Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

A climax that is somewhat anticlimactic. That’s not really a pan; this film is nowhere near the disaster it could have been. But it does come across, ultimately, as something not quite. The action is good, in some sequences great, and the characters live up to the legacy that they’re trying to fulfill. The story is fine, if a bit predictable, while the writing is mid-grade; you get the sense throughout the movie that the dialogue misses some opportunities to be really clever (or, dare I say it, whip-smart). But all in all, this ends up being an acceptable, entertaining, and to a certain extent even surprisingly poignant way to wrap up one of filmdom's greatest adventures. The tale of the man who swashbuckled through history is now history itself. Sounds about right.

Uncharted

Indiana Jones was a scholar, an archeologist, and a professor. And, above all, he was a likable guy. These people? Not so much. It’s hard to get into a movie, no matter how well done are the action sequences, or even if there’s a decent story (or back story), if you just don’t have much reason to like the characters. Clearly, Tom Holland’s supposed likability was expected to carry a lot of weight here, but that never particularly worked for me in this film. (Personally, I find him a bit too lightweight in whatever context.) It probably also doesn’t help that this outing is based on a video game; that’s always a kiss of death for any movie. On the plus side, the action is very well done, and the movie overall has good pace, and the settings throughout are interesting and eye-catching. All in all, not a bad effort for a check-your-brain-at-the-door action flick; it just never really catches fire. If you want to go on a cinematic treasure hunt, you won’t find gold here. Finally, I note for the record that I named a fictional cat character Mr. Whiskers over two decades before this film was made, proving there truly is nothing new under the sun.

Spy Kids 2

A movie that is often clever and funny. A movie that is often flat and not engaging. Not a great combination. There's way too much emphasis on gimmickry; the "heart" stuff feels tacked on in comparison. But the actors are likable and compelling, in their own way. Don't pay for it, but if you've got time to kill.

Shrek 2

The promise here--appropriately, given the ogre theme--is like land in Florida: a lot of it turns out to be swamp. The film has its moments, but given the wit and fun of the original, we should get hours, not moments. The Puss in Boots character is a hoot, but he disappears for long stretches of the story. And the use of music, so fresh and hip in the original, sounds decidedly stale here. (It does not help that they picked some of the worst songs ever recorded.) I'm glad I saw (and paid for) a matinee--at $9, this would have been a rip-off.

Spy Kids

This one surprised me. I expected it not to live up to its hype, and then it went ahead and lived up to it. Very enjoyable. We'll see about that sequel…