At 2 hours and 34 minutes, the film is long. But I didn't really feel like any scenes were extraneous. There were a few characters that just didn't need to be in the film, like a couple of bumbling CIA agents whose roles in the movie do nothing to progress the action. But overall, I enjoyed the film.
Everybody knows that the best Indy movies involve the hero taking on the Nazis. But part of that charm is in how Indy has to save religious artifacts with God imbued powers from falling into Adolph Hitler's hands. Fans will not want the Fuhrer to obtain the spear that pierced Christ's side which is shown as the item Indy and Shaw are trying to retrieve from the Third Reich at the beginning of this film. I'd say 75% of American audiences know nothing about the Dial of Archimedes nor do they really care why Hitler wants it so bad, despite it being a good rule of thumb being anything that Hitler wants, Hitler shouldn't get.
The Dial of Archimedes was found in a Greek shipwreck in 1901. An ancient early computer, the device, while obviously far from intact, could take amazingly precise measurements of the phases of the moon, along with numbers that coincide with the orbits of Saturn and Venus. While we don't know a lot about the device other than speculation, many experts agree that Archimedes or a member of his school of thought developed what is commonly called the Antikythera mechanism. Though for that sake of this film, the evil Jurgen Voller believes that the device is a time machine that will help him go back in time and help the Nazis win the war with his advanced rocket knowledge earned through his assistance with NASA's Apollo project.
To help defeat Voller's Neo-Nazis, Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins the franchise as Indy's goddaughter Helena Shaw. A lot was made to how she would be the female Indiana Jones in early press about her casting. A ton of fuss was made over the announcement. It's not like Indy was turning into a woman or anything like that. One thing the actress had that Harrison Ford didn't was that she was younger. A lot of the action and stunts were done by her instead of the 80 something Ford. It's kinda like how the character of Harry was added to the first year of the Fourth Doctor's run on Doctor Who. Initially, the producers weren't sure if Tom Baker would be up to all those stunts and so the younger Ian Marter was brought on board just in case. Hence, the addition of the much younger and not as ethical Helena to the film.
This isn't to say that Harrison Ford's older Indiana Jones doesn't get involved in fisticuffs against Nazis during World War II and 1969. CGI deaged Harrison Ford in an action packed opening scene that explains why Mads Mikkelsen's Jurgen Voller spends nearly 25 years searching for an ancient artifact that the average modern moviegoer knows nothing about. That scene set during the last days of Hitler's Germany also introduces Helena's father, Dr. Shaw, played by Toby Jones. It shows how Indy and Shaw developed a closeness to each other and stumbled upon part of the fabled Dial of Archimedes. Plus, fans are now introduced to Helena Shaw who wasn't even hinted about in any of the 4 previous movies.
A knowledge of the franchise is sorely needed. Especially if you are to believe that Indiana Jones can survive all these explosions and close calls. One has to remember that Indy once drank from the Holy Grail. Though Indy had to stay with the grail to become 100% immortal, his drinking from the cup bestows him not just longer life, but it also makes him a lot more durable than the average 70 year old (Indiana Jones' canon birth date is July 1, 1899). However, instead of Helena Shaw, couldn't we have gotten Key Hu Quan to return as Indy's Temple of Doom sidekick, Short Round? Or at least have him helping along with Shaw?
I think there was a lot of speculation that Phoebe Waller-Bridge would continue the Indiana Jones franchise as Helena Shaw. It definitely felt like this movie was a pilot to set her up as the heir apparent. While this 2023 film earned over $380 million, in this day and age, those numbers ranks Dial of Destiny as being a flop. I for one would like to see the franchise continue. Disney seems all about streaming right now. I'd be in Heaven with a series starring Short Round all grown up as an archaeologist in the 1970s. Maybe make it a team-up with Helena Shaw and her sidekick, the teen pickpocket Teddy. Key Hu Quan is a hot property once again thanks to winning that Oscar last year and I know for a fact my wife and I would watch it!
A lot to consider.
This is the first Indiana Jones film to be made without Spielberg or Lucas being directly involved. Stephen Spielberg didn't even direct. Indy 5 was helmed by James Mangold. While Mangold tries to pepper in a ton of Easter eggs from the previous 4 films, the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series and even some of the comics, Dial of Destiny lacks that magic of a Spielberg picture. This is probably why we never get Short Round in this movie. It's also why the film didn't have that staying buzz in the theaters after the first week. I think it needs to be a law: Only Spielberg can direct Indiana Jones movies.
For those of you who held off on going to the theaters for Dial of Destiny and aren't willing to subscribe to Disney+ in order to view it, this film is currently streaming on a few platforms, including YoutubeTV where I saw it.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment