When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull was released in 2008, I was certain its failures would mean
the end of the franchise. Instead, plans were almost immediately made to
release a fifth and final swashbuckling adventure starring everyone’s favorite
archaeologist hero, though they would take 15 years and multiple rewrites to
reach fruition. Finally, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has
reached theaters, with Steven Spielberg stepping down as director for the first
time in the franchise and James Mangold taking the helm in a production that
mostly feels content to capture the style of the series without any major alterations.
While Dial of Destiny doesn’t
feel like a James Mangold film, it also doesn’t feel entirely like Spielberg,
but rather an empty imitation. In fact, everything about the film has the look
and feel of classic Indiana Jones, but the soul is gone from the experience. It
isn’t as bad as Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but that isn’t saying much
at all. The one thing audiences can be thankful for is the abandoned plans to
have Shia LaBeouf replace Harrison Ford, and the 80-year-old actor returning to
the role this one final time. While he may not be able to achieve the same
level of physicality and some audiences are certain to complain about the
de-aging process used for an earlier sequence, there is no denying that Ford still
has the star power which made the role so iconic in the first place.
Dial of Destiny begins with a prologue sequence set
in 1944, during the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. Indiana Jones
is on a mission to obtain the Lance of Longinus with his archaeologist
colleague Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) while avoiding capture by the Nazis, when he
stumbles upon a piece of the Archimedes's Dial. The antique device invented by mathematician
Archimedes is rumored to be capable of locating fissures in time and is being
held by Nazi astrophysicist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), who unsuccessfully
chases after Jones and Shaw. Years later when Jones is in the process of forced
retirement from teaching, Voller inexplicably reappears in search of the Dial.
Shaw’s grown daughter Helena (Phoebe
Waller-Bridge) is also seeking the device, though she appears to only be concerned
with its monetary value which leads Jones to join in the search to be sure the
artifact is placed in a museum where it belongs. This begins the globe-trotting
adventure, with countless chase scenes utilizing a variety of vehicles from
horses to rickshaws. These chases also allow Ford to remain at the center of
the action, while often remaining seated and keeping physicality to a minimum.
There is also a heavy use of CGI in
many of the action sequences, but at least the effects have advanced beyond the
scene from the previous film where Jones was thrown by a bomb while hiding in a
refrigerator. It is obvious Dial of Destiny is overusing digital effects,
but thankfully none of them are painfully bad. And they shouldn’t be given the
$295 million spent to make the movie. Like the action sequences, the film itself
is not terrible so much as it is a safe and fairly bland installment into a
franchise that once had a great deal more life to it. While I wasn’t bored, Dial
of Destiny also did not leave me mourning the end of these movies, which
have already felt dead for several decades.
Given how much
money was spent to make Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it is no
surprise to find it is being released in multiple premium formats. In addition to
IMAX and Dolby presentations of the film, the last Indiana Jones movie can also
be seen in 4DX and ScreenX, the latter of which was the way I experienced the
film. For those who want an immersive experience similar to 3D without the
gimmicks and awkward glasses, ScreenX is a fun option.
But what exactly is ScreenX? It claims to be the world’s first multi-projection system used in a theater setting, following in the tradition first established by Cinerama in 1952. ScreenX offers a 270-degree panoramic viewing experience, and they don’t rely on a curved screen at all. Instead, ScreenX theaters expand the image directly onto the side walls, which they call “Wings.” These special walls are specifically created with a fabric that allows the projected images to match the center screen. That center screen will play the film as you would see it in any theater, while the images put on the side walls by up to twelve laser digital projectors are made up of specially created material to match the color and brightness of the screen.
ScreenX was created by CJ 4DPLEX, a technology company that is probably best
known for their 4D technology, which started in South Korea but has expanded
across the globe with increasing momentum over the last decade. Although 4DX is
certainly impressive enough, ScreenX is an even more recent innovation in the
efforts toward a more immersive cinematic experience. I have heard ScreenX described
as IMAX, but with the image being wider instead of taller, though this doesn’t
quite do the experience justice. While IMAX may give you more to look at,
ScreenX is more about utilizing peripheral vision to feel as though you are
inside the film. This is especially effective during some of the chase
sequences, though there is a surprising amount of the film which did not use
the side material at all.
Most of the added material projected
on the side walls in Dial of Destiny is environmental, allowing the
audience to feel as though they are in the middle of the action, even if it
doesn’t add any narrative material to the experience. During a chase and battle
on top of a train, the side walls display the environment quickly speeding by,
including trees on each side of the track. Similarly, other chase sequences open
the world up with more of the environment. It isn’t as effective as some of the
past films I have watched in this format, but it does add to the viewing
experience during some of the bigger set pieces. Above all else, it is simply a
fun way to experience the movie. And while the format of Imax can be seen in
home entertainment releases, ScreenX must be viewed in theaters to get the
experience. This is another reason to bring audiences back to theaters, with
the hopes of making the film’s giant price tag worthwhile.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
ScreenX Features: 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment