a lot better than Crystal Skull, and to be honest I really can't tell if I prefer this or Last Crusade at this point. I need to see this again to really know how it settles... but even 'maybe' considering it for #3 is HUGE!!!

So glad you enjoyed it Wor-Gar, it wasn’t perfect, but I had a grin on my face at the end, so it must’ve done some things right for this old Indy fan too. Great observations on Voller and his attire being a mix of all the villains and even that dark parallel to Indy at points as you mentioned. I also got a kick out of the ‘Dr. Smith’ reference.

I also liked the nod to Spielberg always wanting to do a Bond film when Lucas gave him Raiders instead. The hollow henchmen and even the late 60s vibe gave me a very Bond-from-that-era feel. Even steeping into the 70s with the huge henchman giving off serious ‘bad guy Jaws’ vibes from the Moore era. Even the artifact auction scene had a great Bond-meets-Indy vibe to me in tone, lighting, dialogue and cinematography.

The ending was a bit bonkers, but it was grounded enough by Ford and Indy’s awe at being there that made it feel slightly less hokey than it truly could have. And speaking of Ford, I thought he gave a great, invested, emotional turn as Indy. Far from the gravelly ‘phoned-in’ performance in KOTCS. It may not be exactly the Indy we know and love from the first films because of how much has happened to him since and how he’s staring at his own mortality, yet there’s elements of classic Jones that are definitely still there.

I do think they could have trimmed 15 or 20 minutes to make it even tighter, but as you pointed out, whenever it really started to feel like it might be slowing, we were back into some classic Indy action.

At least I didn’t ever feel like I did watching The Phantom Menace or even KOTCS in the theatre for the first time. Overall, a pretty fun time at the movies, which is really the point of Indy after all, isn’t it?

 

[Khev]

So glad you enjoyed it Wor-Gar, it wasn’t perfect, but I had a grin on my face at the end, so it must’ve done some things right for this old Indy fan too. Great observations on Voller and his attire being a mix of all the villains and even that dark parallel to Indy at points as you mentioned. I also got a kick out of the ‘Dr. Smith’ reference.

I also liked the nod to Spielberg always wanting to do a Bond film when Lucas gave him Raiders instead. The hollow henchmen and even the late 60s vibe gave me a very Bond-from-that-era feel. Even steeping into the 70s with the huge henchman giving off serious ‘bad guy Jaws’ vibes from the Moore era. Even the artifact auction scene had a great Bond-meets-Indy vibe to me in tone, lighting, dialogue and cinematography.

The ending was a bit bonkers, but it was grounded enough by Ford and Indy’s awe at being there that made it feel slightly less hokey than it truly could have. And speaking of Ford, I thought he gave a great, invested, emotional turn as Indy. Far from the gravelly ‘phoned-in’ performance in KOTCS. It may not be exactly the Indy we know and love from the first films because of how much has happened to him since and how he’s staring at his own mortality, yet there’s elements of classic Jones that are definitely still there.

I do think they could have trimmed 15 or 20 minutes to make it even tighter, but as you pointed out, whenever it really started to feel like it might be slowing, we were back into some classic Indy action.

At least I didn’t ever feel like I did watching The Phantom Menace or even KOTCS in the theatre for the first time. Overall, a pretty fun time at the movies, which is really the point of Indy after all, isn’t it?

Yeah that was a great observation by Wor-Gar on Voller's different outfits. I did notice the "Dr. Smith" reference and I too got "Jaws" vibes from the giant henchman as well. If by some chance they did make more of these I could easily see that guy returning as Jaws did. I totally agree on Ford's performance, to his credit he hasn't phoned in any of his recent returns to his classic roles. I'm so glad that this film allowed him to end on a high note.