It's suppose to be the outing that sees Indy call it a day, but will he go out with a bang or a whimper?
It's not easy to make a sequel to a motion picture that helps define or advance cinema, and so when you are coming out for your 5th innings in a series, all of your previous successes actually stand as a reminder of how good you need to be. No one wants to say anything negative about Indiana Jones because we all love the character, the films, the action, and well - the everything. But I am sorry to be the bearer of not so positive news, if you have watched the first 3 films multiple times, then I fail to understand how this particular opus is going to give you that; oh so nice familiar feeling, of Indiana Jones kickin' ass and taking names, whilst The Raiders March plays on.
Turning up is not enough. Nostalgic memories are not enough to carry a new entry. A film within a series has to be able to stand on its own merits. Here, in IJATDOD, the action sequences are not inventive, the story is simple, which by itself is not a problem, but without the garnishings and source on top, the absence of any flair leaves the film to be vanilla as hell. Some of the references to older movies are a nice touch and not overdone, but ultimately there is this mix of characters, locations and plot that doesn't altogether gel so well.
Dial's saving graces lie within the strength of Harrison Ford's performance and to a certain extent Mads Mikkleson's too, but in the modern world of action cinema and with the likes of Extraction, John Wick and Nobody out there, the expected high-concept fantasy stories we love from Indiana Jones, now need to upgrade to the upper leagues when it comes to action choreography. Indiana films in no way need to be as hectic as the franchises mentioned, but for all we have seen this character do, there isn't a particular stand out scene in IJATDOD that will be cited by cinephiles and Indy fans by the the water cooler at work. As time travel films go, this entry has sent us back in terms of action delivery...and story, and nothing can be done to hide the unimaginative cracks that have appeared as the franchise lay dormant.
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