John Rhys-Davies, who returned to the Indiana Jones franchise to reprise his role as Sallah, has described Dial of Destiny as a "disappointing film."
"I'll be honest with you, I was very disappointed in it," Rhys-Davies told Off/Frame.
For Rhys-Davies, Dial of Destiny – which brought back Harrison Ford as Indy at the age of 80 – should have played the hits instead of introducing a wave of new characters.
"The film is meant to be a nostalgia film," Rhys-Davies lamented. "They filled the cast up with people we had never met before – so there can be no nostalgia, really."
Other complaints Rhys-Davies harbored about Dial of Destiny include having his role as Sallah supposedly cut down (he only had a handful of scenes) and the treatment of Antonio Banderas' character Renaldo, who is killed off within minutes of appearing.
"I found that the scenes I'd been promised in the thing were cut immediately [after] I signed the contract. I think it's a disappointing film. What is tragic, really, is… [Antonio] Banderas. The most exciting actor of his generation… but what a terrible thing to do to him," Rhys-Davies said.
Dial of Destiny was largely seen as a disappointment, grossing under $400 million at the box office, the lowest in franchise history. Its 71% Rotten Tomatoes score also reveals a mixed critical response to the fifth Indiana Jones movie.
Speaking earlier this year to Deadline, former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said there were "no regrets" over Dial of Destiny but there was no interest "right now" in making another Indy adventure.
"I have no regrets about that because Harrison [Ford] wanted to do that more than anything. He did not want Indy to end with the fourth movie," Kennedy said. "He wanted a chance at another, and we did that for him. I think that was the right thing to do."
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