Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny…film # FIVE in the trilogy. Worth a viewing for Indy fans, like myself.
So I went Friday, with reservations, for nostalgic reasons. Unlike the last installment, Crystal Skull, it is not a horrible film, placing 4th of the 5 IMO, though some fans may even list it 3rd, ahead of Temple of Doom.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny…film # FIVE in the trilogy. Worth a viewing for Indy fans, like myself.
So I went Friday, with reservations, for nostalgic reasons. Unlike the last installment, Crystal Skull, it is not a horrible film, placing 4th of the 5 IMO, though some fans may even list it 3rd, ahead of Temple of Doom.
Here’s my issue: it takes a turn that is so outlandish, I actually muttered “oh, this is f-ing stupid”, loud enough to earn a chuckle from the dude 2 seats down.
And here’s the thing: when a Marvel movie features a sequence or scene that’s so outlandishly fantastical, I usually get a kick out if it…after all, it’s a superhero movie and we’ve signed up for that type of fantasy so it works. But Indy is rooted in history and academia…Raiders and Crusade, while fantasy that required some suspension of disbelief, were nonetheless rooted in Biblical history (Ark, Grail) which made it easier to get behind. The past two, however, especially Dial of Destiny, feature plot turns that are just a little too difficult to truly support, and as such, the franchise comes to a somewhat merciful end…at least until they re-make Raiders of the Lost Ark in 2036.
Indiana Jones as a franchise would be a lot better served chasing after an established mythical artifact like Excalibur, the Philosopher's Stone, or if they're feeling risky, Sun Wukong's staff. It's not only less contrived, it allows the plot to echo the appropriate hero's journey.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny…film # FIVE in the trilogy. Worth a viewing for Indy fans, like myself.
So I went Friday, with reservations, for nostalgic reasons. Unlike the last installment, Crystal Skull, it is not a horrible film, placing 4th of the 5 IMO, though some fans may even list it 3rd, ahead of Temple of Doom.
Here’s my issue: it takes a turn that is so outlandish, I actually muttered “oh, this is f-ing stupid”, loud enough to earn a chuckle from the dude 2 seats down.
And here’s the thing: when a Marvel movie features a sequence or scene that’s so outlandishly fantastical, I usually get a kick out if it…after all, it’s a superhero movie and we’ve signed up for that type of fantasy so it works. But Indy is rooted in history and academia…Raiders and Crusade, while fantasy that required some suspension of disbelief, were nonetheless rooted in Biblical history (Ark, Grail) which made it easier to get behind. The past two, however, especially Dial of Destiny, feature plot turns that are just a little too difficult to truly support, and as such, the franchise comes to a somewhat merciful end…at least until they re-make Raiders of the Lost Ark in 2036.
Indiana Jones as a franchise would be a lot better served chasing after an established mythical artifact like Excalibur, the Philosopher's Stone, or if they're feeling risky, Sun Wukong's staff. It's not only less contrived, it allows the plot to echo the appropriate hero's journey.