Action and effects aside what I want to say about this movie has to do with the characters.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a wonderful movie. Fresh, new, bright, charming. I rewatched it recently and it has held up well. The match between Karen Allen and Harrison Ford was brilliant - they made a great screen team.
Temple of Doom was also really good. Kate Capshaw was great. Karen Allen was missing but Capshaw was a strong enough performer to carry us along.
The Last Crusade. The match here was between Ford and Sean Connery. Alison Doody wasn't given much to work with and didn't have much of a chance against the chemistry between Ford and Connery, not to mention Denholm Elliott.
The Cyrstal Skull. Lots of familiar action here, not a great plot. Even Cate Blanchett, while fun, wasn't exactly riveting. But Karen Allen was back and the Indy-Marian chemistry saved the film. We had missed her in the two previous films without necessarily even being aware of it.
The Dial of Destiny. Films 2,3 and 4 had references to bits of business in the films that came before them but this film was just too full of them. Lots and lots of action. Lots and lots. Lots. Some of the quiet in-between scenes were quite effective. I like Phoebe Waller-Bridge but there was a lack of chemistry between her and Ford. I've read that Karen Allen was ready to do this film but somehow "they" decided not to use her except for a small bit at the end. What a mistake. It was so satisfying seeing Marian and Indy together at the end of Crystal Skull. All that energy was there to use in this film and someone decided to squander it. The couple of minutes of Indy and Marian at the very end was the highlight of the whole film. By not teaming them for the film a huge opportunity was lost.
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