By George Bate & Josh Bate
Indiana Jones picks up the whip and fedora for a final time next month with the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The latest Indy adventure, this time directed by James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari), recently premiered at Cannes Film Festival and initial reactions are pouring in.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny currently sits at a 48% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 23 submitted reviews so far. That number is likely to fluctuate as more critics see the film, but nonetheless speaks to the fact that the film may be eliciting divisive reaction.
Several critics, including David Jenkins of Little White Lies, Kevin Maher of Times (UK), and Therese Lacson of Collider, found the film to be an improvement on Indy’s last outing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While some like Steve Pond of The Wrap believe Dial of Destiny “stuck the landing,” others like Robert Daniels of The Playlist found the film to be “sad and safe.”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny features a de-aged Harrison Ford in key flashback sequences, emphasizing how this fifth installment will rely more heavily on CGI effects than its predecessors. Stephanie Zacharek of TIME Magazine commented that the action sequences are “so heavily CGI’ed that they come off as grimly dutiful rather than thrilling or delightful.” In a similar vein, Esther Zuckerman of The Daily Beast remarked that “the de-aging and other CGI manipulations of Ford’s body only serve to demonstrate that Dial of Destiny just wants to turn back the clock instead of doing anything new.”
Although the visual effects seem to be a weak point, critics are glowingly calling Dial of Destiny a “bold, bright, and blazingly fun” send off to a legendary character.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters June 30.
