News, Analysis and Reviews of the Disney Entertainment Business
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Leading up to the opening of “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” at Magic Kingdom on June 28, I decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to actually watch the movie that it’s based on, i.e., The Princess and the Frog. Heck, it only took me 15 years.
And shame on me, as this is a very good Disney animated movie.
Since everyone else has seen the movie already, I’ll simply note that the key boxes were checked by this movie.
Interesting and fun story and adventure? ✅
Enjoyable characters – from the leads to the funny Disney-esque sidekicks – facing challenges? ✅
Amusing lines and situations? ✅
Good music? ✅
The Princess and the Frog hit all the right notes – fitting for a story taking place in and around New Orleans.
But here’s the surprising kicker for this viewer who is an economist and entrepreneur: The Princess and the Frog is the story of a struggling entrepreneur. Tiana is sacrificing and working hard to open her own restaurant. And along her entrepreneurial journey, she discovers important lessons. Yes, following a dream to open your own business is important, but it turns out that other matters, like family, can be of even greater value.
While Beth rode and reviewed the new ride – “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” – I haven’t yet. But I’m not going to wait long before riding. I learned my lesson by waiting far too long to see The Princess and the Frog. Besides, I love log flumes.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.
Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at
• The Alliance of Saint Michael novels – Cathedral and Subversion – are at Amazon.
• Order The Weekly Economist III:Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II:52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.
Okay, it was time. As a big Indiana Jones fan, I’ve avoided doing the rewatch of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny since I first saw it in theaters last year, and wrote my initial review.
Why the delay? Hmm. Life and work certainly are busy. But there was something else lingering, perhaps holding me back.
As I mentioned in my initial review of Dial of Destiny, this Indy fan had real trepidations heading into the movie theater. Indeed, an angst stayed with me throughout the movie: What would they do to one of my all-time favorite characters in fiction?
As the movie ended, I felt relieved, and gave the film 3.5 to 4 stars out of a possible 5. I concluded that review writing: “Well, coming out of the theater, I was at 3.5 stars. But I know that when I re-watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny free from worry and angst, I’ll enjoy it more in various ways (such as catching and appreciating more of the humor). And yes, my opinion of the movie will improve – most likely, pushing it up to a solid 4 stars.”
Well, is that how it turned out upon this first re-watch? Alas, no.
In fact, I liked the film less, and would now give it 3 stars out of 5. While it’s entertaining for many of the reasons that I mentioned in the first review, it actually falls far short of the previous four Indy movies.
Why? Director James Mangold, who also served as a co-writer with David Koepp, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, didn’t really know how to tell an exciting, fun Indiana Jones adventure. He captured some of that in the film’s opening scenes taking place on a train in World War II, but that was that. The rest of the film is spent with the audience largely watching an Indiana Jones beaten down and largely beaten by life. Who the heck thought this was a good idea? Well, obviously, Mangold did.
In the end, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny went against who the Indiana Jones character is. (This is similar to what happened with Woody in Toy Story 4 – what the heck, Disney?)
In Dial, it was largely about what Indy has lost. And he is worn out by it all, and this Indiana Jones, lacking in heart and optimism, kind of hangs around throughout the entire movie. The film’s time-travel ending was too over-the-top for some reviewers. For me, it wasn’t the time travel, it was what Indiana Jones did – or didn’t do – while traveling in time.
There is a very brief final moment in the movie when Indy’s hand reaches out and grabs his iconic hat. Is this supposed to tell us that the old Indy is back? If so, by that time, it was too late – especially since this most certainly was Harrison Ford’s last ride as Indiana Jones.
Indeed, we all would have been better off left with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and its near-perfect ending with Indy and Marion getting married, and Indy confidently taking that hat and putting it on his head.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.
• The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.
• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.
Okay, before I get to the actual review, a brief personal confession is in order. The period running up to and the actual arrival of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny gave me the most fan angst I’ve ever experienced for a movie. As far as characters and series in pop culture go, Indiana Jones tops the list, along with Captain Kirk and Captain America, in providing me with entertainment and enjoyment since my teens. Make no mistake, this discomfort, which lasted through the movie, surprised me. After all, it’s not like this was the release of one of my own books. But nonetheless, that was the case, and I’ll come back to this later. But on to the actual review…
“Playing it safe” can carry multiple meanings when it comes to making or reviewing movies. For the most part, the phrase tends to bug me. And given how often I’ve seen this used in reference to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (was there a memo I missed?), I now find this group of words extremely annoying. That’s especially the case given that they’re being tossed around to criticize this enjoyable and entertaining final entry in the Indiana Jones film series.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a darn good Indy movie. Is it as good as the previous four? (See my new reviews of those Indy movies at “My Indy Adventure, Part IV: New Reviews of Raiders, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”) No. And there are various reasons for this. First and foremost, director James Mangold, who did a fine job with Dial of Destiny, does not measure up to Steven Spielberg as a director. But who does, given that Spielberg ranks as one of the all-time greats? Second, while there are welcome bits of humor throughout this latest film, they don’t seem to be as frequent and memorable as was the case with the previous movies. (Again, there’s a reason why I use the word “seem” here.)
As for what you might have heard, the opening of the movie taking place in World War II with a de-aged Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones overall works well. In story terms, it’s a wonderful start to the movie (we get a flavor of what Indy was up to during the war), and the de-aged Harrison Ford ranges from looking absolutely amazing for much of the time to being a bit odd here and there.
Also, many reviewers have claimed that the third act of the film just goes too far and is goofy. Understanding what occurred in the previous Indy films in terms of the final conflicts, Dial of Destiny definitely is the greatest stretch, but it still basically works. After all, Indiana Jones isn’t just action/adventure, but also sci-fi/fantasy.
As for the ending, which also has been alluded to by reviewers, I’m not going to spoil anything, but for this story and for Indiana Jones being at this point in his life, Mangold deserves credit for sticking with an ideal ending. I don’t hesitate giving the film’s conclusion a big thumbs up.
Along the way, we get treated to some great Indy action and globetrotting. And Ford deserves enormous credit for stepping up once more as Indiana Jones at his, let us say, advanced age, and doing it with heart and skill. The story has a certain tone that’s different from the previous films, and Ford takes that a bit deeper.
Regarding other assorted characters, I’ll just touch on three. First, John Rhys-Davies is back as Sallah, and that’s a treat. We get a couple of solid Sallah moments. Second, Mads Mikkelsen excels as the evil Dr. Voller. That’s not surprising, and the writers and director clearly let him have fun with the role. Third, and most significant outside of Indy himself, is Helena, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is Indiana Jones’ goddaughter and starts the movie as a gray character. Her links to Indiana Jones are strong and long, but the depth of her love of cash, and not much else, run deep as well.
Dial of Destiny takes both Indiana Jones and Helena on interesting character arcs.
There’s more to say about characters and story, but not without giving away too much.
Whether out of ignorance or arrogance, or both, not “playing it safe” with beloved characters and/or franchises often has come to mean not being true to the character. It tends to indicate that audience expectations must be flouted in the worst possible ways in order to be creative. Think Rian Johnson and what he did to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars:The Last Jedi. In the end, though, such notions amount to a different type of uncreative formula (again, see The Last Jedi).
Thankfully, Mangold didn’t succumb to the wrongheaded impulse or urgings to undermine Indiana Jones. Instead, he stayed true to the essence of the character and the films that came before. Mangold, Ford and others involved in creating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny deserve credit for resisting the siren call of many of today’s moviemakers and critics to undermine the audience.
Instead, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny turned out to be an engaging, interesting, occasionally over-the-top (as is the case with all Indy movies), fun adventure romp, with some real heart, that wound up not just meeting but exceeding this angst-ridden Indy fan’s expectations. No, it’s not Raiders of the Lost Ark or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but again, it’s a darn good Indiana Jones movie.
So, why am I giving this movie the odd rating of 3.5 to 4 stars out of a possible 5? Well, coming out of the theater, I was at 3.5 stars. But I know that when I re-watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny free from worry and angst, I’ll enjoy it more in various ways (such as catching and appreciating more of the humor). And yes, my opinion of the movie will improve – most likely, pushing it up to a solid 4 stars.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
• Order The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Kindle editions and paperbacks via Amazon here and signed books here. And don’t forget the first book in this growing series, i.e., The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks at RayKeatingOnline.com or paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.
• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel. Signed paperbacks and/or paperbacks, hardcovers and the Kindle edition at Amazon.
• The Lutheran Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith.
DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 5 stars out of 5
DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating: $$$$ out of $$$$
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ranks as one of the very best Marvel Studios movies ever made, certainly by far the top entry since Avengers: Endgame, and it is justifiably getting rewarded at the box office. By the way, I serve up this assessment as someone who has never been a big Dr. Strange fan.
And yes, most of the credit for these creative and business achievements goes to Sam Raimi and his skills as a director.
Raimi already had three of the finest superhero films ever made on his resume – that is, Spider-Man(2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007) – along with a wide-ranging group of other films. He brought this formidable experience to work in a Marvel film at a time when the studio clearly needed something big. After all, recent Marvel movies haven’t exactly been memorable. Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings were little more than adequate, and Eternals was simply abysmal (see our review). Spider-Man: No Way Home, of course, was excellent (again, check out our rundown), but that was a Sony release that plays in the Marvel universe; it was not a Disney-Marvel Studios movie.
Raimi accomplished a great deal with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The story was solid. It made sense and was entertaining (such basics cannot be assumed – see the Eternals). The characters, for the most part, were interesting. Indeed, some notable characters were introduced, or re-introduced, and wound up going to surprising places, adding unexpected aspects and richness to the film. Also, Raimi provided touches from assorted genres that he has worked in before, including horror, although the film doesn’t go too far. Yes, this is a hard PG-13, but definitely not an R.
Multiverse of Madness is a visually enthralling film as well. The special effects add to the movie, as opposed to some recent Marvel films in which very expensive special effects managed to distract and detract from the story (that was the case with Shang-Chi).
Perhaps most surprising was one thing that Raimi was allowed to do, and it made a big difference. Dr. Strange corrected or remedied the abysmal ending to the Disney+ WandaVision series (see our take). After committing an assortment of atrocities due to suffering personal losses (both real and imagined), Wanda’s actions in WandaVision were effectively justified or simply shrugged off at the end of the series. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness tossed aside such nonsense, or moral obtuseness, and made clear the evil that Wanda, or the Scarlett Witch, commits.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness turned out to be engrossing, fascinating, and entertaining on multiple levels.
At the close of its second weekend (as of May 15), the film grossed $292 million domestically and earned $688 million globally. Those numbers run far ahead of the total box office take for each of the three previous Marvel Studios movies – Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Eternals.
Here’s a lesson for Marvel: Don’t shy away from getting top-notch directors to make your films, not to mention your Disney+ series. Disney certainly has enough funds available to get the best directors – ones that can handle the scope and the genre, while telling stories well. Sam Raimi directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness makes clear that such decisions make creative and box office sense.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
Two great ways to pre-order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here.
Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.
Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com.
Get more out of the rest of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. It’s on sale and shipping is always free!
DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 1 star out of 5
DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating: $$$$ out of $$$$
Venom: Let There Be Carnage ranks as one of the worst movies I’ve seen … ever. And yet it’s breathing life into the pandemic box office.
While the first movie – Venom (2018) – was dull, this sequel is too much of an assault to be boring. The noise is an assault on the ears. The abysmal special effects are an assault on the eyes. The lackluster, uninteresting characters are an assault on storytelling. And the story, well, is an assault on one’s intelligence.
There was, however, one blissful moment in the movie after Venom leaves the body of Tom Hardy’s character Eddie Brock. Brock is soothed by the sudden calm and tranquility. I was envious of Eddie at that point. Alas, it was the briefest of periods, as the attacks on the audience quickly resumed.
Venom, of course, is a Marvel character, but the movie came from Sony. It has to do with the Marvel-Sony deal made years ago over Spider-Man and related characters. But subsequent deals, of course, brought Spidey into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with, unfortunately, Venom. And there was, in fact, the obligatory mid-credits MCU scene.
After seeing Venom: Let There Be Carnage, my initial thought was that Disney probably isn’t going to be pleased. Putting aside the mountain of ills in this film, the tone is strikingly different from MCU movies.
But then there are the astounding box office numbers for the opening weekend of this monstrosity of a movie. Venom: Let There Be Carnage broke the pandemic domestic box office record with an opening weekend box office take of $90.1 million. The worldwide box office, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, registered $103.9 million.
By the way, Venom: Let There Be Carnage had an opening weekend domestic box office take that was actually larger than the 2018 Venom, a time when the pandemic was not even imagined.
What does all of this say about today’s moviegoers? Well, Variety noted, “‘Venom 2’ continued that trend: 62% of ticket buyers were male and 55% were under the age of 25.” Not only is that demographic less concerned about the lingering pandemic, it apparently is far less concerned with some minimal level of quality storytelling as well - at least when it comes to Venom.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 4 stars out of 5
DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating: $$$$ out of $$$$
When I was growing up and the Star Wars-vs.-Star Trek battle raged, I ranked as a Trek fan. However, while still appreciating Star Trek – particularly the Kirk, Spock and McCoy relationship in the original series and related movies – I gradually have become much more of a Star Wars than a Star Trek fan. Why? I came to an answer only recently. In the end, Star Wars has more heart than Star Trek. And yes, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has plenty of “Star Wars heart.”
So, what’s “Star Wars heart”? Well, in the lingo of “The Force,” it’s a feeling emerging from a combination of joy, adventure, courage, determination, optimism, humor, a willingness to sacrifice, and hope, along with characters who moviegoers come to love.
After Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which suffered from a severe shortage of “Star Wars heart,” many people wondered if Star Wars could bounce back with The Rise of Skywalker. Director J.J. Abrams and the film’s cast pulled it off in stellar fashion. The Rise of Skywalker is a worthy end to the nine-movie, three-trilogies Skywalker tale. (Not, of course, the end of Star Wars stories.)
As for the reviewers who either didn’t like The Rise of Skywalker, or found it middling or uneven, I struggle wondering what movie they wound up watching. Because it certainly wasn’t the film I saw and thoroughly enjoyed. Maybe each of those less-than-pleased critics had a bad day, or perhaps they don’t like epic films that excel in storytelling (including some needed repairs after The Last Jedi), visual effects, emotional power, drama, and humor.
And unlike the character mess in The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker stays true to and advances each character, which should be appreciated by Star Wars fans and filmgoers in general
Quite simply, to not like The Rise of Skywalker is to not like a great time at the movies.
As for the box office numbers, things look strong for Star Wars and Disney, with the opening box office tally as of Friday, December 20 (i.e., opening day), registering $149 million globally.
So, grab the popcorn (check out the cool souvenir popcorn bucket I picked up at an AMC theater) and a cool drink, and enjoy Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And when you get a chance, go see it again. That’s my plan.
