The Indiana Jones
movies were never meant to be taken too seriously even if the demeanor of their
hero suggested otherwise. Intended as a homage to the episodic cinema serials
of the 1940s, as much time has now passed since that first film as had since
those movies that inspired it. Not much has changed though and this belated fifth
instalment ticks all the expected boxes- crazy chases, banter under pressure,
grouchy Indy, perky sidekick, scenery chewing villain and some supernatural /
sci-fi nonsense to finish. It is a relentless story that zips around the world
stopping in each location only for a chase or a dust up in the manner of James
Bond or Mission Impossible. Great fun to see at the cinema for sure and you cannot
ask for more.
Spoilers after the break
The action begins in
1944 where a de-aged Harrison Ford (amusingly talking with the actor’s present
day deeper tones) and quirky friend Basil Shaw (a funny Toby Jones with mad
hair) are dealing with Nazis on a moving train in a sequence that would
undoubtedly be enough for the climax of many films. They come across half a
dial created by none other than Archimedes which allegedly can affect time or something when joined to the other half. I mean, its a thing made of wood so I'm not sure how or why this would be. Best to just go with it. All this is delivered in hurried exposition while they are being chased and shot at but
the aim is clear. The rest of the film, set in 1969, sees intense Nazi survivor
Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) trying to track down both sides of this dial so he can
reset history though not quite in the way you’d think. The odd thing about
Mikkelsen’s character is that he looks almost exactly the same despite twenty
five years and bears no apparent scars from being knocked off a train.
The film also introduces
the character of Helena who is Indy’s goddaughter (and Basil’s daughter) and has
her own agenda engaging in a series of amusing double crosses playing both Indiana
and Voller against each other. Whose side will she choose in the end? Do you really
need to ask? After that the specifics
are less important as much of the running time is an extended chase sequence
using cars, horses, Tuk-tuk’s, boats and planes in a James Bond-like race around
the world.
These sequences are
very well realized notably one set during a huge parade which ends up with Indy
riding a horse on the New York underground (!) and another pursuit down steep steps in
Tangiers. After a while though the action is so relentless that fatigue starts
to set in for the viewer though our characters never seem to suffer the same
tiredness despite their exertions. I’m not sure how old Indy is supposed to be
at this point but for a man who has just retired he seems capable of
astonishing feats. Eighty year old Harrison Ford is game for all this and
remains the franchise’s asset. His solid performance is not going to surprise
but there are moments when you realise it is one of the best ever casting
decisions. Ford can sell anything, however bizarre the premise.
Phoebe Waller Bridge as Helena puts up a good
enough energetic performance to suggest there is still mileage in this feisty but chatty
character in her own spin off franchise. People are always talking about a female
led action film series and here there seems the perfect opportunity. Mads Mikkelsen
makes Voller so intense even his hair growls at you and there’s also Antonio
Banderas as a grizzled boat captain and Boyd Holbrook as a southern accent
shoot first ask questions later henchman.
The ending, like the previous
films, skips delightedly beyond credulity and is the most out there conclusion
to an Indiana Jones movie yet but at this point the viewer has been numbed into
submission and will accept anything. At one point I really thought they might
end up on the Moon and believe me it would not have been a surprise. Cinema was
invented for this sort of knockabout adventure, indeed at times it seems to
hark right back to those stunt filled silent comedies with their falls and
crashes. Director James Mangold and company delight in squeezing every ounce of
peril from each situation and the results are hugely entertaining.
#Doctor Who fans-
check out This Way Up Alt, my other blog which is mostly about the series and
its offshoots. Latest post is about the 2016 spin of Class with reviews of the
first four episodes penned seven years ago https://thiswayupzinealt.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment