INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY FILM REVIEW

28 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Film Reviews

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Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Film review, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny review, Indy, James Mangold

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Review by Paul Bowler

Harrison Ford dons the faded fedora and sets off for one last adventure as whip-wielding archeologist Indiana Jones in director James Mangold’s $300 million dollar blockbuster. Mangold certainly puts the-80-year old Ford through his paces with a plethora of fast-paced action sequences over the course of the films frenetic 154 minute run-time – with many echoing moment from the halcyon days of the previous films in the franchise.

Opening in 1944, we find a digitally de-aged Ford is hot on the trail of Nazi scientist Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). Indy is determined to stop Voller getting his hands on an artefact known as the Antikythera, aka The Dial of Destiny, a mysterious relic which can open fissures in time that was was split into two by its creator, Archimedes. After a blistering action-packed escapade, Indy rescues his English pal Basil Shaw (Toby Jones in the Denholm Elliot role), and the scene then shifts to New York in 1969, where we find a world-weary Indiana Jones is living out his twilight days swigging bourbon in his underpants in his run-down apartment, grumbling about noisy neighbours, and dreading his imminent retirement. Indy has become as much of a relic as the ones he spent his whole life unearthing. It seems this Spielberg-less sequel (he’s only a Executive Producer this time around) has opted for a less happy outcome after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull‘s ending, a move that cynically feels more like a slight retcon to engineer an excuse to churn out this fifth instalment.

However, one final treasure hunt is soon on the cards after a reunion with his goddaughter, Helena, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (best known for staring in and writing Fleabag and Killing Eve). Helena also wants to get hold of the Dial of Destiny, but it seems Mikkelsen’s crazed Nazi (now a US rocket scientist) hasn’t given up on his crazed schemes to acquire it for his own nefarious ends either. Cue Indy setting off on another globe-trotting chase to stop this ancient doodah falling into the wrong hands while punching bad guys and arguing with a mis-matched sidekick.

There’s plenty of fun to be had as Indy’s latest adventure has him squeezing into more burial chambers, fighting goons on top of a train, and even facing his pet-hate once again, snakes, well, eels actually, but Indy’s not a fan of those either! The wisecracks between Indy and Helena sometimes fall a bit flat though, it’s fun, but nowhere close to the sparkling generation-spanning comedy Ford had with Sean Connery in the fabulous Last Crusade.

The Dial of Destiny sees John Rhys-Davies reprise his role as Sallah, while new cast members featuring alongside Phoebe-Waller-Bridge include Antonio Banderas, and Ethann Isidore as Teddy, Helena’s sidekick. Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook also impress in their somewhat underwritten roles as the scenery chewing villain and henchman of the piece as well.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a pleasant enough homage to past success. Considering the sizeable budget some of the special effects and action sequences are something of a mixed bag though. Most are well staged, but the CGI overload isn’t always quite up to the task, especially for the de-aged Indy scenes, which seem oddly off in places. James Mangold’s direction is servicable enough, but the film struggles to find its own identity. Mangold dusts off the series’ familiar tropes but doesn’t really do all that much with them, except to double-down on the nostalgia factor. However, what the film lacks in depth the sheer scale and pace of the adventure in this instalment almost makes up for it; although I expect many will find the final act a bit depressing. So, did we really need another Indiana Jones movie? Probably not, no. While it doesn’t match the thrilling heights of the original trilogy of Indiana Jones films, Harrison Ford still carries the whole movie with consummate ease, and ensures that The Dial of Destiny provides a decent enough final crack of the whip for the franchise, and Indiana Jones, to bow out on.

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Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and and Facebook

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1 REVIEW

21 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Marvel Comics

≈ 29 Comments

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Bruce Banner, Horror, Hulk, Marvel, Nic Klein, Philip Kennedy Johnson, The Age of Monsters, The Green Door, The Incredible Hulk, The Incredible Hulk #1, The Incredible Hulk #1 review, The Mother of Horrors

The Incredible Hulk #1 (2023)

Review by Paul Bowler

The Age of Monsters begins in The Incredible Hulk #1, helmed by the new creative team of writer Philip Kennedy Johnson and artist Nic Klein. Bruce Banner’s recent attempt as subduing his Gamma fuelled alter-ego has left the Hulk enraged and determined to seize control of Banner’s body permanently. Now that the Green Door – a metaphysical portal that allows Gamma mutates to return from beyond the grave – has been closed Bruce has become an outcast and drifter once more. But as he struggles to contain the Hulk’s persona raging inside him, an ancient immortal has unwittingly been unleashed, and is about to send every monster in the Marvel Universe against old-jade-jaws in a bid to free its master – the primordial force known only as the Mother of Horrors!

Philip Kennedy Johnson has a knack for crafting emotively dark, psychological tales and he knocks it out the park here with the first issue of this terrifying new Marvel Comics series. Johnson is clearly tapping into the same vein of rich horror as Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk with this new run, and arguably succeeding even better in harnessing Stan Lee’s Frankenstein/Jekyll & Hyde inspirations for the character. What’s more this relaunch marks Marvel’s first Incredible Hulk title in half a decade, and the creative team have pulled out all the stops to make a comic that succeeds on virtually every level.

From the creepy opening in the depths of an ancient tomb in Iraq, though to the Hulk haunting Banner for torturing Hulk’s psyche as Bruce seeks refuge in a run-down diner, the all pervading sense of dread and terror PKJ manages to inject into the scrip and dialogue is brilliantly paced. The narrative builds increasingly, with the Hulk’s psyche taunting him at every turn, even countering a moment of kindness from Banner and warping it into a horrifically burial slap in the face. As the mysterious immortal and her minions begin to close in on the Hulk the plight of a young runaway also gets caught up in the scheme of things, and soon the issues underlying trio of narrative threads inevitably begin to draw together.

Artist Nic Klein and color artist Matthew Wilson infuse free-flowing page layouts with that burst with visceral horror and dread. Klein’s art is a perfect fit for the horror tone of the book. Sketchy details, swarthy shadows, and startling close-ups play with perceptions, and the extreme body horror is equally as mesmerising as it is gut wrenching. Banner’s transformation into the Hulk is especially gruesome, almost as if the Hulk is delighting in making the metamorphosis even more ghastly for Banner. Color artist Matthew Wilson employs a muted pallet of shade and tone throughout, seamlessly echoing the story beats and accentuating the action.

“Is he man, monster or, is he both?” That’s the blurb that screamed out at us from the cover of the very first issue of The Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962. Philip Kennedy Johnson has made that tantalising question very much the backbone of this new series. Hulk looks set to smash his way through a far darker trip to the wild side of the Marvel Universe than we’ve ever seen before. The Incredible Hulk #1 is a must buy for Hulk and horror fans alike. Philip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein and Matthew Wilson have all the makings of a classic run on their hands here, the Hulk might be the strongest one there is, but these guys are about to make him the scariest one there is as well!

Publisher Marvel Comics

Writer Philip Kennedy Johnson / Artist Nic Klein

Color Artist Matthew Wilson / Letterer VC’S Cory Petit

Cover Nic Klein

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THE FLASH FILM REVIEW

18 Sunday Jun 2023

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Film Reviews

≈ 31 Comments

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Andy Muschietti, Barry Allen, Batman, Batmovile, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Flash movie review, Flashpoint, General Zod, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Sasha Calle, Supergirl, The Flash, The Flash film review, The Flash freview

The Flash

Review by Paul Bowler

The scarlet speedster first solo big-screen outing is here at last with the release of The Flash, and director of the IT films, Andy Muschietti’s action-packed and emotional rollercoaster ride is an epic in every sense of the word. Based on the iconic Flashpoint storyline from DC Comics, The Flash movie has overcome setbacks, delays and even the ongoing controversy surrounding Ezra Miller to become one of the most hostly anticipated superhero films in recent years.

In The Flash Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is struggling finding a work-life balance with his career in forensic science and his superhero escapades as the Fastest Man Alive. The films rip-roaring opening chase in Gotham sees Barry called on to help Ben Affleck’s Batman, what ensues is a frenetic set-piece with the Dark Knight foiling a robbery while the Flash deals with a collapsing hospital wing.

Feeling like the third wheel in the Justice League the Flash is in a downbeat mood, when he inadvertently discoveres he has the power to time travel if he runs fast enough. Despite the grim warnings of Affleck’s Batman, Barry decides to travel back through time to prevent the murder of his mother, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). A crime which his father, Henry Allen (Ron Livingston), was wrongfully convicted for when Barry was a child. However, Barry’s attempt to alter the past ultimately leads to disastrous consequences for the future and the timeline is irrevocably changed.

Flash finds himself trapped in a reality where there are no superheroes and General Zod (Michael Shannon) has arrived to turn Earth into a new Krypton. Barry will have to team up with his younger self, whilst also trying to convince a very different Batman (Michael Keaton) out of retirement, and rescue an imprisoned Kryptionian, Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in order to save the world and reclaim the future he once knew. Barry faces the race of his life, but will even the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe in time?

Miller’s dual role as two Barry’s and Flashes provides much of the emotional substance and slapstick fun in The Flash. With all the allegations and arrests surrounding Miller the tortured schism of the two Barry’s shared grief, joy, and downright wackiness dose leave you struggling to separate the art for the artist as it were. That said the humour is really funny at times and there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments that nicely counterbalance the films somewhat darker themes.

Of course when Flash alters the timeline Affleck’s grizzled Dark Knight becomes Michael Keaton’s iconic caped crusader from the Tim Burton era of the Batman movies, and it is here that the Flash movie really begins to shine. Oh my days, its just like being transported back into that halcyon period of 1989’s Batman, the mansion, the Bat-Cave, the musical beats make it a complete nostalgia trip that fans will simply love. We also get to see much more of Keaton in the cape and cowl this time around than ever before as well.

Some of the action scenes with his Batman are stunning, especially his initial appearance in costume in the Batcave and the action-sequences in the Bat-Wing. Batman also plays a key role in helping the Flashes rescue Supergirl from a top secret gulag in Siberia. Affleck’s Batman is also really well served by the scrip, with a Dark Knight that’s not just all grim and tortured, instead we see Affleck’s Batman as he should’ve always been, and I suspect many will be left longing for a solo-Bat-Fleck movie once more after seeing him in action again. Sasha Calle’s Supergirl is also something of a revelation and her role is far more intrinsic to the narrative than we could’ve expected.

The multiverse concept that everything in The Flash is based on is quite something to get your head around too. Fortunately we have Keaton’s Bruce Wayne on hand to explain it all with a handy bowl of spaghetti. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d end up writing when I went to see this movie! In a way, that just about sums up Andy Muschietti’s movie in a nutshell. Its crazy, extremely fun, and mind-bindingly complex but it’s done with such warmth and silliness that somehow it all makes perfect sense. As we’ve come to expect from these kinds of films, the final act quickly becomes a CGI heavy spectacle of blockbusting action and suspense as our heroes square off against Zod and his Kryptonian forces. Everything builds to a wonderful bend of old and new as the facets of the multiverse collides. To say anything more would be far too big a spoiler; suffice to say this is where you will truly believe the hype that’s surrounded the build to this film.

The Flash is an incredibly fun and exciting superhero movie! Now I’ve never been a huge fan of the DCEU films. To be honest I went in not expecting much and refusing to believe it could live up to the hype. Well it does, and then some! Yes, the biggest draw for me to even go see The Flash was the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, but the film, and its many, many surprise cameos elevate it into something really special indeed. I watched The Flash with a big silly grin on my face the whole time, the DCEU may be winding down, but they’ve certainly saved some of the best till last.

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