Indiana Jones und das Rad des Schicksals

Die Schauspieler*innen und das Musikmotiv von John Williams haben mir Freude gemacht. Der junge Harrison Ford ist toll. Die Überraschung im Finale ist akzeptabler als der Unsinn mit den Außerirdischen im letzten Film. Die digitalen Effekte, wo nicht einmal das Tuk-Tuk in den schmalen marokkanischen Gassen echt ist, will ich aber in Indiana Jones NICHT haben. In der ersten Trilogie hat mir nämlich die einfallsreiche und solide Arbeit der Filmemacher gefallen. Diese routinemäßige Form, bei der die Autoren keine Kreativität brauchen, weil für sie alles die CGI-Postproduktion macht, ist das genaue Gegenteil von Spielbergs ursprünglichem Konzept. Und das schadet dem Potenzial jeder Szene. (14.08.2023)

The last quarter of an hour is the only passage where some nostalgia works, and if I were the narrator, I would be much more uncompromising in my completion of Dr. Jones's life's journey. I would have found it much more emotional and logical (connoisseurs know). The rest is inconsistent to say the least. The opening with the train when there's palpable CGI rushing at you from all sides, is not enjoyable, it makes you remember with sadness the train opening of The Last Crusade, where Spielberg didn't need computers (understandably) and it worked much better. The tediously long chase in Tangier again, given the long takes, looks as if the local streets are empty of cars and people and as long as airport runways, I didn't believe it for a second. And that's how it is with everything. It's just such a see-and-forget feel-good movie most of the time, about on the level of the overwrought fourth film. Otherwise, the much-criticized Phoebe Waller-Bridge was fine, she has such a mischievous charisma and is a great counterpoint to the curmudgeonly Harrison Ford, and actually entertained me the most out of the whole film. (01.09.2023)

I've had that famous John Williams tune playing in my head for about two hours now, and not because I enjoyed the fifth Indy so much, but rather because I'm in the mood to watch the first three episodes. I'll never watch the fifth one again, I'm almost certain of that. It’s not a completely bad movie, which could be said of the fourth, but it's just not “it”. The new Indy is carried by Harrison Ford and he's really trying his best, but he's just left on his own and he’s obstructed by everything else. The Fifth Indiana Jones film is visually bland and in some moments regularly repulsive, but mostly it has a boring story full of boring characters, and especially the bad guys are a bunch of uninteresting bums who are impossible to be scared of – Mads Mikkelsen is looking like he's about to start crying the whole time. Moreover, the treasure hunt itself leading up to the very weird (and slightly uglier) finale consists mostly of routine chases, because someone figured they couldn't have an 80-year-old Ford running around the set doing action shenanigans. James Mangold directs it all with no attempt at invention, and the result is at best a passable piece of craftsmanship somewhere on the level of National Treasure: Book of Secrets and a tiny bit above Uncharted, which is definitely not praise for this franchise. It lacks the style, the inventiveness and the evident joy that accompanied the first three films and, to some extent, the fourth. A product without soul. (28.06.2023)

Disney denkt an Väter, auch wenn die Mausjacke, die er trägt, teuer ist. Nein, es ist kein Logan mit einer Peitsche. Mangold hat eine altmodische, sichere Fahrt auf bekannten Schienen abgeschnitten, die in den Actionszenen ein wenig zittrig wird und ehrlich gesagt wie ein Gespräch mit dem Großvater wirkt, der Ihnen zum fünfhundertsten Mal dieselbe Kriegsgeschichte erzählt, die bereits verdächtig nach beginnender Senilität riecht. Das Tempo und die Steigerung verschwinden nach dem großartigen ersten Drittel. Deshalb braucht der Film einen Nostalgie-Herzschrittmacher. Glücklicherweise gibt ihm dieser in den letzten Minuten eine Dosis, die die Peitsche wieder klatschen lässt. Und nein, ich meine nicht die schöne gebügelte Metapher für jemanden, der in der Vergangenheit lebt. Sondern eher die zärtliche Szene von zwei Menschen, bei denen wohl alles wehtut. Das kann ich nachvollziehen! (11.02.2024)

When I think back over the last three months of movies I've seen in the cinema, Indiana Jones comes out as the weakest. Objectively, it might have been worth 3 stars, but I struggled for the first time in a long time and the film failed to engage or captivate me at all. If I look at my watch at least five times in the cinema during a film, I can't give it more than 2 stars. Indiana Jones is not my favorite franchise even though I grew up on it, but I wasn't too pleased with Mangold. The acting is not bad, though Mads Mikkelsen is terribly bland when he's supposed to play the bad guy. Harrison Ford is likeable but didn't entertain me, and I liked Boyd Holbrook but he didn't have much to play here. I didn't enjoy the action scenes, they were digital and lacked pizzazz (the car chase was good though), and when it came to the adventure rides it was one of the highlights (the eel scene was probably the best), but there were only two such scenes in total. The humour was completely absent and I found the plot also quite uninteresting and not very engaging. At home I would probably have turned it off, for me it was an exhausting movie. 4/10. (08.07.2023)

The last farewell to a man for whom no desert was too hot, no jungle too deep, and no tomb impenetrable. A critical and financial failure means that the memories of old times are now carried in a completely different form than before, and endless nostalgia cannot work. But on me, it does, because every reference to previous installments resonated in the right place within me, and the truly serious moments that allow Harrison Ford to give performances minimalist yet almost burdensome in their perfection, encapsulated story arcs and audience arcs that have lasted for decades. I'm not saying it's a flawless installment given that after the brilliant introduction the story drags and doesn't let up on the brakes until the final act. However, there we are given so many surprises combined with classic Hollywood spectacle that I don't even want to look back on any complaints I had with the minutes that came before. The feeling of saying goodbye to the most primal form of Indiana Jones is so bitter because suddenly I feel that five adventures are not enough, and the knowledge that it is an intentional ending doesn't help me much. The gates remain closed, and there are not many high-quality adventure films left in such an honest form. (07.07.2023)

A nostalgic adventure ride, but Mangold should have gone easier with some the unnecessary CGI and sped up the pace. In any case, Harrison Ford is the driving force and especially in the emotional scenes (the ending) he can grab you by the heart. Again, though, I had the overwhelming feeling that having multiple people writing the script was harmful. The opening chases are formally fine, but they are basically pointless – a shorter one would have been enough. The depression-ridden and aching Indy is so much better. Phoebe Waller-Bridge could pull an entire film or franchise on her own as a more grounded Lara Croft, she’s actually the only one who’s a match for Ford. Mads Mikkelsen is an unremarkable villain, he does know how to play one, but his Nazi scientist is not fully a villain, he’s more of a smart-ass. Completely untarnished, however, is the reputation of John Williams, whose timeless motif and playful themes will hold any true believer to the end credits. (28.06.2023)

Not great, not terrible. At the start, when we flashback to World War II and a Wehrmacht officer shines a flashlight in the face of a clearly digital Indy, who squints his eyes everywhere but where he's supposed to, it's a bit scary, but thankfully after a few minutes the train (literally) does slowly move forward and we get a few jokes, solid action and imaginative locations. The dogged effort to honor the unique retro-adventure concept of the saga is evident at every turn, but not always entirely necessary or appropriate. Hats off to Ford, who pulls off some incredible stunts for an octogenarian. On the other hand, I believe this film will probably flop in theaters even if Indy stands on its head. Because it's too uninteresting for the young generation, with an uninteresting, generic pulled out of thin air, and the older viewers would rather watch The Last Crusade, which doesn't need try to go back to its roots, because it’s right there. (15.07.2023)

Diejenigen, die letztes Mal ein Problem mit der fliegenden Untertasse hatten, werden am Ende des fünften Teils vielleicht eine unschöne Überraschung erleben. Für mich persönlich war das Finale die interessanteste Passage. Der Film ist definitiv nicht schlecht, es fehlt aber der künstlerische Beitrag von Steven Spielberg. Ich will nicht sagen, dass Indiana Jones nur er drehen kann. Es muss aber ein Regisseur sein, der in der Lage ist, den Film unterhaltsam zu gestalten. Spielbergs Vision, sein Einfallsreichtum, der Sinn für Spannung sowie Humor, seine Fähigkeit, die Szenen bis ins kleinste Detail auszufeilen und übersichtlich darzustellen… James Mangold kann diese Dinge leider nicht (so gut). Ich hatte den Eindruck, dass er versucht hat, die Spielberg-Stimmung vor allem in der ausgezeichneten ersten Szene hervorzurufen (in welcher der digitale Indiana Jones, Jahrgang 1944, fast perfekt aussieht, aber eine viel ältere Stimme hat; und wenn er auf dem Dach eines Waggons rennt, sieht seine Animation fast wie die von Woody aus Toy Story aus). Und dann nicht mehr, bzw. nur manchmal und vielleicht zufällig. Es ist nicht fürchterlich, es fehlt aber ein Lächeln. Die andere Herangehensweise betrifft auch die Arbeit mit der hervorragenden Musik von John Williams. Bei Spielberg ist sie ein ebenbürtiger Partner des Bildes, hier unterstützt sie die visuelle Seite. Die ganze Zeit habe ich mich gefragt, wie der Film mit der Regie von Steven Spielberg aussehen würde. Erinnern Sie sich an die knapp fünfminütige Szene aus Indiana Jones und das Königreich des Kristallschädels mit der Prügelei in der Bar und der darauffolgenden Auto-/Motorradverfolgungsjagd auf der Straße und im Campus? In Indiana Jones und das Rad des Schicksals gibt es keine Szene, die so gut wäre. Das ist sehr schade. Ansonsten gibt es hier nämlich alles, was in dem Film sein sollte. Harrison Ford verkauft jeden Blick, jeden trockenen Spruch und jede Emotion. Phoebe Waller-Bridge ist bezaubernd. Mads Mikkelsen ist der wahrscheinlich schwächste Schuft der ganzen Reihe, die Konkurrenz war aber groß… Indiana Jones und das Rad des Schicksals möchte ich noch einmal sehen. Und das ist das Wichtigste. (29.06.2023)

Indiana Jones und das Rad des Schicksals ist ein Film, der in gewisser Weise so sicher und modern gedreht ist, dass er ihm jegliche Attraktivität, Originalität, Physikalität und kreative Mut nimmt, die wir an den ersten drei Teilen mochten. Und leider ist auch der Zauber des Abenteuers ziemlich verschwunden. In den Untertiteln sind direkt vier Drehbuchautoren angegeben und diese Uneinheitlichkeit ist im Ergebnis spürbar. Es wirkt genauso, als ob es eigentlich von künstlicher Intelligenz geschrieben worden wäre. Es hat scheinbar all die Elemente eines typischen Jones-Films, die es zwangsläufig haben sollte, jedoch wirkt es eher wie eine fabrizierte Indiana Jones Kopie als sein wirkliches endgültiges Abenteuer. Ist es schlechter oder besser als Das Königreich des Kristallschädels? Schwer zu sagen. In manchen Aspekten besser, in manchen schlechter. Auf jeden Fall erreicht es nicht die Qualität der Original-Trilogie, nicht einmal von diesem digitalen Zug aus gesehen. (27.06.2023)

Honestly, I didn't have high expectations for the fifth installment of this franchise, so I wasn't unpleasantly surprised. Despite the numerous action scenes and typical chases, I found myself slightly bored. It's not like I was nodding off; there was always something happening, but the film failed to truly captivate me. I had hoped for at least a nostalgic mood, which I thought would be guaranteed. To my disappointment, for the creators, nostalgia meant countless references to previous installments. The way they populated the story with characters from Indy's past made it seem like the creators themselves were experienced archaeologists. There were too many familiar faces, the plot with the Nazis was recycled, even including a child hero and various creepy crawlies. And if that wasn't enough pandering, every contact with the hat was accompanied by the notorious theme. But despite my grumbling, I found moments that amused me greatly, though they're unfortunately the ones the creators shouldn't be proud of. I really don't think it's a good idea when filmmakers get so excited about Luftwaffe bombers that they decide to create a hybrid between a Heinkel 111 and a Dornier Do 17. And to top it off, they even attach a bunch of lockpicks to the tail fin of that poor mutilated creature. I've seen a lot, but this was a first for me. It still makes me laugh as I'm writing this. / Lesson learned: If you want to annoy a Major General, address him as a Colonel. (13.01.2024)

The new Indiana Jones left me with very similar feelings to the previous outing, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I love seeing this iconic character on the big screen again, but you live mostly on nostalgia. It's not what it used to be anymore. Not because Indy is getting wrinkles and losing muscle, the new sequels just don't have the same charm. But Indiana Jones still remains popular and in my opinion the filmmakers are pretty cynical with it. And they also count on the fact that the viewer will forgive a lot of stupid things and will turn a blind eye to crazy action scenes that defy the laws of physics, because it's Indiana Jones. The characters are otherwise likeable, and I always welcome Mads Mikkelsen as a bad guy, but it's a long way from Cipher 😊 It was also nice to see Thomas Kretschmann as a Nazi again, how else could it be? To sum up, for me it was a nostalgic respite where I appreciated a few references to past films, but otherwise it's all so B-ish and forgettable, it doesn't offend, but it doesn't excite either. The glory days of Indiana Jones are long gone, and the last two films have only benefited from that popularity, something that is unfortunately quite common nowadays... [Festival de Cannes 2023] (20.05.2023)