Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the long-awaited sequel this time not directed by Stephen Spielberg. It's Lucasfilm's first Indiana Jones movie since Disney bought the company out (and possibly the last). I wasn't really that excited for this film. Firstly, because Lucasfilm's track record with Star Wars has not been great. Secondly, the last Indiana Jones movie, that was made by Spielberg, wasn't that great either. I will say, the film wasn't as bad as it could have been. There are some good and fun things about it. Even so, it's still far below the first three movies for me. Is it worse than Crytal Skull? That's debatable.
I hate to say that because I'm a big fan of Indiana Jones. He's one of my childhood heroes. Raider of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade are among my favorite movies of all time. I enjoy Temple of Doom, even though there is much I could complain about it. Nostalgia plays a key role in my enjoyment of that film. Plus, it was Indie in his prime. I even watched the old Young Indiana Jones series from the 90s. If you're an Indiana Jones fan and haven't checked that show out, you should.
Then there's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I still remember my excitement when I first went to see it, as it was the first Indiana Jones movie I saw in theaters. I still remember being quite disappointed when it was over. After watching it again recently, I can say I don't hate it like I used to. I even found myself having fun throughout a lot of it. But there's still a whole lot wrong with it. Indie surviving a nuke in a fridge is still one of the biggest WTF moments in movie history.
There's nothing in this movie quite as stupid as that, though there are some dumb moments in this. For instance, there's a moment involving the main villain (who by the way is a pretty boring villain) in the opening action scene. It's something that's quite impossible to survive and yet he survives it.
On the positive side, it's a good-looking movie, like most Indiana Jones films. It has some exciting chase sequences. It still has a sense of adventure to it. I was dreading the de aging scene at the beginning with Harrison Ford before seeing this, but it turned out to be my favorite part of the movie. Another thing I was hoping wouldn't happen was that the main girl, Helena, would essentially be the real protagonist of the film and Indie would just be along for the ride. That wasn't really the case. This is still primarily Indie's movie.
On that note, I wasn't a big fan of the main girl. I'm one of the few people that actually liked Shia LaBeouf in the last film. I think it would've been better if they got him back. But Shia probably wants nothing to do with Indiana Jones, so I'm not surprised they didn't.
Plus, the film is a bit too long. All the other movies are just over two hours. This is two and a half hours. And like I thought, Indie doesn't get any fight scenes in this film past the first twenty minutes. I knew this would happen because of Harrison Ford's age. He was already getting too old to play the character in Crytal Skull FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Indiana Jones is one of the few franchises where I would say a full reboot would work better if they wanted to keep making movies. Years ago, there was talk of Chris Pratt playing the character. That would've been a better choice in my opinion.
With those negatives against it, I would probably say I actually prefer Crystal Skull slightly over this one. That could change with further views, but that's my feelings right now. So, I will say, if you're someone who still hates or dislikes Crystal Skull then don't bother with this one. If you're someone who isn't picky and just wants to see another Indiana Jones in theaters, then by all means.
I hate to say that because I'm a big fan of Indiana Jones. He's one of my childhood heroes. Raider of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade are among my favorite movies of all time. I enjoy Temple of Doom, even though there is much I could complain about it. Nostalgia plays a key role in my enjoyment of that film. Plus, it was Indie in his prime. I even watched the old Young Indiana Jones series from the 90s. If you're an Indiana Jones fan and haven't checked that show out, you should.
Then there's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I still remember my excitement when I first went to see it, as it was the first Indiana Jones movie I saw in theaters. I still remember being quite disappointed when it was over. After watching it again recently, I can say I don't hate it like I used to. I even found myself having fun throughout a lot of it. But there's still a whole lot wrong with it. Indie surviving a nuke in a fridge is still one of the biggest WTF moments in movie history.
There's nothing in this movie quite as stupid as that, though there are some dumb moments in this. For instance, there's a moment involving the main villain (who by the way is a pretty boring villain) in the opening action scene. It's something that's quite impossible to survive and yet he survives it.
On the positive side, it's a good-looking movie, like most Indiana Jones films. It has some exciting chase sequences. It still has a sense of adventure to it. I was dreading the de aging scene at the beginning with Harrison Ford before seeing this, but it turned out to be my favorite part of the movie. Another thing I was hoping wouldn't happen was that the main girl, Helena, would essentially be the real protagonist of the film and Indie would just be along for the ride. That wasn't really the case. This is still primarily Indie's movie.
On that note, I wasn't a big fan of the main girl. I'm one of the few people that actually liked Shia LaBeouf in the last film. I think it would've been better if they got him back. But Shia probably wants nothing to do with Indiana Jones, so I'm not surprised they didn't.
Plus, the film is a bit too long. All the other movies are just over two hours. This is two and a half hours. And like I thought, Indie doesn't get any fight scenes in this film past the first twenty minutes. I knew this would happen because of Harrison Ford's age. He was already getting too old to play the character in Crytal Skull FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Indiana Jones is one of the few franchises where I would say a full reboot would work better if they wanted to keep making movies. Years ago, there was talk of Chris Pratt playing the character. That would've been a better choice in my opinion.
With those negatives against it, I would probably say I actually prefer Crystal Skull slightly over this one. That could change with further views, but that's my feelings right now. So, I will say, if you're someone who still hates or dislikes Crystal Skull then don't bother with this one. If you're someone who isn't picky and just wants to see another Indiana Jones in theaters, then by all means.
