Broadcast this Friday, January 26 on Canal+, L’Éclaireur was able to discover during its Cannes preview, The Dial of Destiny, the new chapter of Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford. Critical.
This morning, The Pathfinder was able to discover in the heart of the Théâtre Lumière Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny. Presented at the end of the climb of the steps, following which Harrison Ford received an Honorary Palme d’Or, the feature film films the actor’s return in the adventurer’s costume, 15 years following the fourth part, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
The film opens with a dynamic exposition scene, in keeping with the saga. Action, characters and archaeological issues are at the heart of this new sequence during which spectators will find a convincingly rejuvenated Harrison Ford, unlike what Netflix was able to offer with The Irishman compared to the character played by Robert De Niro.
Harrison Ford was rejuvenated in Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny.©Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
We then discover the object of all desires, The Dial of Destiny, developed by Archimedes 2000 years ago, but also its main antagonist in the person of Mads Mikkelsen. The Danish actor plays here a former SS agent and a Nazi scientist, determined to use the dial to go back in time and ensure that the German army wins the Second World War.
Harrison Ford returns, Mads Mikkelsen disappoints
Mads Mikkelsen dance Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny. ©Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
This is not the first time that Mads Mikkelsen embodies an enemy. Of James Bond to Fantastic Beasts, the actor is a master in the art of playing the villains of the big screen. So when Disney announced that they had got their hands on the actor to play Voller, for moviegoers, this choice did not come as a surprise. However, it is clear that the actor’s talents have not been sufficiently exploited by James Mangold and his team. The screenplay skims over what truly drives the character, distorting it in any dramatic, terrifying or even hilarious way; three aspects that the franchise instilled Indiana Jones to his previous antagonists.
If his performance is convincing, Voller lacks charisma in the writing and quickly sees himself eclipsed by Harrison Ford, once once more masterful in the role of the American archaeologist. The adventurer has lost none of his charm and his courage. Traits that we feared would disappear, the actor reprising his cult role at the age of 80, 42 years following the release of the first part. Fortunately, Indiana Jones did not become Grandpa Indy. The evolution of the character is more linked to his depth, and the wounds of the past.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny. ©Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved
We must also mention the performance of Phoebe-Waller-Bridge, a comic element of the feature film and side-kick of Indiana Jones in this new adventure. The British actress exudes an infectious good humor and a lightness which contrasts brilliantly with the seriousness of Indiana Jones.
A half-hearted James Mangold
Despite a mixed cast including a forgettable Antonio Banderas, a still excellent Toby Jones and John Rhys-Davies, fan-service asset of the film, we feel James Mangold’s love for the franchise. The director knows the codes of the saga between action and emotion: he sends his characters to travel the world, always pursued by Nazis, with the final climax an obstacle course in a cave, all accompanied by the music of John Williams and the close-ups of his hat and the whip.
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However, Indiana Jones 5 does not reinvent the franchise, as Mangold was able to do on Logan (2017). He is content to offer farewells without any particular effusions and although these are in the image of the character – without turmoil – we expected more from the director. The script lacks depth and suffers from several shortcuts, its conclusion offering a finale that is as surprising as it is sluggish, far from the emotion that our dear Indy would have deserved.
We will then remember from this last chapter the charisma of Harrison Ford, still intact, but also the brilliantly choreographed action scenes, as well as the excitement of the treasure hunt. Despite its faults, James Mangold’s film will at least have the merit of making us forget the painful memory that represented The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulland that’s already very good.
Trailer VF ofIndiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny.
Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny by James Mangold with Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen, 2h34, June 28, 2023 at the cinema.