Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny Gives The Franchises Titular Hero A Respectable Though Flawed Send-Off

      

Note: This review contains no Spoilers.

      A heroes journey must end at some point, even ones as iconic as Indiana Jones. First exploding onto the big screen with 1981's Raiders Of The Lost Ark, the popular action-adventure franchise has experienced its share of ups and downs with its peak moments being both Raiders and The Last Crusade with its downs being the excessively dark Temple Of Doom and the hugely divisive Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. With Disney's Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, the hope is that the fifth and final entry in the series with Harrison Ford retiring as the franchises main lead will give its  hero a fitting sendoff. Their efforts ultimately prove to be a mixed bag with Dial marking a considerable improvement over its predecessor, though still struggles to match the franchises previous glory days. 

      Set in 1969, Dial has Indiana Jones and his estranged goddaughter Helena going on a new adventure in hopes of trying to locate a device that could change the course of history before a Nazi-turned-NASA scientist, Jurgen Voller, can take it for himself and alter the outcome of World War ll. Right off the bat, Dial Of Destiny aims to reverse some of Crystal Skull's controversial moves such as the glaring omission of Shia Labeouf's character Mutt Williams, and the ommitting of aliens with the franchises previous enemy, Nazis. As a story that's meant to give its star a fitting end at playing the role, it serves as being an respectable finale that leaves the series in better place than it was previously, although fans won't go crazy over it.

      With Dial's cast, the ensemble brings their A- game with delivering strong performances which demonstrate a clear enthusiasm for being apart of the series. Harrison Ford proves he's still got it as the legendary titular hero with his performance serving as the stories heart. Here, he nails it at playing an aging hero whose reflecting on his past adventures and mistakes as he faces retirement. Joining him on his latest adventure is Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Jones charming and flip-flopping grifter goddaughter, Helena, whose also the daughter of an old friend of Jones, Basil. Bridge makes the most of what she's given and holds her own alongside Ford. Mads Mikkelsen proves to be brilliant as German scientist and former WWll Nazi, Jurgen Voller, who seeks to use the Apollo moon landing program for his own gain. Mikkelsen is commanding as a sinister Voller, who desires to carry the Nazi's mantle. The rest of Destiny's cast shine including Antonio Banderas as Jone's loyal old friend, Renaldo, the return of John Rhys-Davies as Jone's old ally, Sallah, Toby Jones as Jones ally and Helena's father, Basil Shaw, Ethann Isidore as Helena's young Moroccan sidekick, Teddy Kumar, Shaunette Renee Wilson as US government agent, Mason, Boyd Holbrook as Voller's trigger-happy right-hand man, Klaber, and Karen Allen as Jone's divorced-wife, Marion Ravenwood.

      Taking over the franchise directing reigns from Steven Spielberg is Logan director James Mangold who delivers some impressive set-pieces. He manages to keep intact the adventurous spirit of the previous installments, while taking a more personal approach with the character. With the films violence and moments of peril, he keeps things moving frequent with intense sequences showing characters being thrown from moving trains and in-flight planes with the occasional fist fight being accompanied by conveniently large explosions. Some of the films key moments involving heavy usage of CGI including a thrilling sequence involving Jones riding a horse through a parade or a thrilling 25-minute opening sequence involving a de-aged Indy fighting Nazi's on a train with the latter making for some of its best usage yet. At 2hrs and 34 mins, Dial moves at a steady pace that never makes it feel too slow nor as masterfully paced as Raiders. The films costume and set design  are stunning with the Moon landing celebration parade making for stunning background scenery.

      With Ford's final outing as Jones, it's only appropriate that Destiny's story explores the concept of an aging Indy facing his twilight years. Key themes including teamwork, family, loss, grief, and how doing the right thing ultimately comes with its rewards are prevalent here with the plot making for more of an emotional journey involving Jones character than previous films. One sequence, in particular, that effectively shows Indy reflecting on his past failures has him admitting what he would change if he had the ability to do so. Such a moment is beautifully acted while showing the grief and loneliness that his characters experienced over the years. When the story revolves around Jones, it works well, but runs into trouble when attention is directed towards other characters who aren't as well-written. Indy's goddaughter, Helena, comes across as being awkward and unlikable given that her character feels inconsistent in terms of the way she's written that audiences won't find themselves caring much about her by the end of the film considering that she chooses to betray Indy at every opportunity presented. Voller's character had potential to be a fantastic Nazi villain that the series deserved, but comes across as feeling underdeveloped. The films side characters all show potential to be good, but aren't given enough time to properly shine and ultimately make Indy feel somewhat of a side character in his own story.

      Overall, Dial Of Destiny marks itself as being a reasonable improvement over its predecessor and can even be considered as being a decent movie, but its nowhere near the level of previous entries and further supports the notion that the series didn't need to be continued after how perfectly The Last Crusade ended things. Then again, audiences wouldn't be treated to the heartwarming reunion that happens at the end of the film that feels fitting for the character and his legacy of uncovering lost treasure and battling Nazi's. It's not the near perfect finale that fans wish for it to be but as a send-off to an actors legacy with playing the role, it's an honorable one. 

Final Verdict: An honorable send-off for the character that's worth watching, largely due to Harrison Ford's emotionally charged performance. 

Images Courtesy Of Disney

The Flash Delivers Reasonable Nostalgic Fun While Falling Short Of Greatness

Note: This review contains no Spoilers

      It's an unusually dicey move when a film is positioned as being a resetting point for a cinematic universe, that's experienced uneven results both financially and critically, while simultaneously operating as an origin story for its main character. With Warner Brothers The Flash, the hope is that the long-awaited superhero origin story can operate at performing both in addition to reversing the misfortunes that the DCEU has experienced over the course of ten years since it's initial liftoff with 2013's Man Of Steel. Plagued by nearly a decade of production troubles regarding filmmakers leaving the project, mismanagement regarding the current state of the DCU, and off-screen controversy regarding the films main star Ezra Miller, it seemed unlikely that the film would ever land a release. Thankfully, despite those troublesome issues, The Flash finally dashes its way to theaters and does so with decidedly mixed results. 

      The plot has Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) using his super speed to save his family by changing the past. However, he ends up creating a world without superheroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future with the help of another Barry. What's catchy about The Flash's plot is how it's able to draw from different timelines set within the DC universe, while offering up dozens of cameos including past variations of characters. Such a twist rightfully sets the precedent for a fun and exciting experience, though ultimately not a great one. Whereas The Flash delivers in extremely generous amounts of nostalgia, it lacks when it comes to properly fleshing out it's key supporting characters, some of who often steal the show from its main character.

      In terms of performances, The Flash's cast delivers strong work, particularly Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton. Ezra makes for a relatable Barry Allen with him most impressing at playing two different variations of himself in the film, going from an alternate jittery younger version of himself to an older and more corrupted version of the same Barry called "Dark Flash." Keaton gives a commanding presence as an older Bruce Wayne with him once again donning the suit ranking among the films most thrilling moments. Sasha Calle delivers strong work as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl despite her role feeling a bit shortchanged. Reprising his role from Man Of Steel is the exceptional Michael Shannon as General Zod, who much like Calle, delivers solid work but whose characters feel unfulfilled in terms of receiving their proper screentime. Other notable performances include Ron Livingston as Barry's father, Henry Allen whose wrongfully convicted of his wife's murder, Maribel Verdu as Barry's mother Nora, and Kiersey Clemons as Barry's love interest, Iris West.

      Whereas the acting stands as being one of the films strongest points, the direction by Andy Muschietti produces uneven results with him finding the the right balance of action, humor, and seriousness that works while struggling to create an immersive experience visually with the CGI often looking intentionally fake at times. Examples include scenes involving the use of the Speed Force and Chronobowl, in addition to the films climactic battle which ranks as being CGI overkill. The superhero violence shown is intense with the action sequences effectively capturing the scale of people with otherworldly powers that results in massive background chaos. In terms of cinematography, the film is well-shot with the most stunning images being those involving the original Batcave and Bruce Wayne mansion. At 150 minutes, The Flash finds itself on rather shaky ground with the first half of the movie being fast-paced with the second occasionally stalling to advance character and plot points with the overall story feeling unnecessarily long for two and a half hours. As far as soundtrack goes, the score is appropriately orchestrated and stylized with the handling of the classic Danny Elfman Batman theme driving the audiences nostalgia whenever it spontaneously kicks in. 

      Some of the questions the story poses include asking whether one would go back in time and change anything if they're capable of doing so, as well as showing the reality of how such a decision would affect the present and potentially bring negative consequences. The main problem with the the script is not the interesting ideas and themes it generates, but how unfulfilled many of the films elements feel after watching it. Some prime examples include Supergirl and General Zod's characters being introduced, yet lack the proper amount of character depth to make their characters not appear as being statues. Keaton's Bruce also appears questionable at times with his knowledge of the speed force. As much as the filmmakers wish to make audiences care about the romance between Barry Allen and Iris West, their relationship can't help but feel undercooked as they're not given enough time for audiences to become invested. 

      Overall, The Flash comes with its share of strengths and weakness, mainly regarding what it wants to be. It feels like the film wants to have it as an origin story for the main lead despite lacking a true villain for him to fight like Reverse Flash, while serving as a bridge between the old DCEU with some notable cameos ultimately operating as fitting farewells, and the new universe being laid out by James Gunn and Peter Safran. What helps the story work is the combination of witty moments of humor delivered by both versions of Barry Allen, as well as the dynamic between him and his family that's often surprisingly heartfelt at times. When it comes to the number of DC cameos, most are often fun to see with familiar faces popping up along with fandom wishes come true. However, it can't be helped the feeling that there was some legitimately missed opportunities here (Grant Gustin's cameo would've been a clever wink to fans of the CW TV show. ). Despite its many issues, there's enough action, humor, and heart present in The Flash to make it a enjoyable experience for fans, even if the end result feels a bit underwhelming.

Final Verdict: Worth seeing for both comic book and DC fans, though it's nowhere close to being among the greatest comic book films ever made. 

Images Courtesy Of Warner Brothers Discovery

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Swings In With A Dazzling Sequel That Outshines Its Predecessor

      It is extremely rare for audiences to get a sequel that not only matches the level of quality brought forth by its predecessor, but completely surpasses it. With Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, audiences found themselves being introduced to a new young Spider-Man named Miles Morales. The film was not only a box office success but gave audiences a young heroes journey that they could identify with while boasting groundbreaking animation and sincere storytelling. With any sequel that came afterwards, the bar would be set to outdo the original in every aspect while further redefining the possibilities of brilliantly telling a comic book story in animated form. Thankfully, the filmmakers have found a way to do just that with Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse establishing itself as being a rare Hollywood sequel that outshines its predecessor.

      Picking up five years after Into The Spider-Verse, Across has Miles Morales reuniting with Gwen Stacey as he becomes catapulted across the Multiverse, encountering a world of Spider-people charged with protecting its very existence. While doing so, he finds himself being pitted against the other Spiders, while simultaneously redefining what it means to be a hero in order to protect those whom he loves the most. Across the Spider-Verse takes everything that worked so well with its predecessor and applies it here while moving the films technological and story aspects forward. The sequel has everything that fans could possibly want in a superhero movie with it feeling bolder in its creative decision-making while never losing sight of its heart that's the main characters journey.

      In terms of voice acting, Spider-Verse's cast delivers performances that are energetic, heartfelt, and add different layers of emotion to the story. Shameik Moore once again displays that he's the perfect voice actor for Miles Morales with him playing an intelligent and rebellious teenager, whose determined to protect those he loves. Hailee Steinfeld is equally fantastic as Gwen Stacey with her and Moore working exceptionally well off each other with terrific chemistry. Backing both leads are Brian Tyree Henry as Miles African-American father and police officer with Luna Lauren Velez as Miles Puerto-Rican mother, nurse Rio Morales. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Jake Johnson as an older, and disheveled Earth-616 Peter Parker with him now having a daughter named Mayday, Jason Schwartz man as former scientist-turned supervillain, Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, whose body is full of interdimensional portals that allow him to travel through space and different universes, Issa Rae as a pregnant African-American Spider-woman from an alternate universe whose a member of the Spider-Society, Karen Soni as an Indian version of Spider-Man from an alternate, Pavitr Prabhakar, Daniel Kaluuya as punk rock Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk who uses a guitar as a main weapon, and Oscar Isaac in a scene-stealing performance as Miguel O' Hara/Spider-Man 2099.

      When it comes to visuals, directors Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson once again raise the bar with the animation. Not only is the overall look of the film stunning to watch, but the visuals go hand-in-hand in telling the story. This isn't just typical animation that's being thrown at the audience but carefully crafted and drawn work that's vibrant and draws audiences into Mile's world. One of the film's most technologically impressive and visually breathtaking sequences involves Mile's being chased by hundreds of different variants of Spider-Man. It's an action scene that's so massive that it took a total of 4 years to film. The action/violence as a whole is presented as being large-scale destruction with close-up physical confrontations, which include cleverly inserted bits of humor. At 140-minutes, the audience never feels the length because of how involved they become with the plot. Like the original, the sequel boasts a strong soundtrack once again with numerous songs from various artists who help add different layers of emotion to the story. As far as directing and animation goes, the directing trio manage to knock it out of the park with delivering a sequel that's even more immersive this time around with a unique filmmaking style that's wonderfully detailed with obvious care being directed towards the story.

      Some of the key themes and messages that the sequel conveys pertain to courage, empathy, friendship, family, and the realization that with bearing great power comes great responsibility. Teamwork is strongly emphasized here with Miles finding himself working with others for the good of humanity, while coming into his own as a young person with extraordinary abilities. The struggles that both Miles and Gwen experience as young teenagers is key here with them dealing with the hardships of morphing into their own person, while dealing with the possibility of rejection from their parents in revealing the truth. The relationship between Miles and his parents is also given a more personal touch with the films strongest and most emotional scenes being those between Morales and his mother. One sequence in particular that's surprisingly powerful has Morales struggling to tell his mother the truth about his secret identity. Such a moment is only surprisingly powerful but serves as a metaphor for teenagers essentially "coming out" to their parents. The newer characters introduced including Miguel and Spider-woman, leave notable impressions with audiences while expanding on the films universe.

      Overall, Across The Spider-Verse feels more focused and personal than the first with the sequel putting a lot of thought into its characters while not being afraid to take bold risks regarding the story. The sequel works not only as being as a stellar sequel, but also operating as a hard-hitting coming of age tale disguised as a comic book film. If Into The Spider-Verse made one believe in the origins of a superhero, Across The Spider-Verse will make them believe in their struggle to do the right thing while finding their true selves. Fans will undoubtedly be stunned by the whole Empire Strikes Back vibe given with the films climax. The only disappointment that fans will experience upon watching it, is that it ended too soon. 

Final Verdict: An absolute must see for comic book fans.

Images Courtesy Of Sony Pictures      

Disney's The Little Mermaid Splashes As Being A Surprisingly Decent Remake

  

      To say that Disney has experienced an extremely bumpy road when looking at their catalog of recent live-action remakes would be an understatement. For every home run struck with films including 2015's Cinderella, 2016's The Jungle Book, and 2017's Beauty And The Beast, they miss the mark critically with 2019's Aladdin, The Lion King, and last year's Pinocchio (Not to be confused with Guillermo Del Toro's masterful retelling). With Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid, Disney takes the controversy regarding their live-action remakes one step further with race-swapping the character of Ariel with the casting of Halle Bailey in a star-making role. With Mermaid, the newest retelling aspires to reintroduce the classic story to a new generation of audiences while remaining faithful to the original 1989 animated classic that won two Oscars. Given all intents and purposes, it succeeds as being the strongest live-action Disney remake since Beauty And The Beast.

      Bearing the same plot as its classic animated counterpart, the remake has Ariel, the youngest of King Triton's daughters, longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea. Upon visiting the surface, she rescues and falls for young Prince Eric. Realizing her feelings for him, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land as a normal human. One of the key differences between the original and reimagining is the differentiating in having Ariel fall for Eric due to his sense of wonder, along with him also feeling like an outsider due to him being adopted. The newest version of Mermaid's story aims to be more well-rounded with both characters motives in regards to falling for each other. For all its risk-taking and noble approach towards diversifying these characters, the live-action remake never outdoes it's predecessor but creates enough magic and heart to make its own splash with audiences.

      In terms of acting, Mermaid's cast deliver terrific performances that are charming, believable, and captivating with the films true standout being Halle Bailey in a breakthrough performance as the curious and headstrong mermaid princess, Ariel. Bailey suits the role perfectly and largely impresses with her range both as a dramatic actress and music performer. Jonah Hauer-King is equally terrific as the adventurous and free-spirited human prince, Eric, whom Ariel falls in love with after rescuing from drowning with the latter becoming obsessed with finding her. King portrays Eric as being sensitive and isolated with him also being curious about his place in the world. Melissa McCarthy is perfectly-casted as King Triton's witty and manipulative estranged sister, Ursula, a treacherous and conniving sea witch who desires to conquer Atlantica. The rest of the cast deliver strong performances with Javier Bardem as Ariel's strict and overprotective father King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as Eric's adoptive mother Queen Selina, Art Malik as Eric's loyal confidant sir Grimsby, Davees Diggs as Ariel's loyal crab, Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Ariel's best friend, Flounder, and Awkwafina as the voice of dimwitted northern gannet Scuttle.

      Directed by Rob Marshall who previously helmed 2002's Oscar Winning Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns, and Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, he brings a sense of wonder and enchantment to the story, as well as a heightened level of intensity that wasn't before present in the animated version. Here, Marshall raises the stakes with sequences of intense peril including a sea storm, a shipwreck involving a shark chase, and a tense climactic battle between Ariel, a giant Ursula, and Eric. Whereas audiences who grew up with the original are familiar with these moments, the newer version pushes the intensity of them given its PG rating. On a visual level, the film is stunning to look at with the underwater world being vibrant in colors, although some VFX shots appear a bit too obvious at certain points. The cinematography is breathtaking with the set and costume design adding to the vibrant colors shown on screen. Considering that the remake is a full half hour longer than it's animated counterpart with it clocking in at two hours, it doesn't feel slow-burning and makes use of its extra time to develop key character and plot points. Returning to helm the score is original films composer, Alan Menken, who recreates magic once again with adding to the previous work while creating new renditions of classic songs including Part Of Your World and Poor Unfortunate Souls. As far as directing goes, Marshall solidifies himself as being the ideal filmmaker for bringing Ariel's underwater world to the screen in a form that's immersive. 

      In keeping with the originals story, the remake retains many of its key themes including Ariel's curiosity for the real world along with her yearning for something different, the loneliness she feels, her risk-taking in making a deal with Ursula to find Eric, empathy with wanting to have a more normal life and finding true love. One of the more interesting approaches that the remake takes is its attempts at making the romance between Ariel and Eric feel more well-rounded as more attention is given towards Eric's character with him shown as being just as isolated as Ariel. With a longer running time than the original, the script takes its time in building up the romance between the two with their feelings being mutual despite their challenge in communicating. The remake places more emphasis on the relationship between Ariel's sisters and her overbearing father. 

      Whereas many live-action Disney adaptations crumble in expanding on their original stories, The Little Mermaid avoids making that same mistake and crafts it's own version of the classic tale that can stand on its own in an honorable fashion. Though not perfect and not every musical track lands (Awkwafina's painfully awkward rap song "The Scuttlebutt" in particular), the newest Little Mermaid honors the originals legacy while delivering one of Disney's strongest and most enjoyable reimagining's. It's visually stunning, wonderfully acted by its talented cast, particularly Halle Bailey's stunning performance, and carries enough nostalgia for parents/adults to ultimately make the experience of watching it a worthwhile one.

Final Verdict: An honorable remake that's worth seeing by Disney fans and those who love the animated classic.

Images Courtesy Of Disney