The Indiana Jones Thread

[Joe Carioca]

I’m creating this thread so that fans of the Indiana Jones series can discuss the films and post news on the upcoming Indiana Jones IV.

Lets start by discussing the classic trilogy. In my opinion, all three films are among the all-time big classics and they are certainly the best adventure movies out there. This is my order of preference:

1) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark
3) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Even though it is as famous as the other two, I know “Temple” is the one that gets the most criticism from fans and critics, and it upsets me that to this day some still think of it as an inferior movie. Fortunately, the ones who really like it usually have it as their favorite of the series. As I talk to people who haven´t seen the films in a long time, I discover that this is the one they usually remember most fondly and that used to be their favorite (everybody mentions the exotic dinner sequence).

As for myself, I think the film couldn´t be any better. I love everything about it, from the great colorful opening sequence in Shanghai (“Anything Goes”!) to the dark and gloomy sections in the Temple of Doom. Besides, this is the one with the best cinematography, best special effects and best soundtrack. The performances are spot-on (well, they are in all of the films) and, contrary to a lot of people, I love Willie Scott (she´s no match for Marion though). And what about those last 30 minutes… oh my, it´s a never-ending roller coaster of one action sequence after the other, culminating in the classic rope bridge sequence.

There aren´t a lot of things to be said about “Raiders” that haven´t been said, because it really is a perfect movie. As for “Crusade”, even though I also love it, it´s my least favorite of the trilogy. Sean Connery is surely great and all that father-son relationship is the high point of the movie, but it doesn´t have as many memorable scenes as the other two and I even find it to be simpler than the other ones (too much played for laughs, I suppose). But those are really small concerns when considering the film as a whole, for it is also a great picture.

I believe a lot of the people here on these boards must have the DVD. As I believe you know, some of the effects on “Raiders” have been cleaned up, and some mistakes corrected. I don´t have the old VHS tapes to compare, so I ask you: has any alteration been made to “Temple of Doom” and “The Last Crusade”. I believe there hasn´t, since there has been no talk about it and most of the mate lines in effects shots are still visible.

As for the new movie, what you think about it? Is Harrison Ford too old to play Indy? Is it going to be as good as the three previous ones?

By the way, what is favorite Indy film?

[lord-of-sith]

My favorite is Raiders of the Lost Ark. And I believe that if they can make Chistopher Lee and Ian Mcdiarmid twirl with incredible acrobatic swordsmanship in Star Wars, they can pull off Ford as Indie. My only worry is that kids these days might not know who IJ is as much as they knew what Star Wars was when The Phantom Menac came out. But, I can't picture anyone else but Ford in that role. My list goes:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crusade
3. The Temple of Doom

[Mr. Toad]

*scratches head*

Well, I must take the exact opposite argument to you. Temple of Doom really was disasterous compared to the other two. While it had some excellent scenes, it did not work as a movie as a whole. I thought the scenes in the Temple of Doom were pretty bad. A repeat of the snake scene that was overlong, the long drawn out boring hypnosis scenes.

I quite liked the village scenes and the exotic dinner scene was quite good as you mentioned but it really did get bogged down and a little full of itself.

Raiders and the Last Crusade are too of my absolute favorite movies however. I think Raiders is the best movie I have ever seen, bar none. Had everything. Last Crusade is in my top 10 as wll.

I am leery of the fourth movie. I think they should have just left well enough alone. But still its Speilberg, Ford and Connery. They could pull it off.

I am really disappointed Jonathan Rhys-Davies is not in it(as is he).[/b]

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Finally!!! I've been waiting for this!

I LOVE Indiana Jones. It's my 2nd favorite trilogy of all time(just behind the original Star Wars).

Here's my order:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Last Crucade
3. Temple of Doom

Raiders of the Lost Ark is my second favorite movie of all time!(or at least it is at the moment! )

Adventure, comedy, romance, drama. What doesn't this movie have? The timing is excellent, Speilberg did an excellent job directing, and
Harrison Ford is perfect as Indiana Jones!

Great special effects, great storyline, awesome action, and a killer costume!

Like Mary Poppins said, "Practically  Perfect in Every Way!" 10/10

The Last Crucade was not quite as good as Raiders, but still very good! Sean Connery is perfectly casted! Not to mention the script is hilarious and there is quite alot of action too! Overall a worthy sequel! 9/10

Temple of Doom was not that good IMO? Kate Capshaw was not well casted at all, and the I didn't care to much for the dark tone. Some of it was either chessy or not very enjoyable. While Jonathan Ke Quan was great at his part, and the movie had some cool parts here and there, I agree with Speilberg that this was my least favorite.

I personally would love a 4th one. Harrison Ford is not too old to play Indiana Jones, the question is, isn't Sean Connery getting too old to play Indiana Jone's Dad!

[Mr. Toad]

Oh yeah and as for number four - Celista Flockhart as Willie. Yuck. Talk about nepotism. The girl does not have a muscle on her. How is she going to do an action movie.

Rather watch Karen Allen any day. She can at least pass for an actress.

As for Indy - I wouldnt mind Sean Patrick Flannery taking over, although I have no idea what he looks like today. What has he been in?

Young Indiana Jones Chronicles would be a great TV on DVD show. Forty four episodes over three years. Sounds like a nice two volume set.

[MickeyMousePal]

Okay this is the second best trilogy with a great cast including Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Kate Capshaw and John Rhys-Davies.


1) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark
3) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Oh, yeah I watch this trilogy every Christmas.

[orestes.]

I love this trilogy and all of the films equally. 'Temple of Doom' may be most people's least favourite but everytime I watch that one it seems to get better and better for me. Admittedly the best is the first half of the movie.

I've currently got the trilogy on VHS with two copies of Raiders and Crusade and the whole set on DVD. Yeah I went overboard.

[Zoltack]

Yeah, Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite. I didn't like Temple of Doom very much, cuz it was kinda icky... well I guess they all are kinda icky but when that guy pulled out that guys heart I was like "This is awesome!!!" The Last Crusade is pretty good not as good as Raiders but I like.

[creid]

I absolutely love Raiders Of The Lost Ark because the movie was able inhibit the wonderful spirit of the old serials while adding the master directing (and producing) of Spielberg/Lucas. The film is always fun to watch as it perfectly cast and paced throughout the picture. It is easily one of my favorite 25 pictures. While I do enjoy the follow-ups, these movies do not have the same spirit of the first one. I do tire of Kate as the ditzy blond and I would like to quote an IMDB forum, "Short Round was the Jar-Jar of the 1980's."

To be honest, I could care less if they did an Indiana Jones IV as Harrison is little old for the role and Spielberg has gotten too serious.

CR

[dvdjunkie]

Here it is straight from the horse's mouth.

The last time Harrison Ford was at our Hotel and I had the privilege of picking him up at the Airport, I asked him about the possiblity of INDY JONES 4 movie.

Mr. Ford said that there is a big hang-up on the script, but that it should be ready by October of this year. If it all goes as planned the cast is going to add Kevin Costner as Indy's long-lost brother and Sean Connery will be returning as good old Daddy.

Personally I am looking forward to a fourth movie and if you have ever seen Mr. Ford in person you will notice what good shape he is in physically, and how well he takes care of himself. I think he will be able to handle this film perfectly and with both George Lucas and Steven Spielbert having their hands in the "soup" it should be a pretty good movie. I also heard that one of the original script writers from "Raiders" is involved in this "final" Indiana Jones project.

[Lazario]

I prefer them in reverse order of their making - Crusade, Temple, Ark. And I like them, good movies.

[deathie mouse]

While I prefer them in the order they were made: Raiders Temple Crusade

Mmm Joe, I haven't seen the DVDs so i wouldn't really really know but the only thing i've seen altered thru the years was the heart ripping scene from Temple. Never seen it be the same as in the original print.

[Joe Carioca]

While I prefer them in the order they were made: Raiders Temple Crusade

Mmm Joe, I haven't seen the DVDs so i wouldn't really really know but the only thing i've seen altered thru the years was the heart ripping scene from Temple. Never seen it be the same as in the original print.

Hmm, now you made me really curious Deathie! What was the scene in the original print like? I know it has been edited out of various television versions, but, as far as I know, on the DVD it is intact. One of my favorite scenes in the movie, by the way.

[Mr. Toad]

By the way, to keep up on news and rumours

www.theraider.net

I check in once or so a month.

The script has been a big hangup. Spielberg and Ford loved the initial script. Lucas hated it. Lucas won.

[Lazario]

I kind of think these movies are so good, they are beyond ordinary criticism. They take all the most general adventure-hero cliches and make each and every one of them work. The camerawork and cinematography are amazing, the use of widescreen is nearly revolutionary, the action is infectuous, great and inventive special effects, these movies are genuinely exciting, dramatic, funny, a little creepy, and still well-acted and entertaining.

I prefer The Last Crusade over the other films because of the series of tests Indiana Jones goes through at the end. I like the parable of choosing the right cup. And then I really think The Temple of Doom is an amazing film to watch, so I prefer it over Raiders, which is of course the most action-packed of the three, but that doesn't always have an appeal over the other films for me.

[Joe Carioca]

I have read a post on a forum in which a guy says that a few frames have been removed from the heart-ripping scene from "Temple of Doom" in the DVD version (and he wasn´t talking about the edited UK version). I have never read anything about the DVD being edited on the Internet, so I though the scene was intact but, as a mather of fact, a small "jump" in the action can be noticed in the scene (in one take Mola Ram is with his hand inside the slave´s chest, and in the next he already has the heart in his hands). Could anyone confirm wether this is true or not?

[2099net]

A have read a post on a forum in which a guy says that a few frames have been removed from the heart-ripping scene from "Temple of Doom" in the DVD version (and he wasn´t talking about the edited UK version). I have never read anything about the DVD being edited on the Internet, so I though the scene was intact but, as a mather of fact, a small "jump" in the action can be noticed in the scene (in one take Mola Ram is with his hand inside the slave´s chest, and in the next he already has the heart in his hands). Could anyone confirm wether this is true or not?

As far as I know, the UK ToD is the old edited release from its UK movie showings. But Paramount did offer to release it uncut in the UK, and it would have been classified by the BBFC intact with the same rating as the edited one. (I read somewhere that Paramount took some advice on this from the BBFC before re-submitting).

However, Steven Speilberg himself said he would prefer the previously edited version of the film to be released in the UK (which cost Paramount some money, as they had to make a UK only Temple of Doom disc - the other 2 discs in the pack are general European discs. Presumably this is why Paramount offered to release an uncut version; to save money).

What does this mean? Well, its possible if Spielberg did want an edited version released, even though he was offered an unedited release, that he may have supervised new "revisions" to the editing on all other worldwide versions of the DVD.

[ThiagoPE]

I also like the reverse order of the films, in truth i don´t even likt the frist movie...

[Joe Carioca]

I also like the reverse order of the films, in truth i don´t even likt the frist movie...

Wow Thiago, you don´t like "Raiders"? That´s kinda shocking, hehe!

Well, if Spielberg indeed edited "Temple of Doom" for DVD release, it is a real shame. Actually, it is revolting that he was the one behind the edited version released in the UK (you would think the director would want his work unchanged...). Isn´t it bad enough that he has gone into this "politically correct" trend, even bothering to remove the guns from "E.T."? As I´ve read somewhere, if ToD was made today I could picture Indiana Jones cuting the rope of the bridge with an walkie talkie, hehe.

By the way, I don´t see what all the fuss was about regarding the violence in "Temple". I mean, "Raiders" had a few quite dark sequences as well, and I don´t recall anyone complaining about that. At least melting faces and exploding heads are not my idea of "healthy family entertainment" As a matter of fact, I have a younger brother and two young cousins who are all quite found of the Indiana Jones films, and their favorite one is "Temple of Doom".

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

I also like the reverse order of the films, in truth i don´t even likt the frist movie...

Wow Thiago, you don´t like "Raiders"? That´s kinda shocking, hehe!

By the way, I don´t see what all the fuss was about regarding the violence in "Temple". I mean, "Raiders" had a few quite dark sequences as well, and I don´t recall anyone complaining about that. At least melting faces and exploding heads are not my idea of "healthy family entertainment" As a matter of fact, I have a younger brother and two young cousins who are all quite found of the Indiana Jones films, and their favorite one is "Temple of Doom".

Yeah before today, I thought everybody loved that movie! I mean how can you not like Indy being chased by a bolder!

Well in Raiders the dark scenes only happened to the villians, so you can say they recieved their just desserts! But in "Temple" they were attacking innocent children!

Well to me it wasn't so much the graphics, but the story of "Temple" that made the movie dark. I mean Raiders was just good v.s. evil story with two people trying to get the lost ark. Yes there were violent parts, but the it wasn't too bad for most kids, but in "Temple" you have people kidnapping children so they could dig for these stones that will make these villians as powerful as Gods. And eventually they would take their heart and burn them into the fire. Not to mention that scene where they force Indy to make him drink that blood so he'll become evil!

See how different the stories are when they come to darkness.

So basically most of the time "Temple" was either too "dark" or too "chessy".

Also here's a flaw I found in the Indy trilogy, in Raiders Indy says, "I'm not the type of person that believes in that magic hokus pokus stuff" but in "Temple", which is supposebly  the prequel, he has seen loads of magic stuff. Was he doing it on purpose so Marcus wouldn't freak out?

Speaking of Marcus, it's a shame Denhalm Elliot died, he would've been great in the 4th one. They could've at least brought back Jonathan Rhys-Davies to the sequel!