I did something I don’t usually do this past weekend; I joined the crowds to catch a brand new movie on its opening weekend. The film was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the outcome was unexpected. For the weeks beforehand, we had been refreshing our memories with the earlier four movies, noting that among them all, the second, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was the weakest when it came to standing the test of time – that movie is super weird now that I watch it as an adult! Of course, the best movie of the bunch has always been the third in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; oh, Sean Connery, how I loved you!
Each Indi movie had a unique way of weaving historical moments of fact, together with a slightly eccentric plotline that requires you to suspend your disbelief. Some, more elegantly than others. This film was no exception, delving into a world he has never experienced before. I won’t share any spoilers, but I will give you a quick rundown of my thoughts on this movie.
It was really quite good. The fifth installment of Indiana Jones didn’t need to be this good to sell tickets. The pure sense of nostalgia, mixed with a new generation being introduced to archeological adventure that you can experience in the theatre, the audience was built into this project from the beginning. What wasn’t guaranteed was a return on investment. It was clever. The callbacks to the earlier films were subtle and well-timed, the characters more developed in their older years than I expected, and the bridging back story was one that was relatable for the time.
De-aging technology used to bring young Indi back to the screen was not flawless, but close enough that you could stamp it in as impressive and captivating. The weird stuff, that you seem to get with any Jones movie, wasn’t too weird. (Unlike in the Temple of Doom… ) Yes, it took a bit of commitment, but, doable. And the ending, well, let’s just talk about that one later. I’m not crying; you’re crying. Okay, fine, I was crying.
Is it worth seeing? Yes. I wanted to finally see one of these films at the movies with all the atmosphere and ambiance that it deserves; what I didn’t expect was to walk away feeling like I enjoyed it more than simply ticking the box. It was good.
If you’ve seen this one, let me know your thoughts. Let’s try not to drop any spoilers for those that haven’t seen it yet. Should you need a recap, here is the trailer for the movie below:
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