Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Country: US
Technical: col/2.39:1 154m
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys Davies, Thomas Kretschmann, Shaunette Renée Wilson
Synopsis:
Indy becomes involved via his goddaughter in the renewed search for the missing half of an ancient time-travelling device, said to be the work of Archimedes.
Review:
Once again a story preposterous enough to have been the basis for a Flash Gordon serial of the 30s is the pretext for a lavish adventure and effects bonanza. Unlike Crystal Skull, this outing successfully revives the spirit and look of the original (with fine colour grading), just as it is so slavishly apes the style of Spielberg's storytelling that it could well have been directed by the man himself (he only executive produces). As with J. J. Abrams's Star Wars sequels, one suspects Mangold was brought up on the original movies, although the results do not really take us any further along the narrative path, and the liberties with the laws of physics (in more ways than one) go to ever greater extremes. It is also crowned with an extended prologue featuring a rejuvenated star aboard a train (shades of Last Crusade) which goes one step further in A.I. trickery than the Star Wars saga's Princess Leia shenanigans, even if it is one more element of similarity with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, a film which in turn seems in retrospect to have been an Indiana Jones outing manqué. In short, a rich dessert of familiar flavours, indulgently enjoyable while it lasts, but yielding little enduring sustenance.
Country: US
Technical: col/2.39:1 154m
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys Davies, Thomas Kretschmann, Shaunette Renée Wilson
Synopsis:
Indy becomes involved via his goddaughter in the renewed search for the missing half of an ancient time-travelling device, said to be the work of Archimedes.
Review:
Once again a story preposterous enough to have been the basis for a Flash Gordon serial of the 30s is the pretext for a lavish adventure and effects bonanza. Unlike Crystal Skull, this outing successfully revives the spirit and look of the original (with fine colour grading), just as it is so slavishly apes the style of Spielberg's storytelling that it could well have been directed by the man himself (he only executive produces). As with J. J. Abrams's Star Wars sequels, one suspects Mangold was brought up on the original movies, although the results do not really take us any further along the narrative path, and the liberties with the laws of physics (in more ways than one) go to ever greater extremes. It is also crowned with an extended prologue featuring a rejuvenated star aboard a train (shades of Last Crusade) which goes one step further in A.I. trickery than the Star Wars saga's Princess Leia shenanigans, even if it is one more element of similarity with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, a film which in turn seems in retrospect to have been an Indiana Jones outing manqué. In short, a rich dessert of familiar flavours, indulgently enjoyable while it lasts, but yielding little enduring sustenance.
Country: US
Technical: col/2.39:1 154m
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys Davies, Thomas Kretschmann, Shaunette Renée Wilson
Synopsis:
Indy becomes involved via his goddaughter in the renewed search for the missing half of an ancient time-travelling device, said to be the work of Archimedes.
Review:
Once again a story preposterous enough to have been the basis for a Flash Gordon serial of the 30s is the pretext for a lavish adventure and effects bonanza. Unlike Crystal Skull, this outing successfully revives the spirit and look of the original (with fine colour grading), just as it is so slavishly apes the style of Spielberg's storytelling that it could well have been directed by the man himself (he only executive produces). As with J. J. Abrams's Star Wars sequels, one suspects Mangold was brought up on the original movies, although the results do not really take us any further along the narrative path, and the liberties with the laws of physics (in more ways than one) go to ever greater extremes. It is also crowned with an extended prologue featuring a rejuvenated star aboard a train (shades of Last Crusade) which goes one step further in A.I. trickery than the Star Wars saga's Princess Leia shenanigans, even if it is one more element of similarity with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, a film which in turn seems in retrospect to have been an Indiana Jones outing manqué. In short, a rich dessert of familiar flavours, indulgently enjoyable while it lasts, but yielding little enduring sustenance.