Way Late Movie Review: The Indiana Jones Trilogy
I’ve been watching a lot of movies that I never got around to watching when they came out. Out of shame I’m going to review them here.
Today’s movies are Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) starring Han Solo, the guy from Sliders, and several attractive (by 1980s standards) females. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Rated PG.
Plot: Set between 1936 and 1938, Indiana Jones is a mild mannered archaeologist and professor by day, but when he dons on his magic hat and whips out his… whip, he becomes an ass-kicking ass kicker.
In anticipation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I rented and watched the first three movies in the series. I hadn’t seen any of them all the way through.
The first movie was good, but I thought it was a bit light on action. The first sequence is really the only one with booby traps. The romance with Indy’s ex was a nice change from normal action movie romance.
Of course, the second movie completely ignores the events of the first, not mentioning Indy’s love interest. Instead, we find Indy has made a new friend, a Chinese child who only knows two English words: “Doctor” and “Jones.” He repeats them generously. The love interest in this movie is a cranky, whiny brat who deserves everything she gets (except Indy). Oh, Dr. Jones, I understand that after you almost die you want to shack up with the closest woman, but her? I just wanted to slap her the whole time.
The third movie returns to thwarting Nazi plans, this time to find the Holy Grail. I think this one is generally regarded as the best of the three, and that is my opinion as well.
I guess I expected more booby traps and puzzles. The movies had a mix of that and shootouts and fist fights, which, while entertaining, was disappointing.
Adult content: People getting shot and stabbed; hearts being pulled from chests; lots of blood; melting Nazis. All this while retaining a PG rating! Oh, the 80s!
Overall: Despite their flaws, these movies are classics. Everyone should see them.
Bonus Review: Jen’s Thoughts
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was my fav out of the three. Although, some parts were completely revolting, like when Indy, Willie, and Shorty were eating dinner at the palace and they were served monkey brains and eye ball soup… gaaaaaross!!! I did like how that one dude bare-handedly ripped through a man’s chest and grabbed his heart, though. That’s always cool :) Oh and Indy is totally dreamy.