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We’ve passed the mid-point of the year and we got a big blockbuster in a new Indiana Jones film and a heartfelt indie in Past Lives. This week I look at them both. For more on all the films I’ve seen, check me out on Letterboxd.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Theaters)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bride, and Mads Mikkelsen
Synopsis: It’s been 42 years since Harrison Ford first crossed movie screens as Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., better known by his nickname, Indiana Jones. The collaboration of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, that film in 1981 gave us an iconic character and created legions of fans. Now, as part of a summer full of new chapters in established franchises, we get the fifth and perhaps final installment of the adventures of Indiana Jones. Ford is back, but this time James Mangold takes the director’s reins and brings the action all the way up to 1969. We begin at the tail end of World War II, as Indiana Jones and his colleague, Dr. Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) have infiltrated a Nazi camp in search of a historical artifact. After surviving some close calls, they come away with half of Archimedes infamous dial. Fast-forward to 1969 and Indiana Jones is in a tough place. His son is gone, and his marriage is near done. His students don’t really listen much, which makes it easier that he’s finally retiring. He’s broken and drinking too much when Shaw’s daughter, Helena (Waller-Bridge), finds him in a bar. She wants to talk about the dial, but it’s really a ruse to get the artifact from Indy. Once she has it, she goes on the run. Turns out one Nazi (Mikkelsen) had a soft landing as a U.S. scientist, but he never forgot about the Dial or its potential to change Germany’s fortunes in World War II. With the spark ignited, Indy heads out on another adventure to the unknown. There’s a lot to process with this film. At more than two and a half hours, it feels overly long at times. Some of it feels dry and it lacks some of the emotional pop of the best of these films from the 1980s. But once it gets going, it’s hard not to give in to the nostalgia. Ford is a gifted actor. He delivers a few emotional sequences that add the much-needed heart to this film. And he finds a great screen partner in Waller-Bridge. She adds some humor and pop to the proceedings and serves as a great scene partner for Ford. The rest of the characters are just OK. Mikkelsen is capable of some great and memorable performances, but his character here is a little flat, while Boyd Holbrook’s henchman is too one-note. We get some glorified cameos from Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies and Karen Allen that add to the nostalgia but don’t do much for the plot. Additionally—much like the last installment—you have to take the plot twist regarding the dial with a big grain of salt. It lands better than the last film but it’s not as strong as the quests in Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Last Crusade, the best of the Indiana Jones adventures. Mangold does a serviceable job of creating a new story in a well-established pattern. The musical flourishes and other effects, including tracking progress on a map, add to the feel. There are some delightful moments, some engaging set pieces and enough heart to pull you in. This isn’t a great film, and it doesn’t equal the heights the franchise reached with its trio of films in the 1980s. But it feels like an improvement over the last installment in 2008 and it’s always fun to see Ford back in the fedora, cracking his whip and on another quest
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, language and smoking.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Past Lives (Theaters)
Starring: Greta Lee, John Magaro, and Teo Yoo
Synopsis: The common notion today is the idea of the soul mate. It pervades films and TV, especially on romance-heavy sites like Hallmark. The idea that there’s that one, perfect person out there for you and you’re destined to find them and live happily ever after. It’s a concept that creates enormous pressure and expectations. But life doesn’t usually work like that. The film Past Lives—which debuted at Sundance and now is making its way to wide release—looks at the idea of love, friendship and timing. It’s engaging and gripping but it’s also sorrowful, not only for the characters on screen but for those in the audience. It’s also one of the best films of the year so far. It begins with three people at a bar—Nora (Lee) flanked by Arthur (Magaro) and Hae Sung (Yoo)—as someone aloud wonders what the three are to each other. Flash back 24 years to Korea, and a young Nora—then known as Na Young—and Hae Sung are classmates. Their 12 and best friends, possibly trending toward something more. When Nora’s parents immigrate to the West, the two lose touch. But the connection isn’t severed. Twelve years later, the two re-connect via Skype. Both are launching into careers, with lives and dreams of their own. Hae Sung is in Korea and Nora is a writer living in New York. That doesn’t seem likely to change for either, so they hit a bump in the road. Jump ahead 12 more years and Nora is a successful writer, married to Arthur. Hae Sung, meanwhile, is living an “ordinary life,” when he heads to New York. He seeks to connect with Nora, the girl he’s never forgotten. But what will it all mean? That’s the journey in this film, which doesn’t go the way you might expect. The beauty of this film, written and directed by Celine Song, is that it knows what the expectations and troupes are. In fact, at one point in the film, Arthur reflects on the role he’s playing in someone else’s great love story. But our lives aren’t always defined by great love stories. They’re defined by choices and timing, which helps shape us into the people we become. That’s a huge part of the narrative here. It plays out in these three time periods and in series of encounters, sometimes wordless moments that convey a breadth of meaning. It’s an examination of love but also of timing and choices that put us on a path in our lives. The ending is fitting but deeply emotional and bittersweet. Song delivers a beautiful epic with some wonderful shots and a powerfully compelling script. She also evokes some great performances. Lee, Magaro and Yoo are beautiful in the film. All should receive consideration come year-end awards. Lee, in particular, felt like the heart of the film and delivers a performance that continues to resonate with me long after my screening. Past Lives is one of the gems of the first half of the year and will likely be a contender for a number of awards in the season to come. It’s worth seeking out.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Verdict: Four and a half stars out of five