Invaders from Mars
To be frank, War of the Worlds is the better movie by far. Invader from Mars has a much smaller budget, and it painfully shows at times, unfortunately.
★★★1/2
Directed by William Cameron Menzies
Written by Richard Blake and John Tucker Battle
I haven’t existed yet when this movie was released in 1953 - come to think of it, my dad was only 3 years old then! It has never played on television as far as I remember, so no childhood nostalgia for this film. I do love the idea of these 1950s alien invasion movies, and I thought War of the Worlds (also from 1953!) was surprisingly more sophisticated than it looked, and I thoroughly enjoyed that one, so my interest was piqued when I first heard of its release.
To be frank, War of the Worlds is the better movie by far. Invader from Mars has a much smaller budget, and it painfully shows at times, unfortunately. I thought the first half held up pretty well, and its two key strengths were its story, which created a strong sense of paranoia as people started to fall under the influence of a higher power, and the captivatingly off-kilter set designs that belie the film’s budget. The acting performances were very adequate, and I actually thought the actors were better than the ones from War of the Worlds, especially Jimmy Hunt as the child protagonist. But once the “invaders” are finally revealed - it’d be a challenge to hold in your chuckle when you see the costume designs. The use of stock footages were also way overused and wear out its welcome pretty quickly.
I would recommend this if you enjoy exploring the fringes of cinema history like I do.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
It manages to bring back the glee and excitement of the Indiana Jones of old that the last one didn’t. The opening sequence alone is already something I see myself revisiting a lot, and the movie did an apt job in making an appropriate close to the Indiana Jones series, although I would have preferred a more upbeat one.
★★★★
Mild Spoilers
Directed by James Mangold
Written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold
Like a lot of franchises nowadays, Indiana Jones is also back for one last ride, but perhaps for this franchise, it might just stick. Harrison Ford, who is already in his 80s, did announce that this was his final time playing his most famous character. In the fifth Indiana Jones movies, the intrepid archaeologist is once again in pursuit of the Antikythera mechanism, a real-life artifact believed to be as old as 205 BC that can predict astronomical events. But Nazi scientist Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) believe the device has other uses and is hell-bent on obtaining it at all costs. Also hot in pursuit of the artifact is Indy’s goddaughter and stealer of rare antiquities Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).
Going into this one, there is one thing I know for sure I will not be getting: Indiana Jones pummelling and getting pummelled by hordes of goons while leaping from tanks and trucks and horses like he’s still in his prime, because Indiana Jones is now a septuagenarian. I can see why they did the opening flashback with a de-aged Indy in 1939. (EDIT: It’s 1944, sorry.) For several minutes into the film, we get a taste of younger Indy battling Nazis again in pursuit of a Christian artifact and it was joyous! This is the Indiana Jones a lot of fans have been craving to see that Crystal Skull did not successfully deliver on. It was exciting and funny, but also serious and violent; the “flavour” that was lacking from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Once this itch was scratched, I was ready to accept the unavoidable latter “old man Indy” section of the movie, which I thought was going to be a more slower paced endeavour. But thankfully, the rest of the movie also managed to maintain this key essence of the series, albeit with a much less athletic lead, though he still gets to do quite a bit more action than you’d expect someone of his age to.
Other things that I enjoyed:
The villains are back to being serious, menacing antagonists who mean business, and you get a bigger satisfaction here when they finally get their comeuppances than in Crystal Skull, which felt as though the filmmakers were pulling their punches.
*
There are properly choreographed set pieces and chases, and no “shaky cam” was applied. The standout was definitely the opening flashback sequence.
*
I like that they bothered to make us care about some of the characters here by adding some unexpected drama and tragedy for the actors to work with.
*
I spotted Ford impersonator Anthony Ingruber in a bit part! I wonder if he got to do more than just this blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, if you know what I mean.
*
I like the finale, which I can understand why some people might think it was a bit goofy. I still prefer it over Crystal Skull’s, and I think they paid it off with that emotional moment with Indy and Shaw.
*
John Williams’ score. Bliss.
Some things that could have been better:
*
Although I did like and understand what they did with the finale, but I do wonder if there was another better way. I believe a lot of fans are going to gripe about this one, and that is just going to be hella annoying to read for years to come. At least I get to chuckle at some of the snarky memes.
*
Also, another point of contention for many people would be the character of Helen Shaw. There’s no hiding the fact that she is somewhat a Lara Croft-esque character that some are already decrying as Lucasfilm’s attempt to replace Indiana Jones. I doubt that is ever going to happen, nor was it ever their intention. At the very most a spin-off, but it’s not like she’s donning the hat or anything close. There was no “passing the torch” moment at all. But my problem isn’t with all that (though I’m not looking forward to all the inevitable bitching.) Waller-Bridge did a commendable job, but I didn’t think she had enough of that sassy energy that you need in a larger-than-life, eye-brow-arching character like Helen Shaw. Think Angelina Jolie or even Karen Allen as young Marion. I’m not saying Waller-Bridge isn’t capable of a similar performance, but she chose a more subtle approach. It wasn’t a wrong choice, but I don’t think it was the best choice.
*
Other than the opening action sequence, the rest of the action set pieces are serviceable, but not as memorable as anything from the first three films, though they are better and more grounded than Crystal Skull’s.
*
The movie does bring closure to Indy’s character in a way, but it didn’t feel like a satisfying close to the entire series of films, which I thought they should have done. It felt a tad too dreary and sombre for a movie that is supposed to be about adventure and excitement.
*
James Mangold is a good director, but he’s no Spielberg. I missed seeing those hidden long takes and dynamic camera work that Spielberg is so good at, and there are always a few of that in all his Indiana Jones films. Even if you don’t notice technical things like this in movies, you can feel that the scene is somehow a little more special than usual. Even James Gunn does this in his own movies. But I didn’t notice any in this one.
*
The deepfake was a little rough, but admittedly I didn’t really care.
I know that I wrote a little too much on the negative side, but I’m actually quite positive on this one. It manages to bring back the glee and excitement of the Indiana Jones of old that the last one didn’t. The opening sequence alone is already something I see myself revisiting a lot, and the movie did an apt job in making an appropriate close to the Indiana Jones series, although I would have preferred a more upbeat one. Moving ahead, I hope they (and the fans) would consider the possibility of rebooting the franchise and reset Indiana Jones’ adventures back to the 1930s, because the opening sequence is proof of how much we really missed and want more of that part of Indiana Jones. Doing a modern take or a spin-off is just pointless and a show of a lack of understanding of what makes Indiana Jones special in the first place. Ingruber is even in your movie, he’s right there, grow some balls and use him!
Also, my ranking of the films:
1
Raiders of the Lost Ark
2
The Last Crusade
3
Temple of Doom
4
Dial of Destiny
5
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull