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futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#826: Dec 26th 2023 at 10:01:37 PM

I think Dial of Destiny is liked more than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull it seems. Would that be about right?

The DVD for Dial of Destiny is gonna be part of the DVD Christmas Haul I do after Christmas every year. Have to wait until the end of the week this year though because certain payments need to go through first.

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Dec 26th 2023 at 10:03:17 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#827: Dec 26th 2023 at 10:48:15 PM

I hear Atlantis has been located (or "located") in the Sahara now. Would be appropriate, Indy seems to find lots of things in deserts.

Edited by Redmess on Dec 26th 2023 at 7:48:29 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Patar136 Hero of the Winds from A Nice House on Outset Island Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
Hero of the Winds
#828: Dec 26th 2023 at 10:50:44 PM

Was that an actual complaint people had about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? That it used the Soviets as bad guys?

Because, that's the one criticism I do not agree with if that is the case.

Everything else, the Atomic Bombs, the bizarre casting like Shia Le Beouf as Indiana's Son, Indiana's son in general, the awful write offs of Marcus, Sallah and Henry Jones Sr, the CGI monkeys, the overuse of CGI, the aliens.... I get all of that and hate most of those things. But the Soviets were not on my radar of dislikes.

I discover my own destiny as I command the winds of life!
Shadao Dorzma Forever! Artwork by Kris Dobbins. (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Dorzma Forever! Artwork by Kris Dobbins.
#829: Dec 26th 2023 at 10:59:30 PM

I mean the Soviets are the logical enemies for Indy after the Nazis were crushed. Being a rival superpower, of course they would want artifacts of doom to get an edge over the United States. Plus they have all those cool equipments and weapons. Why wouldn't you want Indy to fight some Soviets?

And surviving Nazis are not a bad idea as well. It's just that Voller, being a Nazi who hates Adolf Hitler for losing the war, would have benefited from modernizing his Nazi faction to be more akin to HYDRA. Him wearing his old uniform and riding on an old WWII plane really distracts from his unique take on Nazism. Maybe that's the point, but there's a reason why Dial of Destiny feels more like nostalgia bait than something building upon where Crystal Skull left off in terms of era.

Patar136 Hero of the Winds from A Nice House on Outset Island Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
Hero of the Winds
#830: Dec 26th 2023 at 11:10:04 PM

It's because of that "Force Awakens/Live Action Disney Remake" style of nostalgia baiting that I never saw the dial of destiny when it came out. And unfortunately I won't really wanna watch it anyway.

I probably will at some point because I should force myself to see it, but I have to be in the right mood.

Also, the title still sounds stupid to me. It sounds like a knock off suicide hotline.

Please remember to call the Dial of Destiny. Remember, your life is very important to us and we want you to cherish it no matter what befalls on you, especially because a little donation from you goes a long way to helping souls in need, like you. Call 1-800-011-DIAL and get help today.

I discover my own destiny as I command the winds of life!
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#831: Dec 27th 2023 at 5:32:20 AM

I think having the Soviets as villains made sense, yes. And Nazis get a bit boring through overuse.

I never minded the aliens, but I'm a godless atheist who puts the Ark and the Holy Grail on the same level as crystal skulls and aliens. grin

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
TomWithoutJerry Tyranny Bad, Democracy Good. from Where Might Makes Right and I have no Might. Since: Dec, 2023
Tyranny Bad, Democracy Good.
#832: Dec 27th 2023 at 8:24:21 AM

Stalin and his regime were nasty pieces of work, so yeah, them I don't mind as Indy bad guys.

Please remember that, ultimately, fictional works of entertainment are just that.
chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#833: Dec 27th 2023 at 1:14:32 PM

From what I heard, the main reason they went with Soviets in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (aside from the fact the film was shot about 20 years after the original trilogy) was that Spielberg didn't feel comfortable depicting Nazis as over-the-top cartoonish bad guys after he directed Schindler's List. After making a serious drama about the horrors of the Holocaust, it was kind of hard for him to get back in the pulpy mindset again when came to depicting them as villains.

futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#834: Dec 28th 2023 at 10:55:13 PM

Dial of Destiny felt more akin to the original trilogy to me and that helped it build a lot of good-will. I also get the sense though that they went through the motions in other areas too however. With Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you had Spielberg still leading the way and that in many ways helped.

That's not to say James Mangold wasn't a great choice. He definitely was. It felt like he wasn't the one in charge though, much like Chris Columbus directing Pixels and yet it still didn't feel like one of his movies.

DVD was ordered yesterday. Should arrive in the mail tomorrow.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#835: Dec 29th 2023 at 12:18:36 AM

Honestly the thing that bothers me about Crystal Skull isn't something I hear listed in criticism all that often: it's weirdly bloodless.

Now there's lots of action scenes I absolutely love in that film; the fight on the rocket sled, the fight in the army ants, heck the whole fight on the ticks in the jungle was a great sequence in terms of action and slapstick, but aside from the guy eaten by ants all lot of that slapstick felt like it lacked weight, ESPECIALLY at the conclusion where Cate Blanchett's demise feels disappointingly nothing despite being the big conclusion. Actually the third act all together feels really bad for it.

I think the theme for the fourth film; Indi is out of his home era and dealing with something new is an excellent idea, but was mistimed for what was a return to the franchise after two decades. If there had been a film released in the 90s that depicted Indi in world war 2 in his fifties (not necessarily fighting Nazis, you could have taken him to any of the theatres of war) the premise likely would have been far more welcome.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#836: Dec 29th 2023 at 12:25:11 AM

Raiders, Temple, and Crusade all had one really shocking moment of blood or gore.

  • Raiders: the scene with the Ark being opened and Toht's face getting melted off.

  • Temple: the scene where a man gets his heart ripped out.

  • Crusade: the scene with Donovan rapidly aging and decaying into dust.

Crystal Skull had a couple moments that could qualify: that one guy being eaten alive and carried off by army ants, and the Big Bad getting disintegrated by the alien knowledge forcefully downloaded into her brain. But neither really felt as shocking as the ones from the first three movies.

I don't know if Dial has any scenes like that. I haven't watched it, nor do I plan to watch it.

Edited by M84 on Dec 30th 2023 at 4:27:52 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#837: Dec 29th 2023 at 12:30:01 AM

I thought you were going to mention the Nazi getting shredded by the airplane, but yeah, that last scene really takes the cake.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#838: Dec 29th 2023 at 12:31:34 AM

Temple: the scene where a man gets his heart ripped out.

Also the stewed eyeballs and chilled monkey brains.

Whowho Since: May, 2012
#839: Dec 29th 2023 at 12:33:31 AM

The giant guy's death in Dial of Destiny is utterly free of gore but for me is horribly gruesome, with him being trapped under water and drowned, drowned by the kid of all people.

The conclusion doesn't really have any stand out deaths for the remaining bad guys but is so delightfully chaotic with them all panicking I don't mind at all.

Edit: [up] I always thought people getting torn apart and eaten by crocodiles was the bloodiest part of Temple.

Edited by Whowho on Dec 29th 2023 at 12:34:52 PM

GrandmasterKiramidHead Since: Oct, 2010
#840: Dec 29th 2023 at 2:27:15 PM

I don't recall seeing much blood in the crocodile scene. It always looked pretty obvious to me that they were just tearing apart empty clothes.

jawal Since: Sep, 2018
#841: Dec 29th 2023 at 9:31:20 PM

Watched Dial of Destiny yesterday.

Honestly not impressed.

Among other things I really dislike the Happy Ending Override.

Edited by jawal on Dec 30th 2023 at 9:15:56 PM

Every Hero has his own way of eating yogurt
Diana1969 Since: Apr, 2021 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#842: Dec 30th 2023 at 9:53:23 AM

Was that an actual complaint people had about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? That it used the Soviets as bad guys?

I vaguely recall some people were mad that Crystal Skull didn't use the Nazis again. Ignoring how Temple of Doom didn't use the Nazis either (albeit I have *MANY* complaints about Temple of Doom's orientalism) and Spielberg's well-documented experiences with Schindler's List leaving him VERY emotionally drained from using the Nazis as generic bad guys (if Schindler's List is a harrowing experience to watch, imagine MAKING it), the Soviets were used as bad guys for reasons that really make a lot of sense. Taking advantage of Ford's age is one thing, but the homage to Cold War-era sci-fi pulp naturally lends itself to Soviet villains.

Robbery Since: Jul, 2012
#843: Dec 30th 2023 at 11:13:38 AM

I thought Mutt was the complaint most people had about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That and the tonal shift from fantasy to science fiction.

And yeah, if you're going to set an Indy film in the 50's, it makes total sense that the villains would be Soviets rather than Nazis.

futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#844: Dec 30th 2023 at 11:48:33 AM

Even if Dial of Destiny wasn't gory, it had an impressive/oppressive bodycount certainly. It wasn't shy about that. Klaber was killing people left and right, not to mention Voller personally pulling the trigger on Renaldo being particularly savage—as well as his overall plan to basically go back and win WWII as well.

DVD came yesterday. Definitely interested to see how it holds up on a rewatch at some point soon.

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Dec 30th 2023 at 11:48:42 AM

igordebraga from Brazil Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#845: Jan 13th 2024 at 9:35:47 PM

Seen the other four many times, but don't want to rewatch Dial of Destiny even if it's on D+ since December began. The good moments, specially the opening in WWII, are just not enough, particularly as seeing Indy as a miserable old man is just too melancholic to experience again.

The movie did make me push Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine up my game list, and made me think if the franchise could be kept alive through cartoons adapting the expanded universe (games, books, and comics), if only to make larger audiences discover those stories.

ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#846: Jan 14th 2024 at 5:08:06 AM

[up] There's a game that I haven't played in a long time! (I ended up selling my copy some years ago.)

I remember enjoying it. ^_^

My Games and Asset Packs
Avenger09 Since: May, 2014
#847: Jan 14th 2024 at 10:12:10 AM

[up] Given it was based on old pulp adventure serials, like Star Wars was, that would be a fitting direction to go. Have it be kept going exploring the untold adventures of Indy's life through animation and games.

futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#848: Jan 14th 2024 at 11:27:26 AM

Be a clever idea certainly: to avoid the mistake many believe Star Wars made and have expanded material with Indiana Jones remain canon.

Avenger09 Since: May, 2014
#849: Jan 14th 2024 at 11:38:08 AM

[up] The old expanded universe was regarded as little more than official fanfiction. Probably because old serial's tended to have Negative Continuity anyway.

futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#850: Jan 14th 2024 at 12:38:04 PM

Well if Indiana Jones does better at picking and choosing what to include and what not to, maybe it'll work out better then.


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