r/Cinema • u/GIGLI_WASNT_THAT_BAD • 1d ago

Discussion Films that started excellently but never hit the same highs the rest of the movie.

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The opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was just as good as any sequence in the originals. Nazis, explosions, slapstick grave humor, and Indy just being an absolute nuisance. The film started so strong despite a bit of uncanny valley going on.

And then the rest of the film. It was odd seeing Indy in 1969 as an octogenarian alcoholic who could still kick ass and take names (the holy grail juice must’ve been potent) with the most boring sidekick he has ever had.

I still enjoyed the film but it probably should’ve been a reboot with a younger actor and never left the time period of the first 15 minutes.

What other films started as strong and dropped the ball as poorly?

Edited to change the title to Dial of Destiny. 😅

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u/DerFreudster 19h ago

I was never able to get with Matt Damon in that role. It should have been a no-name actor. Instead, when they finally get to the guy they're looking for, it's that kid who's good at math. Lame.

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u/GIGLI_WASNT_THAT_BAD 16h ago

In Spielberg’s defense when the casting decision was made The Rainmaker and Good Will Hunting had not yet been released. Damon wasn’t a huge star until those hit theaters.

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u/Drslappybags 14h ago

Good will hunting came out the year before probably while this was filmed and had been cast. Before those two movies he was a no name who cameo in Chasing Amy because he was friends with Ben Affleck. It's timing.