Ben Kendrick
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thread 1/9
#indianaJones and the Dial of Destiny is a fun send-off to Indy and far superior to its predecessor. It never tops the original trilogy but lands much closer to them than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. For the most part, Dial of Destiny has all the DNA of a classic Indy adventure.
01:32 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 2/9
Even if the movie can’t recapture the magic of the first 3 films, this isn’t a movie that’s trying to handoff the series. It’s a sincere exploration of Dr. Jones at a point in his life where he can’t solve problems with a whip anymore - especially the demons haunting his home life (or lack thereof).
01:33 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 3/9
To that end, it puts a fitting cap on the character’s adventures - without resorting to “too old for this shit” cliches. Indy is still a capable fighter, albeit less capable than before, and equally sharp at solving ancient riddles.
01:35 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 4/9
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a fun foil for Harrison Ford - and Mads Mikkelsen slips right into the series’ staple antagonist shape: a smug Nazi with a punchable face.
01:36 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 5/9
Common criticisms among fellow critics point out uncanny valley issues with the de-aged Ford in early scenes, a divisive third act, and overall long runtime. I don’t disagree that any of the three could be off-putting to certain moviegoers.
01:36 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 6/9
But none of them detracted (enough) to undermine my overall enjoyment of The Dial of Destiny. The third act takes a big swing and not all of it works but, as the climax to Indy’s final adventure, it felt like a fitting thing to throw at him.
01:37 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 7/9
I expect diehard fans may be underwhelmed because aspects don’t all stick the landing - or aren’t exactly what some viewers might have “wanted.” But this is a far cry from nuking fridges, swinging with monkeys, aliens, and on-the-nose efforts to pass the fedora to someone else.
01:38 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
A
thread 8/9
As a longtime fan, and someone who credited a midnight showing of The Last Crusade as the moment I fell in love with movies, I feel good about leaving Dr. Jones after the Dial of Destiny and enjoyed following him on one final adventure.
01:38 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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Ben Kendrick
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thread 9/9
Related: I would show up for a Waller-Bridge spinoff - if it broke from the Indy formula (rather than replicating it) and evolved into its own series set in the same universe.
01:39 AM - Jun 16, 2023
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