Indiana Jones veteran John Rhys-Davies has admitted that he was "very disappointed" with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, criticizing the fifth installment for failing to deliver the nostalgia it promised. The 82-year-old actor, who played Sallah alongside Harrison Ford in three installments, believes the film missed several opportunities to reconnect with the franchise's beloved characters.

His comments offer a particularly interesting perspective because he was not just watching the adventure unfold but was part of the series that made it iconic. For an actor who helped build that cinematic history, the latest installment apparently left plenty to be desired.

During an interview with OFF FRAME at the recent San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, John Rhys-Davies did not hold back when discussing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. While the conversation also covered his experiences making The Lord of the Rings films ahead of the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, the actor was particularly candid about his return to the Indiana Jones franchise.

"I'll be honest with you. I was very disappointed in it," he said.

 "The film is meant to be a nostalgia film, and they filled the cast up with people that we'd never met before. So there can be no nostalgia, really," he revealed.

Rhys-Davies also singled out Antonio Banderas, who played Renaldo, Indy's boat captain and ally, expressing frustration over how little the actor was given to do. Calling Banderas "the most exciting actor of his generation," he questioned the creative choices surrounding his character. He even suggested to Offframe, that bringing back Captain Katanga, the memorable boat captain from Raiders of the Lost Ark, alongside Sallah could have created a stronger connection with the original adventures. Rhys-Davies admitted that the missed opportunities left him "a little bit angry."

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But while the veteran actor believes the franchise missed an opportunity to revisit its roots, a younger filmmaker has an entirely different idea for where adventure cinema could go next.

Curry Barker, the filmmaker behind the horror hit Obsession, recently revealed to Gold Derby that he would love to make a much darker adventure movie inspired by Indiana Jones. 

"I would want to do a really f***** up, rated-R version of [Indiana Jones]," he said.

He explained that audiences have largely seen the family-friendly side of the adventure genre and that he wants to explore what happens when an ordinary person embarks on a journey that spirals into something much more disturbing.

Barker's ambition is not an official proposal to take over the Lucasfilm franchise, but an interest in pushing the genre into more extreme territory. His idea is particularly intriguing given that Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom already featured genuinely unsettling sequences, from the Ark's supernatural horrors to the infamous heart-ripping ritual. Whether Barker ever gets to make such an adventure remains uncertain, especially with his upcoming projects, including Anything But Ghosts and a new The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.

Between John Rhys-Davies wanting more familiar faces and Barker imagining a radically different approach, the future of adventure cinema certainly has room for debate. 

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Would you agree with Rhys-Davies about Dial of Destiny, or would you be interested in seeing Curry Barker's darker take on the genre? Share your thoughts in the comments.