Review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) by Frankrog29 — 19 Jul 2023

For a long-time fan of the Indiana Jones movies, it was a bummer to see them go out not with a bang but with a whimper. It was completely soulless, with the main, but not the only, reason being that Harrison Ford's face was superimposed on a stunt man's head and de-aged for way too long at the beginning.

I found myself unable to move past this shockingly bad use of CGI and enjoy the rest of the movie. Also, things are rarely explained; the film just moves from one action set piece to the next with seemingly no raison d'etre.

We don't get to spend enough time with these characters to learn about or start empathizing with them before they start running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The action sequences are very tame for an installment in a film series that has yielded some of the most thrilling action scenes of all time.

Probably the most disappointing experience I've ever had at the movies, and an embarrassment for all involved. I blame Disney and Harrison Ford for beating this dead horse. Not sure if it sucked because Lucas and Spielberg sat this one out, but that's most likely the case.

Having seen the film, I honestly couldn't tell you whether James Mangold has ever seen an Indiana Jones movie in his life. The film seemingly had nothing in common with the previous ones in the series.

It made Crystal Skull look like a work of art.