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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Film Review

Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, Mads Mikkelsen, Shaunette Renée Wilson

Director: James Mangold

Synopsis: Legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones finds himself in a race against time, and the Nazis, in a bid to recover a historical artefact…

Review: Whether it be the fedora, the whip, his sense of adventure, his charm, or the fact he loves to give a Nazi or two a punch to the face, the appeal of Dr Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr is one which has endured throughout the decades ever since he made his debut in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. The subsequent three films which followed may have varied in quality, but what did not vary was the popularity of this character, which has endured to the point where he is widely regarded as one of the greatest characters in the history of cinema. Fifteen years after what was billed as his last adventure, Indy has dusted off the leather jacket and the whip, for another go at one final adventure.

The year is 1969 and Dr Jones is on the brink of retirement from his teaching job as a university lecturer. The Space Race between the USA and the Soviet Union is in full swing, with the former poised to be the first country to send people to the moon. While once his students were fascinated by the subject of archaeology, now they’re completely unenthusiastic and are far more interested in space, leaving Indy facing up to the prospect of a rather lonely future in retirement. This is until his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Waller-Bridge) shows up out of the blue seeking Indy’s help to locate an ancient historical artefact in the form of a dial, which is said to have belonged to Archimedes. Though, of course, the dial is also being pursued by former Nazi Jurgen Voller (Mikkelsen), who has since been recruited by NASA to assist the US with their efforts in the Space Race.

Before the globetrotting adventure to retrieve this artefact can begin however, the film turns back time to a thrilling 20-minute prologue set during the tail end of World War II minute prologue, where a younger Indy (via a digitally de-aged Ford) and his fellow archaeology enthusiast Basil Shaw (Jones) are in search of another artefact which they believe may be in the possession of the Nazis of. However, a chance encounter leads them to this dial which may or may not have some kind of magical powers of some kind to it. It wouldn’t be an Indy film without it! Fast forward 25 years, and Indy and Helena set off on a new adventure to retrieve this priceless treasure before it falls into the wrong hands.

Ford is an actor who has no shortage of legendary roles to his name, each of which he has reprised over the years to wonderful effect, and Indy is no exception. It is apparent Ford has a great affinity for this character, and despite his age, he puts in a committed performance proving there is no one else to don Indy’s fedora. Given the length of time Ford has played this role, the script by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold leans into this longevity and the fact that an adventure of this nature would wear an adventurer of his age down. His general grumpiness, combined with Helena’s endless energy and enthusiasm, lends itself to some comedic moments, and Waller-Bridge is tremendous in the role. She is easily given the most development out of all the new characters, which is frustrating particularly where Mikkelsen’s villain is concerned. He’s an actor who has proved he can play a thoroughly unlikeable villain with nuance and subtlety to the point where you almost feel sorry for him. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t develop him much beyond he’s a former Nazi who is desperate to find this dial for his nefarious purposes and so Indy and Helena must stop him and his assortment of goons led by Boyd Holbrook’s Klaber at all costs.

It is strange that for an Indiana Jones film, there is no involvement of either franchise creator George Lucas or the director of the first four films Steven Spielberg, with both instead serving as executive producers. Taking on the reins from Spielberg is an unenviable task, but it is one which James Mangold rises to. He is a director who notably has experience with giving a beloved character the swansong they deserve and has an incredibly broad range of films across a multitude of genres in his career. The action scenes have a vibrant energy to them and are visually stunning to look at especially the opening prologue and some of the action scenes in the second act. While these are fun to watch, the film clocks in at nearly two and a half hours, it is the longest film in the franchise to date and you begin to feel that run time by the end due to some sluggish pacing. Furthermore, the film can feel a bit too reliant on the by-the-numbers nature of its plot and the nostalgia many will undoubtedly have for this franchise, aided by the score that the living legend John Williams provides. Matching the lofty standards set by two-thirds of the original trilogy (looking at you Temple of Doom), was always going to be a tall order. However, where Kingdom of the Crystal Skull fell short, Dial of Destiny turns back time to let this character roll back the years and enable him to take a final bow befitting of an iconic screen legend.

While it leans a bit too much its nostalgia and its tried and tested formula, the committed performances from Ford and Waller-Bridge ensure the legendary archaeologist’s final adventure is one which is absolutely worth going on.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Film Review

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anthony Mendez

Directors: Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado

Synopsis: Discovering he has gone through eight of his nine lives, Puss in Boots discovers a possibility to restore all of his lives through a magical wishing star…

Review: With his signature boots, hat and sword, it is easy to see why the cunning (and cute when he wants to be) feline warrior known as Puss in Boots captured the attention of everyone when he first appeared in Shrek 2 back in 2004. While he cropped up again in later sequels, the first sequel featuring everyone’s grumpy but lovable ogre remained the jewel in the crown for the franchise based in a land far far away. While he later appeared in his own 2011 spin-off which came and went without seemingly too much fanfare, this sequel has come along to put the Shrek franchise back on the map with the best film in the franchise since the first Shrekquel.

Puss In Boots (Banderas) is living his best lives as a fearless warrior who craves adventure, which leads to an enthralling encounter between Puss and a gargantuan monster/mountain hybrid, all within the film’s opening first act. While he succeeds in his fight against the creature, it comes at a cost. Upon waking up, he finds out that he has used up eight of his nine lives and is urged to put his swashbuckling adventure days behind him for good. However, Puss learns of the existence of a magical wishing star which could replenish his lives, but Puss soon discovers he is being hunted by a terrifying hooded wolf (Moura), the physical manifestation of death itself, and must evade him at all costs before he has a chance to get his lives back.

In a franchise which at its peak was a clever and hilarious look at our perception of fairytales, Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow’s screenplay leans into the fairytale world with the magical wishing star, as well as the use of some high profile characters from well-known fables as side characters, most notably Goldilocks (Pugh) and the Three Bears (Winstone, Colman and Kayo). However, it expertly combines this fairytale backdrop with a Western heavy vibe as Puss, a feline version of Clint Eastwood’s antihero from The Man With No Name trilogy in many respects, must battle an assortment of creatures big and small in his quest to avoid a permanent encounter with death. Banderas has always felt perfect for this role and he is once again perfect as there’s an array of emotions Puss goes through over the course of this enthralling adventure, which must see Puss reluctantly work with a past flame in Kitty Softpaws (Hayek Pinault), who is not happy with Puss, to say the least.

It makes for a fascinating dynamic between these two as they go on their adventure, aided by adorable therapy dog Perro (Guillen). Alongside them, Wagner Moura’s performance as the physical incarnation of death feels particularly chilling and foreboding. The best family movies are the ones which combine elements which will delight younger audiences while giving older members thought-provoking and mature themes. With its explorations of mortality, and the anxiety which can come along with that, it adds so much emotional weight to the story. Ever since the release of Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse, the bar for producing ground-breaking animation has been raised massively. The combination of the fairytale setting, as well as the Western vibe, gives the animators the opportunity to tinker with varying styles of animation. Whether it’s the glint in a character’s eye, an exhilarating action scene, the visualisation of the titular wishing star or another form of magic artefact, the visuals remain dazzlingly impressive throughout.

It is a shame the Big Bad Wolf/Death’s appearances in the film are fleeting because he is such a commanding, ominous presence, it makes the film’s main villain Jack Horner (Mulaney) seem a bit superfluous in comparison. Horner is a bit one note in terms of him being just straight-up evil and cruel with barely any nuance to him, it makes you wish the film had used more of the former and less of the latter. Nevertheless, while many had assumed the Shrek franchise was consigned to the books where one would read about all those fairytales it parodied, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish serves as a reminder that, like its titular hero seeking to replenish his nine lives, there could be plenty more life, and magic, left in the franchise in a land not too far from Far Far Away.

Visually stunning, with a layered and emotionally resonant story at its core, this latest venture into the world of fairytales and talking animals with everyone’s favourite feline warrior will leave audiences purring with delight.