Famed movie hero Indiana Jones is on the big screen again, for the fifth and final time.  One last go-round for the man with the whip and the fedora.  It’s been quite a ride, but the bottom line is that only two of the five, the first and the third, are superior entertainments.  This most recent adventure, the first not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, is about of the same quality as the second and fourth — and that is not a compliment.

James Mangold’s film finds Indy (Harrison Ford) battling the Nazis once again, starting back in 1944 and moving forward some twenty-five years.  The story involves the discovery and chase after Archimedes’ “Antikythera” mechanism, desired by Indy’s archeology buddy Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), Shaw’s daughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) and, of course, Indy.  The film follows the same general pattern as the others before it, with intricate action sequences, large doses of pseudo-history, sly ironic humor and more killing than usual.  Ultimately, the story ventures into territory it perhaps should not, with highly science-fictional aspects.

What works are the normal adventure elements — intrigue, fast-paced action, historic settings, humor, familiar characters in familiar situations.  What doesn’t work is the absurd length of the story (154 minutes, far too many of which are spent in 1944 with a de-aged Ford), and the aloof, generally unlikable characters who either accompany Indy or serve as his adversaries.  There is a warmth, a sentimental coherence, which pervades Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the superior Indy adventures.  Such emotional connection is absent in these other adventures and that is their downfall.  Each film has some, of course, but those in which we actually care about the characters are those which succeed.  This film suffers badly until the final few minutes because Helena is actively dislikable; her actions are spurious at best and make little sense at all when thought about afterward.

For a film series that is so beloved (much like the Star Wars episodes) it is somewhat shocking — and sad — that the majority of its entries are less than impressive.  With all the money and effort that these blockbusters require to be made, how is it that certain plot lines, characterizations and elements are green-lighted at all?  Who thought that this particular vision of Indy and his world was the right one to present?  I, for one, don’t think it was; I find the story disappointing and unsatisfactory.  ☆ ☆.  8 July 2023.