Indiana Jones 5 Cannes 2023: How Harrison Ford offers himself a second youth

Indiana Jones and the Last… Croisette. Fifteen years after the presentation of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth opus in the saga that we thought had ended since 1989, and a shot towards the hero’s descent, the famous adventurer is back in the fifth episode. And Harrison Ford swears we won’t catch him again.

Including, on our microphone, without asking him to confirm what he’s been saying on film for weeks and months. Harrison Ford came to Cannes to say goodbye to other greats in Cannes, surrounded by director James Mangold (who replaces Steven Spielberg in front of the camera), his new sidekick, the brilliant Phoebe Waller-Bridge or his opponents Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook. The iconic role of his career, after Han Solo.

A farewell meant as much as a conclusion as a return to sources. Maybe to remedy the situation after the disappointment of episode 4. And this way of reconnecting with the essence of the franchise is as narrative and visual as it is thematic, and it’s especially epitomized by the opening sequence, which takes us back to 1939, the time of Steven Spielberg’s first three films.

Unlike the beginning of the last crusade, the next flashback, in which the hero River Phoenix played, we meet Harrison Ford under the hood. And the October actress takes the opportunity to look decades younger thanks to the magic of special effects. The digital change from the trailers and the rendering is particularly impressive.

The technology, of course, is not yet perfect, because the human eye still manages to make small differences (in particular, depending on the play of shadows and light). But the progress made since some Marvel and Star Wars, or even between the two trailers for Dial of Destiny, is clear, and this new Indiana Jones lets it run its course.

achieved through grace “Hundreds of hours of rushing, close-ups, medium shots, wide shots, with all kinds of lighting, day and night” According to James Mangold, this trick also takes us back to the time of Steven Spielberg’s first three films. But this is not just flirting or a way to fool fans – even if it doesn’t make them happy.

This sequence allows you to concretely introduce the villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, the mysterious dialer of fate of the title, and the contradiction between the Indiana Jones adventurer past and his present of any young pensioner. Which will be mixed through Helen, the hero’s goddaughter, to whom Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings her energy, her modernity and audacity, even in certain dialogues that clearly bear her mark.

Like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which Indy was already questioning his place in the universe (as Spielberg questioned his in Hollywood?), The Dial of Destiny is about aging and the passage of time. And it is no coincidence that the feature film opens with the clock ticking.

Indie and the Search for Lost Time

What remains for an archaeologist of his caliber in this 1969, which marks the end of an era when man is about to walk on the moon and the murders of the Manson family traumatize an America mired in Vietnam? That’s one of the questions uniquely posed by this opus, which clearly takes pride of place in adventure as the hero rejoins his youth for the last time.

If he manages to capture the essence of the saga (even if the brilliance of Steven Spielberg is sometimes lacking), James Mangold does not make it a retarded film. With the help of Elena’s character, who acts as a bridge between generations, it still makes the nostalgia work at full speed. So much so that the first scene can be seen as a flashback of old Indy, who we then see waking up at home.

The reception the public will give this dialer of fate remains one of the film’s final mysteries. But the thrill of seeing Harrison Ford again in Indiana Jones gear remains intact, as does this final dive into the saga that many grew up dreaming of adventure and legendary treasure.