So, post-viewing thoughts:
I liked it. It's not perfect and as you would expect, you can't recapture the elusive air that the original trilogy has but it makes a serious attempt at it and doesn't try to pretend it isn't dealing with an older lead. There is a fair bit of CG giving it a modern movie look but at the same time the vast majority of it is used either for special effects or touching up scenes, it's not as aggressive as it was in Skull and the sets don't have that 'studio' feel or lighting that the fourth film contained. It feels like a long adventure as well that strings a few familiar beats and contains a lot more action than Skull had, it's a film that is constantly on the go.
However, as much as it's action scenes feel lively and well made there's nothing that will really stick in your mind down the road the same way some of the sequences from the early films do. Likewise, it's a light humoured film but there are no real memorable lines with less in the way of those quirky character moments and expressions that everyone loves from the franchise. Ford clearly loves it but they've built the plot and characterisation of old Indy much around that of old Ford, he's a more gruff and miserable old man. The plot contextualises why in some nice scene moments and arc wise it's a nice closer for the character. Any old reddit-esque theories about the film trying to set up a replacement or Indy tagging along in a film focused on Bridge don't come to pass, the supporting characters are present in no different a manner as the ones in the prior movies.
Raiders and Crusade are just unassailably better films. Destiny is definitely better than Skull, I think Skull frames some of its humour better but otherwise Destiny beats it on all other counts. When it comes to Doom, that's a more difficult one. Doom I feel is a good film but is elevated by the bookend films on either side of it. You get a good opener in it and a good action finale but it's a slower film that sags more in the middle. It's characters and humour are much better than Destiny though. Those doggedly putting the OG trilogy first will side with Doom as will those against Destiny largely because it deploys CG or they hate having an old Indy lead an entry. As time goes on I'm open to the idea that Destiny might settle nuzzled somewhere close to Temple of Doom level for me, if for different reasons.
It's not a peak, classic finale for Indiana but it's at least a respectful and competent one.
I liked it. It's not perfect and as you would expect, you can't recapture the elusive air that the original trilogy has but it makes a serious attempt at it and doesn't try to pretend it isn't dealing with an older lead. There is a fair bit of CG giving it a modern movie look but at the same time the vast majority of it is used either for special effects or touching up scenes, it's not as aggressive as it was in Skull and the sets don't have that 'studio' feel or lighting that the fourth film contained. It feels like a long adventure as well that strings a few familiar beats and contains a lot more action than Skull had, it's a film that is constantly on the go.
However, as much as it's action scenes feel lively and well made there's nothing that will really stick in your mind down the road the same way some of the sequences from the early films do. Likewise, it's a light humoured film but there are no real memorable lines with less in the way of those quirky character moments and expressions that everyone loves from the franchise. Ford clearly loves it but they've built the plot and characterisation of old Indy much around that of old Ford, he's a more gruff and miserable old man. The plot contextualises why in some nice scene moments and arc wise it's a nice closer for the character. Any old reddit-esque theories about the film trying to set up a replacement or Indy tagging along in a film focused on Bridge don't come to pass, the supporting characters are present in no different a manner as the ones in the prior movies.
Raiders and Crusade are just unassailably better films. Destiny is definitely better than Skull, I think Skull frames some of its humour better but otherwise Destiny beats it on all other counts. When it comes to Doom, that's a more difficult one. Doom I feel is a good film but is elevated by the bookend films on either side of it. You get a good opener in it and a good action finale but it's a slower film that sags more in the middle. It's characters and humour are much better than Destiny though. Those doggedly putting the OG trilogy first will side with Doom as will those against Destiny largely because it deploys CG or they hate having an old Indy lead an entry. As time goes on I'm open to the idea that Destiny might settle nuzzled somewhere close to Temple of Doom level for me, if for different reasons.
It's not a peak, classic finale for Indiana but it's at least a respectful and competent one.
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