pan2000 | Indiana Jones 5 review

Before we begin, let me say that I have seen Lucasfilm falling at hard times. I am no big fan of the Star Wars Sequels, mostly because of their bad handling of gender and race and the problematic morality in general.

So, when I heard similar complaints about the last entry of another behemoth of Lucasfilm, I was not optimistic. Among the complaints would be assassination of classic characters and unlikable girlbosses that replace them, issues that were present in other series.

Not this time.

Indy himself does start in a train chase being badass as usual, almost single-handedly outsmarting several Nazis. Later, he has retired and seems to be a loser, so I did expect him to be like Old Luke from TLJ. And I would be right if I meant Luke's last ten minutes with that, because Indy pulls some crazy stunts, uses his whip and gun as usual, uses his environment well and saves himself both times he is kidnapped.

Now, Helena, his apprentice, is competent, but she doesn't do everything herself. She does save the team more than once too, but when I saw her bailing in the first fight scene, I knew she was NOT going to fully steal Indy's spotlight. Is she a saint? Definitely not, but the narrative doesn't pretend otherwise. Her kid sidekick has his limits, but his wits are useful as well.

Overall, Indiana and Helena share the protagonist role equally, which is a very good thing.

The bad guys: I did not expect the condescending black female student to get the end she got, and halfway guessed what would happen to the brute. Also, I do remember the trigger-happy jackass, but the main villain stands out. He is a rarity, being a smart Nazi. But, being a Nazi, he still is not as smart as he thinks, and Indiana Jones and Helena outsmart him at different points.

The fight scenes were over the top, and it does have some mumbo jumbo, but come on, since when was the main treasure (or cultist power) in a movie of this series NOT supernatural?

In conclusion, 9/10, I loved it.

Merry Christmas!