If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones, and if catastrophe is a film, it must be Indiana Jones 5.
The electrifying escapades of the quick-witted archaeologist are about to come to an end with the latest installment in the Indiana Jones franchise concluding Harrison Ford’s journey as the eponymous character. Given how Indiana Jones 5 will be Ford’s last run as Indy paired with the fact that it’s the most exorbitant project Lucasfilm has embarked upon, one would expect it to be at least decently successful if not a raging hit. Unfortunately enough, that’s far from the case.
Indiana Jones 5 – Early Reviews Trash the Film
James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had an early screening in France at the Cannes Film Festival, and the reviews for the same are crammed with censure. Starring Harrison Ford as the titular protagonist along with Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the fifth and final installment in the classic adventure series has received mixed reactions at large.
While some seem to be satisfied with the film, deeming it an apt conclusion of a franchise that is four decades old, the general consensus points to Indiana Jones 5 being the black sheep of an otherwise flourishing film series. With the unflattering label of “rotten,” the movie has acquired a critic approval score of 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is also the lowest tally an Indiana Jones project has ever witnessed.
The chief reasons behind critics’ disappointment seem to be the excessive utilization of CGI instead of authentic adventure sequences coupled with a rather dull storyline; While Donald Clarke from Irish Times compared it with an episode of “a creaky unpretentious romp,” TIME Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek reprobated the “heavy” CGI that turned the “chase sequences” into a mechanical charade rather than make them “thrilling or delightful.”
On a less grim note, however, Ford’s performance seems to have charmed critics with the 80-year-old actor’s last run as Dr. Jones is considered to be as iconic as ever.
Indiana Jones 5 to be the Worst Movie in the Franchise?
After production wrapped up on the sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there had been rumors all over the internet about how the test screenings of Indiana Jones 5 were a complete “disaster.” The director, however, had shut down such claims at the time. With the way things are unfolding though, it might as well have been the truth.
But to be fair, the film hasn’t even been officially released in theatres yet. So, although early reviewers have weighed in with their mixed reactions, there is still a solid possibility for Indiana Jones 5 to fare decently well at the box office upon its world premiere. After all, its Ford’s last quest as Dr. Jones.
In any case, it’s probably for the best that this is the last movie in the adventure saga because otherwise, Disney wouldn’t have been able to milk any profits out of it, let alone dream of a sequel.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens in cinemas on June 30, 2023.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
