Indiana Jones and the Dial of Diminishing Returns?

 

Indiana Jones came out of retirement for one last adventure on June 30 for James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a film rife with nostalgia in Disney’s continued plundering of time-tested IP in pursuit of theatrical fortune and glory. Given the lukewarm box office reception in its debut weekend, during which it fell short of projections by whipping up just $82 million domestically over five days, it’s safe to say that fortune eluded Indy this time around – especially given its $300 million budget. As for the glory? Well, that depends.

Way back in 2008, I was remarkably high on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a film that became the subject of much derision due to its fridge-nuking propensity for silliness. Although I affirm that Crystal Skull is still the weakest in the series to this day (spoiler: Dial of Destiny is a stronger film), it still has that classic Steven Spielberg charm in spots and features Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones – one of the greatest marriages of actor and character in movie history.

And it’s that strength of Ford’s performance that carries much of Dial of Destiny, even when it veers into the realm of the preposterous. Infamously a curmudgeon in the press these days, Ford, 80, has a twinkle in his eye as he closes the curtain on a character that he, Spielberg and George Lucas created more than 40 years ago. Indy alumni Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies return as Marion Ravenwood and Sallah, joined by series newcomers Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw, Ethann Isidore as aspiring aviator Teddy, and Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Jürgen Voller. The story, which spans several decades, revolves around Archimedes’ Dial, a device that gives its wielder the power to transcend space and time.

Mangold had big shoes to fill in directing the first and only Indiana Jones film not helmed by Spielberg, but as he did with the phenomenal Logan, he tells a compelling story about an aging hero coming to terms with the mistakes of the past and the mounting limits of his mortality. A well-paced first act shows us a younger World War II-era Indy (by way of some impressive de-aging technology) escaping Nazis on board a speeding train, where we’re introduced to the film’s main villain and the titular Dial (or at least half of it). We then catch up with an elderly Indy in 1969 on the cusp of his retirement, but a chance reconnection with his estranged goddaughter Helena brings him back into conflict with Nazis and back into pursuit of an artifact that has the power to alter the course of history.

A fun first act gives way to a muddy middle that caused me to look at my own Dial of Destiny (my watch) a few times, and the climax is going to be something scholars (nerds) debate for a long, long time. That said, for a series that’s featured beating hearts plucked from chests, an eleventh-century knight living long enough to learn the Charleston and actual ALIENS, I didn’t bump into the film’s final scenes as much as some other people on the internet and I’m satisfied with where Indy ultimately winds up.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny likely won’t be the most memorable film you see this year or even this summer, and anyone expecting it to reach the highs of the original three films will be as disappointed as Walter Donovan when he wet his whistle in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. That said, getting to see Ford as Indiana Jones one more time goes a long way. And when it comes to long-running, decades-spanning franchises – Indy or otherwise – it’s not the years. It’s the mileage.  

Happy Birthday, Harrison Ford!

And the geek icon birthdays keep coming! Harrison Ford turns 72 today, and although he's currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, let's hope Han Solo is doing something fun. Perhaps a few games of dejarik with an old friend? I'm guessing today, the Wookiee will let him win.

Harrison Ford Reportedly Suffers Broken Ankle

Last week, Harrison Ford was hospitalized after being crushed by a hydraulic door on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, and now several news outlets, including The New York Post, are reporting that the 71-year-old actor has indeed broken his ankle. According to at least one insider, he has also sustained pelvis injuries.

Disney initially stated that Ford's injury would not affect filming, but it seems unlikely that the production will run smoothly with a hobbled Han Solo. Stay tuned.

Harrison Ford Injured on 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Set

Don't let anyone tell you that making movies isn't a dangerous business. Variety reports that Harrison Ford — Han Solo himself — sustained an ankle injury while filming Star Wars: Episode VII at Pinewood Studios in England.

The 71-year-old actor was airlifted to a local hospital after the incident, which The Hollywood Reporter sources claim was caused by the hydraulic door of the Millennium Falcon. In a statement, Disney affirmed that shooting will continue as scheduled while Mr. Ford recovers.

Hamill, Fisher and Ford to Return for Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Sequels

George Lucas has strongly hinted that Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will indeed reprise the roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia in Disney’s forthcoming continuation of the Star Wars saga.

“We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison — or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation,” the Star Wars creator told Bloomberg Businessweek, referring to the status of the sequel films when Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion last year. “Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.”

Well, there you have it. Although we can hardly take Mr. Lucas’ statement as 100 percent confirmation — that will likely come in the form of the aforementioned “whoop-de-do” — but it seems that all of those rumors of the original cast’s involvement in the new Star Wars films have finally been substantiated.

For more Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and what it means for the future of the Star Wars franchise, check out Businessweek’s comprehensive feature by clicking here.

Is Harrison Ford Locked In for ‘Star Wars’ Sequels?

According to numerous reports, Harrison Ford will reprise the role of iconic rogue smuggler Han Solo in Disney’s forthcoming Star Wars sequel trilogy. This news was originally broken by Latino Review’s Umberto Gonzalez, who claimed in a Fox News Latino interview that “it’s official” that the 70-year-old actor will return to that galaxy far, far away to play our favorite scruffy-looking nerf-herder one last time.

Gonzalez cited “legitimate sources” in the interview, and states that the agreement locking Ford into the new Star Wars films is “significant” but did not offer any specifics. As such, we’d be wise to take this news with a massive grain of Corellian salt, but the fact that Entertainment Weekly’s Geoff Boucher later tweeted (@GeoffBoucher) that a deal is forthcoming but not yet finalized adds some necessary credence to this story. Stay tuned.

Harrison Ford ‘Open’ to Reprising Han Solo Role in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

Just as he returned to don Indiana Jones’ trademark fedora in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 70-year-old actor Harrison Ford could once again choose to play rogue smuggler Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VII, Entertainment Weekly reports. The Star Wars sequel, announced alongside news that Disney purchased Lucasfilm, will hit theaters in 2015 — more than three decades after Return of the Jedi premiered.

“Harrison is open to the idea of doing the movie and he’s upbeat about it, all three of them are,” an unnamed source told EW.com, referring also to Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia). What’s odd is that of the three main stars of the original trilogy, Ford has been the most vehement about distancing himself from the Star Wars franchise. What changed his mind?

It’s important to note that it is not yet known whether Episode VII will feature Luke, Leia and Han at all. Still, if this anonymous source is telling the truth, it’s nice to know Ford isn’t averse to the idea of becoming everyone’s favorite scruffy-looking nerf herder once again.

For more on this story, click here.

‘Indiana Jones 5’ Unlikely

Acclaimed producer and longtime Steven Spielberg collaborator Frank Marshall has all but confirmed that a fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise isn’t in the cards.

“I say, for me, [Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is] the last hurrah,” Marshall told Collider.com. “I know that yes, we talk about it, but there’s no idea, there’s no MacGuffin.”

Phew. That’s a relief.

For the uninitiated, a MacGuffin is a plot device that motivates the protagonist. In the case of the Indiana Jones series, the MacGuffin is an artifact Indy must find or recover, represented in previous installments as the Ark of the Covenant, the Sankara Stones, the Holy Grail and, finally, a Crystal Skull. Since there’s no concrete idea for a fifth installment, and with franchise creator George Lucas announcing recently that he was done with Lucasfilm—naming Marshall’s wife Kathleen Kennedy as his successor—it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing Harrison Ford don his trademark fedora onscreen ever again. And based on how Crystal Skull turned out, this is awesome news.

To check out the full story, click here.

Shia LaBeouf Talks ‘Indy 5’

Although Transformers actor Shia LaBeouf won’t be returning for the Hasbro franchise’s inevitable fourth onscreen outing—and neither will director Michael Bay—the 25-year-old actor is planning to reprise the role of Mutt Williams in a fifth Indiana Jones film.

In an interview with MTV promoting Transformers: Dark of the Moon at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, LaBeouf said that a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull “is not so far off,” and that series’ veteran star Harrison Ford is staying in peak physical condition for when he is called upon to don Indy’s trademark fedora and leather jacket once again.

“I talked to Harrison Ford,” LaBeouf said in the interview, which you can watch here. “He said he's staying in the gym, he said he’s heard no word, but he does know that George [Lucas] is out there looking for a MacGuffin.”

Let me come right out and say it. Yes, I was very complimentary of Crystal Skull when it was originally released. Maybe I was riding high on the incredible wave of Indiana Jones nostalgia that had overtaken many of us the summer of 2007, but I didn’t want to believe that Lucas, Spielberg and Ford had screwed up. Unfortunately, I bought the DVD later that year, and came to realize that Crystal Skull didn’t need to be made and never justified its existence with a compelling narrative. Nowadays, I can’t watch it for more than 20 minutes before I feel the need to turn it off or change the channel.

Bellyaching aside, LaBeouf as Indy’s rebellious son was the least of the film’s problems, so his return to the series doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m more bothered that Lucas and Spielberg think they have another Indiana Jones tale worth telling. If the last film is any indication, as Indy himself might say, this franchise belongs in a museum.

A 'Today' Interview Strikes Back

I came across this gem on Topless Robot earlier today. Video website Devour recently unearthed a 1980 Today interview with Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, which aired just one week before The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters. Observe the contrast between Hamill’s youthful exuberance and Ford’s already-apparent disinterest in the Star Wars franchise.

Watch part 1 below.