Could a disappointing final instalment tarnish the legacy of Indiana Jones, or does the strength of the original films stand unaffected?
The latest and perhaps final instalment of Indiana Jones is coming out on Friday (30th June) in the USA. There’s a fairly strong chance that this will be the final outing of Harrison Ford as his iconic character, and it is his first return to this role since 2008 critically dragged Steven Spielberg-directed Kingdom of Crystal Skull.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has had a rather poor start to its life. Upon its announcement, plenty of fans decried another instalment of the franchise, the inclusion of de-ageing technology was criticised, and Disney made the in-hindsight bad decision to premier the film at Cannes, where it got at best mediocre reviews, and the only positive they could take away from it was some nice videos of Harrison Ford getting an ovation.
Indy 5 is apparently coasting towards a relatively lacklustre box office opening, with predictions already preparing for the worst. The $300 million budgeted film has had a poor Thursday preview, earning just $7.5m, comparable to The Flash’s $9.7m, which concerns many in the industry as most consider The Flash a bomb. Does that mean Indy is destined for such a fate?
So let’s go ahead and look at the reviews that have come out and figure out if Indiana Jones is worth seeing.
What’s Good?
Indiana Jones will probably be the last time where we get to see Harrison Ford don that iconic hat, so it’s nice to hear that this film understands this and provides longtime viewers and admirers with a meaningful conclusion to Indy’s journey, giving audience members who loved Raiders of the Lost Ark over four decades ago a sense of closure and emotional resonance.
Ford remains iconically Indiana, the essence hasn’t dulled over the years, and while he might not be performing the same stunts, he can still offer that wry smile and charming persona we’ve come to love. It’s a nostalgic venture which somewhat understands its place; it’s not The Last Jedi trying to reconstruct the world it exists in; it’s more The Force Awakens; it knows what it is, it knows what audiences want, and by and large, you get that.
One of the things audiences will expect and be satisfied by are the numerous action-packed set pieces. It seems the film generally does what you’d expect Indy to do; it doesn’t stray far from them, which might be a positive for casual fans but annoying for more serious devotees. The film does do some stuff slightly differently. It offers us a new side to Indy, a more vulnerable side to the debonair hero we adore.
What’s Not To Love?
Ironically, the film’s nadir is its climax, which is groan-inducing, ridiculous and marred by the emotional resolution achieved during this coda. Despite its $300m budget, the film doesn’t really offer much visual quality; many critics have remarked that they can’t figure out where that budget has gone as it doesn’t appear on the screen.
While we mentioned that the film does a decent job of offering audiences what they want, it does stroll into pandering territory. Doing what Indy wouldn’t, the film rarely dares to venture and explore new ideas and fails largely to recreate the original magic of the franchise. Some critics have remarked that this is a mere shell of its previous instalments.
It’s not technically great; as remarked above, the budget doesn’t feel utilised. There is an overreliance on CGI, which feels odd for Indiana Jones. While in certain areas, with Harrison, it’s understandable that they went this route, it doesn’t always work, meaning that the audience will likely feel the loss of the charm and practicality of the original trilogy. It’s an unevenly paced film over 2 hours long, a common complaint amongst critics.
Several critics have remarked that the film’s plot is creaky, corny and contrived, with a B-movie-esque ending. While Indy was conceived as an updated adventure serial, this appears to be a major sticking point for critics.
So Should You See It?
Speaking strictly as a fan, probably. You’ll probably never get to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones on the big screen again. The film doesn’t sound particularly impressive, which surprised me as I had taken the contrarian position that the film would be better than fans worried it would be. I thought James Mangold would be able to handle it. The film sounds incredibly mediocre, made exclusively for fans, which is fine for me because I am one, but it doesn’t sound like a particularly satisfying film.
If you were the sort of person who watched The Irishman and walked away still complaining about that 2-minute scene of De Niro badly de-aged, then you should probably steer clear of this one. Otherwise, it might be worth your time, although the biggest incentive to see it is admittedly nostalgia. Then again, it seems like almost every movie nowadays is nostalgia bait of some kind.
Are you willing to overlook the film’s shortcomings to see Indiana Jones for the final time?
Bronze Screen Dream 