Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

 

Forty-one years ago (yes, 1981) Harrison Ford teamed up with the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg in bringing the titular character of Indiana Jones to the big screen in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.  The world took notice, and a global icon was born.  I like so many was enthralled with the character and loved the film. Unfortunately, the resulting sequels have been very hit and miss in nature.

After the 1984 misstep of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, lightning in a bottle would be captured again eight years later in what was at the time billed as Indy’s last ride in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. For my money the perfect Indy ending if ever there was one.  Sadly in 2008 Lucas and company resurrected the franchise with dismally disappointing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  This week Ford once again hits the big screen in the latest Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, this time under the direction of James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari) and written by siblings Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Ford v Ferrari). Given the past track record of the franchise, new director and new writing team, I approached Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with hope of a strong finish, but no small amount of trepidation that the stank of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would not only not be vanquished but worsen.

Good news!  

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is definitely an improvement on The Crystal Skull.  By comparison, it’s a watchable, pleasant, and enjoyable.  Mads Mikkelsen delivers once again as our big bad. John Williams naturally hits it out of the part with his film score.  There's lots of action, familiar characters, plenty of nostalgia and callbacks. Woo hoo!  

Sounds like a winner. However, despite that being the case, I wasn’t anywhere as into this film as I wanted/hoped to be.

Bad news!

The 2-hour 34-minute runtime is excessive. There are a number of scenes, particularly chase scenes that are bloated and drag on much longer than needed and don’t add any extra bang for the buck and become tiresome.

A big part of this film is the nostalgia which I’m all for, but some of the “Indy tropes” have gotten long in the tooth and embarrassing at this stage.  Others are disappointing for being skimmed over or sidelined.  They were able to get John Rhys-Davies to return as fan favorite Sallah. Sweet! But why? He's underused and has more of an extended cameo than an actual part. 

Very disappointing.  

Speaking of underutilization, Ford as Indy. I get that he’s older, that life and circumstances have taken a toll on both Ford and his character, but Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny makes him feel more like a sidekick in his own film rather than the main character.  Smacks of Black Widow in that regard.  In addition, there’s no real spark in either his character or his performance.  Ford looks the part, he goes through the motions, but there isn’t any joy in it.  He’s a shadow of his former self thematically so it should work, but watching the film feels like he’s begrudgingly taking part first and foremost to take the stank off the franchise left by Crystal Skull and secondly to usher in Phoebe Waller-Bridge as possibly the next iteration of Indiana Jones.

As for Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena, I simply did not like her.  At all.  Her character did nothing to draw me in, endear herself, or make me care in any way, shape, or form.  Helena is just awful. Beyond being the plot device to pull Indy into this adventure there's no need for her.  I found her character to be awful and unappealing from start to finish.  If she does end up donning the fedora, I have no desire to follow her adventure.  I feel pretty much the same about Ethann Isidore’s Teddy. I could not care less about these characters. 

The humor couldn’t be more hit and miss if they wanted.  There are some solid laughs, a few chuckles and smirks, but more thuds and cringes than anything else. 

The story.  

Overall, I’m fine with it and it works for the most part. Right up to the climax which it is just plain silly and undermines everything.  Crystal Skull had aliens, and this has...really? 

I’m glad I saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on the big screen.  It’s a decent to okay film, but definitely a one and done one for me.  I’ve watched it, it has redeemed the franchise from the Crystal Skull fiasco, but I have no interest in seeing it again.  In fact, I’m choosing to live in a world where the Indiana Jones franchise consists of three films.  Where the movies started out strong with Raiders of the Lost Ark and stuck the landing ending perfectly with The Last Crusade.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny gets a 6 from me.

#IndianaJones

Elemental

Pixar burst on the scene with their 1995 Oscar winning animated hit Toy Story and has been innovating and kicking butt ever since. With few critical and audience misses these films have established themselves as safe bets not to be missed. With this in mind I happily headed to my local theater to check out this summer’s offering, Elemental.  A film about the love story between two anthropomorphic elements (fire and water) against the backdrop of immigration.

Things start off with a new short prior to the film, Carl’s Date featuring Carl and Dug from Up. I definitely feel some kind of way about this short and none of it is particularly good.  Maybe I’m just old, but the whole thing felt cheap and disrespectful to the trauma dump of Up and Ed Asner.

As for the main attraction, things didn’t get much better. I'm keeping this one short and not so sweet because honestly, I feel no desire to spend much time thinking about this one.

As expected, the world building animation, rich and vibrant colors of Elemental are beautiful and a joy to behold. The animation and the musical score are by far the best things about this film.  As for the other elements of Elemental there’s not much to be desired.

The story is far from new and pretty standard rom-com opposites attract blah, blah, blah fare.  Ok, I can hang with that.  

The problem is in this rendition I simply didn’t care.  

The main characters of Ember and Wade are boring, uninspired, and lifeless.  There was nothing to like about either of them individually let alone together, making it hard to be invested in the story at all. I had serious The Good Dinosaur vibes (not a fave) watching this.  Both films being co-written and directed by Peter Sohn may be the common factor.  Perhaps stick to the acting for a while my man? 

As stated, except for the visuals Elemental and soundtrack is an hour forty-nine minutes of pure unadulterated, meh, and sadly, a completely forgettable film.  An example of a good idea that is never fully executed and done so poorly. 

Bland script, heavy handed messaging. Weak underdeveloped characters. Little to no Pixar/Disney magic to be found.  

End of the day, Elemental, it’s not fun. It’s not entertaining. It’s not worth a trip to the theater to see. 

Elemental gets a 4 from me.

#elemental

The Flash

 

One of this weeks’ highly anticipated and controversial films, The Flash, has hit theaters.  Two things.  First, my knowledge/familiarity of the title character is limited to what takes place in this film as well as Justice League (both versions) and Peacemaker. And 2) my reason for wanting to see this one can be boiled down to two words: Michael Keaton. With those things in mind, I have mixed feelings on this one.  Onto the good, the bad, and the ugly that is The Flash.

The good.  

The really good.  

No, make that the amazing and easily the biggest saving grace of The Flash is exactly what I wanted to see in the first place.  Michael Keaton.  Pardon my language but Keaton’s appearance is the absolute shit and his presence alone makes this movie worth watching. There have been numerous actors that have donned the cape and cowl as Batman, but for me Keaton is the one that made me love the character and, in The Flash, I fell in love all over again.  Every moment on screen as either Bruce Wayne or Batman took me to my happy place, made me smile, made me feel, and made me thankful to still be alive to bear witness to his performance.  Keaton brings gravitas, warmth, compassion, and elevates this film immensely.  So much so I feel bad for Ben Affleck returning as Batfleck.  He may have to stature and the overall “look”, but for my money he once again falls short on everything else. 

Ezra Miller.  

Whew.  

As far as their dual role performance did a good job overall.  My biggest issue came in the characterization of 18-year-old Barry.  Maybe it’s my lack of a deeper knowledge/understanding but it seems off to me.  Barry’s established as smart kid, over thinker if anything.  Flash/Elder Barry is also highly intelligent.  18-year-old Barry is to put it mildly something of an idiot in comparison and I often found annoying and off putting.

Sasha Calle as Supergirl is fine.  I’ve never really cared about this character, but I really don’t have an issue here.  She’s there.  She’s fine.  She gets to kick some ass and looks good doing so.  She’s not much more than a MacGuffin, so...whatever.

Speaking of MacGuffins, The Flash is rife with them.  

Michael Shannon’s General Zod, the multiversal worlds, and numerous cameos.  They all play towards fan service, but disappointingly so in how they fall short. For a 2-hour 24-minute movie there was an opportunity to really do something with these things beyond a quick “looksy” and move on.  Nice to see, but overall disappointing. 

The bad and the ugly.

The humor. 

While there are some good laughs, there are too many thuds to ignore.  One of which is so cringe I felt like I was watching a meme being made before my eyes.  I could see and hear David Caruso doing his best CSI: Miami starring at the camera, pulling off his shades, and delivering the line in place of Miller. Yep, it took me completely out of the film and seeing how early in the movie it occurs, not good.  Not good at all.

The CGI work has issues and combined with script issues is problematic at best and ridiculous at worse. In one instance I not only shook my head and was muttering “seriously?” over and again but made a mental not to see who wrote this film because it seems like the people behind Fire Country’s season finale had reared their heads. The tonal balance between trying to be light-hearted and fun and deep/meaningful is often choppy.

Again, maybe it’s me, but the biggest issue I have with The Flash is I’m left wondering, what’s the point?  The overall story doesn’t feel like it does much beyond throwing various elements together in the name of fan service.  Fine.  I love fan service as much as the next person, but honestly this didn't even feel like good fan service. It also never felt like there was anything resembling high stakes at risk throughout the film.  There’s quite a lot of sizzle, most of which washed over me, with little substance.  I didn’t hate The Flash, but I certainly didn’t love it the way I hoped either.  

In fact, the more I think about the film the more I’m disappointed. I left the theater feeling overall I should’ve gone to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse again. With the exception of Michael Keaton that film has everything and did it better. 

The Flash gets a split vote from me.  

The overall film is a 5.

Michael Keaton gets a 10.

Oh yeah.  There is one post credit scene, you have to sit through the entire credit roll to see.

#theflash

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 

Transformers (2007) marked the beginning of what seemed to be a promising movie franchise.  Sadly, the following films with one, maybe 2 exceptions, quickly began to lose their luster, culminating in the eye-rolling, craptastic low Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) marking what should have been the final nail in the proverbial coffin. A year later hope and interest was rekindled when Bumblebee went back to basics and re-energized the franchise. Never being one to shy away from a sequel, this year Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now in theaters just in time for summer movie goers.  

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is both a sequel to the aforementioned Bumblebee and prequel to the original Transformers.  This time around it’s 1994, joining the Autobots in a globe-trotting battle are Maximals and Terrocons in an effort to secure the Transwarp Key hidden here on Earth.

What takes place is a 2 hour 7-minute, heavy effects laden, character driven joy ride.  

Once again there’s a nice balance between the human characters in Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) and the Transformer characters.  Both sets of characters are nicely fleshed out with clear motivations, and a story that makes sense. Though I do admit that Elena's character got shortchanged and it would've been nice to go deeper on her. A popping soundtrack that had my feet tapping and brought a huge grin to my face add s to the mix. I’m talking serious nostalgia y’all. Solid humor that will make you laugh-out-loud.  And action.  Lots and lots of well-done action sequences that pair nicely with the exposition.

Rise of the Beasts has a lot of heart and emotion.  I really felt for the characters (both good and bad), unexpectedly got choked up a couple of times and was thoroughly invested in the story. All courtesy of a great cast. The CGI work is on point.  As is the strong direction and great cinematography. 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts pacing gets a bit wonky in places and there are definitely some lulls. There’s quite a lot in this film that feels straight up lifted from other movies, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that dampens the originality and feels lazy. Not the first film to do this, nor will it be the last.  Still disappointing though.  

By the times the credits rolled, and yes there’s a credit scene that happens fairly quickly so don’t bolt for the exit too fast, I was happy for heading to the theater to see Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.  It was fun, entertaining, and worth the trip to be out amongst the public.  While I admit I like Bumblebee a smidgen more, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ranks up there as one of the better Transformer films overall.  So, Autobots, roll out and catch it on the big screen.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gets a 7.5 from me.

#TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 

In 2018 I went to the movies and saw the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse because it looked interesting and seemed like a nice way to spend a couple of hours. I was treated to one of if not the best Spider-Man films I’ve ever seen and couldn’t wait for a sequel.  Now five years later, following seemingly endless delays and push backs Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has finally made it to the big screen.  I couldn’t get to my local theater fast enough to see it. 

Holy crap!

They say that patience is a virtue, be that as it may, in this case it also pays off.  In spades.

I’m still reeling from watching this one and I definitely need/want to see it again.  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is phenomenal.  I was hoping for a repeat of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in terms of quality and viewing experience, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse easily meets if not exceeds that.  

Once again there’s an amazing soundtrack. The visuals are eye popping and jaw dropping. Spectacular animation that goes multimedia. The story is dense (in the best way), textured, layered, and intricate. The writing is incredible replete with twists and turns that had me audibly gasping, clueless to where the story was heading and happy to just be swept along. The acting mesmerizing, delivering first class characterization and development. Altogether Across the Spider-Verse is a film that just keeps on giving in every aspect.

While expansive, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse keeps Miles Morales (Shameike Moore) his family, and his journey front and center. A true linchpin in the unfolding story. We also get treated to a deeper dive into Gwen Stacy’s (Hailee Steinfeld) Spider-Woman role in an unexpected and rewarding way.  

The voice acting is glorious. The amount of heart, warmth, depth, vulnerability, etc. the cast brings is unparalleled. Simply put all the characters in this film are more believable, more three-dimensional, relatable, and nuanced than most films.  The pacing is on point, even the numerous young kids had no problems staying engaged. For 2 hours and 20 minutes, in a packed movie theater, they pulled me in and had me completely absorbed in their story to the exclusion of all else. I may as well have been in the theater by myself because it was all about the movie. When the film ended, I was shocked. I actually cried in surprise, “What?! No!” and suffered my only movie disappointment.  

Talk about leaving ‘em wanting more. And how. 

It really doesn’t get any better than that.

By the way, no credit scenes this go round. Just a promise of a return.

That’s an apt sentiment for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  There are quite a few multiverse films floating around these days, but it doesn’t get any better than this.  There are so many things happening within (as a non comic book person, I especially appreciated the little popup info to keep me in the know) and about this film that I haven’t mentioned that are stellar, I don’t feel like I’m doing it justice. But I really don't want to say too much for fear of giving away some of the fun. 

Just go see it for yourself. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse from start to finish is an embarrassment of riches that needs to be seen and heard on the big screen to truly appreciate what a perfect movie masterpiece has been created.  I can’t wait until March 29, 2024 for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a 10 without a doubt.

Minor SPOILER ALERT:

In case like me you didn’t know. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a part 1, so you’re left with a cliff hanger at the end. 

END SPOILER ALERT

#spidermanacrossthespiderverse

The Little Mermaid (2023)

This weeks’ trip to the theater had me checking out the latest Disney live-action adaptation The Little Mermaid. I remember reading the story as a kid and like so many, absolutely love the 1989 animated version so I’ve been looking forward to seeing this take for the last couple of years. As I do with every film I see, I went in with an open mind and hopes for a positive movie experience.  However, despite my best efforts to ignore, avoid, and otherwise tune out all the “controversy” and haterade, I also went in with a large pit in my stomach and a sense of dread instead of excitement. I wanted/needed this one to be good.

Disney’s live-action remakes have been hit or miss to put it kindly.  They’ve been really good or total garbage, nothing in between. While The Little Mermaid didn't blow me away it has bucked that trend, so yay! The Little Mermaid (2023) is a solid and overall enjoying film. It’s also a mixed bag.

The expansion of the story by fleshing out Eric’s character and motivations is a welcome change as is giving Ariel more depth in hers as well. However, with a running time clocking in at 2 hours and 15 minutes there’s definite room to cut things. The Little Mermaid (2023) is too long. I never tuned out, but I did get antsy and felt the film dragged in places. The younger kids in the audience certainly got squirmy as well.  

One of the most beloved aspects from the animated is the Alan Menken and Howard Ashman soundtrack.  With Menken returning and the addition of Lin-Manuel Miranda I once again had high expectations.  I hate to admit it, but again it was a mixed bag.  Bailey has a beautiful singing voice and while I got actual chills when she belts out Part of Your World there are a few spots I wanted her to rein it in a bit.  And having her sing during Under the Sea not only undercut the song thematically, frankly it messed it up for me. The Scuttlebutt I can go either way on. It’s a bit of fun, but really unnecessary and easily can go.  Kiss the Girl remains stellar.  Eric’s Wild Uncharted Waters...wow.  The politest way I can put it is, it’s a hard pass.  

The casting for the most part is strong.  Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, and Javier Bardem deliver strong performances as Ariel, Eric, and King Triton. Kudos all around. For me it’s Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula and Daveed Diggs’ Sebastian that had really big shoes to fill and definitely delivered bang for the buck.  Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay didn’t add much to the mix.  Scuttle and Flounder are "just there" in a more limited capacity this time around.

Great direction, wonderful costumes, and overall good visuals with a few hitches.  Speaking of the visuals, I do want to know what the deal was with the Ursula/Ariel/Eric showdown. I don’t know if it was the print of the film I was viewing or an intentional decision, but I went from watching a Disney film to something straight out of DC.  Things went dark.  Literally.  Super-sized Ursula in all her evil glory can barely be seen in the lighting, clouds, and rain.  A disappointment for sure.

This is not your childhood The Little Mermaid. It’s an updated, expanded, inclusive, retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  

Just like the original story the 1989 animated movie still exists and can continued to be enjoyed. The Little Mermaid (2023) isn’t perfect but has its merits, is enjoyable and entertaining.  I do have my issues with the film, but I’m also glad I took the time to go see it in the theaters.  

I’m giving The Little Mermaid (2023) a 7.

#thelittlemermaid

Fast X

 

Summer is officially just around the corner and the blockbuster film releases are picking up steam. This week at the theater it’s all about family.  Yep, Dom and company are back on the screen in what’s being billed as the beginning of the end of The Fast and Furious franchise. So, I hit the theater, buckled up, and turned off my brain to indulge in the ridiculous, over-the-top 2 hours and twenty-one-minute End Game-esque spectacle that is Fast X.

Real talk. 

This franchise and the movies within them aren’t regarded as master pieces of fine cinema.  I’m well aware of that and I’m completely fine with it.  These films are full of eye-rolling dialogue, unbelievable action sequence that hit absurd and keep going, and CGI work that can be truly terrible. Yet, with the notable exception (mandatory dis here) of Tokyo Drift I love these films and get a kick out of them.  Why?  They’re fun and entertaining.  There's also something comforting about their predictability and mindlessness. The formula they follow is simplistic and it works.  And yes, while not being anywhere near Citizen Kane, the Furious films have brought the feels along with the fun and funny and produced characters to like and care about. 

Popcorn movies through and through.

Fast X is no exception. 

From the jump Fast X does a great job reworking the events from 2011s Fast Five into the setup for what unfolds in this film.  So yes, if you aren’t up to date, have forgotten, or just didn’t care but are watching Fast X it all makes sense.  As much as any of these make sense. In fact, they did a great job summarizing key points from the entire franchise.  The call backs, homages, references, and flashbacks bring joy.  

Part of that joy comes from the return of so many of the characters that have appeared throughout the franchise as well as the new additions. In the latter category while Rita Moreno, Brie Larson, and Alan Ritchson are nice additions to the mix, it’s Jason Momoa that steals the show. And how. Momoa’s Dante is unhinged, overly dramatic, and bigger than life in the best way possible.  It’s clear Momoa had a blast with this part, and you can’t help enjoying watching him having fun chewing the scenery.  

As usual there's a bumping soundtrack, lots of action sequences, a few twists making for a good beginning of the end. Along with the standard Furious tropes are surprise cameos and a mid-credit scene not to be missed. 

Fast X doesn’t cover any new territory and sticks to the tried-and-true Furious formula, buy hey if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  The big exception here is like Infinity War/Endgame, Fast X ends by not ending. Yes, folks we get an old-fashioned cliffhanger. The next installment is currently scheduled for a 2025 release, so we have a bit of a wait to find out what happens next. I for one look forward to seeing what’s next for the family.

Fast X gets an 8 from me.

#FastX