Indiana Jones 5 Is So Boring That The Cannes Audience Was Talking During The Movie
Indiana Jones 5 bored the audience at Cannes to the point they talked during the film.
They say that it’s better to burn out than it is to fade away, but in the case of Indiana Jones 5 it seems like this particular franchise went out with a whimper rather than a bang. Cosmic Book News reports that the film’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 was met with a lackluster response, citing that the film elicited an unexpectedly underwhelming response from audience members, some of whom allegedly talked during the film out of boredom. Though the trailer for this installment of the Indiana Jones saga is referred to as a “final triumph,” we have reason to believe that James Mangold may have missed the mark on this one.
Perhaps what’s most telling about Indiana Jones 5 is that the audience at Cannes gave a more enthusiastic standing ovation to Harrison Ford, who was flown in for the premiere before the Dial of Destiny started playing than they did at the film’s conclusion. Sources say that the standing ovation after the 142-minute adventure came to an end was only five minutes long, which is considered to be more of a “polite formality” than anything else.
But it’s worth noting that the reviews for Indiana Jones 5 are rolling in on Rotten Tomatoes, and we’re hearing a slightly different story. Sure, this latest action adventure romp only boasts a 50 percent fresh rating, but the reviews are all over the place. One reviewer even referred to the Dial of Destiny as an “action-packed swan song” that provides a fitting ending to one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic roles.
However, one critic didn’t parse her words when criticizing Indiana Jones 5 for taking the titular timepiece a little too literally. Esther Zuckerman from The Daily Beast expressed disappointment over the fact that Disney seems to “want to turn the clock back instead of doing anything new.” Other critics voiced a similar sentiment that this conclusion to an otherwise action-packed decades-long thrill ride felt “safe” and “dutiful” rather than thrilling or delightful.
This seems to be the case with most legacy properties spanning decades; some franchises just run out of steam and have nothing to offer. And in the case of Indiana Jones 5, although closure is most certainly offered to long-time fans of the franchise, some viewers felt that what could have been a stunning conclusion seemed more like a feigned attempt to call back to the iconic Indiana Jones films that preceded it.
Given the less-than-exuberant reception to Indiana Jones 5, it only makes us wonder how different things could have been if Steven Spielberg had opted to direct this film rather than passing the directorial torch off to James Mangold (The Wolverine, Logan). Spielberg very well could have had a heavier hand in creating a more exciting bookend for Indiana Jones, but he felt that a fresh perspective would have been instrumental in bringing Indiana Jones to a younger generation of moviegoers.
It’s no mystery that Mangold had huge shoes to fill in stepping up to the task, but given that Spielberg’s vision is what made the previous four Indiana Jones films so iconic, it’s clear that a lot of the magic that is said to be lacking in Indiana Jones 5 is probably because Spielberg decided to step down as director.
You may have a different opinion. It’s easy to be critical of legacy properties this late in the game. Indiana Jones 5 still has time to win over audiences when it debuts in the United States on June 30, 2023. Whether it fails to meet expectations or is considered satisfying to the U.S. audience is still a topic that’s up for debate, but we’ll know for sure soon enough.
