Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny 

I thought this film was a freaking fun time and I enjoyed it very much! Now this film for some reason has worse reviews compared to the Kingdom of the crystal skull which surprised me. As in my opinion Crystal Skull is the worst film out of the bunch in terms of Indiana Jones films and I am not saying its straight up trash but it definitely ranks last in my ranking of the films. Now that being said I found Dial Of Destiny to be a total blast due to the fantastic direction by James Mangold and seeing Harrison Ford dawn the whip and fedora one last time was definitely emotional. As he has been playing this character for over 40 years and to see him on his final adventure as the character it felt very much like a fitting conclusion to this amazing character. 

Firstly, Now when I heard James Mangold was taking over directing duties of the next instalment of  Indiana Jones I was excited as Mangold is one of the best directors out their from his films like Walk The Line, Ford v Ferrari and even taking on big franchises with the Wolverine and Logan I knew that this character was in safe hands. And it is unfortunate that Steven Spielberg was not directing the final Indiana Jones film as sure Crystal Skull may have not have been incredible but it still had that special Spielberg whimsical magic to it that this film you can notice didn’t have as when your watching a Steven Spielberg film theirs a magic to the frame he brings to it. That being said him handing the directing over to James Mangold I thought was a great choice and its not like Steven Spielberg was not involved in the production as he stayed on as Producer for this production he just isn’t behind the directing chair. Now the Style of Mangold and Spielberg is very different and you can tell as this film takes Indiana Jones and really explores him at a very low point in his life and many have criticized it for having become this broken down character and a lot of others have thought it does the character a disservice which I disagree. As him becoming more emotionally torn I thought was appropriate as Indiana Jones has always had that kind of personality sure he has that fun adventure aspect to him but seeing him being worn down by the trauma and events he has gone through over the course of his adventurous lifestyle I thought was very fitting for his character arc. I thought seeing him become a lot more emotionally closed off not only fit the character but also gave Harrison Ford such a great opportunity to give what I think is his best performance as the character due to the emotional ringer his character goes through. Now aside from the great writing on Indiana Jones as a character the story at hand is greatly done as it is a object that can affect time and to many it sounds overdramatic but that is what these films are though. We had a film where he goes after the holy grail with Sean Connery so him going after something that can alter time no I don’t think it was over the top in any sense of the word because these films have always been rooted in history, magic and gives great history lessons for the audience. That being said the side characters that are introduced are not exactly the best as their is a character played by Phoebe Waller Bridge who seems like the next fun female character as these films have a history of having fun female characters but I did not find her to be a character that was likeable in any sense. As for most of the film she is trying to screw over Indiana Jones while also wanting his help when in tricky situations and I had no emotional attachment to her whatsoever I thought if she was better written and just fleshed out a lot more I would care more but the sheer way they went about writing her wad not great. Why the side characters matter in these movies is due to the fact theirs tons of them In past films like Marcus Brody that is a great side character that isn’t the main focus but helps Indiana Jones achieve his adventure and here it felt like with the exception of seeing some familiar faces from the past films speaking for the new characters they were not that solid they lacked personality. Now the antagonist of the film played by Mads Mikkelsen was greatly presented as a fantastic villain for Indiana Jones to go up against as I feel like Mikkelsen is one of the best actors to call if you want a truly solid villain as he plays them so damn well. So I will say that the antagonist in the film was greatly used it is just the side characters alongside Indiana Jones that could have been written a lot better. Now in terms of the action I felt like the set pieces were fun you get your chase sequences that are a joy to watch their is one where Harrison Ford is riding on horseback through a parade which really was a thrilling sequence I enjoyed. overall the way Indiana Jones is presented really was perfectly done, the action is greatly executed and keeps you engaged while sure the side characters may not be the best but the antagonist is so sharply written and James Mangold shows many times throughout the film the respect he has for this franchise as it felt like a truly fun Indiana Jones adventure especially the first 30 minutes as these movies are known for having fun introduction scenes before taking on the main plot and he knocked it out of the park with that too. His attention to wanting to give this character the proper conclusion he deserves was well done.

Secondly, The performance that carries this film is Mads And Ford! Now as mentioned earlier that a lot of the characters seemed like forgettable side characters that lack any depth and personality. So the two actors that truly shine in this film is Harrison Ford who I think gives his best performance as the character in this film out of all the past films which is a big compliment because he’s always good as Indiana Jones but he delvers something truly special here. As he taps into a lot of emotion and vulnerability that will surprise you while still giving that action star quality we love from him. Then you have Mads Mikkelsen Who plays this determined German solider who will do whatever he has to in order to see his mission accomplished. The way he plays him is very much like a mad scientist in a way as their is a flashback sequence where we see him and it flashes forward to the 1960’s and he still is as obsessed with his goal as he was when we last saw him. So seeing that maddening quality in the character Mads brings it to life in such a great way with this silent intimidating nature that worked perfectly for the character while chewing up the scenery with his fantastic performance. Overall its really Harrison Ford who steals the show In terms of performance now Mads gives also a terrific performance that I hope is not overlooked but both actors truly give solid performances that will have you engaged the entire time. 

Lastly, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is such a fun film as James Mangold gives an emotional farewell to this amazing character we have seen for over 40 years. His style and take on the character I thought was greatly done and never felt like it was disrespectful to what George Lucas and Steven Spielberg built. Its the best Indiana Jones Adventure since the last crusade it is miles better then Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull and it gives audiences a terrific time seeing Harrison Ford in one last big adventure and its incredibly emotional at times. It is able to acknowledge the sheer weight of the emotion at hand while yes still giving you the thrills of an Indiana Jones film Harrison Ford is spectacular in the film and I think The Dial Of Destiny was a great time and I recommend everyone go see this film. 

This film centres around Indiana Jones in the 1960’s when he is approached by his goddaughter to finish an adventure him and her father never solved 

Rated PG - 13 : Language|Action|Sequences of Violence|Smoking

Harrison Ford : Harrison Delivers a performance that is the best he’s ever given of the character in Dial Of Destiny! He has been playing this character for over 40 years and he has constantly raised the bar with his performance every time. i actually found until seeing this one that Last crusade was his best performance due to his amazing chemistry with Sean Connery and balancing his humour with great emotional depth. That being said what he does in this film even tops that as he goes places emotionally with the character we have never seen before. As we see him with all the battle wounds he has got over the course of his adventures and they start to really impact him and seeing that is tough to watch at times because we always see him being the hero who can get out of any adventure and he still is that person it is just he is at a place in his life where that adventure lifestyle for his has slowed down a bit. We see him now going into retirement as when we first saw him their were hundreds of girls wanting to take his class for the fact of how good looking he was and he couldn’t even make it to his office without people knocking on his door now he teaches the same class and everyone is so disengaged and not as interested in archaeology as they used to be. Seeing that is sad but a harsh reality of changing times for him that the subject has not as much engagement as it used to and his passion for the hunt of adventure isn’t as prominent. Harrison Ford gets to explore that fish out of water headspace in a very real way because a lot of the things his character goes through he can relate to as it deals with age and looking back on ones life and a lot of that isn’t something that Harrison has to try hard to bring to the screen it comes very naturally and the emotion feels very authentic and raw at times. Even when we are introduced to new characters their is a whole sub plot about his friend becoming obsessed with this treasure he never found and their are even flashback sequences showing Harrison Ford in very emotionally tense scenes where he gets to show sides of the character we the audience have not seen before. His friend became so obsessed with that treasure they both tried so hard to find he had to remove it from his friend to take that emotional burden off him because he could see the damage it was doing to him and the impact it had on his family. So when Harrison Ford is confronted with that same thing that drove his friend to the brink of insanity and told that the object wasn’t just some wild theory but is real has him come to terms that his friend wad not just wasting his time researching this he sees that it was real all along and that emotional wave hits him so hard and Harrison taps into that so easily and you can see the tears in his eyes swell up and the shakiness in his voice he is so wrapped up in each moment of this film. As when the idea is pitched to him that it could be out their he is doubtful as he had heard that from his friend before only difference is that it is coming from now his goddaughter who has taken on the mantle of researching the same thing that drove her father mad. And you can see the emotional guard he has when he first hears this he engages into the conversation but tells her the doubts he has that it can be real. Harrison thinks nothing off it because she has no idea what he did to try to protect her and his friend from damaging his family and he constantly asks her throughout the film if she remembers a specific night with her father. His hesitation to help her is because he knows that he does not want her to go the way her dad did while also knowing that he never found that object still eats away at his brain but another part of him thinks he could let it rest knowing he never found it but when he hears it could land in the wrong hands his hero instincts kick in and he then has no choice but to find it before others do. Now he has great onscreen chemistry with Phoebe Waller Bridge but due to her poorly written character it becomes difficult to invest in them both as a duo as it always feels like she is working against him. Harrison though delivers a truly layered performance of emotion that hits you right in the heart and he slips in the skin of Indiana Jones so easily as he understands exactly what this character would do and he gives the most vulnerable take on the character that has ever been done. He commits fully to the screen pouring his heart out as he knows this is the final time he will be playing this character and what a truly outstanding performance to deliver for his farewell to this character it is emotional, charismatic and the best performance of the character Harrison has ever put to screen he is truly terrific. 

James Mangold : Mangold does it once again! Now James Mangold does not take on a lot of big franchise names only other one besides Indiana Jones he has done is Wolverine as he mostly does dramas and not big franchise titles. What is so great about him as a filmmaker though is he can do both and extremely well as here he takes on a huge name like Indiana Jones and their is definitely a lot of pressure and expectation to get it right and I think he did a truly good job. Now i wasn’t looking for him to just try and copy Spielberg’s Style he made it his own while still respecting the character and not going so far out their that it looses the magic of what we love about this character. He does take this film into places that I didn’t expect especially in the third act but to be fair he builds up to it by the time you get to the big last act of the film I felt like it worked some may not agree but i think it landed. He also I will say in a sense did play it safe to an extent and what I mean is that he didn’t make big bold changes to the character or his world. He has the backdrop as 1960’s keeping it in tune with the age Harrison Ford is which was smartly done but he also has the antagonist be villains from the 1940’s and then captures a thrill ride for Indiana Jones to go on. Now I think he also played it safe compared to a film like Logan because he knew the pressure he had on him to deliver a decent at best outing for this character that millions love and instead of getting creative and doing something totally different which works for the film but also against it. As if he was given total freedom to do what he wanted I would of loved to have seen what that would of looked like as for like Logan that was a fitting for the character but it also had themes you didn’t see in a traditional superhero film which is also why it worked so well. As here you can see that if given the opportunity to do whatever he wanted with the character and not having a huge amount of pressure on him to not make this a bad film I would of liked to see what it would of been. Now I am not saying he did a bad job directing the film I do though think he was artistically limited on what he could do though that is why so many people I are calling It just fine and okay as it could of been more if he wasn’t so creatively restrained. That being said i like how he taps into the human element of Indiana Jones and bares his heart out in ways he haven’t seen before and showing that his age has caught up with him in many ways. As his arc feels very much completed as in Raiders Of The Lost Ark he was this very young guy who would throw himself into adventure at any given moment and here he is now going into retirement and wanting to have quieter life and seeing that arc come fully complete was very satisfying as a big fan of the franchise. It also was able to have a very engaging story that goes into themes of magic in ways but you don’t loose interest I found it very fun and he also crafts a great antagonist for him to go up against that is one of his best villains I have seen in one of these films. Their is also great callbacks to earlier films in the franchise that I loved it didn’t feel like every five seconds it was trying to acknowledge the past characters and plot lines but does so In a way that was smart and emotionally satisfying. James Mangold did a great job at delivering a grand finale for this character we have loved for over 40 years and it gets incredibly emotional at times and he lets the character ride that wave of emotion and I really loved that Mangold gave a fitting conclusion to this great character amazingly well directed by Mangold once again.