Canon-Strike XV: Indiana Jones

[Neon Ignition]

We're just a few months out from the end of the Indiana Jones saga as Harrison Ford bows out of a role that is tied to his name and unlike his other famous character, he actually likes this one.


Indiana Jones


The franchise will soon span five films and until recent times also wrapped itself around the TV series Young Indiana Jones which famously featured a cameo from Ford and often had an eye patched 93 year old Indy telling the tales of his youth. Ever incapable of letting a piece of his creations stand for themselves, Lucas constantly edited and recut the show and old Indy found himself cut from the show as time progressed with the overall shows place as canon in a post-Disney era remaining unknown. However, the films remain a timeline of his life regardless and this brief thread will revisit events as we march toward his final adventure.


Chapter One - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade's Prologue
The opening of the third film takes us to a young Indiana's first taste of adventure when he stumbles across grave robbers uncovering a historical golden crucifix. When Indy takes it from them they give chase through the desert and onto a speeding circus train where Indiana first finds his whip and receives the scar on his chin. Managing to flee the pursuers he dashes home to his father but the local law enforcement force him to hand the crucifix back to the robbers as Indy looks on, the lead robber passing him his fedora has a consolation prize.




Within the films this is the only time Indiana is played by someone other than Ford. How well did River Phoenix do in the role and does the intro do a good job of establishing the characters origins?

[Asura]

We watched this movie last weekend funnily enough.

And felt sad about River Phoenix for a moment.

[Neon Ignition]

It's notable that so often its taken that only Ford can play Indiana really as so much of Ford's own character is fused with that of Indiana but despite his age and the short length of the opening sequences run time it's an absolute credit to River that he not only plays the part well but manages to naturally capture Ford's style quite well.

[Neon Ignition]

Chapter Two - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Moving events on to 1935, Indy is into his life as an artifact hunter but at this point in his life is more comfortable retrieving them for those willing to pay for the service over the need to have them placed into a museum. The film opens with this very scenario before moving Indy and his orphaned sidekick Short Round to Northern India where a starved village begs for his help to recover their sacred stone and the villagers children who were taken from them.




At the time the darker tone of Temple proved divisive, is the film the superior form of Indy though?

[Asura]

One thing I often mention about the Indy films, which is most relevant for Temple, is that as a kid, I saw the three of them as much of a muchness. I didn't even realise that Temple of Doom was a prequel. It's only as an adult I look back at Temple and can see just how much more epic Raiders was.

I actually haven't watched it in years, despite watching Raiders and Crusade many times since. Maybe I should.

[QualityChimp]

Same as Asura, I saw Temple of Doom first and it's all set in the past, with nothing in Raiders saying "Hey, remember that Shortround guy?" or "This is like when I fought Mola Ram!" so I don't think it matters when it was set.

Anyway, I don't care what the general consensus is, I think Doom is better than Raiders.

There are just so many amazing moments:
Chilled monkey brains and snake surprise.
We are going to die.
Poison on the lazy Susan.
Running behind the gong as it clangs whilst it gets shot ("ting ting tang tung")
"That's DOCTOR Jones, lady" flips coin
"Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, OM NAMAH SHIVAYA!!!" still beating heart is pulled out and catches fire
Goes to shoot swordsman like in Raiders, but gun isn't there
Minecart/flood
River rafting
Trapped on a rope bridge with thugee guards either side "****" hacks bridge


Heck, I even used to love the Atari arcade, which made me love the soundtrack even more, which is currently playing in my head as I write this.

Also, I think this is my favourite shot in the whole series and gets a shiver down the spine!

[Neon Ignition]

The interesting thing with Doom is the pacing which is possibly smarter handled than any of the other entries. That it feels like more of the same for many is an interesting reflection because you have that opening with the nightclub/plane sequence and you have the temple fight/minecart sequence at the end but they're largely all the action the film contains. It's the least action focused entry in the franchise with most of the film resting purely on the interactions of Indy, Short Round and Willie which is an interesting direction to go in when it's the sequel and they usually see things dialled up not down.

[QualityChimp]

I don't think I agree that there are only two action sequences, but I definitely think the section where it establishes the palace and the interaction with the three is sensibly slower-paced after the dramatic start.

I know Mola Ram pulls peoples' hearts out and there are glowing stones, but this is the least fantastical entry.
There are no Biblical ghosts melting Nazi faces or 1000 year old knights living in a cave or aliens.
I don't think the film suffers from that lack of them, though.

[Mayhem]

Mola Ram is certainly the best villian in the series simply because he is the most believable and charismatic. And he pulls peoples hearts out of their chest when he loses, Wookies weren't known to do that. As also noted, it wasn't until I was somewhat older and started keeping track of these things that I realised that Temple was set before Raiders.

Trapped on a rope bridge with thugee guards either side "****" [I]hacks bridge

Oh my god, oh my god, is he nuts?! Hang on pretty lady, we're going for a ride!
Mola Ram... prepare to meet Kali... in hell!

[Neon Ignition]

Chapter Three - Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
The year after the events of Doom, Indy is given the indicator that Nazi's have identified the location of the Ark of the Covenant and are close to retrieving it giving them the power to win the war. Indy finds himself united with Marion Ravenwood, as they race to locate the Ark first. The film launched the franchise and is considered a classic with the greatest controversy around it being when Lucas decided to add Indiana's name to the title in the late 90's.




How peak Indy is Raiders?

[Neon Ignition]

There's little point really going into why Raiders is so good, it's one of those films where it's self-evident which leaves me more with the highly subjective points that the change in title never bothered me and also that for me it's the second best entry. I don't think there's much in it but for me Last Crusade added elements that benefitted the franchise more than any of its softer edges detracted. There are a couple of things I like more about Crusade but never anything I think I prefer Raiders over but that's more a testament to the two films who easily stand above the other entries.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I think the one simple thing that make it so watchable is the pacing. It's fantastically well paced. There isn't a wasted scene and the film just zips along. Crusade is the same, it just flys by. Its a director at the top of his game.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, Temple has just enough of that touch of strain you see in Spielberg sequels where he doesn't like returning to something he's already done. With Crusade there's the room for him to inject more of his own storytelling type into it and a genuine sense that he made it feeling like he was planning to cap off a trilogy on a return to form that Raiders set.

[Neon Ignition]

Chapter Four - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Set two years after the events of Raiders, the film see's Indy receive his father's grail diary in the mail and mysterious strangers turn up to inform him that his father has gone missing, taken by Nazi's in search of the Holy Grail. The film shifted away from the darker tone of Doom and aimed to pay off the Bond inspiration and aspirations the franchise had begun with by literally adding Sean Connery to the cast as Indy's father despite only a twelve year age gap between the actors. The film was the biggest hit of its year and another entry to cement the character in pop culture history.




A perfect cap on a trilogy or did it belong in a musuem?

[QualityChimp]

Raiders is one of the best films ever made, it's just wonderful.

I prefer Doom because it takes what works in the original and just amplifies it, like Toy Story 2.
It'd be nothing without the original, but is a brilliant follow up.

Bad dates, the runs truncating the fight scene with a bullet, the basket chase, the burned hand salute, face melting and the infinite warehouse. All amazing stuff.

Crusade is also great. I have to mention that in the Hitler scene, I nearly shouted "That's Mister Bronson from Grange Hill!".
You know, this is the first film I saw at Showcase Cinemas.
The idea of more than 1 to 3 films on at the same cinema was something you'd only see in American movies and it felt like a slice of the States had finally made it to the UK.



I particularly enjoy the final section where Indy has to pass the challenges to reach the cup room.
The "step of faith" bit was particularly cool. You could tell it was the same ILM team that did the amazing stained glass sequence in Young Sherlock Holmes.

Obviously, we all feel like the insta-aging guy when someone tells us the film is nearly THIRTY FIVE years old!