Indiana Jones
 

Any fans of this series here? It's one of my all-time favorite series and I love all the films very much in their own way, even the much-maligned fourth chapter. Disney recently bought the rights to more films, I'm excited. My ranking for the series is probably quite untraditional and controversial, but it goes:


Temple Of Doom
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
The Last Crusade


I think in a lot of ways Raiders is truly the best one, though I find Temple Of Doom to be the most entertaining. I actually go back and forth on Last Crusade and Crystal Skull. I like The Last Crusade but it tends to be my least favorite due to being so deriative of the original, though it's still a tremendous film.

one of my all time favorite film franchises. "Raiders" is my favorite, but I love "Temple Of Doom".
"Last Crusade" is probably my least favorite, and , yes I enjoyed " Crystal Skulls".

Love this series. Can watch them over & over again & again.

Raiders my favorite!:scared to death:

Love them all but Last Crusade would be my fourth choice. But I still think that it is great especially with Sean Connery as Dad.

Raiders is one of my all-time favorite films. I think all the sequels paled in comparison, though I enjoyed them all.

Temple delivered on the exotic, but that wore off. Thought it was formulaic and a bit too much of a caricature of Raiders. I found the ending of Temple disappointing.

I liked Crusade a bit better than the other 2 sequels. I thought it was a bit more thoughtful and original. The scene of Indy backing into Hitler is all-time film classic.

Monkey Skull was a tad bit forgettable to me. The atom bomb scene was memorable, the rest not so much.

One of my favorite part about the Indiana Jones movies are the obstacles he faces. I remember watching Crystal Skull around the same time Iron Man (which had its share of great moments don't get me wrong) came out and noticing such a difference between the small amount of adversity Iron Man had to face compared to Indie. Stark had a tough time in the beginning, leveled everything, and then had an anti-climatic "boss fight". The antagonists in the Jones films are always on his tail and there's really no breathing room.

Good to see there's other fans here :) I still got to get the Blu-ray set of all four that came out last year.

On a related note, what's everyone's favorite action scene in the series? The mine cart chase in Temple Of Doom is mine by a big margin. Still an incredible scene and one I always look forward to every time I watch the film.

One of my favourite trilogies ever. Next to Jaws, Raiders was my most memorable childhood cinema experience.

One of my most cherished series. Can watch all 4 movies umpteen times and never get bored.

Rank:

1) Raiders
2) Last Crusade
3) Temple of Doom
4) Crystal Skull

TBH, I have forgotten most bits of Crystal Skull, except that fantastic CGI-filled ending. As for chase sequences, three immediately come to mind:

1) Indy on a horse taking on ze Germans and their tanks to rescue Dad Connery in Last Crusade,

2) Young Indy being chased over a moving train (with bogies filled with circus shows, one had a snakes pit) in Last Crusade.

3) Indy and Dad Connery chased by Germans in motorcycles, again in Last Crusade.

Not so much as a chase sequence, but the one in Raiders where they are running around the streets of Cairo with Karen Allen loaded into a tall basket, culminating with the vegetable market scene.

Another good one is at the beginning of Raiders - Indy, booby traps, huge chasing boulder, natives and Belloq.

just like Star Wars, i really only like the first one ..

Those are all great moments and I'd also add the bar shoot-out, truck chase and Ark opening in Raiders, the opening of TOD and the bridge showdown in TOD.

It's one of my favorite series to marathon in one day. Though I usually like to watch them chronologically because even with TOD being a prequel, I feel it works better watched after Raiders because of it's incredible pace.

Cool idea for a thread. Love Indiana Jones. Here goes-- my ranking and justification:

1. The Last Crusade

This comes first purely for nostalgia reasons-- it was the first Indy movie I saw. The sense of adventure in Crusade is massive. I love all the different locations, I love the epic mood of it. When viewing Crusade in context, I still think it holds up as a sequel. There is a scene in the beginning of the film, the transition between young Indy to older Indy where Ford says a line like 'I said... this belongs in a museum!' and then the familiar theme swells on the soundtrack. It's pure movie magic.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

The original, though I don't necessarily think the best. That beginning temple sequence, and then the chase through Egypt, it's all good.

3. Temple of Doom

A lot of people don't like this movie, but I do. I like how the second act takes place entirely indoors and underground, and then just explodes to the great outdoors with that stunning bridge sequence.

4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I didn't like this one at all. Too much CGI. No cool moments.

Nice summarization of the films though I do like the fourth much more than quite a few others.

As a kid, I'd hadn't seen many things I'd consider as exciting as Temple.
Though now, I find it grates on me a little. My mind has it held as the "dumb" one, of the real parts of the series.

These days I'd probably rate them -
3, 1, and 2 slightly ahead of 4, which I didn't like too much for different reasons.

If they make a fifth one how would you like to see it done? I'd like to see it darker in tone like TOD was and use a different mythology. I always thought the lost city of Atlantis would've been awesome for Indy to pursue for a final quest.

If there was a 5th one, I'd like to see a new young actor. It could just be a "prequel". It's really hard to top the Ark of the Covenant as far as archeological discoveries.

I think finding the city of Atlantis would be a good overall premise. He could find key artifacts acrosss the world before ending up there. Could have some extra terrestrial or secret society connection.

I don't know if a prequel could be done, since the Young Indy TV series covered pretty much everything that could be done with a younger Indy. But maybe they could squeeze in another chapter.

They, whoever owns the rights, can do whatever they want, and nobody would blink an eye. (Current post company excluded. ::wink::) They could just allude to it being 1938, and Indy is trying to find Atlantis. This isn't Star Wars or Star Trek. Nobody would care if that somehow appeared to contradict the timeline of the Young Indy TV series. Fans would just be very happy Indy films didn't die with Harrison Ford's age.

There's all sorts of cool artifacts that could be tied into the Atlantis mythology too for Indy to pursue.

This is the same for me, except I like to pretend Crystal Skull doesn't exist. I have the same attitude about it as the Star Wars prequels.

Really? You didn't even enjoy the first 98% of last film Revenge of the Sith? The ending Vader scene was a bit abrupt, short, stiff and seemed like a throw in, but I thought the first 98% it was quiet well done. I think the material in Revenge should have been slit into two films. Make it seven parts.

I did enjoy all the films. But I had problems with some aspects of the prequels (midichrorians, Jar-Jar, some disjointed one-liners). Actually, what I didn't like about the prequels is what I didn't like about Return of the Jedi, as much of those things started in that film (yub-yub Ewoks, mellodramatic end of the Vader/Luke fight: Vader taking "the pose" hanging the railing). Still, Return of the Jedi's Emperor/Luke and Death Star space battle is fantastic. And the prequels have similair fantastic aspects.

I'd really like to see a sharp director make Star Wars films from the Timothy Zhan trilogy books. Those were excellent stories, and take place from the second Revenge of the Sith ends. I think Guillermo del Toro
would be a good choice. Can anyone think of a good director for those?

Del Toro would be awesome for SW, he has an excellent style.

Back on the subject of Indy, I think a darker relic could be cool for him to pursue too, maybe even something rooted in demonology. Something like the Pazuzu statue.

That might work. American audiences really liked seeing the Ark be proven real to Indy. The rather loose "Indian vudoo" they used in Temple of Doom, was not well received. Along with it being poorly researched and presented. I think a subject with a strong historical basis, a tie to reality and faith reafirming, is the track Raiders showed worked. What's the Pazuzu statue?

You are aware there is a point and click adventure game called 'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Lost Atlantis' and it's f-ing AWESOME!?!?!?!?

wrong thread -

"Please delete me, let me go .."

Heard of that game and been meaning to play it, seems cool.

For...22+ years?

Yeah I remember it. Not bad. If you like old sierra games and things like Broken Sword it'll work for you.

Though for a more action oriented title, with a pretty decent script, go with the much more recent "Emperors Tomb" Very satisfying title.

Pazuzu.

On the subject of a fifth film, I was reading the newest issue of Starburst magazine and they had a section about upcoming movies and said Indiana Jones 5 is looking likely with Disney's plans for another film and a greenlight is expected anyday by now. Not exactly a confirmation but it's looking pretty probable we'll get an official announcement not too long from now.

Thanks for the info. I see Pazuzu was used as the demon in the Exorcist.

Yes, but not shown in his demon form sans the statue.

Actually, I always wondered what that statue was. I was a child when I saw the film on TV. I figured it was the demon, but thought it was merely a creepy shot. When I saw as an adult, I took a mental note to find out if that was an actual idol/demon, but hadn't thought about it till now.

The use of the idol find is an interesting story devise. The priest and demon meet again, so to speak. The film shows Merrin and a larger image of the demon idol, and then shows the dogs fighting. That was meant to indicate Merrin and the demon would fight. But to many that indicated the demon was somehow released by the find. The film doesn't reveal this, but in the wider novels/films, Merrin exercised Pazuzu years early, and Pazuzu is following Merrin. In the Exorcist film itself, the use of Pazuzu and it's link to Reagan and Merrin are left rather puzzling, IMO.

I find the use of Pazuzu as the antagonist all the stranger too considering he's actually a protector who wards off other evil spirits, according to mythology. But seeing as he himself is a demon, I guess his protection comes with a cost.

Pazuzu is, at least on the surface, an odd choice for the possessing demon within the Exorcist film. Would have expected just a demon, or the Devil. But Pazuzu is the king of the demons of the wind. There's an attachment to Judeo-Christianity. One in particular is in Daniel 10, where assumedly an angel, was sent to Daniel, but "the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." The "fallen angels" of Genesis were on the Earth for centuries. One might expect these demons to be the demons/gods of ancient civilizations.

I always wondered what made William Peter Blatty choose Pazuzu as the demon to possess Regan when he wrote The Exorcist. I guess he might've wanted to use a more unique demon instead of just the Devil or a random one?

Could be interesting to see such mythology used in the next Indy film.

Indy 5 looking possible.

If they really make it within the next two years maybe it can be done as a two-part finale to end the series, something like what's being done with Mockingjay for The Hunger Games. I'd love to see an epic finale like that for the saga with Ford reprising Indy for the final time before he has to retire the role due to his advancing age.

For me, it depends what the scripts are. If they have scripts to move on from the 1957, then yes, include Harrison as Indy passing the torch to a new hero. But please, not Shia LaBeouf.

Otherwise, if there's a good script for an earlier period, I'd rather they start fresh, with an "alternate universe", with no harrison ford.

I doubt Shia would be in it, given that he publicly trashed the fourth film which drew to ire of Ford and also with his recent antics that had pretty much made him a pariah in the film industry.

Word is out now that two more sequels are planned. If that's the case they'll probably have to be shot back-to-back given Ford's age. I think a two-part series finale is a great way to end the series before Ford has to retire the role for good due to his age.