Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Review

0:00 You get more out of life when you go out to a movie. I know, on with Pashul. Hello everybody, and welcome back to the box office. I am Jeff Johnson. I'm David Burns. It's been a while, but we are back. Dave. We've been busy, man, We've we've been scouting locations for your upcoming directorial effort. I know we can't really talk about it just yet, but yeah, but we finally got ourselves back to the box office real quick, real quick, Dave, because this wasn't our first time back. A couple weeks ago we got to see The Flash.

0:48 Yeah, in a quick twenty second thing, you know, see it stream at skip it because this movie has taken a beating at the box office. No one is going to see The Flash and they should. They should should. Yeah, I'm telling you right now. The Flash aka Batman three, whatever you want to call it. It is a fun, fun thrill right at the box office. It was a great way for Zack Snyder's Snyder Verse whatever you wanna call it, to end. Um It's it saddens me because people should be seeing this movie. It's it is a fantastic superhero film. I loved it. You loved it right, not too late. Everybody go see it. Yep, go see it. Speaking of seeing things, Dave, we are back today. We just walked out of the theater.

1:37 We finally, after all this time, we get to see Harrison Ford put on the Fedora. He's back Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I don't believe in magic. A few times in my wife was seeing things things I can't explain. I've come to believe so much what it's hard you believe it. He Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Thirteen tickets on sale now. Jeff, it was really good to see him wearing the fedor again. Um. I know we've been waiting for a while to see Indiana Jones beyond the big screen. It was nice to see that again.

2:30 I I mean, I've had chills, you know watching the trailer. You know, very excited. James Mangold was was taken the helm, walked into this with with very high expectations. Let's let's let's not tip our hands. I know we've gotta be spoiler free, so let' let's talk about this cast for a minute. Dave, you said it's great to see Harrison Ford back, Uh can you elaborate? I mean, it's good to see him wearing the fedor again and in catching up with him because it's been a while since we saw him in Crystal Skulls and and you know, we get to see you know, they say it in the trailer, he's retiring as a professor. You know, he's coming to the end of his career, and it's good to see him in that role of him being as Nina Jones at his age. And you do see that through the film this but this was not the endy that I know it's it's not and there's parts of it and I know what you're talking about. We really can't elaborate in here because it's a spoiler free But he can't kick butt like he once was. Man, he can't do that anymore. Um, and you really do see that in this film. I get it. I get that, you know, I get that he's not gonna be doing the things that we've seen him do in the first four movies, but do something I don't know. I I you know, I was not happy with with with with Harrison Ford's performance. Honestly, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm throwing it out there. There's there's one thing that I'm gonna. I wanna agree with you on a couple of things I WoT agree with you on I do. I know where you're coming from.

3:58 And I got that reaction from you when we off the theater, even though we didn't talk about it because they were saving to talk about it here. I felt that coming from you. And actually I felt that coming from you, guys we were watching the movie. I didn't look over, but I just knew what was running through your head at the time. But you've got to admit, though, the opening scene, the first twenty minutes, I thought was spectacular. That felt like Indiana Jones. All right, well you're jumping ahead. I'm gonna agree with you there. Though the opening of this film, the first twenty twenty five minutes, is spectacular. I will not I will not deny that. I know we could get We're gonna get in the weeds here on Marson. So let's move forward. Let's talk about let's talk about the the newest foil for Indie. Talking about Jurgen Vohler played by Mad's Mickelson. Matt's always does a great job and everything he does. I still feel like they didn't elaborate on his character enough in this movie. By the time we get to the end of everything, I'm like, I really don't care about this villain at all. Am I wrong? Okay? Now we're we're shifting gears. So because I loved Matt, I mean, Mad's Michelson playing a villain. Is it's great that that's paint by numbers. He's not gonna mess it up? Uh, you know, he's clearly he's kind of like a loose he's loosely based on the scientist, the German scientist that helped us, you know, in the Space Race. Um. I I loved his character. I loved his his motivation for me, it was there like the whole you know, his his reason for doing what he's doing made

5:31 perfect sense to me as far as like, you know, every time you get a villain that's like, I'm gonna take over the world. Okay, well why okay? I I thought it was kind of for me. I was drawn out. I liked it. It was I understood where he's coming from. I understood his motivations. I liked him. I think he's a he's a great when it comes to Indiana Jones villains. I think in some cases they're forgettable. Uh looking at you, Kate Blanchet and uh Crystal Skulls. We're really gonna talk about Crystal Skulls. No, we're not, but but uh something, you know, sometimes they are awesome, like but Bellock or Mala ram Yep Uh Ma's mad solds his own man. I think he's a he's a great he's a great villain. I liked him fair enough.

6:16 And then we got Phoebe waller Bridge playing Indie's god daughter. Helena shaw Am I the only one who doesn't like her as an actress. No, um, she she really annoyed me in this film. And and I'm not saying she's not talented. She is a talented actress. But throughout this movie, I was very annoyed by her character. And I blame that on the script. I blame that on the writers. I don't blame that on the actress because she is a good actress. But I just I didn't think she was I don't, I don't. I don't know if I should say that she wasn't right for this part. But I just and again, I want to go back and blame the writers on this because I just didn't like her character at Oh man, I really didn't. I'm gonna echo your sentiments there.

7:02 First off, Phoebe waller Bridge is an extraordinarily talented writer and an actress. Her her breakout series Fleabag that she wrote and directed and start In is phenomenal. I loved it. Um But yeah, you're right, Helena Shaw is at best obnoxious film not likable. I couldn't. I yeah, I was not a fan of her. Um for and as far as I'm gonna turn this, this was Helena Shaw and the Dial of Destiny. I'm calling it like I see it. Yeah, it's not that she was wrong for the part, it's that the character was wrong for the franchise. We didn't need this, we don't we Yeah, I didn't want it. All respect to Phoebe because she is She's amazing, but but this is not This is not for her, and wish her the wish her well with the tomb Raider.

7:59 Thinks she's got going on with with with prime. Yeah, but again I blame the writers, not her. Yeah, not her. We got a couple other spots in here. I know we will be careful what we say here, but Antonio Bandaris, you know we we briefly glimpse him in the trailer. That that's that should always be exciting for you, right, good role for him. I really enjoyed when we get to see him on screen stuff like that. I thought I thought he was fun, fun, critically underused. Oh yeah yeah, SpongeBob and Daris. I was like, really, that's what we're gonna do with him, that's it. Yeah, it was blinking you miss it U moment with him? Blinking you miss a moment with uh with John Rice Davies. Right, yeah, that was I feel I feel a little cheated. You know, we get that first trailer, give him hell Indiana Jones. Yeah, um, and then he's gone for him to just that's fan service. That's straight up fan service as far as I would serve. Um. Yeah, that's just going, hey, throw throw someone in there that they oh yeah, they love they know and love this guy. Throw him in there. Yeah, that was a little bit of a betrayal. Um talking Uh, let's talk about a couple of new characters. How about Boyd Holbrook playing Clapper. He's kind of he's kind of Mad's Michelson's henchman if you will, or one of the henchmen, I mean all the Henchman's and the villains and stuff. I you know, they're your typical Indian and Jones Henchman's and villains for sure. They yeah, perfectly.

9:31 Um, and I thought he did a really good job. You know, he was always did I thought he did? Yeah? I mean again, hold on, his character development was not there because we were missing a lot of character development in some of these people. Um, but you know he was just a hinchman. What else did you want him to be? Well? I wanted him to Okay, I get it, Like give him give him a flat top and a mustache so that we understand that he's a bad guy, you know, give it. Give him a stay and bad guy haircut and a bad guy mustache. Yeah. Boyd Holbrook is a fantastic actor. He's always been impressive. Dave, Why is he doing this? This this forced like hillbilly accent. That's not Wholebrook? I'm sorry, but that was wrong like it and it took me out of the movie, Like I was like, what why you is? This? Was this a weird, whole borok thing where he's like how I'll do it, but I want to I want to play I want to play it this way, or I want to do it this way. I don't know who who was behind the voice, but it was it was not it was un It was very unnecessary, almost almost as unnecessary as the character Mason who It was played by Seannette Renee Wilson, which is a shame because I liked her character and if they if they would have given us more material for her, I think she would have done well. But I mean, why was she even there? I don't know you could have you could have had Herbert throughout the whole movie. Yeah,

11:03 kind of like a you know, is she on our side? Is she not on our side? Because you're right, she was. She was interesting. She was for me, she was more interesting than than than Boyd Holbrook's character. But again, uh, huge missed opportunity. There are any anyone else you want to talk about? I know we got Oh yeah, I almost forgot he was in it. Um, I mean even though but he was in it. I thought he did really good. But yeah, Jones is awesome and everything he does, yeah, you know, the trailer would have you believe that he's like the the sidekick he's the character we're gonna he's gonna be on the adventure with us. But no, he's he's not.

11:46 He I for what he did, I guess he was. I enjoyed it. Yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying her dad, I'm trying to Let's talk about the movie a little bit. Um. When you're talking Indiana Jones, you're talking about action at its core. Okay, can we talk for a second practical verse versus CGI. Yeah, a lot of CTI. Yeah, I understand, I'm making him younger. I get that. I'm not I'm not talking about that. Let's do that real quick. Let's let's talk about that because everyone that's not a spoiler. Everyone knows you see Indie kind of circa two years after last Crusade. Um, I felt overall, that's fantastic. You know, young Indie looks great. Yeah, um, I might. I'm if I'm if I'm gonna pick at it at all.

12:39 It's it's that young Indie talking with grumpy Harrison Ford's voice. Right. Yeah. It was a little like, come on, you could audio, you could have cleaned it up a little bit, I think, Um, and maybe there was a there's a shot here and there where you're like, that didn't look so good. But overall like that, I feel like they used all the budget on d aging Harrison Ford and then and then all these ludicrous action sequences, these chases, most of which most of them were, were completely unnecessary and borderline boring. I was watching a video game, don't what about you? And Okay, so I'm gonna go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room. The movie was too long. Oh, there is some of the things and exactly what you're talking about right there. There are some of the things they really could have cut out of this movie and has shortened it, and it wouldn't have made it a better film. Probably maybe not, It depends on how you look at it. But if they had cut some of that stuff out, and you're right, you're gonna go on and on and on, and we really didn't need some of that, uh you tighten it up a little bit more. But yeah, I agree with you. It felt like a video game at times for sure, especially the race through Morocco. I think it was which gaming away anything. No, No, I don't need a that thing felt like it was forty minutes long.

13:58 It just I just I was like, really, we're still in these stupid little cars motorcycle car, whatever they are. I hated that moment. I'm I don't know, man, I'm I'm really starting to nash my teeth here. I think, I think, but I see that. Yeah, but I apologize for that. But um yeah, the action overall, I mean, aside from our opening sequence, I felt it went on too long. I felt it was boring. I felt it was it was it was a cgi fest. I mean, I'm not talking quantum menia, man, but it's still like for when we we've for forty plus years, we've we've seen action done right because of this franchise, and I feel like Mangold's not even looking at the other indie movies to see, like what practical action looks like. Well, you know, Jeff, here's the here's the biggest problem with this film. And I'm not by all means putting man Gold down, but Spielberg should have directed this film. And I know he probably backed out of it because he didn't want anything to do with it anymore. I know, you know, he was there at times when this was made, but this movie was missing his camera movements, it was missing his touch and That's one of the elements I felt like this movie was missing a lot of was that Spielberg touch. And again, I'm not putting Man gold down. He's a great director, but he's fantastic. Yeah, but I just don't think

15:28 it just didn't work in this movie with him. Spielberg's magic is largely missing from this movie. You can feel it. You can feel it. What about the let's talk about the story and the mcguffin. I'm gonna jump in right here. Every Indiana Gens movie we've seen the mcguffin, whether you like it or not, you understood it. You saw it, you knew what it made sense, why we were going after it, right the one in this movie, David's got three different names, and it's in two different pieces, and you have to go here to find this to get to the one. It's it's so convoluted, the story on this it's so and it's there's so many chances for it to go sideways, and it does. Of course, this was Uh, if you I'm not going to talk about my feeling on Indie going up against aliens or interdimensional beings whatever they were supposed to be, but uh, sign me up for more of that if if this is what we're looking at, because I I did, I did not care.

16:34 So are you so are you saying that you think Crystal Scalls was better than this film. I'm not gonna answer that question just yet. I'll say I'll save that. I'll save that till the very end. All right, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna go down that that road just yet. But but your thoughts on the mcguffin. Yeah, yeah, still I'm with you. I'm with you on that completely. Yeah, absolutely, I mean, come on, just gonna give me one thing. Don't go after two or three things and give me different names. So I'm getting confused and I have to like think back of what they were saying, so that I get lost in the movie because I have to think back, and then I get caught up again. Yeah. No, I'm with you on that for sure. Yeah, let's talk about something good. M what's you think of the music?

17:14 Well, it's John Williams, so you can't go wrong with that. But I have a complaint, Jeff, I'm not I'm again, I'm not complaining on John Williams, but I really felt like this movie was missing something with music. I don't know if it's because the way the story went or what it was, But like again, the first twenty minutes, I thought the music was fantastic in this because the action sequence was very, very good. But after that, it just seemed like the music fell flat. And I'm not blaming John Williams on that, and by no means saying the music terrible, it's not. But the music is good, but we didn't get that that that indie music that we're so used to. You get hints of it here and there, you know, the Raiders March and stuff like that throughout the movie, but not nearly what you got in the other films. And I really felt a lot of that with not there. And again I think Man would has something to do with that, not Spielberg being there, so you know it just the magic was not there. Man. Look, I know, I said, let's say, let's talk about something good with the music. That was a that was a that was a trick. Um.

18:23 Okay, John Williams. Any score you get from John Williams is good automatically because it's John Williams. But this score versus Indiana Jones, like the other scores we've had. Yeah, dude, come on, not even I was so. I was so excited, Like the trailer music where we got hints of the march, I was so excited. Guess what, that's as good as it gets. Yeah, I this was lazy. It was. I kept waiting for it to kick in, and it never did. I'm like, what the hell was going on? Even even elements of it were almost note for note from the last Crusade. I don't know if you notice it or not. I did. I did, and that was That was what the parts I liked because at least it sounded like Indiana Jones exactly the lat you mentioned the Raiders march. Let's the lack of it is what bothered me too. You know that lets me know I'm an Indiana Jones movie and this.

19:23 Maybe I'm tipping my hand here, but this was not an Indiana Jones movie. Dave, Let's do this see it, stream it or skip it. Yeah, this was a tough one because I know neither one of us are like a static about this movie. But um man, I can't believe I'm gonna say this. Stream it, Okay, Well, I can't believe I'm gonna say this. Skip it? Wow? Skip this. Uh. If you if you want quality, a qualit the Indiana Jones movie, just just turn on grab your blue rays, turn on Disney Plus, watch watch the original three and and love Indiana Jones and know that that's that's our Indiana Jones. Uh. If you want to, if you're feeling frisky and you're like, let's check out Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, go ahead, because Dave, you ask me, I'm gonna go and say it. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This movie makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull feel like raiders to me. WHOA, Yeah, I'm out. I said what I said, you're putting it up. Yeah, however you feel, and I know a lot of our audience does not care for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

20:38 So take that feeling and then and then dive about three hundred fathoms deeper, and that's where you're gonna land with with the Dial of Destiny, Dave, if I had, if I could get my hands on this dialo Destiny, I'd go back to a time where we didn't have even the thought that this could move, this movie was gonna come out, because yeah, let's just end it with the last crusade. That's where the last say them them them galloping off into the sunset. That's that's the perfect ending it is. I know the die I know diehard fans you know are gonna see this. They're gonna go out and see it regardless because they have to. We had to. But of course see it. Go in, go in with expectations, you know, may and I don't know. Maybe maybe I don't know.

21:18 Maybe maybe if you go in with such low expectations, maybe you come out liking it. I don't know if you maybe, if you do, we want to hear about it. Look, you know, email us, uh, hit us up on social media, if you if you liked this movie, if you love this movie, if you're with us, if you're against us, I would love to hear it. But uh but uh, Dave, you're saying stream it. I'm saying skip it. And I can't believe we're saying that. I can either. Indiana Jones, Yep. That's that's where we're at. Were indeed unfortunate, right. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna I'm heading over. I'm gonna I need to. I need to get this out of my out of my brain. I I'm actually gonna go watch Raiders again. Sounds good and fall and and fall back in love with the character. But I know we I know we'll be back at the box office and we will. Indeed, I'll buy the tickets and I'll buy the popcorn. See you guys,