Review by Sean Boelman

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Review by Sean Boelman

For one of the most beloved action franchises of all time, the Indiana Jones series has been met with a surprisingly mixed reception outside of the first entry. Unfortunately, the fifth (and presumably final) entry Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny doesn’t buck that trend. It isn’t a terrible film, but rather a merely average action flick — disappointing considering the pedigree of talent and IP involved.

The film follows Indiana Jones as he sets out on an adventure to recover an artifact that has the potential to change the course of history. Although this series is known for putting our protagonist on outlandish adventures chasing magical artifacts, Dial of Destiny takes “outlandish” to a whole new level — yet manages to feel frustratingly dull nevertheless.

The biggest mistake of the film is its bloated length, as the script lacks the momentum to sustain more than two and a half hours of runtime. The opening scene offers “context” to the story but is really just a derivative train action sequence that has been done better in other films before. Indeed, viewers will spend much of the film wondering where they have seen these action sequences done more effectively. Although Mangold’s direction is hardly incompetent, it’s shockingly dull — too caught up in nostalgia to give audiences anything legitimately exciting.

It doesn’t help that the action sequences aren’t particularly impressive. Of course, some of their lack of luster can be attributed to the fact that Ford is more than 80 years old at this point, and he can’t do what he used to. However, it’s much less easy to forgive much of the film feeling like a CGI monstrosity when so much of what made the original so beloved were its impressive set pieces and stunts.

There are certainly glimpses here and there of moments that have the magic of the Indy we all know and love — like a scene in which the aging archaeologist/adventurer commandeers a horse and rides it through the NYC streets and subway — but these moments are either brief or have been revealed by the trailer. And the final act is just an uninspired mess, not even in a way that can be enjoyed for its camp.

While none of the new additions to the cast is as egregious as Crystal Skull’s attempts to pass on the torch to Shia LaBeouf, they aren’t particularly memorable either. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is charming enough to be passable, but the character is so thinly written she just ends up being a forgettable sidekick. Antonio Banderas is utterly wasted. And as the villain, Mads Mikkelsen is surprisingly not very menacing — which is unusual for the talented actor. Only Boyd Holbrook shines, giving a hammy performance that allows for some of the film’s few fun moments.

That said, Harrison Ford is as great as ever in his leading role. Despite his age, he still brings the same level of swagger to the action sequences and charisma to his wisecracks, but also brings a great deal of emotion to the film regarding his arc of growing older. It never feels like “one last hurrah” for Ford as the character, but Ford is nonetheless having a great time getting to revisit the role.

While Crystal Skull was at least enjoyable for its sheer ridiculousness, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny lacks the enjoyability factor that got this series through its many ups and downs. In trying to recapture the glory of the once-beloved series, Mangold has unfortunately all but ensured that the series goes out on a whimper.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Cole Groth

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is one of those films bound to fail. There’s virtually no buzz for the latest Dreamworks film, and while Warner Bros. and Disney struggle at the box office with The Flash and Elemental, Universal seems eager to group up with them. Business isn’t everything, but it’s hard to feel bad for a film failing when it’s as annoying as this. While families with low expectations will find a fun way to spend 91 minutes, anybody expecting something on the level of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will be sorely disappointed as Dreamworks misses the mark.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken tells the story of Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor), a teenage Kraken. While Ruby tries to live her life as an ordinary girl, she holds a dark secret: she’s secretly a Kraken with the ability to transform into a “giant Kraken” (“giant” is repeated many times throughout the film for no real reason). Her blueness and slimy appearance as a sea creature are conveniently explained early on in the film — her family is Canadian. Imagine Turning Red if the animation was worse, the characters more annoying, and the story more derivative.

After befriending a mermaid, Ruby begins to go against her family’s wishes as she forges her own destiny. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, sea exploration, and coming-of-age hijinks. This story has been played out many times before, and while this doesn’t miss any of the regular beats, it doesn’t add much, either. The conflict between Ruby and her mother is a generically manufactured conflict that isn’t written well enough to fit. Ruby makes so many stupid decisions throughout this, and while it can be explained away as her being a fifteen-year-old, that’s not a good enough excuse.

Since voice actors can’t get work in major animated movies anymore, we’ve got an extensive lineup of celebrities working on this project. Lana Condor kills it as Ruby. She brings the awkward energy of her character to life and never feels as annoying as she could be. Her type of character is overplayed in animated movies, but Condor gives a solid performance and shows prowess as a voice actress. Toni Collette is an unbelievably talented actress whose skills translate easily to her performance as Agatha, Ruby’s mom. Jane Fonda plays Ruby’s grandmother and has a great dynamic between Condor and Collette. Annie Murphy is decent as a mermaid with unrealized intentions but isn’t written well, making her voice-acting skills mute. Sam Richardson and Will Forte play obnoxious characters but are funny enough to deserve praise. Colman Domingo and Jaboukie Young-White leave something to be desired in their performances but do a decent job otherwise.

While Condor, Collette, and Fonda do a particularly good job, most of it goes to waste through the black hole of talent that is Liza Koshy. Koshy plays the role of Margot, Ruby’s best friend. Margot fills the space as the generic representation for Dreamworks, who has a throwaway line about being a lesbian, which can easily be cut for foreign markets to maintain whatever box office potential this could have. As a 15-year-old girl, Margot is simply unbelievable, spewing lines of dialogue that sound nothing like a teenager. It’s unhelpful that Koshy gives the most ear-grating performance in an animated movie of all time. It is genuinely Razzie-worthy how annoyingly unbearable she is to listen to. Whoever stupidly believed that Koshy would be the best fit should be fired.

While not annoying as Koshy’s performance, the character design is not much better. Ruby and the rest of her Kraken family are adorably animated and have the fluidity needed to stand out in the crowd. As it comes to the human characters, this falls flat. There’s not an appealing face to look at in the sea of people. It’s all reminiscent of the ugly design of characters in Kroger commercials: weird blob structure, bad proportions, and terrible hair. It’s disappointing because they knocked it out of the park with the main characters, so why does everybody else have to look awful?

One of the more egregious studio decisions behind this is the excessive use of licensed music. Plenty of scenes could’ve been enhanced through the use of Stephanie Economous’s score. Instead, 30-second snippets of pop music fill nearly every gap. Many of these songs don’t fit, and most of them interrupt the mood. Universal seems to have a big problem with this, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie having a solid score undermined by an atrocious overuse of pop music.

While Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken hits the comfortable notes of this type of animated family comedy, it’s a shame that this couldn’t be better. Dreamworks has tried something original and interesting, but bad behind-the-scenes decisions and an annoying tone bog it down. It’s painfully generic, and although kids will enjoy this, is it too much to ask for kids’ entertainment to be better? There’s not much substance for adults beyond a somewhat visually exciting action/adventure. Before this movie, Dreamworks played their new logo, which highlights the countless iconic characters they’ve created. Unfortunately, Ruby Gillman feels destined to fade into the darkness, as this mediocre entry for the studio won’t leave much of an impression.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken releases in theaters starting June 30.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Sometimes, feature debuts benefit from a star-studded cast that elevates an otherwise just passable script into something noteworthy. The Line is an effective feature debut from young filmmaker Ethan Berger, and while its commentary might be somewhat surface-level, the filmmaking on display is undeniably effective and unsettling.

The film follows the members of a fraternity as their organization is rocked by their increasingly dangerous practices and “traditions.” Although the story of the movie is very straightforward, and deals with a topic we have seen addressed in film many times before, Berger’s approach creates a lean 100-minute thriller.

Although the movie clearly seeks to expose the very real epidemic of hazing, it exists to do little more than disturb. The film’s stance is certainly condemning, and it will leave viewers feeling angry, but the writers fail to dig deep into the solutions — or even causes — of this problem. There are several moments that feel like the argument being made is simply “boys will be boys,” with little attention paid to the other factors that caused hazing to become such a prevalent issue.

Still, Berger along with co-writers Zack Purdo and Alex Russek manage to create an atmosphere that is consistently engaging and unsettling. It’s not quite a horror film, but there are certainly some sequences in the movie that share techniques with the genre, and the result will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

Berger’s directorial style is very accomplished for a first-time filmmaker. The film doesn’t go overly violent with its depictions of hazing, and yet, despite its lack of graphic imagery, it manages to be thoroughly affecting. A lot is left to the mind, and as usual, that can be more unsettling than what we see.

The movie also offers some interesting characterization. One would normally expect the protagonist of a film with this story to be a freshman being hazed, but Austin Abrams’s character who fills this archetype is only a supporting character. Instead, the protagonist is the conflicted president-to-be of the fraternity, played by Alex Wolff.

Wolff’s performance, while playing very much to his usual type, is absolutely devastating. The arc he has — from dislikable arrogance to sympathetic concern — is effective thanks to Wolff’s nuance. Other big names in the supporting cast — Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), and John Malkovich — aren’t fully utilized.

The Line might not be a deep exploration of its themes, but it is an effective and unsettling thriller. Thanks to consistently strong performances and sharp pacing, Berger’s film stands out as one of the most exciting debuts of this year’s festival.

The Line screened at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, which ran June 7-18 in NYC and June 19 through July 2 online.

Rating: 4/5